Boxborough, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough.
, the town has a total area of 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²), of which, 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.48%) is water.
Boxborough is bordered by Littleton
to the north, Acton
to the east, Stow
to the south, and Harvard
to the west.
of 2000, there were 4,868 people, 1,853 households, and 1,271 families residing in the town. The population density
was 469.7 people per square mile (181.4/km²). There were 1,906 housing units at an average density of 183.9 per square mile (71.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.82% White, 0.33% African American, 0.02% Native American, 8.48% Asian, 0.37% from other races
, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 1,853 households out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $87,618, and the median income for a family was $110,572. Males had a median income of $72,414 versus $47,008 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $40,794. About 1.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Junior High (grades 7–8) and high school students (grades 9–12) attend school in the neighboring town of Acton
. See the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
. These post-elementary schools are administered by the regional school district, serving Acton and Boxborough.
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) is highly ranked within Massachusetts and nationwide. The U.S. Department of Education designated the institution as a Blue Ribbon School in 2009. In 2008, Newsweek magazine ranked ABRHS as one of the best high schools in the country. Also, the school has ranked in the top ten for the National Academic Decathlon. http://usad.org/Competition/Winners.asp
Furthermore, Boxborough is known for its annual Fifer’s day celebration. The day commemorates Luther Blanchard, the fifer who marched the local minuteman company to the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775. At the North Bridge minutemen companies from various towns of the Commonwealth successfully engaged the British, forcing the redcoats to retreat. During this action Blanchard was wounded slightly, one of the first battle casualties of the Revolutionary War. He survived to fight the British again a few short weeks later at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he was again wounded. But in September of the same year, he died, ostensibly of the wounds he received in these battles. He is believed to be buried in the Blanchard family plot in Boxborough, although there is no stone there marking the exact spot of his resting place.
Fifer’s day is held every June at Flerra field in Boxborough. It begins with a 4 miles (6.4 km) road race, followed by a parade and many different festivities. Booths with hamburgers, hot dogs, snow cones etc. line the field and games, bands and volleyball tournaments complete the afternoon. Fifer’s day has pony rides, air balloon rides, a flea market and much more.
Also, Liberty Fields has a baseball diamond, multiple soccer fields and a conservation trail in the woods.
Another attraction is Steele Farm, a popular sledding site in the winter, with dog-friendly conservation trails.
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,996 at the 2010 census. The town name is often spelled "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents, but the correct spelling is, in fact, Boxborough.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²), of which, 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.48%) is water.
Boxborough is bordered by Littleton
Littleton, Massachusetts
Littleton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,924 at the 2010 census....
to the north, Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
to the east, Stow
Stow, Massachusetts
Stow is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,590 at the 2010 census.- History :Stow was first settled c. 1660 by Matthew Boon and John Kettell...
to the south, and Harvard
Harvard, Massachusetts
Harvard is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. A farming community settled in 1658 and incorporated in 1732, it has been home to several non-traditional communities, such as Harvard Shaker Village and the utopian Transcendentalist center Fruitlands...
to the west.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,868 people, 1,853 households, and 1,271 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 469.7 people per square mile (181.4/km²). There were 1,906 housing units at an average density of 183.9 per square mile (71.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.82% White, 0.33% African American, 0.02% Native American, 8.48% Asian, 0.37% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 1,853 households out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $87,618, and the median income for a family was $110,572. Males had a median income of $72,414 versus $47,008 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $40,794. About 1.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
Boxborough is known for high quality education. The town has one elementary school, Blanchard Memorial School. http://www.boxboroughschool.org/. Blanchard consistently achieves MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) test scores within the top ten of Massachusetts school districts.Junior High (grades 7–8) and high school students (grades 9–12) attend school in the neighboring town of Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
. See the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is an open enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts. It serves the Massachusetts towns of Acton and Boxborough, with roughly 500 students per grade level in grades 9 through 12. ABRHS has consistently ranked among the top secondary schools in Massachusetts...
. These post-elementary schools are administered by the regional school district, serving Acton and Boxborough.
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (ABRHS) is highly ranked within Massachusetts and nationwide. The U.S. Department of Education designated the institution as a Blue Ribbon School in 2009. In 2008, Newsweek magazine ranked ABRHS as one of the best high schools in the country. Also, the school has ranked in the top ten for the National Academic Decathlon. http://usad.org/Competition/Winners.asp
Attractions
On October 16, 2005 the Boxborough Historical Society opened "The Boxborough Museum". The museum is located at 575 Middle Road and is open several Sundays a year. Boxborough is also known for Steele Farm, a popular location for sledding and hikes.Furthermore, Boxborough is known for its annual Fifer’s day celebration. The day commemorates Luther Blanchard, the fifer who marched the local minuteman company to the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775. At the North Bridge minutemen companies from various towns of the Commonwealth successfully engaged the British, forcing the redcoats to retreat. During this action Blanchard was wounded slightly, one of the first battle casualties of the Revolutionary War. He survived to fight the British again a few short weeks later at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he was again wounded. But in September of the same year, he died, ostensibly of the wounds he received in these battles. He is believed to be buried in the Blanchard family plot in Boxborough, although there is no stone there marking the exact spot of his resting place.
Fifer’s day is held every June at Flerra field in Boxborough. It begins with a 4 miles (6.4 km) road race, followed by a parade and many different festivities. Booths with hamburgers, hot dogs, snow cones etc. line the field and games, bands and volleyball tournaments complete the afternoon. Fifer’s day has pony rides, air balloon rides, a flea market and much more.
Playing fields
Flerra Field provides soccer fields, as well as a small playground and pond.Also, Liberty Fields has a baseball diamond, multiple soccer fields and a conservation trail in the woods.
Another attraction is Steele Farm, a popular sledding site in the winter, with dog-friendly conservation trails.
Notable residents
- Ted CrowleyTed CrowleyTed Crowley is a retired professional ice hockey player.-Playing career:He was drafted in 1988 by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 4th round, 69th overall. He played 21 games for the Hartford Whalers in 1993–94. He was signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche in August 1998 and played 7...
, NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
professional hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player; grew up on Guggins Lane - Bob SweeneyBob Sweeney (ice hockey)Robert Emmett Sweeney is a retired American professional ice hockey center.-Career:Sweeney was born in Boxborough, Massachusetts. He was drafted out of high school by the Boston Bruins in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, and went on to play four years at Boston College...
, NHL professional hockey player and brother-in-law of Madeline Amy Sweeney - Madeline Amy SweeneyMadeline Amy SweeneyMadeline Amy Sweeney , known as Amy Sweeney, was an American flight attendant on board American Airlines Flight 11 which was hijacked and flown deliberately into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks...
(1966–2001), flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11American Airlines Flight 11American Airlines Flight 11 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California...
when it was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; she was the first person to report the hijacking - Allen BourbeauAllen BourbeauAllen Bourbeau is an American former ice hockey player. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 4th round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.Bourbeau played with Team USA at the 1988 Winter Olympics.-External links:...
, Harvard University, played with Team USA at the 1988 Winter OlympicsIce hockey at the 1988 Winter OlympicsAt the 1988 Winter Olympics one ice hockey event was held, men's ice hockey. Games were played at the Olympic Saddledome, the Stampede Corral, and Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.Source:* Gold - * Silver -...
External links
- Boxborough official website
- Blanchard Memorial School
- Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
- Nashoba Valley Chorale: An SATB chorus that rehearses in Littleton and performs in neighboring communities, from Acton to Pepperell