Northborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The official spelling of the town's name is "Northborough," but the alternative spelling "Northboro" is also used. The population was 15,741 at the 2020 census.[1]
History
The areas surrounding Northborough were first settled by the Nipmuc people.[2] Europeans set up a plantation on May 14, 1656, following a petition for resettlement from the people of the Sudbury Plantation to the General Court of the Bay Colony.[3] On January 23, 1766, the district of Northborough was established within neighboring Westborough. On August 23, 1775, the district became a town, and on June 20, 1807, part of neighboring Marlborough was annexed to Northborough.[4][5]
The first meeting house was established in 1746, with the legal governor of the town being called the Town Minister. The first Town Minister was Reverend John Martyn.
In 1775, Northborough split off as the "north borough" of Westborough, much as Westborough had split from Marlborough some 58 years before. However, the two towns shared a meetinghouse for some time more.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.8 square miles (49 km2), of which 18.5 square miles (48 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 1.17%, is water. On average, the town is about 302 feet (92 meters) above sea level.
Adjacent towns and cities
Northborough is located in Central Massachusetts, and shares a border with five towns and one city:
Southborough is located to the southeast. The border, however, is only 500 yards long and is in the woods with no accessible trail.
Marlborough is located to the north of Southborough and due east of Northborough. The most accessible way to enter Marlborough from Northborough is via U.S. Route 20.
Of the six towns that make up Northborough's borders, and including Northborough as the seventh, Northborough is the fourth largest town by population. Marlborough is the largest while Berlin is the smallest.
By the 2010 census, the population had reached 14155. By the 2020 census, the population was 15,741.[16]
As of the census of 2000,[17] there were 14,013 people, 4,906 households, and 3,865 families residing in the town. The population density was 756.1 inhabitants per square mile (291.9/km2). There were 5,002 housing units at an average density of 269.9 per square mile (104.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.01% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 5.05% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 4,906 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $99,781, and the median income for a family was $120,480. Males had a median income of $65,437 versus $51,042 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,889. About 1.7% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
The Northborough Free Library was established in 1868.[18][19] In fiscal year 2009, the town of Northborough spent 1.5% ($645,208) of its budget on its public library—approximately $43.41 per person, per year ($53.36 adjusted for inflation to 2021).[20]
Education
Public schools
The Northborough-Southborough Public School District is home to four public elementary schools serving grades pre-kindergarten through grade 5. They include Lincoln Street School, Marguerite E. Peaslee School, Fannie E. Proctor School, and Marion E. Zeh school.
In 2002, the Northborough Middle School was renamed after former superintendent of schools, Robert E. Melican.
The public high school serving Northborough is Algonquin Regional High School, and is shared with Southborough. The mascot for Northborough-Southborough students was the Tomahawk, but was officially changed to the Titans in early 2022. Debates have erupted over whether Northborough and Southborough should have separate high schools; however, citizens of both Northborough and Southborough successfully fought to keep the school regionalized. Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School is an alternate choice for Northborough students.
Private schools
Private schools include The Cornerstone Academy, a private elementary school, and Saint Bernadette School, a private Roman Catholic elementary and middle school.
Sports
The New England Baseball Complex is located at the intersection of Route 20 and Route 9 in Northborough. The newly built complex is home to the New England Ruffnecks, a youth baseball association. Many high schools, including Algonquin have had MIAA games at the NEBC. Regional colleges and universities have hosted opponents at the New England Baseball Complex.
Their little league of Algonquin shared with Southborough is open to any children. The local middle school, Robert E. Melican Middle School, has sports teams for 7th graders and up.
Mike Sherman, (born December 19, 1954) coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League; former head coach of the Green Bay Packers
Daniel Baird Wesson, (May 18, 1825 – August 4, 1906) American inventor and firearms designer; co-founder of the Smith & Wesson gun manufacturing company
^The annexation was requested by Jonas Bartlett, whose property straddled the border between the two towns. The minutes of town meetings for both towns record the change, which redrew the boundary to conform to Bartlett's property line.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). 1: Number of Inhabitants. 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. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^"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: 1900, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^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
^July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009; cf. The FY2009 Municipal Pie: What’s Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2010. Available: Municipal Pie ReportsArchived January 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2011-11-11
^ abWho Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
^"Dr. Pincus, Developer of Birth-Control Pill, Dies". The New York Times. August 23, 1967. Retrieved July 21, 2007. Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus, one of the three "fathers" of the birth-control pill, died here tonight at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital of myeloid metaplasia, a rare blood disease. He was 64 years old and lived in Northboro.
