Located in the eastern part of the state of Massachusetts and a city in Middlesex County, Somerville sits in the Mystic River and is surrounded by the cities of Cambridge, Medford, Boston, and Arlington. The first recorded settlement in the area was in 1630 and was originally known as Cow Commons. The area was fenced all over. Somerville was the last of the Mystic Towns that decided to separate from the early years of the Charlestown colony. The name of the city was chosen in honor of the hero of Tripolitan-American War, Captain Richard Somers. After the end of the American Revolution, one of the important economic activities was brick-making, and with the opening of the Middlesex Canal which passes through Somerville, opened its desirability to the idea of becoming an industrial site. The city’s economic development came in rapid growth after 1900 when the meatpacking and slaughtering were established as a major economic activity.