West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

West Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States. The population was 7,707 at the 2020 census.


History

West Bridgewater was first settled in 1651 as a part of Olde Bridgewater. The town separated from Bridgewater, Massachusetts and was officially incorporated in 1822, the second of the three communities to separate from Bridgewater (after North Bridgewater, now Brockton, and before East Bridgewater) over the span of three years. The town, like many in the area, had both agrarian and industrial roots; the Town River provided water power for milling and irrigation for farming. The town is home to the Keith House (1662), the oldest standing parsonage in the U.S. The town is also believed to be the site of the first industrial park in the U.S., now the site of the Town Park. The original Ames Shovel Works was located in the Town Park. Today, the town is mostly residential.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.25%, is water. The town ranks 238th of 351 communities in the Commonwealth in terms of land area, and ranks nineteenth out of the twenty-seven towns in Plymouth County. West Bridgewater is bordered by Brockton to the north, East Bridgewater to the east, Bridgewater to the south, and Easton to the west, as well as a small section (less than a quarter of a mile long) of the southwestern corner that borders the town of Raynham. West Bridgewater's town center is approximately south of the center of Brockton, and is south of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. West Bridgewater lies along the northeastern edge of the Hockomock Swamp, with a large section of the southwestern corner of town being covered by the swamp and its wildlife management area. There are also several other protected areas throughout the town, as well as several parks and a large pond surrounded by a state forest. The Town River also passes through the southern portion of town, branching off into several brooks throughout the town, as does the Salisbury River in the northeastern corner of town.


Transportation

Massachusetts Route 24 passes through the western half of town, with an exit at Route 106. Route 106 passes from east to west in the town, and meets at the center of town with Route 28. The Fall River/New Bedford Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system passes through West Bridgewater; the nearest stations are and . (Under the New Haven Railroad, stations were at Matfield on the main line plus Cochessett on the West Bridgewater Branch.) There are no airports in the town; there are small strips in nearby Taunton and Mansfield, but the nearest national air service is at Logan International Airport in Boston. Bloom Bus Lines operates commuter service between
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
, West Bridgewater, and
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 6,634 people, 2,444 households, and 1,796 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.40%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.95%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.26% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. There were 2,444 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,958, and the median income for a family was $64,815. Males had a median income of $41,863 versus $31,835 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $23,701. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% 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 ...
, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.


Government

On the national level, West Bridgewater is a part of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, and has been represented since 2001 by Stephen Lynch. On the state level, West Bridgewater is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
as a part of the Tenth Plymouth district, which includes portions of Brockton and East Bridgewater. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes all or parts of Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph, Sharon and Stoughton. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Middleborough) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police. West Bridgewater is governed on the local level by the open town meeting form of government, led by the
board of selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...
. The current board of selectmen consists of Jeff Ryan, Michael Perez, and Marcie Lee. The town operates its own police and fire departments, both of which are headquartered together on Route 106 just west of Route 28. The fire department also has an ambulance service, bringing emergency room patients to either Brockton Hospital or Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. The town has its own post office, located on Route 28 across the street from the town hall. West Bridgewater Public Library is located around the corner from the post office, and is a member of the SAILS Library Network.


Education

West Bridgewater operates its own school system for its approximately 1,220 students. The Spring Street School, not far from the town center, serves pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. The Rose L. MacDonald School, located closer to the geographic center of the town, serves first, second and third grade students. The Howard School, between the post office and the library, serves fourth, fifth and sixth grade students. The West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, located along Route 106, serves students from grades 7–12. West Bridgewater's athletics teams are known as the Wildcats, and their colors are maroon and white. The football team plays Holbrook-Avon for its Thanksgiving Day
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
game, having recently ended its tradition of playing Freetown-Lakeville's Apponequet high school. Before that East Bridgewater had been the original rival. In addition to the high school, students may choose to attend Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in South Easton free of charge. The town is also home to the New England Baptist Academy, a private Christian school serving all grades. There are also other private schools in neighboring Bridgewater and Brockton. The nearest colleges are Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Stonehill College in Easton, and
Bridgewater State University Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Massachusetts, N ...
in Bridgewater.


Notable people

* Cyrus Alger (1781–1856), inventor, owner of the shop which produced the first rifled gun in America * Spike Feresten, talk show host on Fox, writer for the '' Late Show with David Letterman'', writer for ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'', who wrote the infamous Soup Nazi episode * Wally Feresten, cue card handler and supervisor for ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' and '' Late Night with Seth Meyers'' * Jack Gallagher, Nationally known comedian, TV Host (MoneyTrack on PBS) and Playwright. Author of five critically acclaimed one-man shows. "Letters To Declan", "Just The Guy", "What He Left", "A Different Kind Of Cool" and "Complete and Unfinished" * Hastings Keith (1915–2005), was a United States Representative from Massachusetts * John Davidson (1941-), actor, singer, game show host


See also

* War Memorial Park


References


External links


Town of West Bridgewater official website

West Bridgewater Public Library
{{authority control Towns in Plymouth County, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts 1651 establishments in Plymouth Colony