Armenians in Watertown, MA

Watertown, a suburb of Boston, is one of the oldest Armenian communities in America. This small town of only 34,000, and with a land area of merely 4.1 square miles, boasts an Armenian population of 7,000 people. Armenians began immigrating to this town in significant numbers in the 1890s, attracted by rich business and educational opportunities.

The heart of the Armenian community in Watertown is on the East end of Coolidge Square, known as Little Armenia. Here you will find numerous Armenian shops ranging from bakeries to liquor stores.

Watertown is also home to the Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA). Founded in 1971, ALMA is a living memorial to the Armenian heritage. The permanent exhibit galleries focus on the art and achievement of the Armenian people. The extensive textile collection is one of the largest outside of Armenia. The museum also has rotating and traveling exhibits, which regularly feature loaned materials with Armenian heritage from around the world. ALMA's Boyajian Library consists of over 11,000 titles in English and Armenian. The library boasts a very large archive focusing on institutional records and personal papers of prominent individuals, as well as special collections including photographs, oral history tapes, sound recordings, music scores, memorabilia, pamphlets, and manuscripts.