In the Greater Boston area, Waltham has the second largest office market behind Boston. Waltham has a diverse housing stock, with dense multi-family housing in the southern section of the City and larger lot single-family housing in the northern section. The City also boasts large park and open space facilities such as Prospect Hill Park an the Robert Treat Paine Estate. With an aggressive revitalization program, Waltham is witnessing the rebirth of its historic downtown and is providing better public access to its greatest natural resource, the Charles River. The Charles River has given way to Route 128 as the main economic center in the City.

Waltham is a metropolitan city of 57,878, situated nine miles from Boston, encompassing a total area of 13.6 square miles. The Charles River cuts a path through the southern section of Waltham used throughout history for transport, water, and industry.