Bolton, Massachusetts

Bolton, Massachusetts
Town

Sawyer House, Bolton Historical Society

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Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°26′00″N 71°36′30″W / 42.43333°N 71.60833°W / 42.43333; -71.60833Coordinates: 42°26′00″N 71°36′30″W / 42.43333°N 71.60833°W / 42.43333; -71.60833
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1682
Incorporated 1738
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
 • Town
   Administrator		 Donald (Don) Lowe[1]
 • Board of
   Selectmen		 Stanley Wysocki
Mark Sprague
Larry Delaney
Area
 • Total 20.0 sq mi (51.8 km2)
 • Land 19.9 sq mi (51.6 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 387 ft (118 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,897
 • Density 240/sq mi (95/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01740
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-06365
GNIS feature ID 0618357
Website www.townofbolton.com

Bolton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Bolton is in eastern Massachusetts, located 25 miles west-northwest of downtown Boston.The population was 4,897 at the 2010 census.

History

The town of Bolton was incorporated on June 24, 1738, following an influx of settlers. Town historian Esther Whitcomb, descendant of one of Bolton's earliest documented settlers, cites the recorded birth of a son, Hezekiah, to Josiah Whitcomb in 1681. By 1711, according to Whitcomb, more than 150 people were living on Bolton soil, despite a local history of Indian uprisings and one massacre. Many early houses were protected by flankers, and were designated as garrisons. Bolton's history is interesting because it is reflective of early settlement patterns in the central Massachusetts area, and the conflicts with King Philip (Metacom) and his Indian soldiers. The town was formerly part of the town of Lancaster, but seceded along the Still River, where the current boundary line still stands.[2]

In the 1920s Bolton was used as a setting and mentioned a number of times in H.P. Lovecraft's fiction: as a setting in his “Herbert West — Reanimator”, and also mentioned in his “The Rats in the Walls” and “The Colour out of Space”.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.0 square miles (52 km2), of which 19.9 square miles (52 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 0.35%, is water.

Surrounding towns

Bolton is located in MetroWest, surrounded by several towns:

 Lancaster Harvard Boxborough
Stow
   Bolton  
Clinton Berlin Hudson

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18501,263—    
18601,348+6.7%
18701,014−24.8%
1880903−10.9%
1890827−8.4%
1900770−6.9%
1910764−0.8%
1920708−7.3%
1930764+7.9%
1940775+1.4%
1950956+23.4%
19601,264+32.2%
19701,905+50.7%
19802,530+32.8%
19903,134+23.9%
20004,148+32.4%
20104,897+18.1%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 4,148 people, 1,424 households, and 1,201 families residing in the town. The population density was 208.1 inhabitants per square mile (80.3/km2). There were 1,476 housing units at an average density of 74.1 per square mile (28.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.19% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 1,424 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.0% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.6% were non-families. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $102,798, and the median income for a family was $108,967. Males had a median income of $79,167 versus $50,278 for females. The per capita income for the town was $53,195.[14] About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

County-level state agency heads
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Register of Probate: Stephanie K. Fattman (R)
County Sheriff: Lew Evangelidis (R)
State government
State Representative(s): Kate Hogan (D)
State Senator(s): Jennifer Flanagan (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Niki Tsongas (D) (3rd District),
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Schools

Bolton is a member of the Nashoba Regional School District, also serving the towns of Lancaster and Stow. Bolton is home to Florence Sawyer School (PK-8) and Nashoba Regional High School.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "New town administrator is fitting right in", Bolton Common, May 29, 2009.
  2. ↑ Whitcomb, Esther Kimmon (1988). About Bolton. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc. ISBN 1-55613-105-4.
  3. ↑ "TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  4. ↑ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "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.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  14. ↑ "2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". American Fact Finder. United States Census Bureau. 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  15. ↑ Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.
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