Sudbury, Massachusetts | |
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 Seal | |
 Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°23′N71°25′W / 42.383°N 71.417°W /42.383; -71.417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1638 |
| Incorporated | 1639 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Manager | Andrew Sheehan |
| Area | |
• Total | 24.6 sq mi (63.8 km2) |
| • Land | 24.4 sq mi (63.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.27 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 190 ft (58 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,934 |
| • Density | 777/sq mi (300/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 01776 |
| Area code | 351 /978 |
| FIPS code | 25-68260 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618237 |
| Website | sudbury.ma.us |
Sudbury is a town inMiddlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the2020 census, it had a population of 18,934.[1] The town, located inGreater Boston'sMetroWest region, has a colonial history.
Incorporated in 1639, the boundaries of Sudbury included (by 1653) what is nowWayland (which split off in 1780, initially as East Sudbury), and parts of present dayFramingham,Marlborough,Stow andMaynard (the latter town splitting off in 1871).[2][3]Nipmuc Indians lived in what is now Sudbury, includingTantamous, a medicine man, and his sonPeter Jethro, who deeded a large parcel of land to Sudbury for settlement in 1684.[4]
The original town center and meetinghouse were located near theSudbury River at what is now known as Wayland's North Cemetery.[5] For the residents on the west side of the river, it was a treacherous passage in the winter and attendance at both worship services and Town Meetings was compulsory.[6][7] In 1723 the West Parish meetinghouse was built west of the river at an area known as Rocky Plains (presently the Town Center). It served as a place for both worship and Town Meetings.[8] The church and town separated in 1836 and a new Town House was built in 1846.[9] Since then, theSudbury Center Historic District has changed little, with the exception of the Town Hall, built in 1932 to replace the Town House, which burnt down in 1930.
Sudbury also contributed the most militia duringKing Philip's War and was the site of the well-knownattack on Sudbury.[4]Ephraim Curtis was a successful leader of the militia of West Sudbury and would lend his name to the town's junior high school.[10][11]: 24–75 Sudbury militiamen participated in thebattles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, where they sniped atBritish Army troops returning toBoston.
One of Sudbury's historic landmarks, theWayside Inn, claims to be the country's oldest operating inn, built and run by the Howe family for many generations.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wroteTales of a Wayside Inn, a book of poems published in 1863. In the book, the poemThe Landlord's Tale was the source of the immortal phrase "listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere."Henry Ford bought the inn in 1923, restored it and donated it to a charitable foundation which continues to run it as an operating inn to this day. Ford also built a boys' school on the property, as well as a grist mill, and the Martha-Mary Chapel. He brought in the Redstone Schoolhouse fromSterling, which was reputed to be the school inSarah Josepha Hale'snursery rhymeMary Had a Little Lamb.[12][13] However, Giuseppi Cavicchio's refusal to sell his water rights scuttledHenry Ford's plans to build an auto parts factory at the site of Charles O. Parmenter's mill in South Sudbury.[14]
In August 1925, a Sudbury farm was the scene of a riot between local members of theKu Klux Klan andIrish-American youths from the area. Five people were wounded by gunshots, and theState Police arrested over 100 Klansmen.Massachusetts officials cracked down on the group's meetings thereafter, and the Klan died out in the area.[14]
In the period after World War II, Sudbury experienced rapid growth in population and industry. Defense contractorRaytheon was a significant employer, operating a large research facility in Sudbury from 1958 until 2016. Another major employer in that period wasSperry Rand. In the 1970s, the town was home to many of the engineers working in theminicomputer revolution atDigital Equipment Corporation in nearby Maynard. Sudbury was also one of the largest carnation-growing towns, with many greenhouse operations.
From 1960–1969, Sudbury challenged and prevailed against a proposal byBoston Edison Company that would have installed overhead transmission lines through what is nowGreat Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Ultimately, the line was instead buried under streets to Maynard.[15] From 2017–2023, Sudbury challenged a proposal byEversource to install buried transmission lines under the formerMassachusetts Central Railroad right of way from Sudbury to Hudson now owned by theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] None of these lawsuits were found to have merit, and the buried transmission lines were installed by 2024, which also subsidized the majority of the cost and construction of a 7.6-mile (12.2 km) section of theMass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, which was paved in 2025.[25][26]
Residentially, Sudbury's 1-acre (4,000 m2) zoning bylaws helped the town maintain a more rural character through the 1970s and 1980s when developments of single-familyColonials and largeCapes established it as an affluent location. Economic growth was restricted to the town's main thoroughfare,US Route 20. Significant tracts of open space—including much wetland—were preserved in the northern half of town and along the Hop Brook corridor flowing from theWayside Inn Historic District in the southwest part of town through the King Philip Historic District (the site of a conflict inKing Philip's War) and into theSudbury River at the southeast border with Wayland. A significant portion of theAssabet River National Wildlife Refuge (opened in 2005) is located in Sudbury.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 square miles (64 km2), of which 24.4 square miles (63 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 1.06%, is water. The highest point in Sudbury is on the north slope ofNobscot Hill, and the highest summit is Tippling Rock.[27]
In 1650, the town included Sudbury as well as most of Wayland and Maynard.[28]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 1,290 | — |
| 1800 | 1,303 | +1.0% |
| 1810 | 1,287 | −1.2% |
| 1820 | 1,417 | +10.1% |
| 1830 | 1,423 | +0.4% |
| 1840 | 1,422 | −0.1% |
| 1850 | 1,578 | +11.0% |
| 1860 | 1,691 | +7.2% |
| 1870 | 2,091 | +23.7% |
| 1880 | 1,178 | −43.7% |
| 1890 | 1,197 | +1.6% |
| 1900 | 1,150 | −3.9% |
| 1910 | 1,120 | −2.6% |
| 1920 | 1,121 | +0.1% |
| 1930 | 1,182 | +5.4% |
| 1940 | 1,754 | +48.4% |
| 1950 | 2,596 | +48.0% |
| 1960 | 7,447 | +186.9% |
| 1970 | 13,506 | +81.4% |
| 1980 | 14,027 | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 14,358 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 16,841 | +17.3% |
| 2010 | 17,659 | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 18,934 | +7.2% |
| 2024* | 19,805 | +4.6% |
| * population 1850–2010 Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] * population 1790–1840 Source: Map Of Massachusetts[39][40] | ||
As of thecensus[41] of 2000, there were 16,841 people, 5,504 households, and 4,749 families residing in the town. The population density was 691.1 inhabitants per square mile (266.8/km2). There were 5,590 housing units at an average density of 229.4 per square mile (88.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.23%White, 0.80%African American, 0.03%Native American, 3.72%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.23% fromother races, and 0.96% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.24% of the population. An update in the town's census[42] recorded the population at 18,192 as of October 6, 2015.
There were 5,504 households, out of which 51.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.5% weremarried couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 11.0% 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 3.02 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $151,041, and the median income for a family was $222,008. Males had a median income of $148,593 versus $47,500 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $75,865. About 2.1% of families and 2.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
TheFirst Parish of Sudbury gathered in 1640 east of the Sudbury River (present day Wayland). "East parish" (now First Parish of Wayland) moved its present site and "West parish" moved to the present site, called Rocky Plains (now Sudbury town center), upon Rev.Israel Loring first preaching there May 6, 1722.[43] The historic meeting house was built in 1797, replacing the original 1723 structure. First Parish becameUnitarian in the local schism of 1837 and is nowUnitarian Universalist.[44][45]
On the federal level, Precincts 1A, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Sudbury are part ofMassachusetts's 5th congressional district, represented byKatherine Clark. Precinct 1 is part ofMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district, represented byLori Trahan. The state's senior (Class I) member of theUnited States Senate isElizabeth Warren. The junior (Class II) senator isEd Markey.
Sudbury students in kindergarten through eighth grade attendSudbury Public Schools, with high school students attending schools in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District,[46] which was established in 1954, integrating the former Sudbury High School with that of the nearby town ofLincoln.
In June 2002, the towns of Lincoln and Sudbury began a $74 million project to build a new high school near the site of the original building. The sharedLincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) is in Sudbury.
There are four elementary schools in Sudbury and one middle school. The four elementary schools are:
The middle school is:
Sudbury has two former elementary schools that were converted to other uses:
Places adjacent to Sudbury, Massachusetts | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMiddlesex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
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