Holden is a town in Worcester County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square (Center, Common) was donated by

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...

, former Governor of Massachusetts. The population was 19,905 at the 2020 census.

History

Holden was named for

Samuel Holden Samuel Holden (1675–1740) was an English merchant, politician, and nonconformist activist. Life The son of Joseph Holden by his second wife Priscilla Watt, he was employed when still young by the Russia Company at Riga. He became a successful ...

, a director of the

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Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.40%, is water. The landscape is compiled of hills and rivers, including the Quinapoxet. Holden is bounded on the west by

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest l ...

, on the northwest by

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, on the east by Sterling and West Boylston, on the southeast by

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, and on the southwest by Paxton.

Demographics

Entering Holden eastbound on MA Route 122A, MA

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,621 people, 5,715 households, and 4,423 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPop ...

was . There were 5,827 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.39%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.49%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...

, 0.24% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.79% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...

or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 5,715 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $64,297, and the median income for a family was $73,614. Males had a median income of $52,203 versus $36,194 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $27,971. About 2.0% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

1891 Holden public library Massachusetts

Education

Schools

Holden is part of the five-town Wachusett Regional School District that includes the neighboring towns of Paxton,

, and Sterling. The towns share the newly renovated Wachusett Regional High School. Wachusett was the first regional school district in Massachusetts. Holden has three elementary schools: Davis Hill Elementary, Dr. Leroy E. Mayo Elementary, and Dawson Elementary. The town is served by Mountview Middle School for grades 6–8 which was newly built in 2016. High school students may choose to attend Wachusett Regional High School in Holden or Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School ("Monty Tech") in Fitchburg. Holden also serves as the hometown for Holden Christian Academy, a PS–8 private Christian school.

Library

The Holden public library first opened in 1888. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Holden spent 1.99% ($679,756) of its budget on its public library—approximately $40 per person, per year.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

Points of interest

* Alden Research Laboratory * Steel rotating boom, for testing of hydraulic meters, an ASME historic landmark

Notable people

* Dan Colman, professional poker player, the winner of $40,000,000 Big One for One Drop * Lewis Evangelidis, Worcester County Sheriff and former State Representative * Ron Hallstrom, NFL football player for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thir ...

and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The t ...

Matthew Quick Matthew Quick (born October 23, 1973) is an American writer of adult and young adult fiction. His debut novel, '' The Silver Linings Playbook'', became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as a movie of the same name starring Bradley ...

, author of ''The Silver Linings Playbook'' and Boy 21 * Fran Quinn, professional golfer * Tyler Rand, American arts executive * Bruce Taylor, former pitcher for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

References

External links

Town of Holden official website

Holden page on NeighborhoodScout
{{authority control Towns in Worcester County, Massachusetts Populated places established in 1741 1741 establishments in Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts