Clinton, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Clinton Town Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Clintonville (Original part of Lancaster) | |
 Location inWorcester County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
| Coordinates:42°25′00″N71°41′00″W / 42.41667°N 71.68333°W /42.41667; -71.68333 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1654 |
| Incorporated | 1850 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Administrator | Michael J. Ward |
| • Select Board |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 7.3 sq mi (18.9 km2) |
| • Land | 5.7 sq mi (14.8 km2) |
| • Water | 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 367 ft (112 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 15,428 |
| • Density | 2,700/sq mi (1,042/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 01510 |
| Area code | 351/978 |
| FIPS code | 25-14395 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618360 |
| Website | www.clintonma.gov |
Clinton is a town inWorcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,428 at the2020 census.[1] It contains thecensus-designated place of the same name.
Clinton was first settled in 1654 as a part ofLancaster after the land was deeded by SachemSholan of theNashaway in 1643.[2] It was officially incorporated as a separate town on March 14, 1850,[3] and named after the DeWitt Clinton Hotel in New York, a favorite place of the town's founders,Erastus Brigham Bigelow and his brother Horatio.[4]
Clinton became an industrialized mill town, using theNashua River as a source for water power. In 1897, construction began on theWachusett Dam, culminating in the filling of theWachusett Reservoir in 1908. This flooded a substantial portion of Clinton and neighboring towns, which had to be relocated. A noteworthy feature of theBoston metropolitan public water service was begun in 1896 in theWachusett lake reservoir at Clinton. The basin excavated there by ten years of labor, lying 385 ft. above high-tide level ofBoston Harbor, had a capacity of 63,068,000,000 gallons of water and was the largest municipal reservoir in the world in 1911, yet was only part of a system planned for the service of the greater metropolitan area.[5]
Part of the Central Massachusetts Railroad line abandoned in 1958 includes a tunnel near Clamshell Road.[6][7] Railroads came to the town to serve this industry, including theBoston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (Fitchburg Branch of theOld Colony Railroad), theCentral Massachusetts Railroad, and theWorcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad (the last two later merged into theBoston and Maine Railroad). By 1890, Clinton was noted for its manufacturing of carpets and woven wire.[4]
Clinton claims to have the oldest continuously-used baseball field in the world,Fuller Field, created in 1878.[8] This challenges the claim byLondon, Ontario, which argues forLabatt Memorial Park, established as Tecumseh Park in 1877.[9] This is disputed by Clinton because the London field has been flooded and rebuilt twice, including a reorientation of the bases, and there is doubt Tecumseh Field was in continuous use after the 1883 flood.[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which 5.7 square miles (15 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), or 21.78%, is water. TheNashua River runs through the town, and the largeWachusett Reservoir lies to the south of the town center.
Clinton is bordered byLancaster to the north,Bolton to the northeast,Berlin to the east,Boylston to the south, andSterling to the west.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 3,113 | — |
| 1860 | 3,859 | +24.0% |
| 1870 | 5,429 | +40.7% |
| 1880 | 8,029 | +47.9% |
| 1890 | 10,424 | +29.8% |
| 1900 | 13,667 | +31.1% |
| 1910 | 13,075 | −4.3% |
| 1920 | 12,979 | −0.7% |
| 1930 | 12,817 | −1.2% |
| 1940 | 12,440 | −2.9% |
| 1950 | 12,287 | −1.2% |
| 1960 | 12,848 | +4.6% |
| 1970 | 13,383 | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 12,771 | −4.6% |
| 1990 | 13,222 | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 13,435 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 13,606 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 15,428 | +13.4% |
| 2024* | 15,740 | +2.0% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] | ||
As of thecensus[22] of 2000, there were 13,435 people, 5,597 households, and 3,397 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 2,387 inhabitants per square mile (922/km2). There were 5,844 housing units at an average density of 1,024.7 per square mile (395.6/km2).
The racial makeup of the town was 88.20%White, 2.58%Black orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 0.89%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 5.95% fromother races, and 2.13% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race was 11.60% of the population. Ethnic heritages include Irish, Brazilian, Scottish, German, Québécois, Acadian, Swedish, Italian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Greek, and Polish. Many emigrants from theLouisburgh area ofCounty Mayo settled in the small town in the early 1900s, giving Clinton a large Irish population till this day.[citation needed]
There were 5,597 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% weremarried couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. Of all households, 33.1% were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,740, and the median income for a family was $53,308. Males had a median income of $37,263 versus $30,035 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $22,764. About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those ages 65 or over.
The public library in Clinton opened in 1873.[23][24] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Clinton spent 0.99% ($325,383) of its budget on its public library—approximately $23 per person.[25]
Fuller Field is the home of the Clinton 76ers, a men's semi-professional baseball team as part of the CNEBA, and winners of the 2017 CNEBA title.[citation needed]
| State government | |
|---|---|
| State Representative(s): | Meghan Kilcoyne (D) |
| State Senator(s): | John Cronin (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Jen Caissie (R) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | Lori Trahan (D-3rd District), |
| U.S. Senators: | Elizabeth Warren (D),Ed Markey (D) |
Clinton Elementary School (K–4)
Clinton Middle School (5–8)
Clinton High School (9–12)
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Boston, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, U.S.A.".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Clinton, a township of Worcester county, Massachusetts, U.S.A.".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
