Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,901 at the 2000 census.
History
Auburn was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1778 as the town of Ward, 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.
Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Eiffie's farm in Auburn on March 16, 1926. Goddard is commemorated in Goddard Memorial Park located downtown next to the Auburn Fire Department Headquarters.
In this park there is a model of Dr. Goddard's prototype liquid fueled rocket and a Polaris Ballistic Missile (Type A-1). Across the street at the Auburn High School stands a mini version of the prototype.
In addition, there is a small memorial commemorating the feat on the actual site where Goddard launched his rocket.[1] (The memorial is located between the 1st and 9th holes on Pakachoag Golf Course.)
the geography is 2.2 square miles
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 15,901 people, 6,346 households, and 4,404 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,035.3 people per square mile (399.7/km²). There were 6,579 housing units at an average density of 428.4/sq mi (165.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54% White, 0.58% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 6,346 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,753, and the median income for a family was $60,805. Males had a median income of $42,893 versus $31,121 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,802. About 2.7% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Education
Auburn has two elementary school "districts." Homes north and west of Route 12 (Southbridge Street) feed into Bryn Mawr School (grades K-2) and Julia Bancroft School (grades 3-5). The other half of town feeds into Mary D. Stone School (grades K-2) and Pakachoag School (grades 3-5). All Auburn public school students attend Auburn Middle School (grades 6-8). Some students attend Auburn High School (grades 9-12), while others are given the option to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School instead. A new high school opened on Drury Square in the center of town directly next to the old high school, equipped with a new turf football field, all-purpose field, baseball field, and a grass softball field, as well as new tennis courts, 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. 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.[3]
Points of interest
-
- Goddard Rocket Launching Site
- Auburn High School
- Auburn Mall
- Auburn Middle School
- Lemansky Park (aka Rocketland Park)
- Pakachoag Golf Course
- Crystal Caves Mini-Golf and Ice Cream
- Park N' Shop
- Auburn Historical Society
- Hampton Place
- Ronnies Seafood and Ice Cream
- AMF Bowling
- Horgan Skating Rink
- Auburn Public Library
- The Cat Hospital
Notable residents
References
- ^ National Historic Landmarks Survey, by State - Massachusetts see page 8, accessed Oct. 19, 2007
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Salter, Sue (Summer 1997). "New Learning Center Launched at ENC" (PDF). News Vol. 7 No. 2. Consortium for the Advancement of Adult Higher Education. http://www.caahe.org/publications/news_1997_06.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
External links
