West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Settled: 1651 – Incorporated: 1822 | |
Zip Code(s): 02379 – Area Code(s): 508 / 774 | |
Official website: http://www.town.west-bridgewater.ma.us/ | |
Location | |
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Location in Massachusetts |
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Government | |
County | Plymouth County |
Form of Government | Open town meeting |
Executive office | Administrative Assistant |
Geography | |
Area | |
Total | 15.8 mi² / 41.0 km² |
Land | 15.7 mi² / 40.8 km² |
Water | 0.1 mi² / 0.2 km² |
Coordinates | |
Elevation | 65 ft / 20 m |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
Population | |
Total (2000) | 6634 |
Density | 421.5/mi² / 162.7/km² |
West Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,634 at the 2000 census.
Contents |
[edit] History
West Bridgewater was first settled in 1651 and was officially incorporated in 1822.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.0 km² (15.8 mi²). 40.8 km² (15.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.57%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 6,634 people, 2,444 households, and 1,796 families residing in the town. The population density was 162.7/km² (421.5/mi²). There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of 61.6/km² (159.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.40% White, 0.95% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.
There were 2,444 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,958, and the median income for a family was $64,815. Males had a median income of $41,863 versus $31,835 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,701. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Schools
Spring Street School, website houses Pre-School and Kindergarden
Rose L. MacDonald School, website houses Grades 1 - 3
Howard School, website houses Grades 4 - 6
West Bridgewater Middle/Senior High School, website houses Grades 7 - 12
[edit] Houses of Worship
West Bridgewater is home to seven houses of worship, including St. Ann's Catholic Church, Cochesett United Methodist Church 517, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Temple Baptist Church, West Bridgewater Baptist Church, New England Baptist Church and The First Church.
[edit] Notable residents
- Cyrus Alger, (1781-1856), born in West Bridgewater, noted inventor. He was the owner of the shop which produced the first rifled gun.[1]
- Spike Feresten, raised in West Bridgewater and graduated from West Bridgewater High School in 1982. He wrote for Late Show with David Letterman as well as sitcom Seinfeld, writing the infamous Soup Nazi episode. Feresten also co-wrote the screenplay for the animated feature "Beemovie," scheduled to be released by DreamWorks Animation in Fall 2007.
[edit] References
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- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.