Waltham, city, Middlesex County, eastern Massachusetts, on the Charles River, near Boston; incorporated as a city 1884. It is an important center for the development and manufacture of computer hardware and software; other products include photographic supplies, electronic equipment, and missiles. Brandeis University and Bentley College (1917) are here. The community, settled in the 1630s, was part of Watertown until it was incorporated as a separate town in 1738. It grew as a manufacturing center beginning about 1800. The first U.S. factory to process raw cotton into finished cloth under one roof was established in Waltham in 1813, and the American Waltham Watch Company, founded here in 1854, became a major producer of timepieces before ceasing operations in the mid-20th century. Population 58,200 (1980); 57,878 (1990); 59,226 (2000).
