Middleborough, Massachusetts Middleboro | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Cranberry Capital of the World | |
 Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:41°53′22″N70°53′39″W / 41.88944°N 70.89417°W /41.88944; -70.89417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Plymouth |
| Settled | 1660 |
| Incorporated | 1669 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 72.2 sq mi (186.9 km2) |
| • Land | 69.1 sq mi (178.9 km2) |
| • Water | 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 141 ft (43 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,245 |
| • Density | 351.0/sq mi (135.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 02344, 02346, 02349 |
| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-40850 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618346 |
| Website | www.middleboroughma.gov |
Middleborough is a town inPlymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,405 as of 2023.[2] Thecensus-designated place ofMiddleborough Center corresponds to the main village and commercial center of the town. It is the second largest municipality by land area in Massachusetts and nineteenth largest in New England. Middleborough proclaims itself to be the "Cranberry Capital of the World". Cranberry production remains a significant part of the local economy.[3] In 2015, approximately 1,400 acres (570 ha) of the town were used to grow the crop, accounting for 3% of all land used to harvest cranberry bogs in the United States.[4][5]
The town was first settled byEuropeans in 1661 as Nemasket, later changed to Middlebury, and officially incorporated as Middleborough in 1669. From time to time, documents and publications spell the name as Middleboro.[6] The name Nemasket or Namasket came from aNative American settlement along the small river that now bears the same name.Nemasket may have meant "place of fish",[7] due to the large amount ofherring that migrate up the river each spring.[3][8][9] There are no contemporary records that indicate the name Middlebury was taken from a place in England. The names Middlebury, Middleboro and Middleborough were actually derived from the city ofMiddelburg,Zeeland, the westernmost province of the Netherlands.[citation needed] Middelburg was an international intellectual center and economic powerhouse. The English religious dissenters known as theBrownists developed their governing institutions in Middelburg before emigrating on theMayflower, and were the earliest settlers of Middleborough.
DuringKing Philip's War (1675–1676), the town's entire populace took shelter within the confines of a fort constructed along theNemasket River. The site is located behind the old Memorial High School (now akindergarten), and is marked by a state historical commission marker alongRoute 105. Before long, the fort was abandoned and the population withdrew to the greater shelter of thePlymouth Colony. In their absence, the entire village was burned to the ground, and it would be several years before the town would be reestablished.[3]
Western Middleborough broke away on May 13, 1853, and formed the town ofLakeville, taking with it the main access to the large freshwater lakes there, includingAssawompset Pond.[3]
Middleborough was once a large producer of shoes and is still home to theAlden Shoe Company, one of the last remaining shoe manufacturers in America.[10] The localMaxim Motors manufactured fire engines from 1914 to 1989. Middleborough has since become the location of the corporate headquarters ofOcean Spray Cranberries.[3]
Notable sights include the 1870sVictorian-style town hall and the Beaux Arts-style town library (1903). In the spring, the Nemasket River alewife and blueback herring run upstream to the Assawompset Ponds complex to spawn.[3]
In the summer of 2007, Middleborough became the proposed location for a controversial future resortcasino,[11] sponsored by theWampanoag Tribe ofMashpee, Massachusetts.[12]
Teams from Middleborough have twice reached theLittle League World Series (LLWS) the only Little League in the state to reach twice in the International Era (1958+). Middleborough reached the1994 edition by defeatingMilburn-Short Hills, New Jersey, to take theEast Region title.[13] InSouth Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the team lost two games (to Virginia and California) and won one game (over Minnesota). They were one of only two Massachusetts Little League teams to win the East title (the other being fromAndover in 1988) before it was split into theNew England Region andMid-Atlantic Region in 2001. Middleborough advanced to the2022 edition of the LLWS with a 10–1 win over Maine. They were the first Massachusetts team to reach South Williamsport sincePeabody in 2009.[14] Middleboro lost each of its two games falling 5–3 to Southeast (Tennessee) and 7–5 to Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania).[15]
On June 11, 2012, Middleborough made national headlines after residents approved an ordinance outlawing the use ofprofanity in public, making it punishable by a $20 fine. It passed 183–50 in the town of over 23,000 residents.[16][17] Many legal experts said the law violates theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution. Dozens of residents on both sides of the issue attended a protest in front of the town hall.[18] The Massachusetts state director for theAmerican Civil Liberties Union said, "the Supreme Court has ruled that the government can't prohibit public speech just because it contains profanity."[19][20] In October 2012, Massachusetts attorney generalMartha Coakley blocked enforcement of the law, saying it was inconsistent with the Constitution, and the town ultimately backed off the profanity ban.[21][22]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 72.2 square miles (186.9 km2), of which 69.1 square miles (178.9 km2) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), or 4.27%, is water.[23] Middleborough is the second largest municipality in Massachusetts in terms of area, smaller only thanPlymouth.[24]
Middleborough lies on the western border of Plymouth County. It is bordered byBridgewater andHalifax to the north,Plympton andCarver to the east,Wareham andRochester to the south, andLakeville,Taunton andRaynham to the west.
The town is approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of Plymouth, 30 miles (48 km) east ofProvidence, Rhode Island and 40 miles (64 km) south ofBoston.
Middleborough's rivers and brooks feed in two directions. TheTaunton River,Nemasket River and their tributaries flow southwestward as part of theTaunton River Watershed, which empties intoNarragansett Bay. The other waterways of the town, including theWeweantic River, flow southward intoBuzzards Bay. Along Middleborough's border with Lakeville lie theAssawompset,Pocksha andGreat Quittacas ponds.Tispaquin Pond, Woods Pond, and several other ponds make up the town's other bodies of water. Middleborough has four wildlife management areas, as well as the Beaver Dam and Great Cedar and Little Cedar Swamps. The town is also the site of several cranberry bogs, especially in the southeastern part of town along the Carver town line.Ocean Spray's headquarters are just over the town line in Lakeville.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Middleboro has ahumid subtropical climate, abbreviated Cfa"" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Middleboro was 99 °F (37.2 °C) on July 10, 1911, and July 23, 2011, while the coldest temperature recorded was −26 °F (−32.2 °C) on January 5, 1904.[25]
| Climate data for Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) | 70 (21) | 80 (27) | 88 (31) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 99 (37) | 97 (36) | 96 (36) | 86 (30) | 76 (24) | 67 (19) | 99 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.1 (14.5) | 58.3 (14.6) | 64.9 (18.3) | 76.6 (24.8) | 85.9 (29.9) | 89.0 (31.7) | 93.3 (34.1) | 90.5 (32.5) | 88.2 (31.2) | 77.6 (25.3) | 68.8 (20.4) | 60.6 (15.9) | 92.6 (33.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37.7 (3.2) | 39.6 (4.2) | 46.0 (7.8) | 57.0 (13.9) | 67.1 (19.5) | 76.4 (24.7) | 82.0 (27.8) | 81.2 (27.3) | 73.7 (23.2) | 62.9 (17.2) | 52.4 (11.3) | 43.0 (6.1) | 59.9 (15.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 35.9 (2.2) | 46.3 (7.9) | 56.4 (13.6) | 65.7 (18.7) | 71.6 (22.0) | 70.4 (21.3) | 62.8 (17.1) | 51.9 (11.1) | 42.1 (5.6) | 33.6 (0.9) | 49.5 (9.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.4 (−8.1) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 35.6 (2.0) | 45.6 (7.6) | 55.1 (12.8) | 61.3 (16.3) | 59.5 (15.3) | 51.8 (11.0) | 40.9 (4.9) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 39.0 (3.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.1 (−17.7) | 3.7 (−15.7) | 12.6 (−10.8) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 34.5 (1.4) | 42.8 (6.0) | 51.4 (10.8) | 48.7 (9.3) | 37.2 (2.9) | 26.9 (−2.8) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 10.3 (−12.1) | −1.4 (−18.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) | −20 (−29) | −3 (−19) | 13 (−11) | 22 (−6) | 32 (0) | 40 (4) | 35 (2) | 25 (−4) | 8 (−13) | 1 (−17) | −11 (−24) | −26 (−32) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.44 (113) | 3.76 (96) | 5.80 (147) | 4.83 (123) | 3.59 (91) | 4.06 (103) | 3.33 (85) | 3.77 (96) | 4.17 (106) | 4.95 (126) | 4.43 (113) | 5.26 (134) | 52.39 (1,333) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.5 (34) | 13.7 (35) | 6.8 (17) | 1.3 (3.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.4 (1.0) | 5.7 (14) | 41.5 (104.55) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 6.1 (15) | 7.1 (18) | 5.0 (13) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 3.9 (9.9) | 11.0 (28) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.4 | 10.0 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 11.2 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 11.4 | 10.9 | 12.8 | 132.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 15.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA[26] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[25] | |||||||||||||
Interstate 495 runs through the town on its way toCape Cod. The town is also crossed byU.S. Route 44, as well as Massachusetts routes18,28,105, and a short, 1,000-foot (300 m) section ofRoute 58 which passes through the southeast corner of town. Routes 18, 28 and 44 meet at a two lanerotary adjacent to I-495 just west of the center of town. Two of I-495's four interchanges are located there. I-495's interchange withRoute 24 is located just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of the town line.
TheGreater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority provides public bus services along three routes in Middleboro, connecting to Wareham, Raynham, Taunton, and Lakeville, with stops including Morton Hospital, the Middleboro/Lakeville commuter rail station, and Onset beach.[27]
Since the 1840s, Middleborough has served as a major rail transportation hub forsoutheastern Massachusetts; at one time, five rail lines radiated out from the town.[28] Today, three rail lines extend from Middleborough, towardBoston,Taunton andCape Cod. All three lines intersect at a junction near the center of town. Two rail freight companies serve Middleborough:CSX Transportation, which runs along the Boston and Taunton lines, andMassachusetts Coastal Railroad, which runs along the Cape Cod and Taunton lines.Middleborough station is served by theFall River/New Bedford Line of theMBTA Commuter Rail system, whileLakeville station on the Middleborough/Lakeville border is served by the seasonalCapeFlyer.
The nearest inter-city (Amtrak) passenger rail stations areProvidence,Route 128 station inWestwood, BostonBack Bay, and BostonSouth Station. The nearest rapid-transit station isBraintree.
The nearest regional airports areTaunton Municipal Airport andPlymouth Municipal Airport, the nearest primary commercial airport isNew Bedford Regional Airport, and the nearest national and international airports areT. F. Green Airport inWarwick, Rhode Island, andLogan International Airport in Boston. From 1954 to 1959, a small runway calledNorth Middleboro Airpark was constructed. It was a 3,000-foot-long paved runway, although it was not depicted in the November 1954 Boston Sectional Chart. Sometime between 1982 and 1994 it was closed, as it was depicted simply as "Landing Strip" on the 1994 USGS topographic map.[29]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 5,336 | — |
| 1860 | 4,553 | −14.7% |
| 1870 | 4,687 | +2.9% |
| 1880 | 5,237 | +11.7% |
| 1890 | 6,065 | +15.8% |
| 1900 | 6,885 | +13.5% |
| 1910 | 8,214 | +19.3% |
| 1920 | 8,453 | +2.9% |
| 1930 | 8,608 | +1.8% |
| 1940 | 9,032 | +4.9% |
| 1950 | 10,164 | +12.5% |
| 1960 | 11,065 | +8.9% |
| 1970 | 13,607 | +23.0% |
| 1980 | 16,404 | +20.6% |
| 1990 | 17,867 | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 19,941 | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 23,116 | +15.9% |
| 2020 | 24,245 | +4.9% |
| 2023* | 24,847 | +2.5% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] | ||
As of thecensus[41] of 2000, there were 19,941 people, 6,981 households, and 5,117 families residing in the town. The population density was 286.7 inhabitants per square mile (110.7/km2). There were 7,249 housing units at an average density of 104.2 per square mile (40.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.1%White, 1.3%African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.4%Asian, <0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.6% fromother races, and 1.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.8% of the population.
There were 6,981 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% weremarried couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. Of all households, 20.4% were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.23.
The population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,755, and the median income for a family was $65,173. Males had a median income of $60,854 versus $40,570 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $75,000.
Middleborough is represented in theMassachusetts House of Representatives as a part of three separate districts: the Tenth and Twelfth Bristol and Twelfth Plymouth. The town is represented in theMassachusetts Senate as a part of the First Plymouth and Bristol district, which also includes Berkley, Bridgewater, Carver, Dighton, Marion, Raynham, Taunton and Wareham.[42]
The town is home to the Fourth Barracks of Troop D of theMassachusetts State Police.[43] On the national level, Middleborough is a part ofMassachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented byWilliam R. Keating.
Middleborough is governed by theopen town meeting form of government, which is led by atown manager and aboard of selectmen. The town's services are centralized downtown, with the fire and police headquarters being southeast, and the central post office being northwest of it. The town library is also located downtown.
A second part-time fire department is operated further south along Route 28 in South Middleboro. A third, temporary station was built in the 2000s as the surrogate home for the downtown facility, which was closed for substantial renovations. This third station, near the rotary north of the center of town, has subsequently been closed.
Construction on a new police station began in July 2017, with an estimated budget of $9.14 million.[44] The police station was finished early 2019 and is now in use.
Middleborough has its own school system, headed by a school committee and superintendent. There is one school for kindergarten children, the Memorial Early Childhood Center, housed in the old junior high (previously the old high school). It opened in September 2007 after a $13 million renovation. The Mary K. Goode Elementary and the Henry B. Burkland Elementary Schools serve grades 1 through 5. The John T. "Tiger" Nichols, Jr. Middle School (1999) serves grades 6 through 8, and theMiddleborough High School serves grades 9 through 12. Middleborough High's mascot is the "Sachem", and their colors are black and orange. Other sports teams in town include the semi-pro football team the Middleborough Cobras and the middle school baseball team the Tigers.
Middleborough is also home to the Frederick L. Chamberlain School, a private institution that serves students from around the world struggling with learning disabilities.
In 1856, Middleborough-born,Baltimore businessman-wholesale hardware merchant, banker, and steamship line owner,Enoch Pratt, (1808–1896), established as one of his first philanthropies in The Pratt Free School, later adding additional bequests upon its incorporation in 1865. It later became a grammar school, preparing students for entering theMiddleborough High School. Later in 1882–1886, he endowed theEnoch Pratt Free Library, the nation's first circulating, public library system (with a central library and five branches) and later further endowed a mental health institution, theSheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital.
The Middleborough campus ofMassasoit Community College is also located here.
In November 2017, "Middleboro voters approved a $103 million dollar plan to construct a new Middleborough High School building and campus." The project started in February 2019 and was completed in the spring of 2021.[45]
The Namasket, from namaus "fish", aki "land", et "at," was a tribe or band that formerly lived in a village of the same name near present Middleboro, Massachusetts. They were subordinate to the Wampanoag. The village was populous when first known, but the Indians rapidly decreased as white setlements [sic] advanced. In 1794 there were still about 40 members of the tribe. One family, named Mitchell still lived near Middleboro in the early 1900s, and claimed descent from the famous Indian King Philip.
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