Westford, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Westford is a town in Middlesex County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.
, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23, 1729.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Westford primarily produced granite
, apple
s, and worsted
yarn. The Abbot Worsted Company was the first company in the nation to use camel hair
for worsted yarns. Citizens from Westford also had some notable involvement in the Revolutionary War
. It's been alleged that the town was along the path of Paul Revere
's Ride on the eve of April 19, 1775, but Revere's path is well documented, and he did not travel to Westford. Westford Minutemen were alerted by efforts of Samuel Prescott
who alerted Acton
, to the southeast towards Stow.
Paul Revere's son attended Westford Academy and a bell cast by Revere graces its lobby today.. A weather vane made by Paul Revere sits atop the Abbot Elementary school.
By the end of the American Civil War
, as roads and transportation improved, Westford began to serve as a residential suburb for the factories of Lowell
, becoming one of the earliest notable examples of suburban sprawl
. Throughout the 20th century (and with the invention of the automobile
), Westford progressively grew, continuing to serve as residential housing for the industries of Lowell, and later, Boston
.
In the 1960s, the town was home to one of the research sites supporting Project West Ford
.
By the 1970s, with the advent of the 128 Technology Belt
, Westford began to act as a suburb for high-tech firms in Burlington
, Woburn
, and other areas, and later became a center of technology itself.
By the 1990s, Westford was home to offices for Red Hat
, Samsung
, Seagate
, Iris Associates
, Visual Solutions, and many other technology firms, most located along Massachusetts Route 110, parallel to I-495
. It is also the North American headquarters for Puma
, which holds a road race in town . The leading manufacturer of EEG electrodes, HydroDot Inc., located here in 2007.
Today, Westford's agricultural past has given way to rapidly expanding high technology industries, suburban retail, and upper-middle class
residential areas.
Although discredited by many historian
s and archaeologists, some townspeople continue to claim that Westford was once a stopping point for Scottish
Earl Henry Sinclair's surverying expedition to Greenland
, Iceland
, Nova Scotia
, and Massachusetts
which is said to have occurred in 1398, nearly 90 full years before Columbus
made his discovery of The Americas
. The primary evidence for this tale is a burial marker in the form of a sword chiseled into a granite slab near the center of town, (known by residents and historians as the Westford Knight
), which some claim is the gravestone of Sir James Gunn of Scotland
, who traveled with Sinclair. The marker is generally accepted to be the result of 19th Century residents, but continues to be an integral part of Westford folklore.
, the town has a total area of 31.3 square miles (81.1 km²), of which 30.6 square miles (79.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (2.30%) is water.
The town is bordered by Chelmsford
to the east, Tyngsborough
to the north, Groton
to the west, Littleton
to the southwest, Acton
to the south, and Carlisle
to the southeast.
Regionally, it is on the edge of the Merrimack Valley
, Northern Middlesex County, and the Metrowest
regions of Massachusetts.
was 678.0 people per square mile (261.8/km²). There were 6,941 housing units at an average density of 226.8 per square mile (87.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.69% White, 0.30% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.
There were 6,808 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.2% were married couples
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $98,272, and the median income for a family was $104,029 (these figures had risen to $113,160 and $120,410 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $77,417 versus $45,095 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $37,979. About 1.3% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
Residents contribute to their local government by volunteering for Town Boards and Committees and by participating at Town Meeting, which occurs in the spring, and occasional Special Town Meetings, with one usually occurring in the fall.
In Westford, as in many New England towns, voters participate directly in the major decisions that affect how the town runs itself and how it spends its money.
Town meeting is the legislative branch of Westford’s government, and all registered voters may attend, speak and vote at the open town meeting. Town meeting has two primary responsibilities: establishing an annual budget by voting to appropriate money for all Town departments, and voting on the Town’s local statutes, called bylaws.
All residents, renters as well as property owners, if registered to vote, may attend and vote at town meeting. A voter must attend in person as no absentee voting is allowed. The non-voting public may attend open town meetings as observers.
, Ayer, Groton
, Littleton
, Dunstable
and Shirley
.
travels daily through Westford over the tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad
. The line currently serves as a major corridor
of Pan Am Railways
' District 3 which connects New Hampshire
and Maine
with western Massachusetts
, Vermont
, and New York
. Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
also passes through the town, linking it to other parts of the state as well as New Hampshire
. US-3 passes through the town, although the nearest interchanges are located in neighboring Tyngsborough
and Chelmsford
.
Local routes passing through town are Massachusetts Routes 110, 40, 225, and 27.
.
Westford is home to Nashoba Valley Ski Area
which also features a summer day camp and a Halloween
theme park known as Witch's Woods. Westford is also home to Kimball Farm, an ice cream stand featuring miniature golf
, bumper boats
and other attractions.http://westford.patch.com/articles/kid-friendly-fun-kimball-farm
cable network. It produces Public, educational, and government access
(PEG) cable TV programming for the residents and organizations of Westford.
Westford Community Access Television, Inc. (Westford CAT) is a non-profit corporation charged with the mission to promote and encourage the use of local Public-access television
cable TV to enhance a free and diverse exchange of ideas and interests that foster community participation and educational opportunities.
Prior to January 1, 2006, the production facilities of Westford's PEG cable channels were operated by Comcast Corporation. This arrangement was carried out as part of the Town of Westford's previous cable license agreement. Beginning in 2006, Comcast would no longer be responsible to manage the PEG production facilities. As part of the current agreement, Comcast agreed to turn over control of PEG Access to the community. In the summer of 2005, a group of interested residents worked to create a new an independent PEG access management organization, and on July 12, 2005, Westford Community Access Television came into existence. In September 2005, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Westford CAT as the Town's public access provider.
As an independent, non-profit organization, Westford CAT has the opportunity to expand the capabilities of the PEG access programs to meet the needs of the residents of Westford. Plans are currently being formulated to improve and expand the Westford CAT programming schedule to obtain these goals to the best of the corporation's ability.
In terms of newspapers, Westford is covered by The Westford Eagle, a weekly newspaper of the Gatehouse Media network, Westford Patch, a daily news website connected with Patch.com, and the Lowell Sun
, a regional daily paper.
For most media, Westford is part of the large Greater Boston
market.
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 21,951 at the 2010 census.
History
Originally a part of neighboring ChelmsfordChelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23, 1729.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Westford primarily produced granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, and worsted
Worsted
Worsted , is the name of a yarn, the cloth made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from the village of Worstead in the English county of Norfolk...
yarn. The Abbot Worsted Company was the first company in the nation to use camel hair
Camel hair
Camel hair is, variously, the hair of a camel; a type of cloth made from camel hair; or a substitute for authentic camel hair; and is classified as a specialty hair fibre. When woven into haircloth, using the outer protective fur called guard hair, camel hair is coarse and inflexible...
for worsted yarns. Citizens from Westford also had some notable involvement in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. It's been alleged that the town was along the path of Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
's Ride on the eve of April 19, 1775, but Revere's path is well documented, and he did not travel to Westford. Westford Minutemen were alerted by efforts of Samuel Prescott
Samuel Prescott
Samuel Prescott was a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. He is best remembered for his role in the "midnight ride" to warn the townspeople of Concord of the impending British army move to capture military stores kept there at the beginning of the American Revolution...
who alerted 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 southeast towards Stow.
Paul Revere's son attended Westford Academy and a bell cast by Revere graces its lobby today.. A weather vane made by Paul Revere sits atop the Abbot Elementary school.
By the end of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as roads and transportation improved, Westford began to serve as a residential suburb for the factories of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, becoming one of the earliest notable examples of suburban sprawl
Sprawl
Sprawl can refer to:*Sprawl , a defensive technique in wrestling and martial arts used to prevent a takedown.*Urban sprawl, also called suburban sprawl...
. Throughout the 20th century (and with the invention of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
), Westford progressively grew, continuing to serve as residential housing for the industries of Lowell, and later, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In the 1960s, the town was home to one of the research sites supporting Project West Ford
Project West Ford
Project West Ford was a test carried out by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory on behalf of the United States Military in 1961 and 1963 to create an artificial ionosphere above the Earth...
.
By the 1970s, with the advent of the 128 Technology Belt
Business cluster
A business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and globally. In urban studies, the term agglomeration is used...
, Westford began to act as a suburb for high-tech firms in Burlington
Burlington, Massachusetts
Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
, Woburn
Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 38,120 at the 2010 census. Woburn is located north of Boston, Massachusetts, and just south of the intersection of I-93 and I-95.- History :...
, and other areas, and later became a center of technology itself.
By the 1990s, Westford was home to offices for Red Hat
Red Hat
Red Hat, Inc. is an S&P 500 company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina with satellite offices worldwide....
, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, Seagate
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...
, Iris Associates
Iris Associates
Iris Associates was a software development company founded in Littleton, Massachusetts on December 7, 1984 by Ray Ozzie to build the software ultimately known as Lotus Notes. Tim Halvorsen and Len Kawell, who joined Iris shortly afterwards in January 1985, met Ray Ozzie years before when all of...
, Visual Solutions, and many other technology firms, most located along Massachusetts Route 110, parallel to I-495
Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
. It is also the North American headquarters for Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
, which holds a road race in town . The leading manufacturer of EEG electrodes, HydroDot Inc., located here in 2007.
Today, Westford's agricultural past has given way to rapidly expanding high technology industries, suburban retail, and upper-middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
residential areas.
Although discredited by many historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s and archaeologists, some townspeople continue to claim that Westford was once a stopping point for Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Earl Henry Sinclair's surverying expedition to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and 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...
which is said to have occurred in 1398, nearly 90 full years before Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
made his discovery of The Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The primary evidence for this tale is a burial marker in the form of a sword chiseled into a granite slab near the center of town, (known by residents and historians as the Westford Knight
Westford Knight
The Westford Knight, also known as the Sinclair Rock, is perceived as either a carving or a natural feature, or a combination of both, located on a glacial boulder in Westford, Massachusetts in the United States. It is notable for being the subject of controversial speculation that it is evidence...
), which some claim is the gravestone of Sir James Gunn of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who traveled with Sinclair. The marker is generally accepted to be the result of 19th Century residents, but continues to be an integral part of Westford folklore.
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 31.3 square miles (81.1 km²), of which 30.6 square miles (79.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (2.30%) is water.
The town is bordered by Chelmsford
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
to the east, Tyngsborough
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
to the north, Groton
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
to the west, Littleton
Littleton, Massachusetts
Littleton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,924 at the 2010 census....
to the southwest, 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 south, and Carlisle
Carlisle, Massachusetts
Carlisle is an affluent, rural town northwest of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the town is 4,852.-History:...
to the southeast.
Regionally, it is on the edge of the Merrimack Valley
Merrimack Valley
The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...
, Northern Middlesex County, and the Metrowest
MetroWest
MetroWest is a cluster of cities and towns lying west of Boston and east of Worcester, in the US state of Massachusetts. The name was coined in the 1980s by a local newspaper....
regions of Massachusetts.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census there were 20,754 people, 6,808 households, and 5,807 families residing in the town. The population densityPopulation 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 678.0 people per square mile (261.8/km²). There were 6,941 housing units at an average density of 226.8 per square mile (87.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.69% White, 0.30% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.
There were 6,808 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.2% 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, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $98,272, and the median income for a family was $104,029 (these figures had risen to $113,160 and $120,410 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $77,417 versus $45,095 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 $37,979. About 1.3% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Westford is run by a board of five Selectmen who are the chief policy making officials for the Town and who are responsible for the enforcement of all town Bylaws and regulations. The Town is managed on a day-to day basis by a Town Manager who is a town employee and who acts as the agent for the Board of Selectmen.Residents contribute to their local government by volunteering for Town Boards and Committees and by participating at Town Meeting, which occurs in the spring, and occasional Special Town Meetings, with one usually occurring in the fall.
In Westford, as in many New England towns, voters participate directly in the major decisions that affect how the town runs itself and how it spends its money.
Town meeting is the legislative branch of Westford’s government, and all registered voters may attend, speak and vote at the open town meeting. Town meeting has two primary responsibilities: establishing an annual budget by voting to appropriate money for all Town departments, and voting on the Town’s local statutes, called bylaws.
All residents, renters as well as property owners, if registered to vote, may attend and vote at town meeting. A voter must attend in person as no absentee voting is allowed. The non-voting public may attend open town meetings as observers.
Westford Public Schools
The Superintendent of Westford's Public Schools is Everett "Bill" Olsen, who has held that role since 1986. http://westford.patch.com/articles/westford-educators-provide-backdrop-for-snow-days-decision- Westford AcademyWestford AcademyWestford Academy is the public high school for the town of Westford, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1792, and is one of the oldest public high schools in the United States. Westford Academy was originally established as a private school and was changed to a public school in 1928...
, Public High School (known as W.A.) - Lloyd G. Blanchard Middle School, Public Middle School (known as Blanchard)
- Stony Brook Middle School, Public Middle School (known as Stony Brook)
- Norman E. Day School, Public Elementary School (3-5) (known as Day)
- Abbot Elementary, Public Elementary School (3-5) (known as Abbot)
- John A. Crisafulli Elementary, Public Elementary School (3-5) (known as Crisafulli)
- Col. John Robinson School, Public Elementary School (K-2) (known as Robinson)
- Nabnasset Elementary School, Public Elementary School (K-2) (known as Nab)
- Rita Edwards Miller School, Public Elementary School (K-2) (known as Miller)
Nashoba Valley Technical High School District
Nashoba Valley Technical High School draws students from Westford, as well as ChelmsfordChelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, Ayer, Groton
Groton
Groton is the name of several places :In England:*Groton, Suffolk**Groton WoodIn the United States of America:*Groton, Connecticut, a town**Groton , Connecticut, within the town*Groton, Massachusetts*Groton, New Hampshire*Groton , New York...
, Littleton
Littleton
Littleton may refer to one of several places:In Ireland:*Littleton, County TipperaryIn the United Kingdom:*Littleton, Cheshire*Littleton, Hampshire*Littleton, Somerset*High Littleton, Somerset*Littleton, Guildford, Surrey...
, Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
and Shirley
Shirley
Shirley may refer to:*Shirley , either a given name or a surname-Places:United Kingdom*Shirley, Derbyshire, England*Shirley, Southampton, a district of Southampton, England...
.
- Nashoba Valley Technical High SchoolNashoba Valley Technical High SchoolNashoba Valley Technical High School is a public, four-year, career-focused high school located on Route 110 in Westford, MA. Following a $25 million renovation and expansion, its service area covers 14 communities including the seven District towns of Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell,...
, Public Regional Vocational Technical (known as Nashoba Tech)
Transportation
FreightFreight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
travels daily through Westford over the tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad
Stony Brook Railroad
The Stony Brook Railroad was a short line railroad that ran off the Nashua and Lowell Railroad's main line from the village of North Chelmsford to Ayer where it connected to the Fitchburg Railroad.-History:...
. The line currently serves as a major corridor
Transport corridor
A transportation corridor is a tract of land in which at least one main line for transport, be it road, rail or canal, has been built...
of Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
' District 3 which connects New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
with western 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...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
also passes through the town, linking it to other parts of the state as well as New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. US-3 passes through the town, although the nearest interchanges are located in neighboring Tyngsborough
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
and Chelmsford
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
.
Local routes passing through town are Massachusetts Routes 110, 40, 225, and 27.
Points of interest
The town has a largely suburban residential culture and like many New England towns, an active civic life. The Roudenbush Community Center and the Parish Center for the Arts are two notable places for residents to take classes or see concerts and art exhibitions. Westford is also home to the J.V. Fletcher Library, The Butterfly Place, The Westford Museum and Historical Society and the MIT Haystack ObservatoryHaystack Observatory
Haystack Observatory is a group of astronomical observatories owned and operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is located in Westford, Massachusetts . It is the home of the Millstone Hill Observatory....
.
Westford is home to Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Nashoba Valley Ski Area is a small ski area in Westford, Massachusetts. Operating continuously since its opening in 1964, it has 17 trails including a variety of terrain. There is also a terrain park with jumps, boxes and rails, as well as a small beginner terrain park with rails...
which also features a summer day camp and a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
theme park known as Witch's Woods. Westford is also home to Kimball Farm, an ice cream stand featuring miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
, bumper boats
Bumper boats
Bumper boats are an amusement park ride that uses inner tube shaped watercraft that can be steered by the rider. Some are driven by electric motors, some by gasoline engines, and some require the rider to propel the craft by pedaling. Most are equipped with water guns for duels with other riders...
and other attractions.http://westford.patch.com/articles/kid-friendly-fun-kimball-farm
Annual events
- In early May, the Westford Charitable Foundation 5k/10k Road Races are held.
- In May, the KiwanisKiwanisKiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
club hosts the Apple Blossom Parade and Carnival. - In June, The First Parish Church hosts the Strawberry Festival.
- In August, the Westford Rotary Club hosts the Blues & Brews Festival at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area, featuring top blues bands and many local beers to sample, and in 2011, they reintroduced the Pig n' Pepper Festival along with the Blues and Brews. http://westford.patch.com/articles/pig-n-pepper-returns-along-with-blues-n-brews
- In October, the Westford Education Foundation sponsors the Family Fun Run and, also the Nashoba Valley Ski Resort also runs the Witch's Woods Halloween Screampark.
Media
Westford has its own community television station, called Westford Community Access Television or Westford CAT, which broadcasts on channels 8, 9 and 10 on the ComcastComcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
cable network. It produces Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access television, refers to three different cable television specialty channels...
(PEG) cable TV programming for the residents and organizations of Westford.
Westford Community Access Television, Inc. (Westford CAT) is a non-profit corporation charged with the mission to promote and encourage the use of local Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV to enhance a free and diverse exchange of ideas and interests that foster community participation and educational opportunities.
Prior to January 1, 2006, the production facilities of Westford's PEG cable channels were operated by Comcast Corporation. This arrangement was carried out as part of the Town of Westford's previous cable license agreement. Beginning in 2006, Comcast would no longer be responsible to manage the PEG production facilities. As part of the current agreement, Comcast agreed to turn over control of PEG Access to the community. In the summer of 2005, a group of interested residents worked to create a new an independent PEG access management organization, and on July 12, 2005, Westford Community Access Television came into existence. In September 2005, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Westford CAT as the Town's public access provider.
As an independent, non-profit organization, Westford CAT has the opportunity to expand the capabilities of the PEG access programs to meet the needs of the residents of Westford. Plans are currently being formulated to improve and expand the Westford CAT programming schedule to obtain these goals to the best of the corporation's ability.
In terms of newspapers, Westford is covered by The Westford Eagle, a weekly newspaper of the Gatehouse Media network, Westford Patch, a daily news website connected with Patch.com, and the Lowell Sun
Lowell Sun
The Sun is a daily newspaper based in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, serving towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the Greater Lowell area and beyond. Its circulation is about 50,000...
, a regional daily paper.
For most media, Westford is part of the large Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
market.
Notable residents
- Joel AbbotJoel AbbotJoel Abbot was a U.S. naval officer who served notably in the War of 1812, and commanded a squadron during Commodore Perry's 1852 visit to Japan.-Biography:...
, (1793–1855), born in Westford, noted naval officer - Pat Bradley, Member of World Golf Hall of FameWorld Golf Hall of FameThe World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
- Karen Bryant, ex-MTV VJ, game show hostess
- Col. Charles "Chip" Collins, WWII B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
A.C., 9th Bomb Group squadron leader of 35 missions over Japan, chief MIT Draper Lab test pilot, and one of a group of aviators who discovered the jet streamJet streamJet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on Earth are westerly winds...
off the Japanese coast - Susan A. Mackay, passenger on Flight 11, which hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
- Sarah Dix Hamlin, founder of The Hamlin School in San Francisco
- Andy Hicks, WBCN former disk-jockey
- Ed Lacerte, Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
trainer - Jackie MacMullanJackie MacMullanJackie "Mac" MacMullan is an American freelance newspaper sportswriter and NBA columnist for the sports website ESPN.com. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she played Division I basketball for the Wildcats, MacMullan was a columnist and associate editor of the Boston Globe...
, sportswriter - John Nicoletta, extreme skier (1981–2008)
- Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, poet, was a temporary resident in 1848 - Lt. Col. John RobinsonLt. Col. John RobinsonJohn Robinson was a Massachusetts militia and Continental Army officer from Westford, Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary War. On April 19, 1775, during the Battle of Concord, Robinson was the second highest ranking officer in the field after Colonel James Barrett...
, Revolutionary War soldier - Eric Smolin, pitcher on the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
GCL Rookie team for the Gulf Coast League in 2007 - Aaron StanfordAaron StanfordAaron Stanford is an American actor, best known for his role as Pyro in X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand films, and Doug Bukowski in the 2006 The Hills Have Eyes remake....
, actor - Emily Benson, founder and creator of The Fashion Truck
- Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards, creator of the field of home economics, first woman admitted to MIT, co-founder of American Association of University WomenAmerican Association of University WomenThe American Association of University Women advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. It was founded in 1882 by Ellen Swallow Richards and Marion Talbot...
- Tommy Severo, actor, comedian, winner on Beauty and the GeekBeauty and the GeekBeauty and the Geek is a reality television series on The CW. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Nick Santora....
, season 5 - Joseph Thaxter, Revolutionary War era preacher
- Alison Walshe, member of the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
and Ladies European TourLadies European TourThe Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,... - Michael FucitoMichael FucitoMichael Fucito is an American soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-High School and College:...
, Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
player, currently for the Seattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
Further reading
- 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. by Wall & Gray.Map of Massachusetts. Map of Middlesex County.
- History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (A-H), Volume 2 (L-W) compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879 and 1880. 572 and 505 pages. Westford section in volume 2 page 475 by Hodgman and Julian Abbott.
- History of the Town of Westford, in the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, by Rev. Edwin Ruthven Hodgman, published 1883, 494 pages.
