Southbridge, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : Southbridge, Massachusetts
-->The Town of Southbridge is a city Although it is called the "Town of Southbridge," it is a city. See [Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth]. in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,214, at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Southbridge, please see the article Southbridge (CDP), Massachusetts.
History
Southbridge was first settled in 1730 and was officially incorporated in 1816. As early as 1638, John Winthrop Jr. purchased a tract of land for mining ore. Water power from the Quinebaug River made Southbridge a good location for saw and grist mills in the 1700s and textile mills in the 1800s. Immigrants, mostly unskilled laborers of Irish, French-Canadian, Italian and Polish descent, came to work here. Southbridge has a long history of manufacture of optical products. Early in the 20th Century, when American Optical Company (AO) was growing, Southbridge was nicknamed "Spectown." AO, under the leadership of the Wells family, became the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic products and at its height employed more than 6,000 people around the world.Today Southbridge is a major center for fiber optics technology, as well as cutlery and hand tools. Southbridge has worked hard to renovate and revitalize the downtown area. It has successfully maintained a Moody's bond rating of A for over a decade while ensuring services for its residents.
Many ethnic groups are part of Southbridge's history and present life. French-Canadians, Italians, Irish, Polish, Greek, Albanian, Armenian, Romanian, Hispanic, and Laotian populations all contribute to the heritage and diversity of the town. With the ever growing mix of ethnic groups, churches and religious institutions play a big part in the town's life.
Southbridge was recently featured in the documentary [greater southbridge], chronicling the lives of some of Southbridge's residents.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.0 km² (20.9 mi²). 52.7 km² (20.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.40%) is water.Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 17,214 people, 7,077 households, and 4,522 families residing in the city. The population density was 326.4/km² (845.4/mi²). There were 7,511 housing units at an average density of 142.4/km² (368.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.23% White, 1.43% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 8.70% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.17% of the population.There were 7,077 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,913, and the median income for a family was $41,863. Males had a median income of $36,008 versus $25,685 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,514. About 13.0% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
References
Notable figures
[Felix Gatineau (1857-1927)]External links
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