Paxton, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Paxton is a town in Worcester County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.
The town of Paxton was originally taken from the towns of Leicester and Rutland, in nearly equal parts, and was incorporated February 12, 1765. It then received its name from Charles Paxton, a "Commissioner of the Customs". The inhabitants soon commenced their plan for building a meeting house, and on the first day of April, 1765, the town voted to build it. It was raised on the 18th day of June, 1766, and this is the frame of the present meeting house.
In 1766, within two years of the incorporation of the town, the foundation of the present meeting house was laid, on what is now the common, near the flag staff. The land was given by Seth Howe, from a piece of his pasture.
David Davis went to Boston with a pair of oxen and drew to Paxton the bell now in use, which was made by Paul Revere
.
, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40.1 km²), of which 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), or 4.78%, is water.
It is bounded on the west by Spencer
and Oakham
, on the northwest by Rutland
, on the northeast by Holden
, on the southeast by Worcester
, and on the south by Leicester
.
of 2000, there were 4,386 people, 1,428 households, and 1,153 families residing in the town. The population density
was 297.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 99.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.69% White, 0.68% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.57% from other races
, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population.
There were 1,428 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $72,039, and the median income for a family was $80,498. Males had a median income of $51,694 versus $38,409 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $29,573. None of the families and 1.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 4.5% of those over 64.
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
, 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 4,806 at the 2010 census.
History
Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765.The town of Paxton was originally taken from the towns of Leicester and Rutland, in nearly equal parts, and was incorporated February 12, 1765. It then received its name from Charles Paxton, a "Commissioner of the Customs". The inhabitants soon commenced their plan for building a meeting house, and on the first day of April, 1765, the town voted to build it. It was raised on the 18th day of June, 1766, and this is the frame of the present meeting house.
In 1766, within two years of the incorporation of the town, the foundation of the present meeting house was laid, on what is now the common, near the flag staff. The land was given by Seth Howe, from a piece of his pasture.
David Davis went to Boston with a pair of oxen and drew to Paxton the bell now in use, which was made by 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...
.
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 15.5 square miles (40.1 km²), of which 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), or 4.78%, is water.
It is bounded on the west by Spencer
Spencer, Massachusetts
Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....
and Oakham
Oakham, Massachusetts
Oakham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,902 at the 2010 census.- History :Oakham was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1762...
, on the northwest by Rutland
Rutland, Massachusetts
Rutland is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,973 at the 2010 census. Worcester County's only buffalo herd is located in Rutland, at Alta Vista Farm...
, on the northeast by Holden
Holden, Massachusetts
Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, on the southeast by Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, and on the south by Leicester
Leicester, Massachusetts
Leicester is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.-History:Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714....
.
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 4,386 people, 1,428 households, and 1,153 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 297.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 99.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.69% White, 0.68% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.57% 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 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population.
There were 1,428 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% 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, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $72,039, and the median income for a family was $80,498. Males had a median income of $51,694 versus $38,409 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 $29,573. None of the families and 1.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 4.5% of those over 64.
Government
Utilities
- Electric service is provided by the town's own municipal light department.
- Water service is provided by the town's own water department. Paxton's principal source of drinking water is Asnebumskit Pond. Recently, Paxton sells the raw Asnebumskit Pond water to Worcester, and buys back water treated at Worcester's filtration plant.
- Telephone service is provided by Verizon. All phones in Paxton are connected to Verizon's main central office in Worcester.
- Cable television service is provided by Charter Communications.
- No natural gas or sewer service is available in Paxton. At least one house on the Paxton-Worcester city line is connected to the Worcester sewer system. Paxton residents voted down the creation of the South Paxton Sewer District at a February 28, 2006 town meeting. This district, pejoratively called "Southie," would have installed sewers in the part of Paxton adjacent to Worcester.
Library
The Paxton public library began in 1877. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Paxton spent 1.53% ($143,354) of its budget on its public library—some $30 per person.Education
- Anna Maria CollegeAnna Maria CollegeAnna Maria College is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts college in Paxton, Massachusetts.-History:Anna Maria College is a private, coeducational Catholic College founded in 1946 by the Sisters of Saint Anne. The school's original campus was in Marlboro, MA...
's main campus is in Paxton, and the college recently opened a new campus in Worcester. - Paxton is a member of the Wachusett Regional School DistrictWachusett Regional School DistrictWachusett Regional School District was founded in 1955 and comprises the Massachusetts towns of Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling.-Holden:Wachusett Regional High SchoolDavis Hill Elementary SchoolDawson Elementary School...
. - Paxton Center School is the town's kindergarten, elementary and middle school (K-8).
- The public High school is Wachusett Regional High SchoolWachusett Regional High SchoolWachusett Regional High School is located in Holden, Massachusetts and services the Wachusett Regional School District. Founded in 1955, WRSD comprises Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling. William Beando was appointed principal as of July 1, 2007, succeeding the one year interim...
, in Holden, MassachusettsHolden, MassachusettsHolden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. - High school students may, as of 2005, choose to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High SchoolBay Path Regional Vocational Technical High SchoolBay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School is a secondary school located in Charlton, Massachusetts and sits on top of Old Mugget Hill. The school serves about 1100 students grades 9 to 12 and some Post-Grad students as well.-General:...
. - The Paxton Center School provides band (grades 5-8), general music, physycal education,and art education
Points of interest
- Moore State ParkMoore State ParkMoore State Park is a state park located in Paxton, Massachusetts. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Features of the park include a numerous historical sites , a restored sawmill, two-thirds of Eames Pond, waterfalls and mill chutes, and abundant...
- Worcester County Memorial Park
- Thompson Pond (Massachusetts)