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Portrait with many faces
The Boston Globe
May 05, 2013
By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent
As Watertown was thrust into the national spotlight because of a
violent gunfight and a daylong manhunt in the aftermath of the Boston
Marathon bombings, members of the news media and analysts unfamiliar
with the area searched for a way to describe the town that shares
borders with both Boston and Cambridge.
Some called the town `sleepy,' and others described it as a bedroom
community for commuters who flock to big cities nearby for work. Those
who live in Greater Boston might know Watertown for its popular
big-box stores such as Target and Best Buy, the retail shops in the
Arsenal Mall, or its Registry of Motor Vehicles office.
But people who live there know there is plenty more to Watertown.
It is a close-knit community of 32,000 sharing just 4 square miles,
bounded by the Charles River for much of its southern edge, with
strong working-class neighborhoods, reasonable housing costs, a large
Armenian population, and a well-established cultural scene of
restaurants, shops, and the arts.
It is a place where families often stay for generations but newcomers
add to a varied mix, where politics is steeped in New England
skepticism, and people are quick to demand value for their tax
dollars.
=80=9COver the years, there are so many meetings where the first thing
people say when they get up to speak is, `I'm a lifelong resident,' or
`I've been here 40 or 60 years,'=80=89' said Mark Sideris, the Town
Council president. `People take pride in how long they've been in
Watertown. People raise their families here, and now their children
live in Watertown.'
The median household income is about $77,000, according to recent
census data, about two-thirds of the figures for neighboring Belmont
and Newton. And the median price for a house is $409,000, or about 60
percent of the figures for those two adjacent communities.
In Watertown Square, a bus terminus offers connections to the regional
public transit network. The streets branching off from a small green
are lined with a diverse collection of restaurants, from
American-style diners that have lines out the door during weekend
breakfast hours to a vegetarian spot that serves vegan beer and
wine. Those craving a boost of culture often buy tickets to the latest
eclectic jazz show or theatrical production at the Arsenal Center for
the Arts.
Watertown residents root for the Red Sox, of course, but also for
their kids playing Little League or for the Watertown High School
Raiders at Victory Field. Last year, the girls' field hockey team won
its fourth state championship.
As kudos flowed in for the job Watertown police did in tracking down
the suspects in the April 15 bombings, Police Chief Edward Deveau was
quick to point out someone from the New England Patriots requested a
department sweatshirt for coach Bill Belichick to wear at the NFL
draft.
`That's no joke,' the chief said after a recent Town Council meeting,
a few days before the coach wore the hoodie at the podium on draft
night.
Watertown was cast into the spotlight following the bombings that
killed three Marathon bystanders and injured more than 260. The two
suspects - 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his 19-year-old brother,
Dzhokhar =80' confronted police in the Laurel Street neighborhood of
Watertown early on April 19. A gun battle ensued and Tamerlan was
killed. His brother managed to escape, but was captured that evening
in a nearby backyard where he was found hiding in a boat.
Authorities aren't sure why the Tsarnaev brothers ended up in
Watertown, after they allegedly killed MIT police officer Sean
A. Collier in Cambridge, and hijacked a Mercedes SUV in Boston. Law
enforcement officials said investigators are looking into any links to
the brothers in Watertown.
The shoot-out and subsequent manhunt were not the first time that
Watertown surfaced in the investigation of a terrorist incident.
In May 2010, two Pakistani men living in Watertown were taken into
custody by authorities investigating a failed car bombing in New
York's Times Square that had been attempted by Pakistani-born Faisal
Shahzad. One of the men pleaded guilty to unlicensed money
transmitting, after Shahzad's part in the off-the-books system drew
the attention of police. Both men were cleared by federal officials of
having any role in Shahzad's terror plot.
Like many New England towns, Watertown was once a mecca for
manufacturing, but it is now home to white-collar businesses such as
Tufts Health Plan, as well as entrepreneurial start-ups, and
engineering and architectural firms.
According to state labor officials, Watertown's employers represented
a combined job market of 19,000 positions as of last September. With
data showing 18,600 residents are employed, in town or elsewhere, the
near balance undercuts its reputation as a bedroom community.
`We're a very popular destination for start-ups that had some success
but have trouble adding space because of rents in Cambridge,' said
Steve Magoon, the town's economic development director. `We've been
getting a lot of those companies who have found some success in
Watertown.'
The town is also going through something of an upsurge in housing. In
recent years, Planning Board officials approved a total of 650 new
apartment and condominium units along a 1.2-mile stretch of Pleasant
Street, which hugs the Charles River.
Even with the new development, residents actively prefer to keep their
town's New England legacy intact - and regularly succeed. Spirited
crowds recently loudly opposed a Walmart coming to town, with the
result that the chain abandoned its plans for the store. And
neighborhood resistance to a complex adding 14 condominiums along
Pleasant Street helped kill the proposal.
Census figures show Watertown is home to a wide variety of
ethnicities, including residents of Irish, Italian, French, English,
German, Greek, Russian, Polish, Portugese, Arab, and African heritage.
But the most prominent group are Armenians. The US Census Bureau says
there are between 1,700 and 3,000 Armenians in Watertown, but local
Armenians think the population is larger. Their community's
identification with Watertown is strong, bolstered by the presence of
the Armenian Library and Museum of America and several Armenian
churches.
Many Armenians immigrated to America in the 20th century looking to
escape persecution in their native land, and many settled in the
Watertown area because jobs were often available at Hood Rubber Co.,
on the east side of town. The factory, founded in 1896, served as a
major local employer for nearly 75 years, hiring as many as 10,000
laborers at its peak.
Now, a cluster of Armenian restaurants and shops near Coolidge Square
is known as =80=9CLittle Armenia,' while headquarters for national
Armenian newspapers and organizations are located throughout town.
`They want to be able to walk down the street and hear their native
language spoken, and also be able to walk to church and other places
around town,' said Gary Lind-Sinanian, curator of the Armenian Library
and Museum on Main Street. `There's only one community that fits that
profile, and that's Watertown. It's small and safe and people can walk
to places, and it just has that feeling.'
Susan Pattie, the museum's executive director, said although she moved
to Watertown only six months ago, she sees a deep passion among
residents for their hometown.
`It's very touching to see generations of people so attached to
Watertown,' Pattie said. =80=9CIt's a place where Armenians have
settled and become American, and carry on their heritage from the
past, but are also living in the present and creating this
Armenian-American culture.'
Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at [email protected].
Photo Captions:
"Watertown residents gathered to attend a candlelight vigil
at Victory Park on April 20" (Courtesy of Jared Wickerham/Getty
Images).
"The Armenian Library and Museum represents a significant local
legacy" (Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe).
"The Arsenal Center for the Arts hosts a mix of music and theater
events" (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff).
"The restaurant scene ranges from breakfast diners to late-night haute
cuisine" (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff).
"The rejuvenated Charles River is central to
many outdoor activities" (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff).
The Boston Globe
May 05, 2013
By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent
As Watertown was thrust into the national spotlight because of a
violent gunfight and a daylong manhunt in the aftermath of the Boston
Marathon bombings, members of the news media and analysts unfamiliar
with the area searched for a way to describe the town that shares
borders with both Boston and Cambridge.
Some called the town `sleepy,' and others described it as a bedroom
community for commuters who flock to big cities nearby for work. Those
who live in Greater Boston might know Watertown for its popular
big-box stores such as Target and Best Buy, the retail shops in the
Arsenal Mall, or its Registry of Motor Vehicles office.
But people who live there know there is plenty more to Watertown.
It is a close-knit community of 32,000 sharing just 4 square miles,
bounded by the Charles River for much of its southern edge, with
strong working-class neighborhoods, reasonable housing costs, a large
Armenian population, and a well-established cultural scene of
restaurants, shops, and the arts.
It is a place where families often stay for generations but newcomers
add to a varied mix, where politics is steeped in New England
skepticism, and people are quick to demand value for their tax
dollars.
=80=9COver the years, there are so many meetings where the first thing
people say when they get up to speak is, `I'm a lifelong resident,' or
`I've been here 40 or 60 years,'=80=89' said Mark Sideris, the Town
Council president. `People take pride in how long they've been in
Watertown. People raise their families here, and now their children
live in Watertown.'
The median household income is about $77,000, according to recent
census data, about two-thirds of the figures for neighboring Belmont
and Newton. And the median price for a house is $409,000, or about 60
percent of the figures for those two adjacent communities.
In Watertown Square, a bus terminus offers connections to the regional
public transit network. The streets branching off from a small green
are lined with a diverse collection of restaurants, from
American-style diners that have lines out the door during weekend
breakfast hours to a vegetarian spot that serves vegan beer and
wine. Those craving a boost of culture often buy tickets to the latest
eclectic jazz show or theatrical production at the Arsenal Center for
the Arts.
Watertown residents root for the Red Sox, of course, but also for
their kids playing Little League or for the Watertown High School
Raiders at Victory Field. Last year, the girls' field hockey team won
its fourth state championship.
As kudos flowed in for the job Watertown police did in tracking down
the suspects in the April 15 bombings, Police Chief Edward Deveau was
quick to point out someone from the New England Patriots requested a
department sweatshirt for coach Bill Belichick to wear at the NFL
draft.
`That's no joke,' the chief said after a recent Town Council meeting,
a few days before the coach wore the hoodie at the podium on draft
night.
Watertown was cast into the spotlight following the bombings that
killed three Marathon bystanders and injured more than 260. The two
suspects - 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his 19-year-old brother,
Dzhokhar =80' confronted police in the Laurel Street neighborhood of
Watertown early on April 19. A gun battle ensued and Tamerlan was
killed. His brother managed to escape, but was captured that evening
in a nearby backyard where he was found hiding in a boat.
Authorities aren't sure why the Tsarnaev brothers ended up in
Watertown, after they allegedly killed MIT police officer Sean
A. Collier in Cambridge, and hijacked a Mercedes SUV in Boston. Law
enforcement officials said investigators are looking into any links to
the brothers in Watertown.
The shoot-out and subsequent manhunt were not the first time that
Watertown surfaced in the investigation of a terrorist incident.
In May 2010, two Pakistani men living in Watertown were taken into
custody by authorities investigating a failed car bombing in New
York's Times Square that had been attempted by Pakistani-born Faisal
Shahzad. One of the men pleaded guilty to unlicensed money
transmitting, after Shahzad's part in the off-the-books system drew
the attention of police. Both men were cleared by federal officials of
having any role in Shahzad's terror plot.
Like many New England towns, Watertown was once a mecca for
manufacturing, but it is now home to white-collar businesses such as
Tufts Health Plan, as well as entrepreneurial start-ups, and
engineering and architectural firms.
According to state labor officials, Watertown's employers represented
a combined job market of 19,000 positions as of last September. With
data showing 18,600 residents are employed, in town or elsewhere, the
near balance undercuts its reputation as a bedroom community.
`We're a very popular destination for start-ups that had some success
but have trouble adding space because of rents in Cambridge,' said
Steve Magoon, the town's economic development director. `We've been
getting a lot of those companies who have found some success in
Watertown.'
The town is also going through something of an upsurge in housing. In
recent years, Planning Board officials approved a total of 650 new
apartment and condominium units along a 1.2-mile stretch of Pleasant
Street, which hugs the Charles River.
Even with the new development, residents actively prefer to keep their
town's New England legacy intact - and regularly succeed. Spirited
crowds recently loudly opposed a Walmart coming to town, with the
result that the chain abandoned its plans for the store. And
neighborhood resistance to a complex adding 14 condominiums along
Pleasant Street helped kill the proposal.
Census figures show Watertown is home to a wide variety of
ethnicities, including residents of Irish, Italian, French, English,
German, Greek, Russian, Polish, Portugese, Arab, and African heritage.
But the most prominent group are Armenians. The US Census Bureau says
there are between 1,700 and 3,000 Armenians in Watertown, but local
Armenians think the population is larger. Their community's
identification with Watertown is strong, bolstered by the presence of
the Armenian Library and Museum of America and several Armenian
churches.
Many Armenians immigrated to America in the 20th century looking to
escape persecution in their native land, and many settled in the
Watertown area because jobs were often available at Hood Rubber Co.,
on the east side of town. The factory, founded in 1896, served as a
major local employer for nearly 75 years, hiring as many as 10,000
laborers at its peak.
Now, a cluster of Armenian restaurants and shops near Coolidge Square
is known as =80=9CLittle Armenia,' while headquarters for national
Armenian newspapers and organizations are located throughout town.
`They want to be able to walk down the street and hear their native
language spoken, and also be able to walk to church and other places
around town,' said Gary Lind-Sinanian, curator of the Armenian Library
and Museum on Main Street. `There's only one community that fits that
profile, and that's Watertown. It's small and safe and people can walk
to places, and it just has that feeling.'
Susan Pattie, the museum's executive director, said although she moved
to Watertown only six months ago, she sees a deep passion among
residents for their hometown.
`It's very touching to see generations of people so attached to
Watertown,' Pattie said. =80=9CIt's a place where Armenians have
settled and become American, and carry on their heritage from the
past, but are also living in the present and creating this
Armenian-American culture.'
Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at [email protected].
Photo Captions:
"Watertown residents gathered to attend a candlelight vigil
at Victory Park on April 20" (Courtesy of Jared Wickerham/Getty
Images).
"The Armenian Library and Museum represents a significant local
legacy" (Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe).
"The Arsenal Center for the Arts hosts a mix of music and theater
events" (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff).
"The restaurant scene ranges from breakfast diners to late-night haute
cuisine" (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff).
"The rejuvenated Charles River is central to
many outdoor activities" (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff).