Sudbury, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Settled: 1638 – Incorporated: 1639 | |
| Zip Code(s): 01776 – Area Code(s): 351 / 978 | |
| Official website: http://www.town.sudbury.ma.us/ | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
 Location in Massachusetts |
|
| Government | |
| County | Middlesex County |
| Form of Government | Open town meeting |
| Executive office | Town Manager |
| Geography | |
| Area | |
| Total | 24.6 mi² / 63.8 km² |
| Land | 24.4 mi² / 63.1 km² |
| Water | 0.3 mi² / 0.7 km² |
| Coordinates | |
| Elevation | 190 ft / 58 m |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| Population | |
| Total (2000) | 16841 |
| Density | 691.1/mi² / 266.8/km² |
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,841 at the 2000 census. It has the sixth highest per capita income in the state with a well regarded educational system.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Sudbury was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1639.
Sudbury militia participated in the the Battle of Lexington and Concord, in 1775, where Sudbury members sniped on British Red Coats returning to Boston. The town contributed the most militiamen to this battle against the British, hence the town was awarded the 01776 ZIP code. Sudbury also contributed the most militia during King Philip's War. One main contributor was Emphraim Curtis who put up only victories for the militia of West Sudbury.[citations needed]
Sudbury is the location of the Wayside Inn, an historic landmark which claims to be the country's oldest operating inn. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote Tales of a Wayside Inn, a book of poems published in 1863. In the book, the poem The Landlord's Tale was the source of the immortal phrase "listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere." The property was owned, restored and expanded by Henry Ford between 1923 and 1940. The expansion included a boys school, the Old Grist Mill, the Martha-Mary Chapel and the Redstone Schoolhouse, reputed to be the school in the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, which was moved from Sterling.[2] However, Giuseppi Cavicchio's refusal to sell his water rights scuttled Henry Ford's plans to build an auto parts factory at the site of Charles O. Parmenter's mill in South Sudbury.[3]
In August 1925, a Sudbury farm was the scene of a riot between local members of the Ku Klux Klan and Irish-American youths from the area. Five people were wounded by gunshots, and the State Police arrested over 100 Klansmen. Massachusetts officials cracked down on the group's meetings theafter, and the area Klan died out.[3]
Sudbury was considered to become the part of the site for the headquarters of the United Nations, along with parts of Lincoln, Concord and Marlborough. Protests by townspeople and the Knights of Columbus caused the United Nations to choose a different location.[3]
In the post-war period, Sudbury experienced rapid growth in population and industry. Defense contractor Raytheon became a major employer after opening a large research facility in Sudbury in 1958. Another major employer in that period was Sperry Rand. In the 1970s, the town was home to many of the engineers working in the Minicomputer revolution at nearby Digital Equipment Corporation.[citations needed]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.8 km² (24.6 mi²). 63.1 km² (24.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.06%) is water.
Sudbury is bordered by Wayland on the east; Framingham on the south; Hudson, Maynard, Marlborough, and Stow on the west; Concord on the northeast; and Acton on the north. Sudbury is 20 miles west of Boston, 26 miles east of Worcester, and 194 miles from New York City.
The area of original Town of Sudbury in 1650 included most of the area within the present Towns of Wayland and Maynard and all of the area within the present Town of Sudbury. [4]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 16,841 people, 5,504 households, and 4,749 families residing in the town. The population density was 266.8/km² (691.1/mi²). There were 5,590 housing units at an average density of 88.6/km² (229.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.23% White, 0.80% African American, 0.03% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 5,504 households out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.5% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $128,041, and the median income for a family is $130,399. Males had a median income of $98,593 versus $47,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $53,285. About 2.1% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
The median home price is $875,771.[citation needed]
Sudbury was ranked in 2005 as the best town in Massachusetts in which to raise a family.[5]
[edit] Educational institutions
The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) is in Sudbury, shared with the neighboring town of Lincoln, Massachusetts. It is widely regarded as one of the best public high schools in the state and has the best athletic facilities of any high school in the state. The high school has a strong science program, their student team won the 2006 National Ocean Sciences Bowl championship, came in 2nd in 2005 and were 5th in their first appearance. LSRHS has a nationally recognized school newspaper and school yearbook, "The Forum" and "DYAD" respectively.
[edit] Notable residents
- Henry Ford lived in Sudbury during parts of the 1920s and 1930s.
- Hall of Famer Babe Ruth lived on Dutton Road called Home Plate Farm. Even after Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees he still wintered in Sudbury. In a footnote to the Curse of the Bambino, legend has it that Babe Ruth's piano rests at the bottom of a Sudbury lake near what was once his home. In addition, Lee Gavin, the kid who was hit in the face with a line drive at a Red Sox game and supposedly "reversed the curse" in 2004 lives in Ruth's old house.
- Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley lived on Plympton Road during and after his years with the Red Sox.
- Horace Abbott [6] noted iron manufacturer
- Mike Gordon the bassist for Phish.
- Paula Poundstone a comedian.
- Chris Evans the actor.
- Supermodel Ashley Richardson
- John Linnell and John Flansburgh met and started their band "They Might Be Giants" while at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
- Pop group Girl Authority.
[edit] References
- ^ Massachusetts locations by per capita income
- ^ Wayside Inn History accessed October 1, 2006.
- ^ a b c Garfield, Curtis F (1999). Sudbury, 1890-1989 100 Years in the Life of a Town. Porcupine Enterprises. ISBN 0-9621976-3-7.
- ^ www.sudbury.ma.us
- ^ Neighborhoodscout.com
- ^ (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who.
