Wrentham, Massachusetts
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| Wrentham, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Norfolk County |
| Settled | 1669 |
| Incorporated | 1673 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Town | 22.9 sq mi (59.4 km²) |
| - Land | 22.2 sq mi (57.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²) |
| Elevation | 253 ft (77 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 10,554 |
| - Density | 475.5/sq mi (183.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 02093 |
| Area code(s) | 508 / 774 |
| Website: http://wrentham.ma.us/ | |
Wrentham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,554 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Wrentham was first settled by the English in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1673. It was burned down during King Philip's War 1675-1676. It is known as the home of Helen Keller, and is the site of the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 59.4 km² (22.9 mi²). 57.5 km² (22.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (3.14%) is water. Bordered by Norfolk, MA on the north, Foxboro, MA on the east, Plainville, MA and Cumberland, RI on the south, Bellingham, MA on the southwest, and Franklin, MA on the west. It has two large lakes towards the center of town, Lake Pearl and Lake Archer, as well as Mirror Lake on the Wrentham/Norfolk border and numerous smaller lakes. Sheldonville, MA, or West Wrentham, is a rural section of Wrentham located on the western leg of town. Sheldonville still maintains a unique identity as the old farming section of Wrentham, and still has its own zipcode (02070 rather than Wrentham's 02093). Nukuup Hill (commonly called Sweatt hill), located in the Sweatt Memorial Park Area in the center of town behind the elementary school and baseball fields, is very steep and used to be open to skiers with one lift and a small lodge, both of which have since been closed. Its steep face creates an ideal environment for sledding, and its scenic, roundabout route to the top around the back of the hill allows for anyone to safely reach the top. Much of the town, including the entire center of town, can be seen from the top.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,554 people, 3,402 households, and 2,653 families residing in the town. The population density was 183.6/km² (475.5/mi²). There were 3,507 housing units at an average density of 61.0/km² (158.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.64% White, 0.61% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 3,402 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $78,043, and the median income for a family was $89,058. Males had a median income of $58,776 versus $37,219 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,792. About 1.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
The Wrentham Elementary School consists of three buildings (which separate the different grade levels). There is the Delaney Elementary School for the lowest grades, the Vogel Elementary School for a mix of lower grades and unified arts, and the Roderick Elementary School for the highest grades (up to grade 6). All 3 of these buildings are located on one Wrentham Elementary School campus located off of Taunton St & Randall Rd in the center of Wrentham. King Philip Regional High School is located on Franklin St and is the high school for students from Wrentham, Norfolk, and Plainville. Students in middle school attend King Philip Regional Middle School in Norfolk, MA.
[edit] Notable residents
- Garth Snow, NHL player
- Helen Keller
- Ayla Brown, American Idol contestant
[edit] Trivia
- Wrentham, Massachusetts is the only town named Wrentham in the entire United States.
