Bridgewater, Massachusetts

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bridgewater, please see the article Bridgewater (CDP), Massachusetts.

Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Town
Bridgewater Town Hall
Flag of Bridgewater, Massachusetts Flag Official seal of Bridgewater, Massachusetts Seal
Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Plymouth
Settled	1650
Incorporated	1656
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
Area
• Total	28.2 sq mi (73.1 km2)
• Land	27.5 sq mi (71.2 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation	104 ft (32 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	25,185
• Density	916.2/sq mi (353.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02324
Area code	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-08085
GNIS feature ID	0619466
Website	www.bridgewaterma.org

Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, 28 miles (43 km) south of Boston. At the 2000 Census, the population was 25,185. It is named after Bridgwater, Somerset, England.

History

Bridgewater was one of the first interior towns in Massachusetts. First settled in 1650 as Nunkatateset, part of Duxbury, it was officially incorporated in 1656 as Bridgewater. At its greatest historical extent, the town included large parts of the modern towns of Abington, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Pembroke, and Hanson as well as the City of Brockton. The exact origin of the town's name is not known, although there are some clues. The town seal includes the Bridgwater, England coat of arms. A story told says that the origin of the name could be from when the town was first settled, the only way to enter from the south was by going over the Taunton River.

Brick production was the town's most prominent industry, and still is to this day. The Stiles and Hart Conservation Area has the remains of the old brick factory as well as many piles of bricks scattered throughout the property. With several hiking trails the Stiles and Hart conservation area is a great place to walk, hike, and fish. In the center of town, many former mills have been converted into retail space.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73.1 km²), of which, 27.5 square miles (71.2 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (2.62%) is water. Bridgewater is 99th out of the 351 communities in the Commonwealth, and eighth out of the twenty-seven towns in Plymouth County in terms of land area. The town is bordered by West Bridgewater to the northwest, East Bridgewater to the northeast, Halifax to the east, Middleborough to the south, and Raynham to the west. Bridgewater is approximately seven miles south of Brockton, ten miles northeast of Taunton, and twenty-seven miles south of Boston.

Neighborhoods in Bridgewater include Stanley, Scotland, Pratt Town (Paper Mill Village), and South Bridgewater.

Bridgewater lies along the Taunton River, which has several other rivers and brooks which branch off of the main waterway. There are also several ponds, the largest of which is Lake Nippenicket along the western edge of the town. There is also a state forest, a town forest, several conservation areas and a large portion of the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area, in the western part of town. Parts of this swamp give rise to the so-called Bridgewater Triangle, a small area of concentrated reports of strange Fortean phenomena, colonial "dark days," Bigfoot and mysterious black panthers, UFO sightings, and other weird encounters, a phrase coined by Loren Coleman, author of Mysterious America, often compared to the Bermuda Triangle.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 25,185 people, 7,526 households, and 5,584 families residing in the town. The population density was 916.2 people per square mile (353.7/km²). There were 7,652 housing units at an average density of 278.4/sq mi (107.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.28% White, 4.04% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 6.23% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population.

There were 7,526 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% 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 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 14.7% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,318, and the median income for a family was $73,953. Males had a median income of $48,438 versus $32,383 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,105. About 1.9% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Statistically, Bridgewater is the 71st largest town in the Commonwealth by population, and 110th by population density. In the county, Bridgewater ranks third in population and seventh in density.

Government

On the national level, Bridgewater is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, which has been represented since 2001 by Stephen Lynch. The state's senior (Class I) Senator, re-elected 2006, is the late Edward M. Kennedy who passed away August 25, 2009, and the state's junior (Class II) Senator, re-elected in 2008, is John F. Kerry.

On the state level, Bridgewater is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a portion of the Eighth Plymouth district, which includes Raynham and a small portion of Easton. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is a part of the First Plymouth and Bristol district, which includes Berkley, Carver, Dighton, Marion, Middleborough, Raynham, Taunton and Wareham. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Middleborough) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.

Bridgewater is governed on the local level by the open town meeting form of government, led by a board of selectmen. Town facilities are located at the center of town, with the police department headquarters being just west of the square along Route 104. There are two fire departments in town, next to the college and in the eastern part of town. There is one post office, located just north of the town center along Route 18. The town's public library is just north of the town center, and is a part of the Southeastern Area Internet Library Services (SAILS) network. The town also has a National Guard armory along Route 18, and much of the southern end of the town is occupied by the Bridgewater branch of the Massachusetts Correctional Institute (MCI). The jail also includes a state mental hospital, and both are major units of the state's penal system. See also Bridgewater State Hospital.

Education

Boyden Hall, on the Bridgewater State College campus.

Bridgewater shares its school district with neighboring Raynham, with both towns operating their own elementary and middle schools, and sending their students to a common high school. Bridgewater has one elementary school, George H. Mitchell Elementary (south and west of the town center, formerly known as Bridgewater Elementary), which serves students from kindergarten through grade three. All the fourth,fifth,and sixth graders attend M.G. Williams Intermediate School, while seventh and eighth graders attend Bridgewater Middle School. The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School is located in Bridgewater, west of the town center. B-R's athletics teams are nicknamed the Trojans, and their colors are red, blue and white. The school's chief rival is Taunton, Massachusetts. The athletic teams of the Bridgewater Middle School use the Spartans nickname.

Bridgewater is home to the Southbrook School, a private school which serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade. There are also private schools in nearby Taunton and Brockton. Bridgewater was formerly the site of the Bridgewater Academy, a private high school located on the town common.

The town is also home to Bridgewater State College, a public liberal arts college that was founded in 1840. It is the largest of the state's nine state colleges outside of the University of Massachusetts system. As of 2005, approximately 7,000 undergraduate students and 1,800 postgraduate students are enrolled at the college.

Transportation

Bridgewater is the site of the intersection of Interstate 495 and Route 24, with only a one mile stretch of the interstate running through the southwestern corner of town. Just north of this intersection along Route 24 are two large service areas, both of which have restaurants and a gas station. They are the only two such full service areas along Route 24, or, for that matter, anywhere along the highways of Southeastern Massachusetts (aside from a stop along U.S. Route 6 in Barnstable; that stop, however, is considered to be off the highway). At the center of town, Route 18, Route 28 and Route 104 meet at the town common. Routes 18 and 28, both north-south routes, are coextensive from this point south to the road's intersection with U.S. Route 44 in Middleborough. Route 104 passes from east to west, with ramp access to Route 24 in the west. A short portion of Route 106 passes along the town line in the northeast of town; Route 104 's eastern terminus is at that route, just along the East Bridgewater line.

The Middleborough-Lakeville line of the MBTA's commuter rail passes through the town, with a stop at the southern end of the Bridgewater State College Campus, just south of the college's main parking lots at the southern campus. The route is currently the only such rail line bringing commuters from the South Coast area to South Station in Boston. There is no air service to the town; there is a small strip in nearby Taunton, and the nearest national air service can be found at T. F. Green Airport outside Providence and at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Places of Worship

Bridgewater is home to 12 houses of worship.

• Christian
  • Central Square Congregational Church (United Church of Christ)
  • Christian Science Church (Christian Science)
  • Faith Chapel Assemblies of God (Assemblies of God)
  • First Baptist Church (Baptist)
  • First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church (Unitarian-Universalist)
  • Gammons Memorial United Methodist Church (United Methodist)
  • New Jerusalem Church (Swedenborgian)
  • Scotland Trinitarian Church (United Church of Christ)
  • South Shore Community Church (Christian Missionary Alliance)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas Rectory (Catholic)
  • Trinity Covenant Church
  • Trinity Episcopal Church (Episcopal)

Notable residents

• Nathaniel Ames, (1708-1764), born in Bridgewater, publisher of the first annual almanac.
• George Leonard Andrews, (1828-1899), born in Bridgewater, noted United States Army officer, engineer, and educator,
• Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane was born in Bridgewater in 1903.
• Marc Colombo (29th pick in 2001 NFL Draft by Chicago Bears), currently starting right tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
• Drew Bledsoe, NFL quarterback for the New England Patriots and his wife Maura Healy once resided in Bridgewater during his time as the team's QB.
• Thomas "T.W." Arrighi (1990-present) , proud lifelong resident of Bridgewater, is a modern day Renaissance Man. He is a humanitarian, musician, athlete, actor and internationally recognized political pundit. He also is the best solitaire player in the 4th voting precinct in Bridgewater. He is best known for his catch phrase "That is enough to raise an eyebrow and my blood pressure!"

Media

• Brockton Enterprise
• The Bridgewater Independent, published every Wednesday.
• Boston Globe
• Boston Herald
• Bridgewater Cable Access
• WBIM-FM 91.5 Bridgewater State College radio station
• Comment Bridgewater State College student newspaper

External links

• Town of Bridgewater Home page