The town's first industry, cotton manufacturing, began in the late 18th century. Wool cards, invented by resident Amos Whittemore, greatly improved the process of textile production. In the 1830s Gage, Hittinger Co. began cutting ice from Spy Pond and selling it to tropical countries, thus establishing a new industry. At the turn of the 20th century, when Boston's trolley line reached Arlington's boundaries, the town became a suburb of Boston.
Originally an abandoned railroad line, the Minuteman Bikeway is popular with cyclists in summer and cross-country skiers in winter. The 11-mile trail begins in Cambridge at the Alewife MBTA station and continues through Arlington, Lexington and Bedford.
Visitor Centers
Arlington Chamber of Commerce Jefferson Cutter House, 2nd floor 611 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA 02474. Phone:(781)643-4600