Southborough, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Center of Southborough | |
 Seal | |
 Location inWorcester County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
| Coordinates:42°18′20″N71°31′30″W / 42.30556°N 71.52500°W /42.30556; -71.52500 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1660 |
| Incorporated | 1727 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Moderator | Paul Cimino |
| • Town Administrator | Mark Purple |
| • Board of Selectmen | Marguerite Landry Kathryn Cook Tim Fling Alfred Hamilton Andrew Dennington II[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.7 sq mi (40.6 km2) |
| • Land | 14.1 sq mi (36.6 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 305 ft (93 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,450 |
| • Density | 739/sq mi (286/km2) |
| Demonym | Southboronian |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
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| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-63165 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618382 |
| Website | www |
Southborough is a town inWorcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the villages ofCordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened toSouthboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. At the2020 census, its population was 10,450 in 3,542 households.[2]
As of 2021, 43% of land use wasresidential, with 35% open space, including one-tenth of the town's area that is flooded by theSudbury Reservoir.[3] Light industrial land use is concentrated along main roads, primarilyMassachusetts Route 9, and there are several small business districts in the villages and along Route 9.[4]
Southborough was first settled in 1660 and was officially incorporated in July 1727. Southborough was primarily a farming community until mills began to tap the small rivers that ran through the town. By the end of the 19th century, Southborough was home to the manufacture of plasters,straw bonnets, boots, and shoes, among other things.
In 1727, Southborough split off as the "south borough" of Marlborough, much asWestborough had split off fromMarlborough in 1717, ten years before.[5]
In 1898, theFayville Dam was constructed to produce severalreservoirs to supply a growingBoston with water. As a result, manufacturing vanished, and Southborough did not see substantial growth until the high-tech boom of the 1970s.
The Fay, Burnett, and Choate families had major impacts on the development of the town as it is today. St. Mark's Church,St. Mark's School, the Southborough Library, the Community House, and theFay School were all built at least in part through the efforts of these families.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.7 square miles (41 km2), of which 14.1 square miles (37 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), or 9.64%, is water.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2025) |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,347 | — |
| 1860 | 1,854 | +37.6% |
| 1870 | 2,135 | +15.2% |
| 1880 | 2,142 | +0.3% |
| 1890 | 2,114 | −1.3% |
| 1900 | 1,921 | −9.1% |
| 1910 | 1,745 | −9.2% |
| 1920 | 1,838 | +5.3% |
| 1930 | 2,166 | +17.8% |
| 1940 | 2,231 | +3.0% |
| 1950 | 2,760 | +23.7% |
| 1960 | 3,996 | +44.8% |
| 1970 | 5,798 | +45.1% |
| 1980 | 6,193 | +6.8% |
| 1990 | 6,628 | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 8,781 | +32.5% |
| 2010 | 9,767 | +11.2% |
| 2020 | 10,450 | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 10,409 | −0.4% |
Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] | ||
By thecensus[17] of 2010, the population had reached 9,767.
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 8,781 people, 2,952 households, and 2,426 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 620.7 inhabitants per square mile (239.7/km2). There were 2,997 housing units at an average density of 211.8 per square mile (81.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.47%White, 0.54%African American, 0.07%Native American, 3.52%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.50% fromother races, and 0.87% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
There were 2,952 households, out of which 47.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% weremarried couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97, and the average family size was 3.30.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $132,986, and the median income for a family was $129,454, although according to CNN, median family income had risen to $148,297 by 2009.[18] Males had a median income of $80,961 versus $50,537 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $64,310. About 0.4% of families and 0.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Information technology services companyVirtusa is based in Southborough.
Points of interest in Southborough are:
The funeral scene from the movieGrown Ups was filmed at the Pilgrim Congregational Church.[19]
Southborough celebrates Heritage Day onColumbus Day. Events include a parade with the Algonquin High School marching band. Events in the week prior include a run/walk event and pumpkin-carving.
The public library in Southborough was established in 1852.[20][21] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Southborough spent 0.95% ($370,390) of its budget on its public library—approximately $38 per person, per year ($50.07 adjusted for inflation to 2022).[22]
The form of town government isopen town meeting, in which the voters of the town assemble as the legislature. Each Town Meeting is managed by the electedModerator, who also appoints most of the membership of the unelected boards.
The five members of the Select Board are elected to act as the executive body of the government. The Select Board delegates day-to-day operations to the Town Administrator.
Southborough has three school committees:
Southborough's town elections are non-partisan.
Almost 60% of current[when?] voters registered without enrolling in any political party.Democrats slightly outnumberRepublicans in the remaining forty percent. Minor party enrollments are negligible.
The State Representative isKate Donaghue; The State Senator isJamie Eldridge; the U.S. Representative isJim McGovern; and the U.S. Senators areElizabeth Warren andEd Markey.
Public and private educational campuses frame Southborough's downtown.
Southborough has six public schools. The four elementary and middle schools are inside town limits; the two high schools are regional schools in adjoining towns.
Southborough is home to a privatesecondary school,St. Mark's, which was founded in 1865 byJoseph Burnett. The oldest junior boarding school in the nation, theFay School, was founded a year later in 1866 by Joseph Burnett's first cousins Eliza Burnett Fay and Harriet Burnett.
TheMBTA Commuter Rail'sFramingham/Worcester Line train stops atSouthborough station, which opened to commuters on June 22, 2002. The station is located at 87 Southville Road[25] in theCordaville neighborhood, with access fromRoute 85 near the border withHopkinton. As of December 2023[update], trains inbound toSouth Station in Boston make 20 weekday stops at Southborough, and trains outbound toUnion Station inWorcester make 21 weekday stops; 10 stops are made in each direction on Saturdays and Sundays.[26]
Interstate 495 and theMassachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) both pass through Southborough, although neither have interchanges within town limits. Routes9 and30 are east–west routes passing through Southborough, while Route 85 serves the town as a north–south route.
Places adjacent to Southborough, Massachusetts | |
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