Burlington, Massachusetts
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Burlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,876 at the 2000 census.
History
Burlington was first settled in 1641 and was officially incorporated on February 28, 1799. The town is sited on the watersheds of the Ipswich, Mystic and Shawsheen Rivers. It is now a suburban industrial town at the junction of the Boston-Merrimac corridor but for most of its history it was almost entirely agricultural, selling hops and rye to Boston and supplementing that income with small shoe making shops. Early railroad expansion passed the town by, limiting its early development, and Burlington continued to cure hams for the Boston market and produce milk, fruit and vegetables. This picture changed drastically, however, as soon as Route 128 was built. The highway kicked off an enormous expansion, and between 1955 and 1965 Burlington was the fastest growing town in the state. In one five year period, its population tripled as residential and commercial retail development exploded creating the town's present character.It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed.
Government
Burlington is governed by a 108 member representative Town Meeting (18 representatives elected per precinct) and a five member executive Board of Selectmen. The Selectmen as of 2006 are: Gary J. Gianino (chairman); Albert L. Fay, Jr; Ralph C. Patuto; Kevin B. McKelvey and Sonia Rollins. The town administrator is Robert Mercier.Geography
Located in northeastern Massachusetts, Burlington is bordered by Bedford on the west, Billerica on the northwest, Wilmington on the northeast, Woburn on the southeast and south, and Lexington on the south. Burlington is 12 miles south of Lowell, 13 miles northwest of Boston, 36 miles southeast of Fitchburg, and 224 miles from New York City. Its highest point is Greenleaf Mountain (290' above sea level), the lowest point is the Great Meadow (150' above sea level). The elevation at Town Hall is 220' above sea level. The largest body of water is the 500 million gallon Millpond Reservoir in the eastern part of the town.According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.8 km² (11.9 mi²). 30.6 km² (11.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.59%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 22,876 people, 8,289 households, and 6,374 families residing in the town. The population density was 747.9/km² (1,936.4/mi²). There were 8,445 housing units at an average density of 276.1/km² (714.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.71% White, 1.36% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 10.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.There were 8,289 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $75,240, and the median income for a family was $82,072. Males had a median income of $55,635 versus $36,486 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,732. About 1.3% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable figures
- Peter & Kitty Carruthers, Silver Medalists, 1984 Winter Olympics, Pairs Figure Skating
- Mark & Scott Fusco, 1984 US Olympic Hockey Team
- Steve LeVeille, Overnight host on WBZ Radio
- David Lovering, Drummer for The Pixies
- Roderick MacKinnon, Co-receipient, 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Jay Pandolfo, Ice Hockey Player; Forward, New Jersey Devils
- Amy Poehler, Actress, cast member Saturday Night Live
- Steven Wright, Actor, Comedian
External links
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