| Sharon, Massachusetts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
| Town center | |||
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| Motto: A nice place to live because it’s naturally beautiful.[1] | |||
| Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| County | Norfolk | ||
| Settled | 1650 | ||
| Incorporated | 1775 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Open town meeting | ||
| • Town Manager | Benjamin E. Puritz | ||
| • Board of Selectmen |
Walter "Joe" Roach Richard Powell William A. Heitin |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 24.2 sq mi (62.6 km2) | ||
| • Land | 23.3 sq mi (60.4 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2) 3.56% | ||
| Elevation | 249 ft (76 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 17,612 | ||
| • Density | 755.9/sq mi (291.6/km2) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 02067 | ||
| Area code(s) | 339 / 781 | ||
| FIPS code | 25-60785 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0618329 | ||
| Website | http://www.townofsharon.net/ | ||
Sharon is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,612 at the 2010 census. Sharon is part of Greater Boston, about 17 miles southwest of downtown Boston. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Sharon, please see the article Sharon (CDP), Massachusetts.
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Sharon, first settled as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637, was deemed the 2nd precinct of Stoughton in 1740. It was established as the district of Stoughtonham on June 21, 1765, incorporated as the Town of Stoughtonham on August 23, 1775 and named Sharon on February 25, 1783 after Israel's Sharon plain, due to its high level of forestation. Several towns in New England were given this name. Part of Stoughtonham went to the new town of Foxborough on June 10, 1776. During the American Revolution, the townspeople of Sharon made cannonballs for the Continental Army.
In front of the Sharon Public Library stands a statue of Deborah Sampson, Sharon's town heroine. Sampson disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. She married Benjamin Gannett, a farmer, after she fought in the war and lived in Sharon until the end of her life. She is buried in the local Rockridge Cemetery. A street in Sharon is named Deborah Sampson Street in her honor.
The Unitarian and Congregational churches in Sharon Center both have church bells manufactured by Paul Revere.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.2 square miles (62.6 km²), of which, 23.3 square miles (60.4 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²) (3.56%) is water. This includes Lake Massapoag, which is one of the town's most prominent features and a popular recreational site for swimming and boating. It was largely responsible for the town's early development as a summer resort location. Sharon is drained by the Canoe River to the south, and Massapoag Brook to the north.
Sharon is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by the following towns:
Sharon has a large number of scenic trails due to the high percentage of conservation land within the town's borders. Trails found in Sharon include the Massapoag Trail, the Warner Trail, the Bay Circuit Trail (otherwise known as the Beaver Brook Trail), and the King Philip's Rock Trail. There are a number of trails at Borderland State Park and at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 1,128 | — |
| 1860 | 1,377 | +22.1% |
| 1870 | 1,508 | +9.5% |
| 1880 | 1,492 | −1.1% |
| 1890 | 1,634 | +9.5% |
| 1900 | 2,060 | +26.1% |
| 1910 | 2,310 | +12.1% |
| 1920 | 2,467 | +6.8% |
| 1930 | 3,351 | +35.8% |
| 1940 | 3,737 | +11.5% |
| 1950 | 4,847 | +29.7% |
| 1960 | 10,070 | +107.8% |
| 1970 | 12,367 | +22.8% |
| 1980 | 13,601 | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 15,517 | +14.1% |
| 2000 | 17,408 | +12.2% |
| 2001* | 17,511 | +0.6% |
| 2002* | 17,450 | −0.3% |
| 2003* | 17,315 | −0.8% |
| 2004* | 17,206 | −0.6% |
| 2005* | 17,094 | −0.7% |
| 2006* | 17,051 | −0.3% |
| 2007* | 17,070 | +0.1% |
| 2008* | 17,559 | +2.9% |
| 2009* | 18,033 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 17,612 | −2.3% |
| * = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] |
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As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 17,408 people, 5,934 households and 4,931 families residing in the town. The population density was 747.0 people per square mile (288.3/km²). There were 6,026 housing units at an average density of 258.6 per square mile (99.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.95% White, 3.39% African American, 0.13% Native American, 4.86% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
Of the 5,934 households 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.8% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.9% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 people and the average family size was 3.25 people.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64 and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $89,256 and the median income for a family was $127,473.[13] Males had a median income of $70,563 versus $46,774 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,323. About 2.1% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Sharon was, in 2011, named by CNN Money as the eleventh best place to live in the United States.
Sharon currently has an Open Town Meeting form of government, with three Selectmen. In 2008 a commission was elected to prepare a charter document specifying the executive, legislative, and administrative structure of town government. It considered whether the town should retain its current government form or change to a representative form. There was debate whether the town has outgrown Open Town Meeting, where decisions are made only by those attending (they must be present to vote) or whether direct-vote government works well because residents who choose to attend are particularly interested in and informed on the issues. In November 2009 the charter commission recommended a "hybrid" legislative branch consisting of a Legislative Committee (Representative Town Meeting of 17 members) and an Open Town Meeting (which could be called to review the Legislative Committee's decisions if 3% of voters signed a "review petition"). At a town election on May 18, 2010, the charter proposal was rejected by a vote of 1123 yes, 2305 no.
The Sharon Public Schools system has five schools. Grades K-5 attend one of the three elementary schools: East, Cottage, and Heights. Grades 6-8 attend Sharon Middle School, and grades 9-12 attend Sharon High School. The Middle School and High School sports teams are known as the Eagles; the Eagles' home colors are maroon and gold. The school system is noted for its outstanding academic performance and learning curriculum. Most schools are relatively small due to the somewhat low population. The two bigger schools, Sharon Middle School (SMS) and Sharon High School (SHS), both have athletic fields including baseball, football, and soccer fields, as well as tennis courts. In 2011, Sharon High School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Schools award by the U.S. Department of Education. It was one of two schools in Massachusetts to receive the award.[14]
Baseball in Sharon is played at Deborah Sampson Park for grades 1-6. From grades 7-12 they are on the travel team (Eagles). They also have football at the Sharon Middle school and the Sharon High School. Softball and tennis are played at the Walter A. Griffin Park. In high school sports, Sharon is part of the Hockomock league. They are noted by many in the surrounding towns for consistent success in sailing, tennis, and gymnastics.
Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with a stop in Sharon on its Providence/Stoughton Line. There are no public bus or subway lines in Sharon.
Exit 8 of Interstate 95 in Massachusetts is on the Sharon/Foxborough border, with access to both the northbound and southbound directions of the highway. Exit 10 of Interstate 95 in Massachusetts is on the Sharon/Walpole line, with access to the northbound direction of the highway and from the southbound direction.
In addition, Massachusetts Route 27 runs through the center of the town.
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