Auburn, Massachusetts

Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.

Auburn, Massachusetts
Town
Auburn Town Offices and Merriam Library
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°12′N 71°50′W
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyWorcester
Settled1714
IncorporatedApril 10, 1778
Government
 • TypeRepresentative town meeting
 • Town ManagerJulie Jacobson
 • Board of
    Selectmen		Lionel Berthiaume
Dan Carpenter
Doreen Goodrich
Ken Holmstrom
Tristan LaLiberte
 • School
    Committee		Leanne Gibree
Wayne Paige
Elizabeth Gribbons
Todd Hammond
Jeffery Lourie
Area
 • Total16.4 sq mi (42.5 km2)
 • Land15.4 sq mi (39.8 km2)
 • Water1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
Elevation
603 ft (184 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total16,188
 • Density1,051.2/sq mi (406.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
01501
Area code(s)508 / 774
FIPS code25-02760
GNIS feature ID0619474
Websitewww.auburnguide.com

History

The Auburn area was first settled in 1714 as of today outer parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massachusetts, and the town was officially incorporated on April 10, 1778 as the town of Ward,[1] in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward. The town changed its name to Auburn in 1837, after the Post Office complained that the name was too similar to the nearby town of Ware.

Before incorporation, most of Auburn was known as the South Parish of Worcester; other portions fell within the town limits of Leicester and Millbury.

Today, Auburn is bordered by Worcester to the north, Leicester to the west, Millbury to the east, and Oxford to the south.

Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from Pakachoag Hill, on his aunt Effe Ward's farm, in Auburn on March 16, 1926. Goddard is commemorated in Goddard Memorial Park, located downtown next to the Auburn Fire Department Headquarters. The park features a model of Goddard's prototype liquid-fueled rocket and a Polaris missile (Type A-1). A second replica of Goddard's prototype stands at Auburn High School.

Goddard's launch is also commemorated with a small monument, the Goddard Rocket Launching Site, between the first and ninth holes of Pakachoag Golf Course.[2]

Geography

Government

The form of government is representative town meeting. There are 24 town-meeting members from each of the five precincts of the town, for a total of 120 who represent the people at the annual town meeting each May. The town also has a Board of Selectmen which consists of 5 elected members each serving for a term of 3 years. As of 2009 the town adopted a new charter which allowed for the creation of a Town Manager.

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): Paul K. Frost (R)
State Senator(s): Michael O. Moore (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): 2nd District
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1850879—    
1860914+4.0%
18701,178+28.9%
18801,317+11.8%
18901,532+16.3%
19002,446+59.7%
19102,797+14.3%
19203,052+9.1%
19306,147+101.4%
19406,629+7.8%
19508,840+33.4%
196014,047+58.9%
197015,347+9.3%
198014,845−3.3%
199015,005+1.1%
200015,901+6.0%
201016,188+1.8%
Est. 201516,499+1.9%

Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

The 2010 Auburn, MA, population is 16,188. There are 1,053 people per square mile.

The estimated population as of 2016 is 16,499.

The median age is 40.8. The US median is 37.6. 61.86% of people in Auburn, MA, are married. 8.00% are divorced. The average household size is 2.41 people. 22.71% of people are married, with children. 5.08% have children, but are single.

According to the 2000 census, 97.21% of people are white, 0.81% are black or African American, 1.19% are Asian, 0.10% are Native American, and 1.00% are "other". 1.24% of the people in Auburn, MA, are of Hispanic ethnicity.

Highways

I-90: The 138 mile Massachusetts Turnpike was commissioned in 1957 and is a part of the 3,099 mile long I-90, the longest Interstate in the country. Almost 5 miles of I-90 runs from the west-southwest to east-northeast through Auburn and is six lanes wide (three each direction) through the town. The right of way is nominally about 300 feet wide. Auburn also contains Exit 10. The total land utilized in Auburn for the interstate is about 200 acres.

I-290: The first three miles of the 20 mile long eastbound (heads north in Auburn) Interstate 290 is in Auburn along with exits 7 (I-90), 8 (Rt. 12), and 9 (Swanson Rd EB, Auburn St. WB).

I-395: Two miles of Interstate 395 are in Auburn which becomes I-290 after Exit 6 (US 20).

Route 12: Five miles of Rt. 12 (Southbridge St.) traverses generally north/south through Auburn and its intersection with Auburn St. is named Drury Square.

US 20: Five miles of US 20 runs through Auburn. At 3,365 miles, US 20 is the longest road in the United States. In Auburn it is also known as Southbridge St. (concurrent section with RT 12), Washington St. and the SW Cutoff.

Education

Auburn has two elementary schools, Bryn Mawr School (grades K–2) and Pakachoag School (grades K-2). All Auburn public school students attend Swanson Road Intermediate School (grades 3-5) and Auburn Middle School (grades 6–8). Some students attend Auburn High School (grades 9–12),[13] while others are given the option to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in nearby Charlton.

A new Auburn High School opened on Drury Square in the center of town directly next to the old high school in the fall of 2006, equipped with turfed fields, to include (Memorial Field) all-purpose field for soccer, football, track & field, lacrosse, a turf baseball field, and a grass softball field (Rebecca J. Colokaithis Field), as well three new tennis courts and a basketball court (Holstrom Corner). Auburn High School participates in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.

In 2006 a group called "Save the '35" protested demolition of the oldest (1935) wing of the former high school. The old high school has now been completely demolished, except the dome on top of the high school, which is now located as a monument outside of right center field of the baseball field. A few of the bricks of the old building were sold within the town, and there are some located at the Auburn Historical Museum. In 1997, the Eastern Nazarene College started a learning annex in Auburn.[14]

Points of interest
  • Goddard Rocket Launching Site
  • Auburn Public Schools[15]
  • Lemansky Park (aka Rocketland Park)
  • Pakachoag Golf Course
  • Auburn Historical Museum
  • Horgan Skating Rink[16]
  • Auburn Public Library
  • Auburn Mall

Notable people
  • Paul Allaire, former CEO of Xerox Corp. (1990–2001)
  • Jacob Whitman Bailey, biologist, educator (1811–1857)[17]
  • Tyler Beede, 1st round draft pick (Toronto Blue Jays), 2012 SEC All-Freshman Team, 2013 Golden Spikes and Dick Howser MVP Finalist, 2013 All American, 2014 CWS National Champion and 2014 MLB 1st round draft Pick San Francisco Giants, 14th overall.
  • John Curdo, chess player
  • Jeffrey Lynn, (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind) American stage-screen actor and film producer (1909-1995) He worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time.
  • Sean McGrail, Co-founder and former President of Paint Nite (2012-2017)
  • John Krikorian, Head Coach of Christopher Newport University, led the Captains to the NCAA Tournament a total of five times in eight years. His overall head coaching record is 246-91 (.730)[18]
gollark: So why transfer the logs at all?
gollark: Ah, so I can't arbitrarily swap an oak log for a salt?
gollark: How will salt actually be represented?
gollark: Oh dear.
gollark: 1 wood = 1 salt = 1 krist?

References
  1. "Town of Auburn, MA - Auburn History", Auburn, MA, 2013, webpage: AG-docs Archived December 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. National Historic Landmarks Survey, by State - Massachusetts, page 8, accessed Oct. 19, 2007.
  3. "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  4. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  5. "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.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "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.
  11. "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.
  12. "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-03-04. Retrieved 2016-11-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. Salter, Sue (Summer 1997). "New Learning Center Launched at ENC" (PDF). News Vol. 7 No. 2. Consortium for the Advancement of Adult Higher Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  15. Auburn Public Schools Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Horgan Skating Rink Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  17. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
  18. "John Krikorian - Men's Basketball Coach". Christopher Newport University.

See Also

Worcester Historical Museum

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