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Boxford, Massachusetts

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Boxford, Massachusetts
Town
The Holyoke-French House (c. 1760) in central Boxford
The Holyoke-French House (c. 1760) in central Boxford
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyEssex
Settled1645
Incorporated1685
Government
 • TypeOpen town meeting
Area
 • Total24.6 sq mi (63.6 km2)
 • Land24.0 sq mi (62.1 km2)
 • Water0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
Elevation
95 ft (29 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total8,520
 • Density330.4/sq mi (127.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
01921
Area code351 / 978
FIPS code25-07420
GNIS feature ID0618294
Websitehttp://www.town.boxford.ma.us/

Boxford is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,965 at the 2010 census.

Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Boxford.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 square miles (63.6 km²), of which, 24.0 square miles (62.1 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (2.40%) is water.

Boxford is divided into Boxford Village (commonly called East Boxford) and West Boxford Village, corresponding to the respective East and West Boxford centers. It is heavily forested and criss-crossed by various streams and brooks, many of which empty into the Ipswich River on Boxford's southern border. A number of ponds dot town as well, among them Stiles Pond, Cedar Pond, Spofford Pond, Lowe Pond, Four Mile Pond and Baldpate Pond. Throughout Boxford there are also a number of scenic hiking trails. The highest natural point in Boxford is Bald Hill, at an elevation of 243 feet (74 meters). It sits in a corner of the Boxford State Forest, near Interstate 95 and the town's border with Middleton.

Small family-sized farms are interspersed throughout the Boxford. Stone walls, remnants of old farming land boundaries, meander through the area.

Boxford is located near the geographic center of Essex County, with Boxford Center about ten miles southeast of Lawrence and twenty-four miles north of Boston The town is bordered by Haverhill to the north, Groveland to the northeast, Georgetown and Rowley to the east, Ipswich and Topsfield to the southeast, Middleton to the southwest, and North Andover to the west.

The eastern end of Boxford is crossed by Interstate 95, with three exits lying within the town. Route 133 crosses through the northern part of town, from North Andover to Georgetown, and Route 97 crosses through the eastern part of town, from Topsfield to Georgetown. The town does not have any means of mass transportation. The Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail passes through neighboring Rowley and Ipswich to the east, and the Haverhill/Reading Line passes to the north. The nearest small airport is Lawrence Municipal Airport, located in North Andover, and the nearest national air service is Logan International Airport.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1850982—    
18601,020+3.9%
1870847−17.0%
1880824−2.7%
1890865+5.0%
1900704−18.6%
1910718+2.0%
1920588−18.1%
1930652+10.9%
1940778+19.3%
1950926+19.0%
19602,010+117.1%
19704,032+100.6%
19805,374+33.3%
19906,266+16.6%
20007,921+26.4%
2001*8,186+3.3%
2002*8,232+0.6%
2003*8,234+0.0%
2004*8,183−0.6%
2005*8,143−0.5%
2006*8,114−0.4%
2007*8,137+0.3%
2008*8,185+0.6%
2009*8,257+0.9%
20107,965−3.5%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,921 people, 2,568 households, and 2,254 families residing in the town. The population density was 330.4 people per square mile (127.6/km²). There were 2,610 housing units at an average density of 42.0 persons/km² (108.9 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 97.37% White, 0.34% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2008, approaching the 2010 census, the current population is slightly upwards of 9,000. Recent public Town budget discussions regarding the possibility of the need for future expansion of the elementary school facilities note that from all evidence, the Boxford Town population has leveled off enough for there to be no current need to address any need in the near future for expansion of either of the two Boxford Town elementary schools.

There were 2,568 households out of which 48.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.2% were non-families. 9.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town the population was spread out with 32.2% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $113,212, and the median income for a family was $119,491. Males had a median income of $90,397 versus $48,042 for females. The per capita income for the town was $48,846. 1.4% of the population and 0.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.8% are under the age of 18 and 3.1% are 65 or older

Government and Infrastructure

Boxford employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and a town executive secretary. Boxford has a police department, a fire department with two branches in the main villages, two post offices, a public works department and a library. A second library was located in West Boxford, but due to budget constraints it was closed in 2008. The nearest hospitals are Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill to the north, Lawrence General to the west, and Beverly Hospital to the south.

On the state level, Boxford is under the jurisdiction of the Central District Court of Essex County, located in Haverhill. It is patrolled by the Newbury station of Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police. The town is represented by two representatives, from the Fourth and Eighteenth Essex districts, in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and as part of the First Essex and Middlesex district in the Massachusetts Senate. On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, and has been represented by John F. Tierney (D) since 1997. The state's senior Senator, elected in 1985, is John Kerry (D), and its junior Senator, elected in the 2010 special election, is Scott Brown (R), who won the town with nearly 70% of the vote.

Education

Boxford has one high school, Masconomet Regional High School, named after Chief Masconomet, sagamore of the Agawam tribe, who lived in Essex County at the time of English colonization. Masconomet is a regional school, serving the towns of Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield. The school is commonly believed to be in Topsfield because it has a Topsfield street address. However, the school, which is located on Endicott Road, lies entirely within Boxford. Students may also elect to attend North Shore Technical High School in Middleton. The nearest private school is The Governor's Academy in Rowley.

Masconomet Regional Middle School is also located in Boxford, and is attached to the high school. There are also two elementary schools in Boxford. The Harry Lee Cole School, which serves Preschool through Grade 2, is located near East Boxford center. The Spofford Pond School, serving Grades 3 through 6, is located on the western side of the town's geographic center.

Points of interest

Boxford Community Store
  • Boxford State Forest, near Interstate 95 and the towns of Topsfield and Middleton, boasts numerous walking trails that weave through heavily forested areas.
  • "Witch Hollow Farm", formerly the home of one of those tried in the famous 1693 Salem Witch Trials, found at the intersection of Main Street and Ipswich Road in Boxford, is considered a nationally recognized "Haunted House"
  • Boxford's centrally located Stiles Pond is the site for the town beach, where membership can be purchased by Boxford residents only, each season for a nominal fee through the Boxford Athletic Association (BAA). The adjacent ballpark and play area were recently designated by unanimous vote at Town Meeting as "Keith Koster Memorial Baseball Park" in memory of one of Boxford's beloved young people, a former Boxford beach lifeguard and baseball player, victim of a senseless act of crime in 2006.
  • Baldpate Pond, and the adjacent state recreation area, is another popular swimming, fishing, boating, and hiking location.
  • Boxford currently has one Town Library, in East Boxford. The West Boxford branch of the library closed on April 1, 2009 due to financial difficulties.[11] The East Boxford Library is housed in a previously private, renovated home, donated to the Town in the 1940s. Boxford residents hold great affection for these buildings and libraries, and in recent years it has been debated whether these buildings will outlive or have outlived their original functional purpose as libraries for the current population of Boxford. There is a current movement afoot, in the planning stages, to build a new, central Boxford Town Library. But, most residents are in favor of conservation and keeping the rural character of the town intact, and have voted down any new Library project 3 times in the last 5 years by wide margins.[citation needed]

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  2. ^ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  3. ^ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  5. ^ "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  6. ^ "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  7. ^ "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  8. ^ "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  10. ^ "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  11. ^ Boxford Town Library , Announcement from the Library Trustees.

External links

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