Sudbury, Massachusetts
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Sudbury is a town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 16,841.
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History
Sudbury was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1639. Sudbury is the location of the Grist Mill and the Martha Mary Chapel as well the Longfellow's Wayside Inn, a historic landmark inn. The property was owned, restored and radically expanded by Henry Ford between 1923 and 1940.
Ford lived and worked in Sudbury in the first half of the twentieth century. Baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Dennis Eckersley have been residents of Sudbury. In a footnote to the Curse of the Bambino, legend has it that Babe Ruth's piano rests at the bottom of a Sudbury lake near what was once his home. Other famous residents have included musician Mike Gordon, comedian Paula Poundstone and actor Chris Evans.
In August 1925, a Sudbury farm was the scene of a riot between local members of the Ku Klux Klan and Irish-American youths from the area. Five people were wounded by gunshots, and the State Police arrested over 100 Klansmen. Mass. officials cracked down on the group's meetings theafter, and the area Klan died out. Other pieces of history in this town include Sudbury's bid (or non-bid) to become the site for the headquarters of the United Nations and Giuseppi Cavicchio's refusal to sell his water rights which scuttled Henry Ford's plans to build an auto parts factory at the site of Charles O. Parmenter's mill in South Sudbury.
In the Post-war period, Sudbury experienced rapid growth in population and industry. Defense contractor Raytheon became a major employer after opening a large research facility in Sudbury in 1958. Another major employer in that period was Sperry Rand. In the 1970s, the town was home to many of the engineers sparking the Minicomputer revolution at nearby corporations such as Digital Equipment Corporation.
Sudbury is also the location of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS), which is shared with the neighboring town of Lincoln, Massachusetts. It is widely regarded as one of the best public high schools in the state.
Sudbury was given the zip code 01776 because after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, which occurred in 1775, members of the Sudbury militia sniped on British Red Coats who were marching through. Also, the town was noted for contributing the most militiamen to the battle against the British. Sudbury also contributed the most militia to King Philip's War and was responsible for fighting back the Indians.
Geography
Image:Sudbury ma highlight.png According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.8 km² (24.6 mi²). 63.1 km² (24.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.06% water.
Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Wayland on the east; Framingham on the south; Hudson, Maynard, Marlborough, and Stow on the west; Concord on the northeast; and Acton on the north. Sudbury is 20 miles west of Boston, 26 miles east of Worcester, and 194 miles from New York City.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 16,841 people, 5,504 households, and 4,749 families residing in the town. The population density was 266.8/km² (691.1/mi²). There were 5,590 housing units at an average density of 88.6/km² (229.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.23% White, 0.80% African American, 0.03% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,504 households out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.5% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 11.0% 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 3.02 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $118,579, and the median income for a family was $130,399. Males had a median income of $98,593 versus $47,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $53,285. 2.8% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. 3.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
The median home price is $612,771.
Sudbury was recently ranked as the best town to raise a family in Massachusetts.
