Shirley, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Demographics
This article describes the town of Shirley as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Shirley (CDP), MassachusettsShirley (CDP), Massachusetts
Shirley is a census-designated place in the town of Shirley in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,427 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shirley is located at ....
.
As of the census
Census
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 6,373 people, 2,067 households, and 1,426 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 402.7 people per square mile (155.5/km²). There were 2,156 housing units at an average density of 136.2 per square mile (52.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.90% White, 6.72% Black or African American
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...
, 0.47% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.12% 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 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.86% of the population.
There were 2,067 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,344, and the median income for a family was $66,250. Males had a median income of $42,078 versus $32,130 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 $20,556. About 1.9% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
On March 6, 2010 Shirley and Ayer voters approved the creation of a new regional school district to take effect in the 2011-2012 school year.At the present time, Shirley high school students attend Ayer High School, Lunenburg High School, or Nashoba Technical High School.
Parks
- Benjamin Hill Recreation Area
- Fredonian Nature Center
- Whitley Park
Churches
- Holy Ghost Revival Outreach Ministries
- St. Anthony's Catholic Church
- Trinity Chapel Episcopal Church
- United Church of Shirley
Points of interest
- Shirley Historical Society Museum
- Shirley Shaker VillageShirley Shaker VillageShirley Shaker Village is a historic Shaker community in Shirley, Massachusetts.The village was founded in 1793 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.-References:*...
(National Park Service information): Information on the Shaker Village site is available at the Historical Society. - Massachusetts Correctional Institution - ShirleyMassachusetts Correctional Institution - ShirleyMassachusetts Correctional Institution – Shirley is a medium-security state prison in Shirley, Massachusetts. The facility also contains a minimum security section which houses less dangerous prisoners...
: This is a medium/minimum security state prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. - Souza-Baranowski Correctional CenterSouza-Baranowski Correctional CenterSouza-Baranowski Correctional Center is a maximum security prison located at MCI Shirley in Shirley, Massachusetts, United States. The prison opened September 30, 1998 and is one of the most high-tech correctional facilities in the United States....
: This is a maximum security prison.
Transportation
Transportation for Shirley is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit AuthorityMontachusett Regional Transit Authority
The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority is one of Massachusetts' regional transit authorities. It is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to an area consisting of the cities of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner, and the adjoining...
(MART). MART operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services as well as paratransit services within the Montachusett Region. It also provides connections to the MBTA Commuter Rail line at Fitchburg Station. The Fitchburg Station is the last stop on the Fitchburg Line from the North Station in Boston.
Newspapers
- Shirley Volunteer
- Shirley Oracle
- Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise
- Lowell Sun
- Worcester Telegram & Gazette
- Boston Globe
- Boston HeraldBoston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
Notable residents
- Benton MacKayeBenton MacKayeBenton MacKaye was an American forester, planner and conservationist. He was born in Stamford, Connecticut; his father was actor and dramatist Steele MacKaye. After studying forestry at Harvard University , Benton later taught there for several years. He joined a number of Federal bureaus and...
, forester who proposed the Appalachian TrailAppalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long... - Earl TupperEarl TupperEarl Silas Tupper was the inventor of Tupperware, an airtight plastic container for storing food.-Biography:...
, founder of TupperwareTupperwareTupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
company - Jerry WhiteJerry White (baseball)Jerome Cardell "Jerry" White is a former Major League Baseball player and current first base coach of the Minnesota Twins. He played for 11 seasons in the MLB, including stints with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, and Saint Louis Cardinals...
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Hermann Field, coauthor (with Stanislaw Mierzenski) of the novel "Angry Harvest", basis of the movie Angry HarvestAngry HarvestAngry Harvest is a 1985 West German film directed by Agnieszka Holland. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It is based on a novel written by Hermann Field and Stanislaw Mierzenski while they were imprisoned by the Polish government in the early 1950s...
Further reading
- History of the Town of Shirley, Massachusetts, by Seth Chandler, published 1883, 744 pages.
- Seth Chandler Biography, by Alan Seaburg, Published 2011, Anne Miniver Press
