Tyngsborough, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 First Parish Meeting House | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°40′18″N71°25′1″W / 42.67167°N 71.41694°W /42.67167; -71.41694 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1661 |
| Incorporated | 1809 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 18.0 sq mi (46.7 km2) |
| • Land | 16.9 sq mi (43.7 km2) |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,380 |
| • Density | 734/sq mi (283/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 01879 |
| Area code | 351/978 |
| FIPS code | 25-71025 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618240 |
| Website | www |
Tyngsborough (also spelledTyngsboro) is a town in northernMiddlesex County,Massachusetts, United States. Tyngsborough is 28 miles (45 km) fromBoston[1] along theRoute 3 corridor, and located on theNew Hampshire state line. At the 2020 census, the town population was 12,380.[2] By its location, the town serves as a suburb of neighboring cities such asNashua, New Hampshire andLowell, Massachusetts.
Tyngsborough was settled in 1661, as part of the massiveDunstable Township. The town of Dunstable, incorporated in 1673, was named after the hometown of pioneer Edward Tyng. However, a relative of his, and the source of the town of Tyngsborough's name, was Colonel Jonathan Tyng, whose home, theTyng Mansion House, was one of the oldest north of Boston. He settled near the Merrimack in what is now Tyngsborough in 1675. The house stood until the 1970s, when it was destroyed by arson. Early on Tyngsborough residents fought a series of small and bloody skirmishes with local Native American tribes. Evidence of this can be found in several old colonial homes in town that still have emergency passages that were used during these attacks. In 1789, Tyngsborough's parish split from the rest of Dunstable, making Tyngsborough a recognized district. On February 23, 1809, Tyngsborough became a town.
After Tyngsborough was incorporated it became known for its ferries which traveled up and down theMerrimack River, the quarries that producedgranite, and several box companies that started in town. As the town developed, Tyngsborough became a vacation community and had a large seasonal resident population even up until the late 1960s. A notable summer resident was actressNance O'Neil, whose estate became the campus of theAcademy of Notre Dame.
Today, Tyngsborough primarily serves as abedroom community, part ofGreater Lowell and theNashua, New Hampshire region, in addition to having a relatively short commute to the Boston area. The town is also known for theTyngsborough Bridge, a green painted, single-arched, steel bridge over theMerrimack River. Constructed in 1931 as a replacement for an earlier wooden planked structure,[3] this bridge is a major river crossing for residents ofMassachusetts andNew Hampshire alike with 22,300 daily crossings as of 2007.[4]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 799 | — |
| 1860 | 626 | −21.7% |
| 1870 | 629 | +0.5% |
| 1880 | 631 | +0.3% |
| 1890 | 662 | +4.9% |
| 1930 | 1,358 | +105.1% |
| 1940 | 1,634 | +20.3% |
| 1950 | 2,059 | +26.0% |
| 1960 | 3,302 | +60.4% |
| 1970 | 4,204 | +27.3% |
| 1980 | 5,683 | +35.2% |
| 1990 | 8,642 | +52.1% |
| 2000 | 11,081 | +28.2% |
| 2010 | 11,292 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 12,380 | +9.6% |
| 2024 | 12,779 | +3.2% |
| Source: US Census data.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] | ||
The town uses anOpen Town Meeting model with aSelect Board overseeing the operation of the town. Reporting to the Select Board is theTown Manager who oversees the public employees and day-to-day operations of the town offices. Other elected boards include thePlanning Board,School Committee, Finance Committee, Library Trustees, Cemetery Commission,Board of Health, and Sewer Commission.
Tyngsborough is represented in theMassachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the 36th Middlesex District. The town is represented in theMassachusetts Senate as a part of the First Middlesex District. The town is patrolled by the Tyngsborough Police Department with Rich Howe as its Chief[14] and Station A-1, SP Andover Barracks of Troop A of theMassachusetts State Police.
At the federal level, Tyngsborough is a part ofMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district, and is currently represented byLori Trahan. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate, isElizabeth Warren. The junior senator from Massachusetts isEd Markey who waselected in 2013.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.0 square miles (47 km2), of which 16.9 square miles (44 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (6.65%) is water.
Besides a series of lakes and ponds that dot Tyngsborough, the town is split in two by theMerrimack River, which runs roughly north–south near the center of town. The land is mostly rolling hills, small cleared fields, and wooded land. Marshlands can also be found in the area, although they are less prevalent than in surrounding towns.
TheLRTA 10 bus connects eastern Tyngsborough withDracut and theLowell train station on theMBTA Commuter RailLowell Line.
The Tyngsborough Public School district is coterminous with the town, and supports three schools containing a total of 2,300 students between them.[15]
Additionally, Tyngsborough is home toGreater Lowell Technical High School, a public vocational school which serves the towns of Tyngsborough, Dracut, and Dunstable as well as the city of Lowell. There is also one private school in Tyngsborough, theAcademy of Notre Dame.
The town also has one public charter school,Innovation Academy Charter School, serving over 800 students in grades 5 through 12. Innovation Academy moved to the town in September 2008 from neighboring Chelmsford.
There are no colleges or universities in Tyngsborough, althoughBoston University once maintained a corporate education facility there,[16] but it has since been moved to nearby Chelmsford.
The Winslow School is a former school which was located on Winslow Drive. It opened in 1895 and closed in the early 2000s. The school was named afterSarah Winslow, who acquired a trust fromHarvard College that is still an income for Tyngsborough. It was two stories high and 17,569 square feet in area. It had tennis courts, and playing fields in the back. As of 2014[update], the school lies abandoned in the Tyngsborough town center.[17]
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,731 households, and 2,947 families residing in the town. The population density was 657.4 inhabitants per square mile (253.8/km2). There were 3,806 housing units at an average density of 225.8 per square mile (87.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.63%White, 0.50%African American, 0.23%Native American, 2.48%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.14% fromother races, and 0.99% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
There were 3,731 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% weremarried couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. Of all households, 16.1% were made up of individuals, and 4.9% 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 3.37.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $102,818, and the median income for a family was $114,680. Males had a median income of $46,942 versus $33,396 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $41,249. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Places adjacent to Tyngsborough, Massachusetts | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMiddlesex 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 | |
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| Other | |
