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Sharon, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Sharon in July 2009 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°6′46″N71°11′2″W / 42.11278°N 71.18389°W /42.11278; -71.18389 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Massachusetts |
| County | Norfolk |
| Settled | 1650 |
| Incorporated | 1775 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Administrator[1] | Frederic Turkington |
| • Select Board[2] | Emily E. Smith-Lee (Clerk) Hanna Switlekowski (Chair) Kiana Pierre-Louis |
| Area | |
• Total | 62.6 km2 (24.2 sq mi) |
| • Land | 60.4 km2 (23.3 sq mi) |
| • Water | 2.2 km2 (0.85 sq mi) 3.56% |
| Elevation | 76 m (249 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,575 |
| • Density | 307.5/km2 (796/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 339 /781 |
| FIPS code | 25-60785 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618329 |
| Website | townofsharon |
Sharon is atown inNorfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,575 at the2020 census.[3] It contains thecensus-designated place of the same name. Sharon is part ofGreater Boston, about 17 miles (27 km) southwest of downtown Boston, and is connected to both Boston andProvidence by theProvidence/Stoughton Line.
The Town of Sharon was first settled as part of theMassachusetts Bay Colony in 1637 and was deemed the 2nd precinct ofStoughton in 1740. It was established as the district of Stoughtonham on June 21, 1765, incorporated as the Town of Stoughtonham on August 23, 1775, and was named Sharon on February 25, 1783, after Israel'sSharon plain, due to its high level of forestation. Several towns in New England were given this name. Part of Stoughtonham went to the new town ofFoxborough on June 10, 1776. During theAmerican Revolution, the townspeople of Sharon madecannonballs andcannons for theContinental Army ata local foundry.
In front of the Sharon Public Library stands astatue ofDeborah Sampson, Sharon's town heroine. Sampson disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. After the war, she married Benjamin Gannett, a farmer, and lived in Sharon until the end of her life. Sampson began a campaign in 1790 to secure a pension from her time in the Revolutionary War, which earned the support of well known public figures, includingPaul Revere. In 1804, Revere visited Sampson (then Sampson Gannett) at her farm in Sharon and wrote to the congressman of her district, William Eustis, that he found her "much more deserving than hundreds to whom Congress have been generous."[4] Sampson was placed on the United States pension list a year later, and awarded an annual payment. She is buried in the local Rock Ridge Cemetery. A street in Sharon is named Deborah Sampson Street in her honor. In 1983, theMassachusetts General Court designated Sampson as the official State Heroine of theCommonwealth of Massachusetts.[5]
The Unitarian and Congregational churches in the center of Sharon both have church bells manufactured byPaul Revere.
The recipient of letters from across the United States inStanley Milgram'ssmall-world experiment lived in Sharon.
Sharon is the former home of the Kendall Whaling Museum, founded byHenry P. Kendall in 1955. In 2001, the museum was merged with theNew Bedford Whaling Museum, and its collection is now part of that museum, though the archives of the museum are still held in Sharon.[6]
In Sharon there are six historical properties or districts that are registered with the state. Of the six, five are listedon the National Register and three are certified local historic districts:
In 1970, Sharon's First Historic District becomes an LHD. This is the area on North Main Street from PostOffice Square to School Street and includes the Library and the Unitarian and Congregational Churches. Itbecomes a National Register District in 1975. In 1974 Cobb's Tavern becomes a National Historic Landmark. Located at 41 Bay Road, it becomesSharon's Second Historic District in 1991. In 1980, Stoneholm, located at 188 Ames Street, becomes a National Historic Landmark. In 1984, the Stoughtonham Furnace Site (partially in Foxborough) becomes a National Historic Landmark. In 1997,Borderland State Park (partially in Easton) becomes a National Register District. In 2004, Sharon's Third Historic District was approved by Town Meeting and accepted by the Commonwealth.This includes theCharles R. Wilber School, the Pleasant Street School, and the Kate Morrell Park.[7]
In 1932, a local family established theCrescent Ridge Dairy Bar, which now provides dairy products acrossNew England. Its ice cream has regularly won awards and been recognized byPeople andNational Geographic.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.2 square miles (62.6 km2), of which 23.3 square miles (60.4 km2) is land and 0.9 square mile (2.2 km2) (3.56%) is water. This includesLake Massapoag, which is one of the town's most prominent features and a popular recreational site for swimming and boating. It was largely responsible for the town's early development as a summer resort location.Massapoag is drained by theCanoe River to the south, and Massapoag Brook to the north.
Sharon is located in a continental climate, like most of New England and most of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is cooler than coastal New England locations because it is inland. The town has warm to hot summers and cold winters. It is often humid in the summer. Sharon receives about 50 inches of precipitation every year on average. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Sharon has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Sharon, MA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36 (2) | 40 (4) | 48 (9) | 59 (15) | 70 (21) | 78 (26) | 83 (28) | 81 (27) | 73 (23) | 62 (17) | 52 (11) | 41 (5) | 60 (16) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18 (−8) | 21 (−6) | 28 (−2) | 37 (3) | 47 (8) | 57 (14) | 62 (17) | 61 (16) | 53 (12) | 42 (6) | 33 (1) | 24 (−4) | 40 (5) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.78 (96) | 3.68 (93) | 4.81 (122) | 4.39 (112) | 3.65 (93) | 4.08 (104) | 3.91 (99) | 3.91 (99) | 3.66 (93) | 4.35 (110) | 4.46 (113) | 4.52 (115) | 49.2 (1,249) |
| Source:[9] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,128 | — |
| 1860 | 1,377 | +22.1% |
| 1870 | 1,508 | +9.5% |
| 1880 | 1,492 | −1.1% |
| 1890 | 1,634 | +9.5% |
| 1900 | 2,060 | +26.1% |
| 1910 | 2,310 | +12.1% |
| 1920 | 2,467 | +6.8% |
| 1930 | 3,351 | +35.8% |
| 1940 | 3,737 | +11.5% |
| 1950 | 4,847 | +29.7% |
| 1960 | 10,070 | +107.8% |
| 1970 | 12,367 | +22.8% |
| 1980 | 13,601 | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 15,517 | +14.1% |
| 2000 | 17,408 | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 17,612 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 18,575 | +5.5% |
| 2022* | 18,408 | −0.9% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] | ||
As of thecensus[21] of 2020, there were 18,442 people, 6,454 households in the town. The population density was 747.0 inhabitants per square mile (288.4/km2).
As of 2020, the racial makeup of the town was 71.2%White, 3.3%African American, 0.1%Native American, 18.4%Asian, 0%Pacific Islander, and 6.2% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.1% of the population. According to theAmerican Community Survey administered in 2014, the racial makeup of the town was 76.0%White, 4.2%African American, 0.1%Native American, 16.6%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.4% fromother races and 2.7% from two or more races, withHispanic orLatino of any race at 2.5% of the population.
26.9% of the population speaks a language other than English at home, and 23.2% of the population was born outside of the United States.[22] Sharon has the state's highest proportion ofRussian immigrants, estimated at 14.4% in 2010.[23]
The population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 34.7% from 45 to 64 and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
As of 2014,[22] the median income for a household in the town was $127,413 and the median income for a family was $144,167. Males had a median income of $100,951 versus $72,917 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $56,465. About 1.1% of families and 2.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2014American Community Survey,[22] 97.6% of adults in Sharon are high school graduates, and 72.8% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Of those 25 and older, 11.3% have completed some college but do not have a degree, 4.7% have an associate degree, 34.7% have a bachelor's degree, and 37.7% have a graduate or professional degree.
Sharon is home to seven synagogues, nine churches, and one of the largest mosques in New England, the Islamic Center of New England.[24]
Sharon has a large number of scenic trails due to the high percentage of conservation land within the town's borders. Trails found in Sharon include the Massapoag Trail,[25] theWarner Trail, theBay Circuit Trail (known as the Beaver Brook Trail in Sharon[26]), and the King Philip's Rock Trail.[27] There are a number of trails atBorderland State Park and atMoose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Sharon currently has anopen town meeting form of government, with a three-memberselect board. In 2008, acommission was elected to prepare a charter document specifying the executive, legislative, and administrative structure of town government. It considered whether the town should retain its current government form or change to a representative form. There was a debate, whether the town has outgrown open town meeting, where decisions are made only by those attending (who must be present to vote) or whether direct-vote government works well because residents who choose to attend are particularly interested in and informed on the issues. In November 2009, the charter commission recommended a "hybrid" legislative branch consisting of a Legislative Committee (Representative Town Meeting of 17 members) and an Open Town Meeting (which could be called to review the Legislative Committee's decisions if 3% of voters signed a "review petition"). At a town election on May 18, 2010, the charter proposal was rejected by a vote of 1123 yes, 2305 no.[citation needed]
As of February 2016, there are 12,383 registered voters in Sharon. 4,050 (32.7%) are enrolled as Democrats, 968 (7.8%) are enrolled as Republicans, 7,330 (59.2%) do not belong to a party, and 12 belong to other parties.[28]
Sharon is staunchly Democratic. In the 2012 presidential election,Barack Obama carried Sharon with 63% of the vote, whileMitt Romney received 35%.[29] The same year, DemocratElizabeth Warren won Sharon with 57% of the vote, defeating incumbent Republican senatorScott Brown, who received 43% of the vote in the town. In the2016 presidential election,Hillary Clinton won 68.6% of the vote, andDonald Trump won 23.2%. In the2020 presidential election,Joe Biden won 75.1% andDonald Trump won 22.3%. No Republican has won Sharon since1956.
Sharon is inMassachusetts' 4th congressional district, and is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives byJake Auchincloss and in the U.S. Senate byElizabeth Warren andEd Markey.
The Sharon Public Schools system has five schools. Grades K–5 attend one of the three elementary schools: Cottage Street School, East Elementary School, or Heights Elementary School.[30] Grades 6–8 attend Sharon Middle School, and grades 9–12 attendSharon High School.
TheCharles R. Wilber School served as Sharon's high school until 1957, after which it became an intermediate school. In 2009 a new wing was added to the building, and it was converted to residential use.[7]
In 2003 the superintendent, Claire Jackson, sought aFreeman Foundation grant, worth $150,000 per year, for three years, to have East Asian studies and Chinese language coursework.[31]
In 2020, construction of a new high school building commenced and was completed before the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. The old building, which was well over sixty years old, was demolished during the 2022-2023 school year. The new Sharon High School opened at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
Commuter rail service from Boston'sSouth Station is provided by theMBTA with astop in Sharon on itsProvidence/Stoughton Line.
TheBoston and Providence Railroad started full operations between the two cities in June 1835, including a station at the modern location in Sharon.[32][33] In 1871, the original Sharon station was replaced by a larger building.[34][35]
Massachusetts Route 27 runs through the center of the town and leads to Route 1.
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Municipalities and communities ofNorfolk County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
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| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
