Welcome to Reading ...
Reading is located in Middlesex County<1>.
The location of Reading has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
Reading was settled in 1639 and was incorporated in 1644.
When the people of Reading refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Readingite<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Reading has a population of 25,392 people<4> (see below for details).
Reading is 90 feet [27 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Reading lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Reading: (781) & (339)<6>
The ZIP code for Reading: 01867<7>
Websites for Reading ...
Official Website: www.ci.reading.ma.us/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Reading had an population of 25,392 people. This is an increase of 2.61% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 7.1% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Reading had a population of 24,747 people. This makes Reading the county's 22nd most populous community.
The population of Reading represents 0.38% of the population of Massachusetts (which has 6,547,629 people), making it the state's 75th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 24,747 people, the population of Reading increased 4.38% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 23,708 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Reading.
Communities Also Named Reading ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 10 communities that are also named Reading - they are located in Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio (2), Ontario, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Reading.
Communities near Reading ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Reading.
- Boston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
- Boston is located in Suffolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 691,531 people
- Cambridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Cambridge is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 119,192 people
- Lowell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Lowell is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 110,904 people
- Lynn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Lynn is located in Essex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94,539 people
- Quincy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Quincy is located in Norfolk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94,421 people
- Newton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Newton is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 87,803 people
- Somerville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
- Somerville is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80,935 people
- Lawrence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
- Lawrence is located in Essex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80,007 people
- Haverhill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
- Haverhill is located in Essex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,098 people
- Waltham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltham
- Waltham is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62,069 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Reading. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Reading.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Reading. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Reading.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Reading. Our list includes 8 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Reading.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Reading ...
Looking for more information about Reading? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Reading, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Reading.
Adding Reading to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Reading in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Reading was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Reading post office opened in 1812.
We also found Reading in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Reading.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Reading: www.ci.reading.ma.us/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Middlesex, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Reading refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Reading may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Reading. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Reading - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | Area code (339) is an overlay for area code (781). |
| <7> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Reading). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Reading or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |