Wilmington, Massachusetts | |
---|---|
— Town — | |
Church Street | |
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
Coordinates: | |
Country | United States |
State | Massachusetts |
County | Middlesex |
Settled | 1665 |
Incorporated | 1730 |
Government | |
• Type | Open town meeting |
• Town Manager |
Michael Caira |
Area | |
• Total | 17.2 sq mi (44.6 km2) |
• Land | 17.1 sq mi (44.4 km2) |
• Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
Elevation | 96 ft (29 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 22,325 |
• Density | 1,267.8/sq mi (488.3/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 01887 |
Area code(s) | 978 |
FIPS code | 25-80230 |
GNIS feature ID | 0618246 |
Website | www.town.wilmington.ma.us |
Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,325 at the 2010 census.
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Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Reading and Billerica. Minutemen from Wilmington responded to the alarm on April 19, 1775 and fought at Merriam's Corner in Concord. Wilmington men also fought at Bunker Hill.
The Middlesex Canal passed through Wilmington. Chartered in 1792, opened in 1803, it provided freight and passenger transport between the Merrimack River and Boston. One important cargo on the canal was hops. From the middle of the 18th century until the early 19th century, Massachusetts was the acknowledged leader in hop production in North America. Middlesex County in particular was famous for its hop yards, and Wilmington was the first place where the culture grew to a fever pitch.[1]
When Lowell was built in the 1820s, the canal became a primary means of transporting cotton to and from the mills. It was abandoned in 1852 after the construction of the Boston and Lowell Railroad.
The Boston and Lowell Railroad was built in 1835. The line is now the oldest operating rail line in the U.S. Wilmington is also served by the Haverhill Division (the old B&M Portland Division). A spur track known as the Wildcat connects the Haverhill and Lowell divisions, following the path of the old Wilmington & Andover Railroad, the corporate ancestor of the Boston & Maine.
Wilmington is where the Baldwin apple was discovered.
Wilmington is also home to the Col. Joshua Harnden Tavern, which probably served as a stop on the underground railroad and now houses the Wilmington Town Museum. It is an average sized white house located on the corner or Woburn St and Route 62.
Since World War II, Wilmington's population has quadrupled. Interstate 93, Route 62, Route 129 and Route 38 run through town, and Route 128 is about a mile south of Wilmington.
Wilmington is located at (42.559576, -71.170317).[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.2 square miles (45 km2), of which, 17.1 square miles (44 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.46%) is water.
Wilmington borders the following towns: Andover, North Reading, Reading, Woburn, Burlington, Billerica, and Tewksbury.
Much of Wilmington was built on or still is wetlands. The Ipswich River starts in Wilmington, and the Shawsheen River forms part of Wilmington's border with Billerica.
There is one lake in the town, Silver Lake, a kettle lake formed in the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers at the end of the last ice age.[3] It is open for swimming during the summer.
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Pop. | ±% |
1850 | 874 | — |
1860 | 919 | +5.1% |
1870 | 866 | −5.8% |
1880 | 933 | +7.7% |
1890 | 1,213 | +30.0% |
1900 | 1,596 | +31.6% |
1910 | 1,858 | +16.4% |
1920 | 2,581 | +38.9% |
1930 | 4,013 | +55.5% |
1940 | 4,645 | +15.7% |
1950 | 7,039 | +51.5% |
1960 | 12,475 | +77.2% |
1970 | 17,102 | +37.1% |
1980 | 17,471 | +2.2% |
1990 | 17,651 | +1.0% |
2000 | 21,363 | +21.0% |
2001* | 21,598 | +1.1% |
2002* | 21,623 | +0.1% |
2003* | 21,696 | +0.3% |
2004* | 21,682 | −0.1% |
2005* | 21,712 | +0.1% |
2006* | 21,780 | +0.3% |
2007* | 21,927 | +0.7% |
2008* | 22,083 | +0.7% |
2009* | 22,369 | +1.3% |
2010 | 22,325 | −0.2% |
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] |
The Census Bureau has defined Wilmington as a census-designated place that is equivalent to the town
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 21,363 people, 7,027 households, and 5,776 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,247.0 inhabitants per square mile (481.5 /km2). There were 7,158 housing units at an average density of 417.8 per square mile (161.3 /km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.31% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 2.03% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 7,027 households out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $70,652, and the median income for a family was $76,760. Males had a median income of $50,446 versus $36,729 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,835. About 1.8% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over. It is the 181st richest place in Massachusetts. See Massachusetts locations by per capita income.
Wilmington has its own schools. Kindergarten students attend the Wildwood Street and Boutwell Street Schools. Grades 1-3 attend the Woburn Street School and the Shawsheen School. Grades 4 and 5 attend the North Intermediate School and the West Intermediate School. Grades 6-8 attend Wilmington Middle School. High School Students attend Wilmington High School. Wilmington High's mascot is the wildcat and its athletic teams participate in the Middlesex League. The Wildcats' colors are Navy Blue, Columbia Blue and White and the primary rivals are the Tewksbury Redmen of the Merrimack Valley Conference. The rivalry reaches its highest point every Thanksgiving when the two towns square off in a football game. In the 2007 season, Wilmington lost to Tewksbury for the first time since 2002 and still trails in the overall series history that started with two in 1935. The series has never been disrupted although they did not play on Thanksgiving in 1935 or from 1941 to 1956. In those years, their game was played on November 11. Wilmington is also home to Abundant Life Christian School a Pre-K to 8 private religious school.
Wilmington has an open town meeting, a board of selectmen and a town manager. The current town manager is Michael Caira. Five of the town's six districts are represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by James R. Miceli, the last is represented by Charles A. Murphy. The town's state senator is Bruce Tarr. Wilmington is in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District and is represented in the United States House of Representatives by John F. Tierney.
MBTA Commuter Rail provides service from Boston's North Station with the Wilmington station on its Lowell Line and the North Wilmington station on its Haverhill/Reading Line. LRTA provides bus service from Wilmington station via Rt 38 to Lowell Station.