Sturbridge, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Center Meetinghouse inOld Sturbridge Village | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "First New England Mining"[1] | |
 Location inWorcester County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
| Coordinates:42°06′30″N72°04′45″W / 42.10833°N 72.07917°W /42.10833; -72.07917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1729 |
| Incorporated | June 24, 1738 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Administrator | Jeff Bridges |
| Area | |
• Total | 39.0 sq mi (100.9 km2) |
| • Land | 37.4 sq mi (96.9 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 620 ft (189 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,867 |
| • Density | 264/sq mi (102/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 508 /774 |
| FIPS code | 25-68155 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618384 |
| Website | www |
Sturbridge is a town inWorcester County,Massachusetts, United States. It is home toOld Sturbridge Villageliving history museum and other sites of historical interest such asTantiusques.
The population was 9,867 at the2020 census, with more than 3,600 households.[2] Forgeographic anddemographic information on specific parts of the town of Sturbridge, see:Fiskdale andSturbridge (CDP).
Sturbridge was first visited by the English Puritans in 1644 whenJohn Winthrop the Younger visited the area now known asTantiusques. Winthrop II bought the land from Tantasqua (local area sachem) and mined graphite, lead, and iron. The mine stayed in the Winthrop family as late as 1784 and was in operation until 1910. Sturbridge was first settled by the English in 1729 by settlers fromMedfield, and was officially incorporated in 1738.[3] New Medfield and Dummer (afterGovernor William Dummer) were considered as town names before the town was named afterStourbridge,England.[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101 km2), of which 37.4 square miles (97 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (4 km2), or 3.95%, is water. Sturbridge is bordered byCharlton andSouthbridge to the east,Union,Connecticut andWoodstock, Connecticut, to the south,Brimfield andHolland to the west, andBrookfield andEast Brookfield to the north. Sturbridge lies approximately 29 miles (47 km) east ofSpringfield, 16 miles (26 km) southwest ofWorcester, and 55 miles (89 km) west ofBoston.
U.S. Route 20 runs through Sturbridge, and the junction ofInterstate 90 (theMassachusetts Turnpike) and the eastern terminus ofInterstate 84 is located there. TheWilbur Cross Highway (Connecticut Route 15) formerly ended in Sturbridge; locals sometimes call Haynes Street and portions of Mashapaug Road "Old Route 15". Haynes Street ends at Main Street (Massachusetts Route 131), which connects Sturbridge Center with Southbridge; on the west side of town,Massachusetts Route 148 connects Fiskdale with Brookfield. On August 18, 1955, gale-force winds and torrential downpour fromHurricane Diane created floodwaters that broke dams in surrounding towns and flooded the village.
The northwestern portion of the town,Fiskdale, is a census-designated place with its own post office and ZIP Code assignment.
| Climate data for Sturbridge (East Brimfield Lake), Massachusetts (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) | 73 (23) | 83 (28) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 101 (38) | 99 (37) | 95 (35) | 86 (30) | 78 (26) | 72 (22) | 101 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.8 (13.8) | 55.6 (13.1) | 64.9 (18.3) | 79.1 (26.2) | 86.1 (30.1) | 89.1 (31.7) | 91.0 (32.8) | 89.1 (31.7) | 85.5 (29.7) | 77.4 (25.2) | 68.7 (20.4) | 59.1 (15.1) | 93.2 (34.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.2 (1.2) | 36.6 (2.6) | 44.3 (6.8) | 56.9 (13.8) | 67.5 (19.7) | 75.4 (24.1) | 80.5 (26.9) | 79.1 (26.2) | 72.3 (22.4) | 60.8 (16.0) | 50.1 (10.1) | 39.3 (4.1) | 58.1 (14.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.1 (−3.8) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 34.5 (1.4) | 46.2 (7.9) | 56.9 (13.8) | 65.6 (18.7) | 71.0 (21.7) | 69.4 (20.8) | 62.2 (16.8) | 50.4 (10.2) | 40.7 (4.8) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 48.3 (9.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.1 (−8.8) | 16.9 (−8.4) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 35.5 (1.9) | 46.2 (7.9) | 55.9 (13.3) | 61.5 (16.4) | 59.7 (15.4) | 52.2 (11.2) | 39.9 (4.4) | 31.3 (−0.4) | 22.9 (−5.1) | 38.6 (3.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.2 (−20.1) | −2.5 (−19.2) | 6.2 (−14.3) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 32.2 (0.1) | 41.7 (5.4) | 51.1 (10.6) | 48.1 (8.9) | 36.9 (2.7) | 26.6 (−3.0) | 16.0 (−8.9) | 5.0 (−15.0) | −7.1 (−21.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) | −24 (−31) | −16 (−27) | 5 (−15) | 26 (−3) | 32 (0) | 42 (6) | 33 (1) | 26 (−3) | 15 (−9) | −1 (−18) | −14 (−26) | −27 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.67 (93) | 3.19 (81) | 4.26 (108) | 4.32 (110) | 3.48 (88) | 3.86 (98) | 4.04 (103) | 4.41 (112) | 4.07 (103) | 4.85 (123) | 3.91 (99) | 4.56 (116) | 48.62 (1,234) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.4 (34) | 16.8 (43) | 13.6 (35) | 3.8 (9.7) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 2.0 (5.1) | 13.8 (35) | 63.5 (162.05) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 10.1 (26) | 11.6 (29) | 10.5 (27) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.9 (4.8) | 8.6 (22) | 16.8 (43) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 12.8 | 10.8 | 11.6 | 12.4 | 13.7 | 11.2 | 10.9 | 11.7 | 9.9 | 11.2 | 10.5 | 12.4 | 139.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.7 | 6.2 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 4.7 | 24.9 |
| Source 1: NOAA[5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[6] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 2,119 | — |
| 1860 | 2,291 | +8.1% |
| 1870 | 2,101 | −8.3% |
| 1880 | 2,062 | −1.9% |
| 1890 | 2,074 | +0.6% |
| 1900 | 2,058 | −0.8% |
| 1910 | 1,957 | −4.9% |
| 1920 | 1,573 | −19.6% |
| 1930 | 1,772 | +12.7% |
| 1940 | 2,227 | +25.7% |
| 1950 | 2,805 | +26.0% |
| 1960 | 3,604 | +28.5% |
| 1970 | 4,878 | +35.3% |
| 1980 | 5,976 | +22.5% |
| 1990 | 7,775 | +30.1% |
| 2000 | 7,837 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 9,268 | +18.3% |
| 2020 | 9,867 | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 9,882 | +0.2% |
Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] | ||
By the 2010 census, the population had reached 9,268.
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there had been 7,837 people, 3,066 households, and 2,213 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 209.5 inhabitants per square mile (80.9/km2). There were 3,335 housing units at an average density of 89.1 per square mile (34.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14%White, 3.6%Black orAfrican American, 2.7%Native American, 1.14%Asian, 0.09%Pacific Islander, 0.31% fromother races, and 0.70% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 3,066 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% weremarried couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,519, and the median income for a family was $64,455. Males had a median income of $50,168 versus $31,940 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $25,559. About 4.5% of families and 6.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
| State government | |
|---|---|
| State Representative(s): | Todd M. Smola(R) |
| State Senator(s): | Anne Gobi (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Jen Caissie (R) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | 1st District |
| U.S. Senators: | Elizabeth Warren (D),Ed Markey (D) |
Old Sturbridge Village, located onU.S. Route 20, is aliving museum that re-creates life in ruralNew England from 1790s to the 1830s.
Tantiusques is an open-space reservation and historic site.
Wells State Park is a 1,400-acre (570 ha) woodland park and campground located onRoute 49. The park includes 10 miles (16 km) of trails andWalker Pond, which offers a setting for fishing, canoeing, and swimming.[19]
Sturbridge is the home of the Sturbridge Worship Center church which impacts wider New England.
Burgess Elementary School, serving grades K–6, is one of three public schools in Sturbridge. It has its ownschool committee, part of School Union 61. Sturbridge students also attend Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (grades 7–8) andTantasqua Regional High School, in theFiskdale section of town. Union 61 and the Tantasqua district share administrators, including the superintendent, and both includeBrimfield,Brookfield,Holland, Sturbridge andWales.
The Sturbridge Public Library was established in 1873.[20][21] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sturbridge spent 1.51% ($332,136) of its budget on its public library, approximately $36 per person, per year ($47.44 adjusted for inflation to 2022).[22]
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