| Westborough, Massachusetts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
| Nathan Fisher House, Westborough | |||
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| Nickname(s): The Hundredth Town | |||
| Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| County | Worcester | ||
| Settled | 1675 | ||
| Incorporated | 1717 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Open town meeting | ||
| • Board of Selectmen |
Timothy Dodd Lydia Goldblatt Ian Johnson George Thompson Leigh Emery |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 21.6 sq mi (56.0 km2) | ||
| • Land | 20.5 sq mi (53.1 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 300 ft (91 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 18,272 | ||
| • Density | 876.9 ('00)/sq mi (338.6/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 01581 | ||
| Area code(s) | 508 / 774 | ||
| FIPS code | 25-75015 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0618390 | ||
| Website | http://www.town.westborough.ma.us/ | ||
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various administrative positions, and calling a town meeting of citizens annually and whenever the need arises.
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Before recorded time, the area now known as Westborough was a well travelled crossroads. As early as 7,000 B.C., prehistoric people in dugout canoes followed the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers to their headwaters in search of quartzite for tools and weapons. During the period from 1200-1600 A.D., seasonal migrations brought Nipmuc Indians to hunt and fish near Cedar Swamp and Lake Hoccomocco. Using Fay Mountain as a landmark, Indians crisscrossed Westborough on well worn paths: the old Connecticut Path leading west from Massachusetts Bay; the Narragansett Trail leading south, and the trail (along the present Milk Street) leading to Canada.[1]
The early English explorer John Oldham followed these trails through Westborough in 1633, and settlers in search of fertile farmlands followed not long after. By late 1675, a few families had settled near Lake Chauncy, in the "west borough" of Marlborough.
On November 18, 1717, Westborough was incorporated as the hundredth town in Massachusetts, populated by twenty-seven families. Soon large farms were carved out, mills built along the Assabet River and Jackstraw Brook, and taverns flourished. Westborough's first minister, Reverend Ebenezer Parkman, shepherded the growing town of colonists through the years toward independence from Great Britain. Forty-six minutemen from Westborough fought under Captain Edmund Brigham in the Revolutionary War.
In 1775, Northborough split off as the "north borough" of Westborough, much as Westborough split off from Marlborough some 58 years before. However, the two towns shared a meetinghouse for some time more.
In 1810 the route from Boston to Worcester was straightened and improved into an official turnpike (the present Route 9), and along its Westborough route, the Wesson Tavern Common, Forbush Tavern and Nathan Fisher's store prospered. The center of commerce shifted downtown in 1824 with the arrival of the steam train through Westborough's center. The railroad brought a new era to the town industry: over the next century, local factories shipped boots and shoes, straw hats, sleighs, textiles, bicycles, and eventually abrasive products, across the nation. Westborough dairies supplied cities with milk and local greenhouses shipped out carnations, while the eight orchards found ready markets for their produce.
The industrial progress of the entire country is indebted to Westborough's most famous native son Eli Whitney Jr. Born in 1765, Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1795 after graduating from Yale, In 1798 he introduced mass production to the United States at his Whitney Arms Company in New Haven, Connecticut. Whitney's legacy is apparent in the modern industries located within the town's borders: AstraZeneca, Dover Electric, Proteon, Genzyme, EMC Corporation, IBM, PFPC, the US Headquarters of National Grid USA, Bose Corporation and the global headquarters of American Superconductor.
Westborough is home to several listings on the National Register of Historic Places:
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.6 square miles (56.0 km2),of which, 20.5 square miles (53.1 km2) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of it is water or 5.09 percent. Westborough is drained by the Sudbury and Assabet rivers. The town contains numerous bodies of water, including Lake Chauncy, Mill Pond, Lake Hoccomocco, and the Westborough Reservoir. Lake Chauncy is open to swimming, boating, and fishing, and has a public beach open to residents of Westborough and Northborough during the summer months. The average elevation of the town is approximately 300 feet (91 m).
Westborough is located in Central Massachusetts, located about 37.5 miles (60.35 km) west of Boston and 12 miles (19 km) east of Worcester.
It is bordered by six towns:
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 2,371 | — |
| 1860 | 2,913 | +22.9% |
| 1870 | 3,601 | +23.6% |
| 1880 | 5,214 | +44.8% |
| 1890 | 5,195 | −0.4% |
| 1900 | 5,400 | +3.9% |
| 1910 | 5,446 | +0.9% |
| 1920 | 5,789 | +6.3% |
| 1930 | 6,409 | +10.7% |
| 1940 | 6,463 | +0.8% |
| 1950 | 7,378 | +14.2% |
| 1960 | 9,599 | +30.1% |
| 1970 | 12,594 | +31.2% |
| 1980 | 13,619 | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 14,133 | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 17,997 | +27.3% |
| 2001* | 18,287 | +1.6% |
| 2002* | 18,600 | +1.7% |
| 2003* | 18,631 | +0.2% |
| 2004* | 18,592 | −0.2% |
| 2005* | 18,504 | −0.5% |
| 2006* | 18,458 | −0.2% |
| 2007* | 18,560 | +0.6% |
| 2008* | 18,298 | −1.4% |
| 2009* | 18,373 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 18,272 | −0.5% |
| * = 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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| County government: Worcester County | |
|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts: | Dennis P. McManus (D) |
| District Attorney: | Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D) |
| Register of Deeds: | Anthony J. Vigliotti (D) |
| Register of Probate: | Stephen Abraham (D) |
| County Sheriff: | Lew Evangelidis (R) |
| State government | |
| State Representative(s): | George N. Peterson (R) Matthew Beaton (R) Carolyn Dykema (D) |
| State Senator(s): | Jamie Eldridge (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney (D) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | James P. McGovern (D-3rd District), |
| U.S. Senators: | John Kerry (D), Scott Brown (R) |
Data from the census[12] of 2000 shows there were 17,997 people, 6,534 households, and 4,521 families residing in the town. The population density was 876.9 people per square mile (338.6/km2). There were 6,773 housing units at an average density of 330.0 per square mile (127.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 88.18% White, 1.44% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 8.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, 1.35% from two or more races, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.26% of the population.
There were 6,534 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $73,418, and the median income for a family was $94,610. Males had a median income of $66,157 versus $40,030 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,063. About 3.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. As of 2005 the labor force was over 9,300 people with an unemployment rate in the town of 3.1%. Additionally in 2004, the number of registered voters in the town reached 11,532.
Westborough Public Schools operates the town's six schools, including three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school:
The Mill Pond School is the newest school addition to Westborough. The Mill Pond School consists of grade 4 to 6, then Gibbons Middle School which consists of grades 7 and 8, and then Westborough High School. There are three options depending upon residents' geographic location in the town for preschool through third grade. Graduation rates in the high school are consistently above 95% and the vast majority of these graduates attend a four-year college.
Westborough receives an extremely low education reimbursement from the Commonwealth (10th from the bottom) based upon a formula which was set in 1993. The district is working with state legislators to attempt to re-formulate Chapter 70 funding so that it is more equitable.[13]
In a 2004/2005 study by School Matters, a service of Standard and Poors, Westborough Public School system was rated as one of the top public school systems in Massachusetts that consistently outperformed peer schools on MCAS reading and math proficiency test over the last four years. Westborough was the only school system in Worcester County other than Harvard, MA to achieve this top state wide ranking. Westborough ranked 16 out of 204 school systems rated in the state of Massachusetts in this study. In 2005, Money Magazine listed Westborough #36 in its survey of Top 100 Best Places to Live, citing the financial support and staffing levels found in the Westborough Public Schools.
The following facts published as part of the 2005 MCAS tests results give a profile of the academics throughout the Westborough Public Schools.[14]
The Town of Westborough is located at the strategic intersection of the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) and Interstate 495, making it easily accessible from all directions, and providing an ideal location for both residents and businesses.
Route 30 (Main Street) and Route 135 (South Street/Milk Street) intersect in a rotary at the town's center, while Route 9 runs nearby serving much of the town's commerce.
Growing traffic problems on Route 30 (Main Street) have recently become a major issue in town. There have recently been many construction projects to ease the traffic congestion downtown. The Bay State Commons shopping area has recently opened, and people say that traffic is even worse when commuters are heading west after a workday.
Westborough is served by a commuter rail station on the Framingham/Worcester Line
Westborough currently does not provide any public transportation apart from public school buses and free transportation for senior citizens.
Newspapers:
Broadcast:
Cablecast (Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable tv channels):
The Westborough Public Library began in 1857.[15][16] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Westborough spent 1.24% ($846,826) of its budget on its public library—some $45 per person.[17]
Money Magazine & CNNmoney.com 2005 Best Places to Live: 36/100[18]
Money Magazine & CNNmoney.com 2007 Best Places to Live: 73/100[19]