Home Security in Chelsea, MA

Overview

Welcome to Alarm New England's business and home security page for Chelsea, Massachusetts. This informational page provides important crime data along with additional information for those living in or considering moving to Chelsea.

Population: 36,222
Number of Households:  11,550
County: Suffolk
ZIP Codes: 02150

Chelsea Business and Home Security Facts

The rate at which crimes occur in Chelsea is higher than the average for US communities of all sizes. The rate is 33 crimes for every one thousand residents in the town, which makes a person in the town have a 1 in 30 chance of becoming a victim of either a property or violent crime.

Relative to other towns and cities in Massachusetts, the crime rate in Chelsea is higher than 97% of the other communities, making the town an unsafe place to live in Massachusetts. In the entire US, Chelsea is listed on the top 100 most dangerous places. When Chelsea is compared with other communities that have a similar population in the US, the crime rate in Chelsea is higher than the average for similar sized towns, with a higher crime rate than most.

The rate of occurrence of violent crime in Chelsea is one of the highest in the US for all communities of all sizes. At a rate of 1 violent crime for every 104 people, the chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime such as rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter aggravated assault and armed robbery is high in Chelsea.

The property crime rate in Chelsea is 23 for every one thousand residents in the town. As a result, Chelsea is a place where a person has an above average likelihood of becoming a victim of a property crime relative to other communities and towns in the US.

The likelihood of becoming a victim of any property crime such as arson, motor vehicle theft, burglary or larceny in Chelsea is 1 in 43. Besides, Chelsea has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle thefts in the US (1 out of 351).

History of Chelsea

The area that is now Chelsea used to be called Winnisimmet by the Massachusett tribe that lived there. The area was settled by Samuel Maverick in 1624 and his trading post is thought to be the first permanent settlement around the Boston Harbor. Samuel Maverick sold all of Winnisimmet in 1635 to Richard Bellingham, except his house and farm.

The area remained part of Boston until it became separate and incorporated as a town in 1739 when it was named Chelsea after the town in London, England. The town was reincorporated as a city in 1857.

The Battle of Chelsea Creek was fought in the area in 1775. The battle was the second in the Revolution and in it American forces captured a British ship.

Part of the town was annexed by Saugus, Massachusetts in February 1841. In 1846, North Chelsea (present-day Revere and Winthrop) were established as a separate town.

Industrialization in the city of Chelsea became pronounced towards the mid-19th century when the area became prominent for its wooden sailing ship construction. Subsequently, the manufacturing industry outpaced the sail industry in the town and factories that made rubber and elastic goods, shoes and boots, adhesives and stoves became more common.

Interesting Facts About Chelsea

• The original name of Chelsea town, Winnisimmet, means “good spring nearby”.
• Chelsea has been devastated by two great fires; one in 1908 and the other in 1973, both originating in the rag shop district of the city.
• The April 1908 fire caused destruction to almost half the city when the fire left 18,000 people in the city (56% of the population) homeless.
• The second great fire in 1973 burnt down eighteen city blocks, leaving about one-fifth of the city in ashes.
• A tornado that touched down in the northern Chelsea in July 2014 caused some damage to the town, but not comparable to the damage in neighboring Revere.
• Chelsea is the smallest city in Massachusetts in terms of land area.
• There are eight places in Chelsea that are listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
• The Chelsea Clock Company which was founded in 1897 is one of the largest and oldest remaining clock manufacturing companies in the US.
• The Bellingham Square Historic District is a historic district in Chelsea which was built after the great fire of 1908. It is a monument to the civic planning of that period and was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
• The Charles Henry Kimball House in Chelsea was built in 1896 and is one of the city’s Queen Anne Victorian houses. It was listed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Notable Residents

Thomas Francis Birmingham, the former President of the Massachusetts Senate is from Chelsea. He was jointly responsible for the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1993.

Carl Potter Voss, the American ice hockey player in the National Hockey League was born in Chelsea in January 1907. In 1974, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Major General Norman Daniel Cota Sr., a senior US Army officer that fought in WWII, was born in Chelsea in 1893.

Local Resource

• http://www.chelseama.gov/
• http://www.olgp.net/chs/index.htm
• http://www.chelseama.gov/public_documents/ChelseaMA_Library/index
• http://www.chelsearecord.com/