Sterling, Massachusetts

Sterling, Massachusetts
Sterling, Massachusetts
—  Town  —
Sterling Town Common
Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°26′15″N 71°45′40″W / 42.4375°N 71.76111°W / 42.4375; -71.76111Coordinates: 42°26′15″N 71°45′40″W / 42.4375°N 71.76111°W / 42.4375; -71.76111
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1720
Incorporated 1781
Government
 – Type Open town meeting
 – Town Administrator Terri Ackerman
Area
 – Total 31.6 sq mi (81.8 km2)
 – Land 30.5 sq mi (79.0 km2)
 – Water 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
Elevation 502 ft (153 m)
Population (2010)
 – Total 7,808
 – Density 247.2/sq mi (95.5/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 – Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01564
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-67385
GNIS feature ID 0619490
Website www.sterling-ma.gov

Sterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 7,808 at the 2010 census.

Contents

History

Sterling was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and was officially incorporated in 1781.

Previous to its incorporation it was "the Second Parish of Lancaster," and was commonly called by a portion of its Indian name, Chocksett.[1] The original Indian name of the area being Woonsechocksett. The land encompassing the Chocksett region was not originally included in the first land sold by the great Indian Chief Sholan to the settlers of the Lancaster grant. However, Sholan's nephew Tahanto would eventually sell the Chocksett land to inhabitants of Lancaster in 1713.

The first white settlers arrived in Chocksett seven years later in 1720, formerly inhabitants of Lancaster proper.[2] Among these first settlers were families such as Beman, Sawyer, Houghton, and Osgood; names reflected to this day in the names of Sterling's oldest roads.[3]

A short time after settlement, in 1733, the residents of the Chocksett area requested its own incorporation, separate from Lancaster, due to the "great inconvenience" of a long distance to the church in Lancaster's center. This request was denied. However, by 1780 the population of Chocksett was so numerous as to constitute a majority, and so the voters of the area voted out the existing Lancaster town officers and began to conduct town business and meetings in Chocksett. This was enough to convince the rest of Lancaster that it was now time for Chocksett, the Second Parish of Lancaster, to go its own way.[4]

In 1781, Chocksett was incorporated as its own town: Sterling. The town derives its name from General William "Lord Stirling" Alexander, a Scottish expatriate, who served valiantly under Gen. George Washington in the New York and other campaigns. His portrait hangs in the town hall, and the town commemorated Alexander with a medallion during its bicentennial celebration in 1976.

Residents recently approved and built new facilities for the police and fire departments. The town enjoys a low crime rate even though it has large metropolitan areas both north and south of its borders.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.6 square miles (82 km2), of which 30.5 square miles (79 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), or 3.42%, is water.

Interstate 190 cuts Sterling in half. Sterling is also crossed by Massachusetts Route 12, Massachusetts Route 62, Massachusetts Route 140, and Massachusetts Route 110.

Sterling is bordered by Leominster to the north, West Boylston to the south, Princeton and Holden to the west, Lancaster to the northeast, and Clinton and Boylston to the southeast. Sterling borders Boylston on the Wachusett Reservoir.

Demographics

Historical populations
Year Pop. ±%
1850 1,805
1860 1,881 +4.2%
1870 1,670 −11.2%
1880 1,414 −15.3%
1890 1,244 −12.0%
1900 1,420 +14.1%
1910 1,359 −4.3%
1920 1,305 −4.0%
1930 1,502 +15.1%
1940 1,713 +14.0%
1950 2,166 +26.4%
1960 3,193 +47.4%
1970 4,247 +33.0%
1980 5,440 +28.1%
1990 6,481 +19.1%
2000 7,257 +12.0%
2001* 7,486 +3.2%
2002* 7,614 +1.7%
2003* 7,706 +1.2%
2004* 7,730 +0.3%
2005* 7,792 +0.8%
2006* 7,821 +0.4%
2007* 7,840 +0.2%
2008* 7,737 −1.3%
2009* 7,778 +0.5%
2010 7,808 +0.4%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Old Town Hall

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 7,257 people, 2,573 households, and 2,068 families residing in the town. The population density was 237.7 people per square mile (91.8/km²). There were 2,637 housing units at an average density of 86.4 per square mile (33.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.06% White, 0.58% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population.

There were 2,573 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $67,188, and the median income for a family was $76,943. Males had a median income of $51,227 versus $32,734 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,844. About 1.7% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

County government: Worcester County
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Register of Probate: Stephen Abraham (D)
County Sheriff: Lew Evangelidis (R)
State government
State Representative(s): Kimberly Ferguson (R), Harold P. Naughton, Jr. (D)
State Senator(s): Jennifer L. Flanagan (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): John W. Olver (D-1st District),
U.S. Senators: John Kerry (D), Scott Brown (R)


Blood Family Homestead (1859) in Sterling, by Mary Blood Mellen (1817-1882)

Taxes

The tax rate in Sterling has remained fairly steady over recent years and has occasionally been reduced by a small percentage. These small decreases however have been dramatically overshadowed by extreme increases in house evaluations resulting in many residents effectively paying 50–75% more in taxes in 2005 as compared with five years earlier.

The Waushacum Village Homeowner's Association, however, being a private neighborhood southeast of the Sterling Junction, employs a system in which the land is leased from the neighborhood committee, which creates low house valuations in the area.

The Waushacum Village Homeowner's Association is also the only neighborhood in Sterling that operates a unified sewage and waste management system.

Sterling public library, 1891

Library

The Sterling public library began in 1871.[16][17] In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sterling spent 1.59% ($289,567) of its budget on its public library—some $36 per person.[18] The Library closed down temporarily in 2002 so it could be renovated. During this time, the library was temporarily located in the Old Town Hall. The renovation was finished in 2004, and the library was then located to its original location.

Education

Sterling is part of the Wachusett Regional School District. Students between Grades K-4 attend Houghton Elementary School while students between Grades 5-8 attend Chocksett Middle School. Most Sterling residents attend Wachusett Regional High School in Holden for high school. Some Sterling residents however can attend Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg.

Utilities

Sterling provides town water to many residents although the more rural parts of town remain on private wells. The quality of the town water is high after the installation of a purification system. The water is drawn from a private underground spring which flows from the Chickopee Water Table. In the early 2000s town water supply was affected by high bacteria levels and residents were forced to boil water for three weeks until the situation was resolved. With the exception of the Waushacum Home Owner's Association (whose residents enjoy a private purification system) there are no town sewer services - all houses have private septic systems.

The town also offers curbside trash pickup for no additional fee and has a recycling center with one of the highest recycling percentages in the state.

Sterling is one of 38 or so communities in the state that has it own municipal electric light company that is separate from other municipal government functions. Sterling ratepayers are the owners of this utility and reap the benefits of exceptional service and an early payment discount on their monthly bills. Once a year ratepayers receive an increased discount, usually in the month of November. It is the only municipal light department in the state that currently offers a year end discount as a "dividend" to customers. The utility provides a $40,000 in-lieu-of tax payment to the town each year.

Points of interest

An annual event, the Sterling Fair, is a popular place to be in early to mid-September. There are carnival games and rides, as well as patron-submitted exhibits and art works, a petting zoo, contests, oxen pulls, a pancake breakfast held by the Sterling Chocksett Club, live music performance, a wide array of food options, and the popular hot air balloon rides.

A close proximity to Wachusett Mountain (state forest and ski area) and Leominster State Forest gives Sterling plenty of outdoor adventure.

Notable residents

  • Adam Aijala, progressive bluegrass guitarist and singer
  • Ebenezer Butterick (29 May 1826 – 31 March 1903), inventor of tissue paper dress patterns, which revolutionized home sewing. The town's municipal building is located in the old Butterick School, which was named after Ebenezer Butterick's daughter, Mary Ellen.
  • Charles Herbert Colvin, aeronautical engineer
  • Jay Cutler, bodybuilder, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 Mr. Olympia
  • Prentiss Mellen, United States senator (1818–1820)
  • Le Gage Pratt, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
  • Arthur Prentice Rugg, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1862–1938)[19]

Film and literary references

  • The 2001 film Shallow Hal had scenes shot in Sterling.
  • Sterling is the setting of Sarah Josepha Hale's famous poem, "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Mary Sawyer, the subject of the historically true poem, lived in Sterling. The Sawyer's house was destroyed by arson in August 2007. A new replica of the house has been created.

References

  1. ^ Records of the Court of general sessions of the peace for the county of Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1731 to 1737
  2. ^ History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Abijah Perkins Marvin, 1879
  3. ^ Topographical and historical sketches of the town of Lancaster, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts: furnished for the Worcester magazine and historical journal (1826)p. 47
  4. ^ Topographical and historical sketches of the town of Lancaster, in the commonwealth of Massachusetts: furnished for the Worcester magazine and historical journal (1826) p. 56
  5. ^ "TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P1/0400000US25.06000. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  6. ^ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US25&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2009_EST&-_lang=en&-format=ST-9&-_sse=on. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  7. ^ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts". US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp1/cp-1-23.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  8. ^ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts". US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_maABC-01.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  9. ^ "1950 Census of Population". 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. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  10. ^ "1920 Census of Population". 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. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  11. ^ "1890 Census of the Population". 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. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  12. ^ "1870 Census of the Population". Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1870e-05.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  13. ^ "1860 Census". Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c.. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1860a-08.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  14. ^ "1850 Census". Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c.. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1850c-11.pdf. Retrieved July 12, 2011. 
  15. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  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. ^ Conant Public 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. Retrieved 2010-08-04
  19. ^ http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/bulr2&div=12&id=&page=

External links


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