Norfolk, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Norfolk is a town in Norfolk County
, Massachusetts
, United States
with a population of 10,460 people in 2,818 households at the 2000 census. Formerly known as North Wrentham
, Norfolk broke away to become an independent town in 1870.
. There were a half dozen small farms in the town after 1669, the result of a determined effort to populate the colonial frontier. This was seen as a difficult task despite the good agricultural lands, fresh water fishing and fish runs because the settlement was so remote.
It was abandoned during King Philip's War
, and when Norfolk was reestablished, settlers relied on agriculture and cattle grazing with some considerable lumbering and planting of orchards. After 1812, three cotton manufacturing companies were established at Stony Brook, and later in the 19th century George Campbell's paper mill was opened at Highland Lake making heavy wrapping and building papers.The town saw a rapid increase in population after 1925 when a hospital and a state prison were built in Norfolk on the Walpole line. Major residential development took place before 1940 in the Pondville and Clark Streets section of town with scattered new housing along Seekonk and Main Streets, and suburban residential building has continued since.
It is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Millis and Medfield on the north, Walpole on the east, Foxborough and Wrentham on the south, and Franklin and Medway on the west. Norfolk is 20 miles southwest of Boston; about 21 miles north of Providence, Rhode island; and about 205 miles from New York City.
, the town has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39.4 km²), of which 14.8 square miles (38.3 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (2.30%) is water.
of 2000, there were 10,460 people, 2,818 households, and 2,412 families residing in the town. The population density
was 705.1 people per square mile (272.1/km²). There were 2,861 housing units at an average density of 192.9 per square mile (74.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.97% White, 4.90% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.43% from other races
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
There were 2,818 households out of which 50.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.1% were married couples
living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.4% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 142.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 157.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $86,153, and the median income for a family was $92,001. Males had a median income of $60,926 versus $40,825 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $32,454. About 0.8% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
, the Freeman-Centennial Elementary School, and King Philip Regional Middle School
. Students go on to attend King Philip Regional High School
in Wrentham, MA
or, specialty high schools such as Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School
in Franklin, MA and Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, MA. A new elementary school is currently in construction, and it will replace the Freeman-Centennial Elementary School when it is completed in 2012. The new school will be named the Freeman-Kennedy Elementary School. A new public library building recently opened on town hill. Inside the new library in 2009, a one-room school house, the original public library building, was reopened as a meeting room and historical landmark.
It was closed in recent years, however, and is in disrepair. Plans for new developments have been proposed, specifically residential projects. As of the present, there is debate within the town regarding the fate of the old airport as it would be a source of unnecessary noise.
The Norfolk MBTA commuter rail station
is in Zone 5 and is located at 9 Rockwood Rd. Norfolk, MA.
Police: http://www.virtualnorfolk.org/public_documents/norfolkma_police/index
Fire: http://www.virtualnorfolk.org/public_documents/norfolkma_fire/index
AM 1170, started in 1978. It is also where the hometown hero, Ryan Colgan, grew up. He went to play 10 seasons in the NBA for both the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics.
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a population of 10,460 people in 2,818 households at the 2000 census. Formerly known as North Wrentham
Wrentham, Massachusetts
Wrentham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2010 census.- History :Wrentham was first settled by the English in 1660 and officially incorporated in 1673. It was burned down during King Philip's War 1675-1676. For a short time, it was the...
, Norfolk broke away to become an independent town in 1870.
History
Norfolk is a rural suburban town on the periphery of metropolitan Boston, located on an upper valley of the Charles RiverCharles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
. There were a half dozen small farms in the town after 1669, the result of a determined effort to populate the colonial frontier. This was seen as a difficult task despite the good agricultural lands, fresh water fishing and fish runs because the settlement was so remote.
It was abandoned during King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, and when Norfolk was reestablished, settlers relied on agriculture and cattle grazing with some considerable lumbering and planting of orchards. After 1812, three cotton manufacturing companies were established at Stony Brook, and later in the 19th century George Campbell's paper mill was opened at Highland Lake making heavy wrapping and building papers.The town saw a rapid increase in population after 1925 when a hospital and a state prison were built in Norfolk on the Walpole line. Major residential development took place before 1940 in the Pondville and Clark Streets section of town with scattered new housing along Seekonk and Main Streets, and suburban residential building has continued since.
It is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Millis and Medfield on the north, Walpole on the east, Foxborough and Wrentham on the south, and Franklin and Medway on the west. Norfolk is 20 miles southwest of Boston; about 21 miles north of Providence, Rhode island; and about 205 miles from New York City.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 15.2 square miles (39.4 km²), of which 14.8 square miles (38.3 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (2.30%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,460 people, 2,818 households, and 2,412 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 705.1 people per square mile (272.1/km²). There were 2,861 housing units at an average density of 192.9 per square mile (74.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.97% White, 4.90% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.43% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
There were 2,818 households out of which 50.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.4% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 142.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 157.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $86,153, and the median income for a family was $92,001. Males had a median income of $60,926 versus $40,825 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $32,454. About 0.8% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
As of 2006, there are three public schools located within the town. They are the H. Olive Day Elementary SchoolH. Olive Day Elementary School
- Location :H. Olive Day Elementary School is a grade school in Massachusetts drawing students from Norfolk. The school is located at 232 Main Street, Norfolk. It opened in January 1994, and due to the influx of students required a 7-classroom addition several years later....
, the Freeman-Centennial Elementary School, and King Philip Regional Middle School
King Philip Regional Middle School
- Location :King Philip Regional Middle School is a middle school in Massachusetts drawing students in grades 7-8 from Norfolk, Plainville, and Wrentham. The school is located at 18 King Street, Norfolk.- Building Project :...
. Students go on to attend King Philip Regional High School
King Philip Regional High School
King Philip Regional High School is a regional high school in Massachusetts drawing students from three towns: Wrentham, Norfolk and Plainville...
in Wrentham, MA
Wrentham, Massachusetts
Wrentham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2010 census.- History :Wrentham was first settled by the English in 1660 and officially incorporated in 1673. It was burned down during King Philip's War 1675-1676. For a short time, it was the...
or, specialty high schools such as Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School
Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School
Tri-County is a technical high school in Franklin, Massachusetts. After the 2010-11 school year Barbara Renzoni retired after five years as superintendent. The school committee named Stephen Dockray, formerly the district's business manager, as the next superintendent.-Towns in District:As a...
in Franklin, MA and Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, MA. A new elementary school is currently in construction, and it will replace the Freeman-Centennial Elementary School when it is completed in 2012. The new school will be named the Freeman-Kennedy Elementary School. A new public library building recently opened on town hill. Inside the new library in 2009, a one-room school house, the original public library building, was reopened as a meeting room and historical landmark.
Transportation
The Norfolk Airpark (FAA airport code 32M) has one 2700 foot north-south runway and is about 2 miles west of the town center.It was closed in recent years, however, and is in disrepair. Plans for new developments have been proposed, specifically residential projects. As of the present, there is debate within the town regarding the fate of the old airport as it would be a source of unnecessary noise.
The Norfolk MBTA commuter rail station
Norfolk (MBTA station)
Norfolk is a MBTA commuter rail station on the Franklin Line located in Norfolk, Massachusetts. The station is located at 9 Rockwood Road . There is an automatic level crossing on the road with gates.Also farther down the line Towards Boston Seekonk St...
is in Zone 5 and is located at 9 Rockwood Rd. Norfolk, MA.
Emergency services
The Norfolk Police Department is a fairly small department which is located in the center of town. It is run by a total of 25 police officers, including the chief of police. The police department also has a total of 21 special police officers and 3 police matrons. The town's fire department and emergency medical services was staffed full time with 24h/7d coverage for the first time in April 2001 under the advocacy of Fire Chief William Kelley and then Public Safety Liaison, Selectman Raymond William Perron Jr. It is run by a total of 23 authorities which includes the fire chief (Fire chief is also Forest Warden), and is the only REAL branch of the town's emergency services department. Out of the 23 members of the Norfolk Fire Department, 18 are also EMT's (Emergency Medical Technicians) and Paramedics. The police and fire communications department (also known as police dispatch) is operated by a total of 4 full time dispatchers and 6 part time dispatchers. All of these emergency services are located in the center of town on Main Street. For more information on these services, you can click on the following links.Police: http://www.virtualnorfolk.org/public_documents/norfolkma_police/index
Fire: http://www.virtualnorfolk.org/public_documents/norfolkma_fire/index
Media
The Norfolk Boomerang is Norfolk's weekly newspaper that was established in 2005. It is independently owned and operated. It is published on Fridays and is for sale in stores and by subscription. It is the only media source that focuses on Norfolk and Norfolk only. The newspaper's website is http://www.norfolkboomerang.com. The town is also served by a small radio station, WDISWDIS
WDIS is a radio station licensed to Norfolk, Massachusetts. Primarily a news and talk station, it is also the flagship radio station of many high school sports programs in the Norfolk area. It serves the suburban communities south of Boston, MA and north of Providence, RI...
AM 1170, started in 1978. It is also where the hometown hero, Ryan Colgan, grew up. He went to play 10 seasons in the NBA for both the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics.