Rochester, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Rochester is a town in Plymouth County
Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...

, 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 5,232 at the 2010 census.

History

Rochester was settled in 1679 on the lands called "Sippican" by the local Wampanoags, along the coast of Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay (bay)
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles long by 8 miles wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since 1914, Buzzards Bay has been connected to Cape Cod Bay by the Cape Cod Canal...

. ("Sippican" was the name of the local tribe.) It originally included the lands of Mattapoisett
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,463 at the 2008 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Mattapoisett Center, please see the article Mattapoisett Center, Massachusetts....

, Marion
Marion, Massachusetts
Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Marion Center, Massachusetts.-History:...

 and parts of Wareham
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....

 (which was lost when Wareham was founded in 1739). The town was officially incorporated on June 4, 1686 as Rochester, and was renamed for Rochester, England, from which early settlers to the town came. The town originally thrived with the early shipbuilding and whaling trade in Mattapoisett Harbor. However, in 1852 and 1853 the towns of Marion and Mattapoisett, respectively, were separated and incorporated as separate towns, thus landlocking Rochester. Since that time, the town has become mostly rural-residential, with some farms located in town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 36.4 square miles (94.3 km²), of which, 33.9 square miles (87.8 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) of it (6.76%) is water. Rochester is located along the western border of Plymouth County, and is bordered by Lakeville
Lakeville, Massachusetts
Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of North Lakeville, please see the article North Lakeville, Massachusetts.-History:...

 and Middleborough
Middleborough, Massachusetts
Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,117 as of 2008.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Middleborough Center, please see the article Middleborough Center, Massachusetts....

 to the north, Wareham
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....

 and Marion
Marion, Massachusetts
Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Marion Center, Massachusetts.-History:...

 to the east, Mattapoisett
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,463 at the 2008 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Mattapoisett Center, please see the article Mattapoisett Center, Massachusetts....

 to the south, and Acushnet
Acushnet, Massachusetts
Acushnet is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,303 at the 2010 census.- History :Acushnet was first settled in 1659. It has been included as a part of three separate towns throughout its history. It was formerly the northeastern section of the town of...

 and Freetown
Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...

 to the west. The town's localities include Bisbee Corner, East Rochester, North Rochester and Varella Corner. The town is about 10 miles northeast of New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...

, 40 miles east of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

 and 60 miles south of Boston.

The Mattapoisett
Mattapoisett River
The Mattapoisett River is an river in southeastern Massachusetts, in the United States.The river begins at Snipatuit Pond in Rochester and flows generally southwards through Mattapoisett to empty into Mattapoisett Harbor, an arm of Buzzards Bay...

 and Sippican
Sippican River
The Sippican River is a short river in Massachusetts, United States.The Sippican River is long, arising from east and west branches in the towns of Mattapoisett, Marion , and Rochester, Massachusetts...

 Rivers flow through the town, emptying into Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay (bay)
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles long by 8 miles wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since 1914, Buzzards Bay has been connected to Cape Cod Bay by the Cape Cod Canal...

. Most of the town's brooks also flow into these two rivers. The source of the Mattapoisett, Great Quittacas Pond
Great Quittacas Pond
Great Quittacas Pond is a lake, reservoir, or pond within the towns of Lakeville, Middleboro, and Rochester, in southeastern Massachusetts. It shares its waters with Pocksha Pond and possibly nearby Little Quittacas Pond. These lakes provide a source of drinking water to the city of New Bedford,...

 and Little Quittacas Pond
Little Quittacas Pond
Little Quittacas Pond is a lake/reservoir/pond within the towns of Lakeville and Rochester, in southeastern Massachusetts. It possibly shares its waters with nearby Great Quittacas Pond. These lakes provides a source of drinking water to the city of New Bedford, the largest city in southeastern...

, lie on the border between the town and Lakeville. Other ponds include Snipatuit Pond
Snipatuit Pond
Snipatuit Pond is a shallow warm water pond in Rochester, Massachusetts. The average depth is five feet and the maximum depth is six feet, except for one very small nine foot hole near the pump station on the west shore. The pond is the headwaters of the Mattapoisett River...

, Long Pond
Long Pond (Rochester, Massachusetts)
Long Pond is a pond in Rochester, Massachusetts. The pond is connected to Snipatuit Pond, where its outflow goes. The water quality is impaired due to toxic metals.-External links:*...

, Snow's Pond, Hartley's Mill Pond, Mary's Pond
Mary's Pond
Mary’s Pond, also known as Marys Pond, is an pond in Rochester, Massachusetts. The pond is located east of Leonards Pond. The average depth is , and the maximum depth is . The outflow is a stream that leads to the Sippican River. Rochester’s town beach is located on the northwestern shore of the...

, Leonards Pond
Leonards Pond (Rochester, Massachusetts)
Leonards Pond, also known as Leonard's Pond, is a pond in Rochester, Massachusetts. The pond is located west of Mary's Pond. The confluence of the west and east branches of the Sippican River is at this pond, and the Sippican River continues as the outflow.-External links:*...

, Mill Pond and Hathaway Pond, as well as several smaller bodies of water. The town has two wildlife management areas and a fish hatchery, as well as a small recreation area along Mary's Pond and two parks near the town center. The town is also the site of the Sippican Rod & Gun Club, near the Haskell Wildlife Management Area.

Transportation

A small, quarter-mile stretch of Interstate 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 ...

 passes through the northeast corner of town, just before its exit on Route 58, which terminates along the town line at Route 28
Route 28 (Massachusetts)
Route 28 is a nominally south–north route in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, running from the town of Orleans via Boston to the New Hampshire state line in Methuen. Following the route from its nominally southern end, Route 28 initially heads south to the town of Chatham then turns west to...

. Along with those two roads, Route 105 travels through town, passing through the town center. The town can also be accessed via Exits 19B (North Street, Mattapoisett) and 20 (Route 105, Marion) along Interstate 195
Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts)
Interstate 195 is an Interstate Highway running a combined 40.1 miles in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It travels from a junction with Interstate 95 in Providence, Rhode Island east to a junction with Interstate 495 and Route 25 in Wareham, Massachusetts...

.

The nearest regional bus and air service can be found in New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...

. The nearest national air service is at T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, and the nearest international airport is Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...

 in Boston. A freight rail line operated by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is the successor operator of portions of Bay Colony Railroad.-History:On December 31, 2007 the contract to operate the freight railroad lines owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts administered by the Executive Office of Transportation expired. These...

 passes through the northeast corner of town. The nearest inter-city (Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

) passenger rail station is in Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

; however, the terminus of the Middleborough-Lakeville line of the MBTA's
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...

 commuter rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...

 is nearby, providing direct service to Boston.

Demographics

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 4,581 people, 1,575 households, and 1,294 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 135.0 people per square mile (52.1/km²). There were 1,634 housing units at an average density of 48.2 per square mile (18.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.64% White, 0.63% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 1.16% 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 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.

There were 1,575 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.6% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $63,289, and the median income for a family was $67,031. Males had a median income of $47,989 versus $31,196 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 $24,630. About 2.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Rochester is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...

 as a part of the Tenth Bristol district, which also includes Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett and a portion of Middleborough. The town is represented by state SenatorJoan M. Menard (D-Fall River), Assistant Majority Leader in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...

 as a part of the First Bristol and Plymouth district, which also includes Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Somerset, Swansea and Westport. The town is patrolled by the Seventh (Bourne) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...

.

On the national level, Rochester is a part of Massachusetts's 4th congressional district
Massachusetts's 4th congressional district
Massachusetts's 4th congressional district is mostly in southern Massachusetts and includes the South Coast region. It is represented by Barney Frank, who has served the district since January 1981....

, and is currently represented by Barney Frank
Barney Frank
Barney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...

. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

. The junior (Class I) senator, elected in 2010, is Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...

.

The town uses the open town meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....

 form of government, led by a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...

. The town hall is located at the Town Common along Route 105. The town's police department, post office and the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library (a part of the SAILS library network) are located nearby. The volunteer fire department is located closer to the geographic center of town. The town's Highway Department is located near Varella Corner, and is responsible for snow removal and road upkeep.

Education

Rochester is a member of the 2,700-student Old Rochester Regional School District
Old Rochester Regional School District
The Old Rochester Regional School District and Superintendency Union # 55 serve the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The three communities have a combined year round population of just over 15,000. The communities are located in the southeast corner of...

. The town, along with Marion and Mattapoisett, operate as a single school system with each town having its own school subcommittee. The town operates Rochester Memorial School for kindergarten through sixth-grade students. Seventh- and eighth-grade students attend Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, and high school students attend Old Rochester Regional High School
Old Rochester Regional High School
Old Rochester Regional High School serves the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester in Plymouth County of Massachusetts. The school was originally built in 1961 and underwent a major renovation beginning in 2001. This project added additional classrooms and combined the high school with...

. Both regional schools are located on Route 6 in Mattapoisett, just over the Marion town line. The high school, affectionately known as "O.R.R.," competes in the South Coast Conference for athletics. Their mascot is the bulldog, and their colors are red and white. The town's Thanksgiving Day football rival is Apponequet Regional High School, in Lakeville.

In addition to public schools, high school students may also choose to attend Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School
Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School
is located on a 80-acre campus in Rochester, Massachusetts, the geographical center of the five-member town school district that includes Acushnet Carver,Mattapoisett, Rochester and students from Freetown & Lakeville Public Schools....

, located in North Rochester. Their mascot is the Couger and they compete in the Pilgrim Conference for athletics. The curriculum includes shops such as welding, cosmetics, auto, wood work, and many more. The nearest private school is Tabor Academy
Tabor Academy
Tabor Academy is a highly selective independent preparatory school located in Marion, Massachusetts, United States. Tabor is known for its marine science courses...

in Marion.

External links

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