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Ashland, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (May 2007) |
| Ashland, Massachusetts | |
| Nickname: The Clock Town | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1750 |
| Incorporated | 1846 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Total | 12.9 sq mi (33.5 km²) |
| - Land | 12.4 sq mi (32.2 km²) |
| - Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 188 ft (57 m) |
| Population | |
| - Total | 14,674 |
| - Density | 1,179.3/sq mi (455.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01721 |
| Area code(s) | 508 / 774 |
| FIPS code | 25-02130 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619394 |
| Website: http://www.AshlandMass.Com | |
Ashland, Massachusetts is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the MetroWest region. The population was 14,674 at the 2000 census.
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The area now known as Ashland was settled in the early 1700s and prior to that, the Megunko Indians to which Megunko Hill owes its name. Previously known as "Unionville", Ashland was incorporated in 1846 and is considerably younger than many towns which surround it. The establishment of the Boston to Albany railroad in the mid-1800s was a key factor to the early development of Ashland. Through most of the 1800s to the mid 20th century, Ashland was a rural town with scattered farms and centralized residential buildings with some industry. Ashland is where inventor Henry E. Warren invented the Warren Synchronizing Timer in 1916, which made electric clocks possible by keeping alternating current flowing from power plants at a consistent sixty cycles per second. In partnership with General Electric, Warren founded Telechron, which manufactured electric clocks in Ashland into the 1980s. A Warren Synchronizing Timer is on display at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. Also of note was the construction of the Ashland Reservoir around 1900, from the waters of Cold Spring. This is the current site of Ashland State Park. Through most of the 20th century Ashland's population remained slow in growth, until the post-war boom beginning in the 1950s. Ashland grew from a far-removed rural town 22 miles west of Boston to a primarily residential suburb by the 1980s. Many farms and open space have given way to housing, although some untouched land still remains. This includes the Ashland Town Forest and Ashland State Park. Two major routes, 135 and 126, pass through Ashland. Route 135 is dominated by older residential development of varying density and is also part of the route for the Boston Marathon, which started in Ashland until the start was moved to Hopkinton. Route 126 has seen much more growth since the 1980s, as farms have given way to shopping centers and condos. Part of the draw of Ashland, and one that has been publicized in recent years, is its "ideal" location about halfway between Boston and Worcester. Ashland is considered part of MetroWest, which also consists of Framingham, Holliston and Hopkinton.
Since the town is famous as the birthplace of the electric clock, the Ashland High School sports teams have been coined "The Clockers".
Even though the current Ashland has grown from its beginnings as a rural area, it still retains the look and feel of a typical residential New England town in the Boston area. Traditions like the Ashland Day fair and small-town favorites like the ice cream shop Tasty Treat and breakfast joint Sunnyside help maintain the feeling of a close-knit community. Ashland's traditional rival is Hopkinton for the Thanksgiving High School football game. Ashland High School graduates approximately 160 students each year, though that number is increasing with each passing year.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.5 km²), of which, 12.4 square miles (32.2 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (3.72%) is water.
Ashland is located in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:
- Framingham on the northeast
- Sherborn on the east
- Holliston on the south
- Hopkinton on the southwest
- Southborough on the northwest
Ashland's climate is variable. Winters are typically cold with frequent Nor'Easters and occasional Blizzards. Snowfall ranges widely from season to season, although the average is about 60 inches. In the past, there has been as little as 14 inches of snow in the 1988-89 winter season to 148 inches in the 1995-96 season. This amount decreases dramatically eastward towards Boston because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. Spring temperatures can be mitigated by penetrating cold fronts originating from the Canadian Maritimes, known as "Backdoor Cold Fronts". Typically, temperatures consistently above 70 degrees for highs do not set in until late May. The last frost is usually in mid May. Summers are generally comfortable, with periods of high humidity. Prolonged heat waves of 3 days or more of highs of 90 or above are not very common, but can occur. The first frost is usually around October 1st, and peak season for foliage averages around October 12th. Ashland can expect a "White" Christmas a little over 50 percent of the time.
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 14,674 people, 5,720 households, and 4,021 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,179.3 people per square mile (455.4/km²). There were 5,794 housing units at an average density of 465.6/sq mi (179.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.88% White, 1.79% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.92% of the population.
There were 5,720 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,392, and the median income for a family was $77,611. Males had a median income of $51,869 versus $38,226 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,641. About 0.9% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Recently, the town built a new high school in 2005, and reestablished some of the grades' positions. These changes include the 6th grade being moved to join the 7th and 8th grades in the former high school to form what is now Ashland Middle School and moving the 3rd grade from the Warren elementary school into the Mindess elementary school to join the 4th and 5th grades.
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John Stone's Inn, now known as Stone's public House is located in the center of Ashland. Stone's is on the list of allegedly haunted places in America. It has been in many documentaries and has tours daily. Also, in a business building in downtown Ashland is the first ever electric clock. Also, there is an old chemical plant, Nyanza, which was poisoning a pond near the old High School. Supposedly, because of this, Ashland has the highest cancer rate in New England.[citation needed]
There is also a famous Hindu Lakshmi Temple in Ashland.
Ashland Day is annually held on a Saturday in September of each year. The main event occur near the center of the town at Stone Park, with events at the park lasting from the morning until the afternoon. Festivities include a number of booths and various carnival-like rides. The athletic clubs and organizations of the town and of the schools use the day to as an annual fund raising event. Mainly, the day allows for residents and those that may have moved away to return to enjoy a day of fun and great food. Nearly every year there are fireworks atop the dam at Hopkinton State Park (the dam is in Ashland). Ashland Day has only been canceled once, due to inclement weather, in 2004.
- Dan Giargiari (Owner of Burnam's)
- Henry E. Warren (First electric clock)
