Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster; on the north by Westminster; on the west by Hubbardston and Rutland; on the south by Rutland and Holden.
The preeminent landmark within Princeton is Mount Wachusett, which straddles the line between Princeton and Westminster but the entrance to which is within Princeton. According to tradition, in 1675, Mary Rowlandson was ransomed upon Redemption Rock, now within the town of Princeton, by King Philip.
The population was 3,353 at the 2000 census.
History
Princeton was created in 1759, out of land that was once part of Rutland. In 1810, it annexed a piece of Hubbardston, and in 1870, it annexed a piece of Westminster.
Register of Historic Places
Princeton has three entries on the National Register of Historic Places:
- East Princeton Village Historic District — Roughly Main St., Leominster Rd. (added April 18, 2004)
- Fernside-Vacation House for Working Girls — 162 Mountain Rd. (added July 27, 2002)
- Princeton Center Historic District — Jct. of Hubbardston and Mountain Rds. (added March 26, 1999)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.8 square miles (93 km2), of which, 35.4 square miles (92 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (1.12%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,353 people, 1,166 households, and 959 families residing in the town. The population density was 94.6 inhabitants per square mile (36.5 /km2). There were 1,196 housing units at an average density of 33.7 per square mile (13.0 /km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.75% White, 0.30% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
There were 1,166 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $80,993, and the median income for a family was $84,300. Males had a median income of $60,888 versus $39,494 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,232. About 2.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Education
Elementary and Middle Schools
Thomas Prince School, serves as the towns Elementary and Middle school in one building. It is part of the five town Wachusett Regional School District.
High School
Princeton high school students may choose to go to Wachusett Regional High School, located in Holden, or the vocational/technical high school "Monty Tech" Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg, MA.
Organizations
Princeton has organizations that has been created by its residents to help in many different ways.
Hearts for Heat
Hearts for Heat has recently become a notable aspect of Princeton life. Founded in 2005 by Princeton resident Cindy Shea, this Non-governmental Organization provides heat (oil, coal, wood, electric) to residents of Princeton. After meeting 100% of fuel assistance need in Princeton, the NGO expanded to include sections in surrounding towns Spencer, Massachusetts and Leicester, Massachusetts. The up-and-coming NGO's unique attributes are its community-binding nature, as well as its promise to use every dollar donated for actual fuel distributions. Recently featured on the front page of the Worcester County newspaper, the Telegram and Gazette, Shea has also found herself the focus of articles in Worcester Living Magazine, and the Landmark, Wachusett Region's newspaper.
Notable residents
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Edward Savage (1761-1817), portrait artist, engraver, and early museum proprietor
Michael Sorenson (1982-present) first Mexican / Jew to be admitted to the Wiffleball Hall of Fame.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
