Princeton is a town in
Worcester CountyWorcester County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The largest city and county seat is the city of Worcester. The population was 750,963 at the 2000 census.- Law and government :...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. 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. Most of its population of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is bordered on the east by
SterlingSterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 7,257 at the 2000 census.- History :Sterling was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and was officially incorporated in 1781....
and
LeominsterLeominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,303 at the 2000 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190, Route 13, and Route 117 all have starting/ending...
; on the north by Westminster; on the west by Hubbardston and Rutland; on the south by Rutland and
HoldenHolden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.It is bounded on the west by Rutland; on the northwest by Princeton; on the east by Sterling and West Boylston; on the southeast by Worcester; and on the southwest by Paxton...
.
The preeminent landmark within Princeton is
Mount WachusettMount Wachusett is located in the towns of Princeton and Westminster in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term meaning "near the mountain" or "mountain place". The mountain is a...
, which straddles the line between Princeton and Westminster but the entrance to which is within Princeton. According to tradition, in 1675,
Mary RowlandsonMary White Rowlandson was a colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans during King Philip's War. After her release, she wrote a book about her experience, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs...
was ransomed upon
Redemption RockRedemption Rock is a colonial-era historic site in Princeton, Massachusetts. In 1676, during King Philip's War, the release of Mary Rowlandson from her Native American captors was negotiated atop a granite ledge located on the property...
, now within the town of Princeton, by
King PhilipMetacomb , also known as King Philip or Metacomet, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War.-Biography:...
.
The population was 3,353 at the 2000 census.
Princeton was created in 1759, out of land that was once part of
RutlandRutland is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,353 at the 2000 census. Worcester County's only buffalo herd is located in Rutland, at Alta Vista Farm. Rutland is the geographic center of Massachusetts; a tree, The Central Tree, located on Central Tree Rd...
.
Princeton is a town in
Worcester CountyWorcester County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The largest city and county seat is the city of Worcester. The population was 750,963 at the 2000 census.- Law and government :...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. 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. Most of its population of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is bordered on the east by
SterlingSterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 7,257 at the 2000 census.- History :Sterling was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and was officially incorporated in 1781....
and
LeominsterLeominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,303 at the 2000 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190, Route 13, and Route 117 all have starting/ending...
; on the north by Westminster; on the west by Hubbardston and Rutland; on the south by Rutland and
HoldenHolden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.It is bounded on the west by Rutland; on the northwest by Princeton; on the east by Sterling and West Boylston; on the southeast by Worcester; and on the southwest by Paxton...
.
The preeminent landmark within Princeton is
Mount WachusettMount Wachusett is located in the towns of Princeton and Westminster in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term meaning "near the mountain" or "mountain place". The mountain is a...
, which straddles the line between Princeton and Westminster but the entrance to which is within Princeton. According to tradition, in 1675,
Mary RowlandsonMary White Rowlandson was a colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans during King Philip's War. After her release, she wrote a book about her experience, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs...
was ransomed upon
Redemption RockRedemption Rock is a colonial-era historic site in Princeton, Massachusetts. In 1676, during King Philip's War, the release of Mary Rowlandson from her Native American captors was negotiated atop a granite ledge located on the property...
, now within the town of Princeton, by
King PhilipMetacomb , also known as King Philip or Metacomet, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War.-Biography:...
.
The population was 3,353 at the 2000 census.
History
Princeton was created in 1759, out of land that was once part of
RutlandRutland is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,353 at the 2000 census. Worcester County's only buffalo herd is located in Rutland, at Alta Vista Farm. Rutland is the geographic center of Massachusetts; a tree, The Central Tree, located on Central Tree Rd...
. In 1810, it annexed a piece of
HubbardstonHubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.It is bounded on the northwest by Phillipston and Templeton; on the northeast by Gardner and Westminster; on the southeast by Princeton and Rutland; and on the southwest by Barre....
, and in 1870, it annexed a piece of
WestminsterWestminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 6,907.- History :Westminster was first settled in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759....
.
Register of Historic Places
Princeton has three entries on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
:
- East Princeton Village Historic District — Roughly Main St.
Route 140 is a long state highway which passes through parts of southeastern and central Massachusetts. The highway follows a southeast-northwest trajectory, running from U.S...
, Leominster Rd. (added April 18, 2004)
- Fernside-Vacation House for Working Girls — 162 Mountain Rd. (added July 27, 2002)
- Princeton Center Historic District — Jct. of Hubbardston and Mountain Rds. (added March 26, 1999)
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.12%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 3,353 people, 1,166 households, and 959 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was . There were 1,196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.75% White, 0.30% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.63% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
There were 1,166 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $80,993, and the median income for a family was $84,300. Males had a median income of $60,888 versus $39,494 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the town was $32,232. About 2.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Elementary and Middle Schools
Thomas Prince School, serves as the towns Elementary and Middle school in one building. It is part of the five town
Wachusett Regional School DistrictWachusett Regional School District was founded in 1955 and comprises Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling, Massachusetts.- Schools :Holden:Wachusett Regional High SchoolDavis Hill Elementary SchoolDawson Elementary School...
.
High School
Princeton high school students may choose to go to
Wachusett Regional High SchoolWachusett Regional High School is located in Holden, Massachusetts and services the Wachusett Regional School District founded in 1955. The WRSD comprises Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling. William Beando was appointed principal as of July 1, 2007, succeeding the one year interim...
, located in Holden, or the vocational/technical high school "Monty Tech"
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical SchoolMontachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also known as Monty Tech, is a vocational school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts which teaches 20 different trades. The school includes a child care center. It also includes a performing arts center named after former Superintendent-Director Stratos G...
in Fitchburg, MA.
Organizations
Princeton has organizations that has been created by its residents to help in many different ways.
Hearts for Heat
Hearts for Heat has recently become a notable aspect of Princeton life. Founded in 2005 by Princeton resident Cindy Shea, this
Non-governmental OrganizationNon-governmental organization is a term that has become widely accepted as referring to a legally constituted, non-governmental organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government...
provides heat (oil, coal, wood, electric) to residents of Princeton. After meeting 100% of fuel assistance need in Princeton, the NGO expanded to include sections in surrounding towns
Spencer, MassachusettsSpencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,691 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....
and
Leicester, MassachusettsLeicester is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,471 at the 2000 census.-History:Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714....
. The up-and-coming NGO's unique attributes are its community-binding nature, as well as its promise to use every dollar donated for actual fuel distributions. Recently featured on the front page of the Worcester County newspaper, the Telegram and Gazette, Shea has also found herself the focus of articles in Worcester Living Magazine, and the Landmark, Wachusett Region's newspaper.
Notable residents
Edward Savage (1761-1817), portrait artist, engraver, and early museum proprietor
Jennifer Wrightson (1969-present) an incredibly attractive and personable human being. The town has suffered many days and nights since her relocating to the magnificent Berkshires.
Michael Sorenson (1982-present) first Mexican / Jew to be admitted to the Wiffleball Hall of Fame.
External links