Reading

History

Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settlers arrived from England in the 1630s through the ports of Lynn and Salem. In 1639, some citizens of Lynn petitioned the government of the colony for a "place for an inland plantation". They were initially granted six square miles, followed by an additional four. The first settlement in this grant was at first called "Lynn Village" and was located on the south shore of the "Great Pond", now known as Lake Quannapowitt. On June 10, 1644, the settlement was incorporated as the town of Reading, taking its name from the town of Reading in England. The first church was organized soon after the settlement, and the first parish separated and became the town of "South Reading" in 1812, renaming itself as Wakefield in 1868. Thomas Parker was one of the founders of Reading. He also was a founder of the 12th Congregational Church (now the First Parish Congregational Church), and served as deacon there. He was a selectman of Reading and was appointed a judicial commissioner. There is evidence that Parker was "conspicuous in naming the town" and that he was related to the Parker family of Little Norton, England, who owned land by the name of Ryddinge. A special grant in 1651 added land north of the Ipswich River to the town of Reading. In 1853 this area became the separate town of North Reading. The area which currently comprises the town of Reading was originally known as "Wood End", or "Third Parish". Vandals broke into the basketball player's home and damaged his property, leaving racial epithets in their wake as well as defecating in Russell's bed. Russell left Reading after retiring as coach of the Boston Celtics in 1969. In recent years the town of Reading struggled with the decisions to build a new elementary school,…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.7 km). No significant amount of land is covered permanently by water, although there is a plethora of vernal pools in various areas of conservation land. Reading borders the towns of Woburn, Stoneham, Wakefield, Lynnfield, North Reading, and Wilmington.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  91,770
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  89,440
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  88,443
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  84,808
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  77,082
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  75,380
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  71,831
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  69,673

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire
• M 3.15 — 2010-09-26
  2 km SW of Canterbury, New Hampshire