| Ayer, Massachusetts | |||
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| — Town — | |||
| Looking West on Main Street | |||
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| Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| County | Middlesex | ||
| Settled | 1668 | ||
| Incorporated | February 14, 1871[1] | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Open town meeting | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 9.6 sq mi (24.8 km2) | ||
| • Land | 9.0 sq mi (23.4 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.4 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 226 ft (69 m) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 7,427 | ||
| • Density | 818.8/sq mi (314.9/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 01432 | ||
| Area code(s) | 351 / 978 | ||
| FIPS code | 25-03005 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0618215 | ||
| Website | www.ayer.ma.us | ||
Ayer is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Originally part of Groton, it was incorporated February 14, 1871[1] and became a major commercial railroad junction. The town was home to Camp Stevens, a training camp for Massachusetts volunteers during the American Civil War. Later, Fort Devens was established by the federal government to train New England soldiers for World War I. Fort Devens was a major influence in the area until its closure in 1994. The town's population was 7,427 at the 2010 census.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Ayer, please see the articles on Ayer (CDP) and Devens, Massachusetts.
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Ayer's history dates back to 1667, when the first mill in the agricultural community was built. The settlement sits on what the Nipmuc Indians called Nainacocius. A brook remains with that name. Originally part of Groton, the community was initially called Groton Junction or South Groton. The town of Ayer was incorporated in 1871, named in honor of Dr. James Cook Ayer, a prominent resident of Lowell who provided the funding for the construction of the Town Hall.
The town's growth was influenced by a period of rapid development of railroad transportation. Though only 9.5 square miles (25 km2) in area, the town became a major junction for both east-west and north-south rail lines, and developed into an important commercial center oriented towards the rail industry. Known as Groton Junction and later Ayer Junction, the intersecting railroads included:
The split between the Stony Brook and Fitchburg main line was moved east from the central junction to reduce parallel trackage.
During the Civil War an army training camp, Camp Stevens, was located near the Nashua River. Camp Devens, which eventually became Fort Devens, was established in 1917, during World War I. The presence of thousands of military and civilian personnel on the base shifted Ayer's commercial development towards meeting their needs until Fort Devens was closed in 1994.
In 1935, the largest Nordic ski jump in North America was constructed at Pingry Hill near the Willows. A 700-foot-high wooden trestle build, the ski jump operated for a single winter season amid the hardships of Great Depression-era Ayer. Part of the structure was blown down by the wind in the summer of 1936 and it was never rebuilt. Some of the lumber was salvaged by local residents over the next few years. As of 2009, no trace of the massive structure remains.[2]
Within its relatively small area Ayer boasts numerous industries, including plants belonging to Cains, and Pepsi, a historical downtown unique to the region, and modern commuter rail service to Boston.
The Hollywood film Conviction (film) depicted the legal drama surrounding the investigation, conviction and eventual exoneration of Kenneth "Kenny" Waters, for the 1980 murder of Katharina Brow. Waters' sister Betty Anne worked with the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to overturn the wrongful convictions using DNA test results as evidence. In 2009 the town and its insurers eventually paid a $3.4 million settlement in response to a civil rights lawsuit by the estate of Kenneth Waters.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.6 square miles (24.8 km2), of which 9.0 square miles (23.4 km2) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.4 km2) (5.75%) is water.
Ayer borders the following towns: Shirley, Groton, Littleton, and Harvard.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 2,446 |
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| 1910 | 2,797 | 14.3% | |
| 1920 | 3,052 | 9.1% | |
| 1930 | 3,060 | 0.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,572 | 16.7% | |
| 1950 | 5,740 | 60.7% | |
| 1960 | 14,927 | 160.1% | |
| 1970 | 8,325 | −44.2% | |
| 1980 | 6,993 | −16.0% | |
| 1990 | 6,871 | −1.7% | |
| 2000 | 7,287 | 6.1% | |
| 2010 | 7,427 | 1.9% | |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 7,287 people, 2,982 households, and 1,774 families residing in the town. The population density was 808.1 inhabitants per square mile (311.9/km2). There were 3,154 housing units at an average density of 349.8 per square mile (135.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 85.92% White, 5.70% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 2.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.69% of the population.
There were 2,982 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,619, and the median income for a family was $61,968. Males had a median income of $44,092 versus $32,418 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,400. About 6.1% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
As a New England town, Ayer is governed by town meeting and a five-member board of selectmen.
Public transportation for Ayer is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART[5] operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as paratransit services within the Montachusett Region. Commuter rail service from Boston's North Station is provided by the MBTA with a stop in Ayer on its Fitchburg Line.[6]
Freight travels daily through Ayer over the tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad. The line currently serves as a major corridor of Pan Am Railway's District 3 which connects New Hampshire and Maine with western Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York.[7]
The southern segment of the Nashua River Rail Trail commences in Ayer.
Places on the National Register of Historic Places:
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