Dover, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Settled: 1635 – Incorporated: 1836 | |
| Zip Code(s): 02030 – Area Code(s): 508 / 774 | |
| Official website: http://www.DoverMA.org/ | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
 Location in Massachusetts |
|
| Government | |
| County | Norfolk County |
| Form of Government | Open town meeting |
| Executive office | Town Administrator |
| Geography | |
| Area | |
| Total | 15.4 mi² / 39.9 km² |
| Land | 15.3 mi² / 39.7 km² |
| Water | 0.1 mi² / 0.2 km² |
| Coordinates | |
| Elevation | 150 ft / 46 m |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| Population | |
| Total (2000) | 5558 |
| Density | 362.6/mi² / 140.0/km² |
Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,558 at the 2000 census.
Located about 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires one acre or larger. As recently as the early 1960's, 75% of its annual town budget was allocated to snow removal, as only a mile and a half of the town's roads are state highway.
Dover shares its highly ranked public school system with the town of Sherborn. In addition to Sherborn, Dover is bordered by the towns of Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Westwood, Walpole, and Medfield. The independent Charles River School is also located in Dover.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Dover, please see the article Dover (CDP), Massachusetts.
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[edit] History
The first recorded settlement of Dover was in 1640. It was later established as the Springfield Parish of Dedham in 1748, and incorporated as District Dedham in 1784. Dover was officially incorporated as a town in 1836.
The Caryl House, 107 Dedham St., Dover, dates from circa 1777 and was home to Dover's first minister, Benjamin Caryl, his son George, who was the town's first doctor, and their descendants until 1897. It has been owned by the town and operated by the Historical Society since 1920. The house retains its architectural integrity and has been carefully restored to reflect life in the 1790s when the first two Caryl families lived and worked there together. The Caryl House is open to the public April through June and September through November on Saturday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. or by appointment. Admission is free of charge.
The Sawin Building has been a home for thousands of Dover relics, books, photographs and artifacts for almost a hundred years. Benjamin and Eudora Sawin willed land and funds to the Dover Historical Society along with their old household goods so that the building could be erected, and it was dedicated on May 14, 1907 by members and friends of the Dover Historical Society. In the early years it was used for meetings and to house Dover's historical memorabilia, but eventually members became disenchanted with the Society and the building was seldom opened. In the 1960's there was a renewed interest in the Historical Society which led to the general overhaul and refurbishing of the building so it could be used and enjoyed by all. The Sawin Museum, located at the corner of Centre and Dedham Streets in Dover Center, is open to the public April through June and September through November on Saturday afternoons from 1-4 p.m., or by appointment. The museum houses an outstanding collection of domestic, agricultural and early industrial tools from the late 18th and 19th centuries as well as many other exhibits illustrative of Dover history. The museum is owned and operated by the Dover Historical Society and is open to the public free of charge.
In 1977, the Dover Demon was sighted on three separate occasions in the town. According to newspaper accounts and later investigative reports, it was seen by three teenagers at different times at different places. Their descriptions varied somewhat but all three said the eerie looking creature was about four feet high with a large watermelon-shaped head and no ears. All agreed that it had long skinny limbs and claw-like hands and feet. What it was and where it came from is still a mystery to this day.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 km² (15.4 mi²). 39.7 km² (15.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.52%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 5,558 people, 1,849 households, and 1,567 families residing in the town. The population density was 140.0/km² (362.6/mi²). There were 1,884 housing units at an average density of 47.5/km² (122.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.18% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 3.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 1,849 households out of which 46.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.0% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $141,818, and the median income for a family was $157,168. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $56,473 for females. The per capita income for the town was $64,899. About 2.3% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
