| Monson, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Monson Free Library | |
| Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden |
| Settled | 1715 |
| Incorporated | 1775 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Board of Selectmen |
Richard E. Guertin (chairman),
Edward S. Harrison, and Kathleen C. Norbut |
| Area | |
| • Total | 44.8 sq mi (116.1 km2) |
| • Land | 44.3 sq mi (114.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 407 ft (124 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,560 |
| • Density | 193.2/sq mi (74.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01057 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-42145 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618188 |
| Website | http://www.monson-ma.gov/ |
Monson ( /ˈmʌnsən/) is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,560 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The village of Monson Center lies at the center of the town.
Monson was hit by a devastating EF3 tornado on June 1, 2011 that destroyed an extensive amount of the town.
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Monson was first settled in 1715 and was officially incorporated in 1775. The town was named after Sir John Monson, a friend of the governor.[1] Monson was largely a mill town until most of the mills in town closed down due to poor business. Monson also had a large granite quarry that was opened by Rufus Flynt, later owned by his oldest son William Flynt. It was closed around 1935. On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 1, 2011, an EF-3 tornado struck and caused extensive damage to the center of town. On the night of October 29, 2011, a rare snow storm paralyzed Monson and the many other cities and towns in Western Massachusetts.[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.8 square miles (116 km2); 44.3 square miles (115 km2) of which is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) of which is water.
Monson is bordered on the north by Palmer, on the east by Brimfield and Wales, on the south by Stafford, CT, and on the west by Hampden and Wilbraham.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 2,831 | — |
| 1860 | 3,164 | +11.8% |
| 1870 | 3,204 | +1.3% |
| 1880 | 3,758 | +17.3% |
| 1890 | 3,650 | −2.9% |
| 1900 | 3,402 | −6.8% |
| 1910 | 4,758 | +39.9% |
| 1920 | 4,826 | +1.4% |
| 1930 | 4,918 | +1.9% |
| 1940 | 5,597 | +13.8% |
| 1950 | 6,125 | +9.4% |
| 1960 | 6,712 | +9.6% |
| 1970 | 7,355 | +9.6% |
| 1980 | 7,315 | −0.5% |
| 1990 | 7,776 | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 8,359 | +7.5% |
| 2001* | 8,485 | +1.5% |
| 2002* | 8,647 | +1.9% |
| 2003* | 8,784 | +1.6% |
| 2004* | 8,865 | +0.9% |
| 2005* | 8,956 | +1.0% |
| 2006* | 9,012 | +0.6% |
| 2007* | 9,125 | +1.3% |
| 2008* | 8,996 | −1.4% |
| 2009* | 9,057 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 8,560 | −5.5% |
| * = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] |
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As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 8,359 people, 3,095 households, and 2,203 families residing in the town. The population density was 188.8 people per square mile (72.9/km²). There were 3,213 housing units at an average density of 72.6 per square mile (28.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.67% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.
There were 3,095 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,030, and the median income for a family was $58,607. Males had a median income of $41,373 versus $30,545 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,519. About 5.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
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