Hardwick, Massachusetts

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hardwick, Massachusetts
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Covered bridge in Gilbertville
image_

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Massachusetts
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Worcester
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1737
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1739
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
government_type = Open town meeting
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 = Robert Roy
Deana L. Talbot
Eric Vollheim
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 105.8
area_total_sq_mi = 40.8
area_land_km2 = 99.9
area_land_sq_mi = 38.6
area_water_km2 = 5.8
area_water_sq_mi = 2.3
population_as_of = 2000
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 2622
population_density_km2 = 26.2
population_density_sq_mi = 67.9
elevation_m = 268
elevation_ft = 880
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 42 |latm = 21 |lats = 00 |latNS = N
longd = 72 |longm = 12 |longs = 00 |longEW = W
website = [http://www.townofhardwick.com/ www.townofhardwick.com]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 01031
area_code = 413
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 25-28740
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0619481
footnotes =

Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about 20 miles west of the city of Worcester. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace.

History

Hardwick was first settled in 1737 and was officially incorporated in 1739, named in honor of Lord Hardwicke, an English nobleman. In 1762, General Timothy Ruggles introduced the Hardwick Fair, now the oldest annual fair in the United States. During the late 1800s, Hardwick experienced an expansion of its manufacturing industry, textile and paper mills, both of which left the area by the 1930s. The town has retained its agricultural roots, a long standing tradition in the region. Hardwick is the home of Eagle Hill School, founded in 1967.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.8 square miles (105.8 km²), of which, 38.6 square miles (99.9 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.8 km²) of it (5.51%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,622 people, 997 households, and 689 families residing in the town. The population density was 67.9 people per square mile (26.2/km²). There were 1,086 housing units at an average density of 28.1/sq mi (10.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.79% White, 0.53% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 997 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,742, and the median income for a family was $54,667. Males had a median income of $37,763 versus $30,057 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,824. About 5.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Infobox Mass Town Govt
county= Worcester
clerk_courts = Dennis P. McManus (D)
cty_treasurer = Position Eliminated
da = Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
deeds = Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
probate = Stephen Abraham (D)
sheriff = Guy W. Glodis (D)
state_rep = Anne M. Gobi (D)
state_sen = Stephen M. Brewer (D)
gov_councilors = Thomas J. Foley (D)
fed_rep = John W. Olver (D-1st District),
fed_sen = Edward Kennedy (D)
John Kerry (D)

References

External links

* [http://townofhardwick.com Town of Hardwick]