Paul F. Sagarino, Jr.

Burlington’s origins as a small agricultural community are scarcely visible today, but remnants persist in roads that still crisscross its hilly terrain and in a few, prized historic properties. The remaining historic buildings once served as farm houses, taverns, homes, and schools along the winding roads when Burlington was a sparsely settled corner of a Boston-centric region. The rural characteristics of the community persisted from its settlement in 1641 for nearly 300 years. By 1950, the census recorded only 3,250 residents. But suddenly, Burlington was transformed by powerful shifts in regional economics, demographic and transportation during the second half of the twentieth century.