Medford is a city 6.7 miles (10.8 km) northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somerville border.
Image: Medford Square, Medford MA
Image: Medford High School, Medford MA
Image: Eaton Hall, Tufts
Image: Outbound train at Wellington station, January 2013
The Mystic River is a 7.0-mile-long (11.3 km) river in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, missi-tuk means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal nature of the Mystic River. The resemblance to the English word mystic is a coincidence, which the colonists followed.
Mystic River as seen from the Cradock Bridge in Medford
Engraving of the Mystic River and environs in 1790