Paxton, Massachusetts

Paxton, Massachusetts
Town
Paxton Town Hall
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°18′40″N71°55′43″W / 42.31111°N 71.92861°W / 42.31111; -71.92861
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1749
Incorporated	1765
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
•  Town    Administrator	Heather Munroe [1]
• Board of    Selectmen	Peter Bogren, Jr. John F. Malone Julia Pingitore
Area
• Total	15.5 sq mi (40.1 km2)
• Land	14.7 sq mi (38.2 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation	1,158 ft (353 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,004
• Density	320/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	01612
Area code	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-52420
GNIS feature ID	0619485
Website	Town of Paxton, Massachusetts

Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,004 at the 2020 census. ^[2]

History

Paxton center church at night

Paxton was first settled by Europeans in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765. It was previously occupied by the Nipmuc tribe.

The district of Paxton was originally taken from the towns of Leicester and Rutland, in nearly equal parts, and was incorporated February 12, 1765. Charles Paxton, marshal of the Admiralty Court, offered a church bell to the town if it was named after him; no such gift was ever made. ^{[3] [4]} 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 June 18, 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 flagstaff. 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.

A small historic and now defunct amusement park called "Paxton Navy Yard" operated here in the mid 20th century.

Asnebumskit Hill was the site of the Yankee Network's early FM broadcasting antenna, beginning its commercial operations in Summer 1939. ^[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40 km²), of which 14.7 square miles (38 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), or 4.78%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1850	820	—
1860	725	−11.6%
1870	646	−10.9%
1880	592	−8.4%
1890	445	−24.8%
1900	459	+3.1%
1910	416	−9.4%
1920	489	+17.5%
1930	672	+37.4%
1940	791	+17.7%
1950	1,066	+34.8%
1960	2,399	+125.0%
1970	3,731	+55.5%
1980	3,762	+0.8%
1990	4,047	+7.6%
2000	4,386	+8.4%
2010	4,806	+9.6%
2020	5,004	+4.1%
2022*	5,024	+0.4%
* = population estimate. Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

As of the census ^[17] of 2000, there were 4,386 people, 1,428 households, and 1,153 families residing in the town. The population density was 297.7 inhabitants per square mile (114.9/km²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 99.2 per square mile (38.3/km²). 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.

State government
State Representative(s):	Kimberly N. Ferguson (R)
State Senator(s):	Anne Gobi (D)
Governor's Councilor(s):	Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s):	James P. McGovern (D-2nd District)
U.S. Senators:	Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Arts and culture

Points of interest

• Moore State Park
• Worcester County Memorial Park
• Thompson Pond (Massachusetts)

Education

• Anna Maria College'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 District.
• Paxton Center School is the town's kindergarten, elementary and middle school (K–8).
• The public high school is Wachusett Regional High School, in Holden, Massachusetts.
• As of 2005, high school students may choose to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School.
• Paxton Center School offers band, chorus and track to students in grades 5–8. All students participate in physical education, art education and technology classes.

Library

The Paxton public library began in 1877. ^{[18] [19]} In fiscal year 2008, the town of Paxton spent 1.53% ($143,354) of its budget on its public library—approximately $30 per person ($36.74 adjusted for inflation to 2021). ^[20]

Infrastructure

Paxton civil war memorial

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 would have installed sewers in the part of Paxton adjacent to Worcester.

Notable people

• Jamie Dinan, investor
• David Goodman, Medal of Honor recipient
• Burt Grinstead, actor
• Todd Richards, snowboarder
• Samuel Stearns, astronomer
• Harriet Ware, teacher

See also

• List of places in the United States named after people

References

1. "Town Administrator | Paxton, MA".
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Paxton town, Worcester County, Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
3. "Profile for Paxton, Massachusetts, MA". ePodunk. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
4. "What's in a name? The story behind Paxton". The Landmark. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
5. Lawrence Lessing (1969), Man of High Fidelity: Edwin Howard Armstrong , revised edition, New York: Bantam, Ch.12, "The Defender of the Human Ear", pp. 194-195.
6. "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
7. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
8. "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
9. "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
10. "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
11. "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
12. "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
13. "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
14. "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
15. "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
16. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved November 3, 2023.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
18. C.B. Tillinghast. The free public libraries of Massachusetts. 1st Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1891. Google books
19. Richards Memorial Library. Retrieved November 10, 2010
20. July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: Municipal Pie Reports Archived January 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved August 4, 2010

External links

• Town of Paxton, Massachusetts
• Wachusett Regional School District
• Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School