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Southborough, Massachusetts

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Southborough, Massachusetts
Town
Center of Southborough
Center of Southborough
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyWorcester
Settled1660
Incorporated1727
Government
 • TypeOpen town meeting
 • ModeratorDavid A. Coombs
 • Town
   Administrator		Jean E. Kitchen
 • Board of
   Selectmen		Bonnie J. Phaneuf
William J. Boland
Salvatore M. Giorlandino
Area
 • Total15.7 sq mi (40.6 km2)
 • Land14.2 sq mi (36.6 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
Elevation
306 ft (93 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total8,781
 • Density620.7/sq mi (239.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
01772, 01745
Area code508 / 774
FIPS code25-63165
GNIS feature ID0618382
Websitehttp://www.southboroughtown.com/

Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Like several neighboring towns, its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage that remains current on many area signs and maps. Its population was 8,781 at the 2000 census.

Land use is primarily residential with substantial open space. A quarter of the town's area is flooded by the Sudbury Reservoir. Light industrial land use is concentrated along main roads, primarily Massachusetts Rte. 9, and there are several small business districts in the villages and along Rte. 9. Southborough was named Number 31 in the nation on CNN Money's 100 Best Places to Live in 2009.[1]

History

Southborough was first settled in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1727. Southborough was primarily a farming community until mills began to tap the small rivers that ran through the town. By the end of the 19th century, the town was home to the manufacture of plaster, boots and shoes, among other things.

In 1898 the Fayville Dam was constructed to produce several reservoirs to supply a growing Boston with water. As a result, manufacturing vanished and Southborough did not see substantial growth until the high-tech boom of the 1970s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.7 square miles (41 km2), of which, 14.1 square miles (37 km2) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) of it (9.64%) is water.

Adjacent towns

Southborough is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 8,781 people, 2,952 households, and 2,426 families residing in the town. The population density was 620.7 inhabitants per square mile (239.7/km2). There were 2,997 housing units at an average density of 211.8 per square mile (81.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.47% White, 0.54% African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.52% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 2,952 households out of which 47.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% were married couples living together, 6.0% 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 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the town the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $102,986, and the median income for a family was $119,454, although according to CNN, median family income had risen to $148,297 by 2009.[2] Males had a median income of $80,961 versus $50,537 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,310. About 0.4% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The form of town government is open town meeting, in which the voters of the town act as the legislature. Town Meeting is managed by the Moderator, who also appoints most of the membership of the unelected boards.

The three members of the Board of Selectmen, however, are elected to act as the executive body of the government. The Selectmen delegate day-to-day operations to the Town Manager.

Southborough has three school committees:

  • Southborough K-8 School Committee
  • Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee
  • Assabet Valley Regional Vocational-Technical School Committee

Southborough's town elections are non-partisan.

Almost sixty percent of current voters registered without enrolling in any political party. Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans in the remaining forty percent. Minor party enrollments are negligible.

Template:Infobox Mass Town Govt

Education

Public and private educational campuses frame Southborough's small New England downtown.

Public schools

Southborough has six public schools. The four elementary and middle schools are inside town limits; the two high schools are regional schools in adjoining towns.

Private schools

Southborough is home to a large private secondary school, St. Mark's, which was founded in 1865 by Joseph Burnett (educator). One of the oldest junior boarding schools in the nation, the Fay School, was founded a year later in 1866 by Joseph Burnett's first cousin Harriet Burnett Fay.

Transportation

The 7:33 AM Express MBTA Commuter Rail Train about to arrive at Southborough Station on March 7, 2007

The MBTA Commuter Rail's Framingham/Worcester Line train stops at Southborough Station, which opened to commuters on June 22, 2002. The station is located in the Cordaville neighborhood, on Route 85 near the border with Hopkinton. As of October 2007, ten daily round-trip trains provide service to Boston via the Back Bay and South Station terminals.

Interstate 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) both pass through Southborough, although neither have interchanges within town limits. Routes 9 and 30 are east-west routes passing through Southborough, while Route 85 serves the town as a north-south route.

Points of interest

Some interesting places in Southborough are:

  • 9/11 Field
  • Arts Center
  • Village House
  • Rural Cemetery
  • Breakneck Hill conservation land
  • Sudbury Reservoir Trail
  • St. Mark's auditorium

Annual events

Southborough celebrates Heritage Day on Columbus Day. The day starts with a brief, noisy parade down Main St., anchored by youth organizations, the Algonquin High School marching band, and police and fire vehicles. The parade ends adjacent to the St. Mark's green, where vendors and local organizations set up booths offering crafts, food, knick-knacks, and information.

There are also events on the prior Sunday, including a five-mile run, a three-mile walk, and a pumpkin-carving contest that is judged at dusk.

Notable residents

Media

References

  1. ^ CNN Money. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  2. ^ http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0907/gallery.bplive_6_figure_towns.moneymag/2.html
  3. ^ TSE Sports and Entertainment. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
  4. ^ Beck, Byron (2007-09-27), "Storm Goes Large", Willamette Week, retrieved 2007-10-08

See also

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