Winchester, Massachusetts

Winchester, Massachusetts is located in Middlesex County, eight miles north of downtown Boston. It is known as an affluent bedroom community for professionals in Boston and Cambridge. Winchester’s land was purchased in 1639 from Native Americans, with settlement beginning the next year, in 1640. The town was named in honor of Colonel William P. Winchester of nearby Watertown, who pledged $3,000 toward the construction of the first town hall. In the early 20th century, a rich mix of immigrants complemented the original population.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which 6.0 square miles (15.6 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) is water. The town is bisected by a central valley, the remnant of the original course of the Merrimack River. On its eastern third, the valley rises steeply into the wooded hills of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The western edge of the valley yields to Arlington and Lexington Heights. To the north, the town’s longest border is shared with Woburn.

A new Black Horse Tavern opened in Winchester Center in August 2010, on the site of the former Black Horse Bootery, which was demolished in 1892. According to the Massachusetts Historical Society, the town’s original Black Horse Tavern was built in 1742 and served as an important meeting place during the American Revolution.