Southborough, Massachusetts

Southborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps, though officially rejected by town ordinance. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010 census, in nearly 3,000 households.

Southborough, Massachusetts
Town
Center of Southborough
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°18′20″N 71°31′30″W
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyWorcester
Settled1660
Incorporated1727
Government
 • TypeOpen town meeting
 • ModeratorDavid A. Coombs
 • Town
   Administrator		Mark Purple
 • Board of
   Selectmen		John Rooney
Dan Kolenda
William J. Boland
Area
 • Total15.7 sq mi (40.6 km2)
 • Land14.2 sq mi (36.6 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
Elevation
306 ft (93 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total9,767
 • Density620/sq mi (240/km2)
Demonym(s)Southboronian
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
01772, 01745
Area code(s)508/774
FIPS code25-63165
GNIS feature ID0618382
Websitewww.southboroughtown.com

Southborough was named Number 31 in the nation on CNN Money's "100 Best Places to Live" in 2009. Southborough consistently ranks #1 as the wealthiest community in Worcester County. It ranked 15th for most million dollar earners among all other Massachusetts communities.[1] Southborough home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Southborough real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America. Of the town's residents 93.80% are employed in white-collar jobs, well above the nation's average.

First settled in 1660, land use now is primarily residential, with substantial open space. A tenth of the town's area is flooded by the Sudbury Reservoir. Light industrial land use is concentrated along main roads, primarily Massachusetts Route 9, and there are several small business districts in the villages and along Route 9.[2]

History

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 as Westborough had split off from Marlborough in 1717, ten years before.[3]

In 1898, the Fayville Dam was constructed to produce several reservoirs to supply a growing Boston 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 along with hundreds of others had a major impact on the development of the town as it is known today. Buildings such as St. Mark's Church, St. Mark's School, the Library, and the Community House and the Fay School were all derived from or were direct products of these families.

Geography

According to the United 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.

Adjacent towns

Southborough is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by six towns: Ashland, Framingham, Westborough, Hopkinton, Marlborough, and Northborough.

Economy

Information technology services company Virtusa is based in Southborough.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
18501,347—    
18601,854+37.6%
18702,135+15.2%
18802,142+0.3%
18902,114−1.3%
19001,921−9.1%
19101,745−9.2%
19201,838+5.3%
19302,166+17.8%
19402,231+3.0%
19502,760+23.7%
19603,996+44.8%
19705,798+45.1%
19806,193+6.8%
19906,628+7.0%
20008,781+32.5%
20109,767+11.2%

Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

By the census[14] of 2010, the population had reached 9,767.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 8,781 people, 2,952 households, and 2,426 families residing in the town. The population 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% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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.[15] Males had a median income of $80,961 versus $50,537 for females. The per capita income for the town was $64,310. About 0.4% of families and 0.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The form of town government is open town meeting with a Town Manager and a Board of Selectmen, in which the voters of the town act as the legislature. Each Town Meeting is managed by the Moderator, who also appoints most of the membership of the unelected boards.

The five members of the Board of Selectmen, however, are elected to act as the executive body of the government. The Selectmen delegate day-to-day operations to the Town Administrator.

Southborough has three school committees:

  • Southborough K-8 School Committee
  • Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee
  • Assabet Valley Regional Vocational-Technical School Committee

Southborough's town elections are non-partisan.

Almost sixty percent of current voters registered without enrolling in any political party. Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans in the remaining forty percent. Minor party enrollments are negligible.

County-level state agency heads
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joe Early Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Katie Toomey (D)
Register of Probate: Stephanie Fattman (R)
County Sheriff: Lew Evangelidis (R)
State government
State Representative(s): Carolyn Dykema (D)
State Senator(s): Jamie Eldridge (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney (D)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Katherine Clark (D)
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Library

The public library in Southborough was established in 1852.[16][17] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Southborough spent 0.95% ($370,390) of its budget on its public library—some $38 per person.[18]

Education

Public and private educational campuses frame Southborough's downtown.

Public schools
Margaret A. Neary Elementary School

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.

Private schools

Southborough is home to a private secondary school, St. Mark's, which was founded in 1865 by Joseph Burnett. The oldest junior boarding schools in the nation, the Fay School, was founded a year later in 1866 by Joseph Burnett's first cousin Harriet Burnett Fay.

Transportation
The 7:33 AM Express MBTA Commuter Rail Train about to arrive at Southborough Station on March 7, 2007

The MBTA Commuter Rail's Framingham/Worcester Line train stops at Southborough Station, which opened to commuters on June 22, 2002. The station is located in the Cordaville neighborhood, on Route 85 near the border with Hopkinton. As of October 2007, ten daily round-trip trains provide service to Boston via the Back Bay and South Station terminals.

Interstate 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) both pass through Southborough, although neither have interchanges within town limits. Routes 9 and 30 are east-west routes passing through Southborough, while Route 85 serves the town as a north-south route.

Points of interest

Some interesting places in Southborough are:

  • 9/11 Field
  • Arts Center
  • Community House
  • Rural Cemetery
  • Breakneck Hill conservation land
  • Sudbury Reservoir Trail
  • St. Mark's School
  • Beals Preserve
  • Pilgrim Congregational Church (as pictured): where the funeral scene from the movie "Grown Ups" was filmed

Annual events

Southborough celebrates Heritage Day on Columbus Day. The day starts with a brief, noisy parade down Main St., anchored by youth organizations, the Algonquin High School marching band, and police and fire vehicles. The parade ends adjacent to the St. Mark's green, where vendors and local organizations set up booths offering crafts, food, knick-knacks, and information.

There are also events on the prior Sunday, including a five-mile run, a three-mile walk, and a pumpkin-carving contest that is judged at dusk.

Notable people

Media
  • Southborough News[20]
  • Northborough-Southborough Villager[21]
  • My Southborough news blog[22]

See also

References
  1. Douglas, Craig (13 February 2015) [12 February 2015]. "The BBJ's 2015 Millionaire Report: The towns and cities with the most million-dollar earners (BBJ DataCenter)". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  2. R.G. (August 2009). "Best Places to Live: 31. Southborough, MA". Money. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  3. "An Act For Dividing The Town Of Marlborough, And Erecting A New Town There By The Name Of Southborough". The State Library of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  4. "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  5. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  6. "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  7. "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  8. "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  10. "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  11. "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  12. "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  13. "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. "6-Figure Towns". CNN. July 21, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  16. C.B. Tillinghast. The free public libraries of Massachusetts. 1st Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1891. Google books
  17. Southborough Library. Retrieved 2010-11-10
  18. July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: Municipal Pie Reports Archived 2012-01-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-08-04
  19. Beck, Byron (2007-09-27). "Storm Goes Large". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  20. Southborough News
  21. Northborough-Southborough Villager
  22. My Southborough news blog
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