Sterling is a town in
Worcester 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 7,985 at the
2020 census.
History
Previous to its incorporation, it was "the Second Parish of
Lancaster." It was commonly called by a portion of its Indian name, Chocksett. There was an Indian fort and graveyard located between East Waushacum Pond and West Waushacum Pond.
Sagamore Sam, a
Nashaway sachem and insurgent during
King Philip's War
King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...
, was from Waushacum.
The Nipmuc minister,
Peter Jethro, worked in the area in the 1670s. The original Indian name of the area was Woonsechocksett. The land encompassing the Chocksett region was not originally included in the first land sold by the great Indian Chief
Sholan to the settlers of the Lancaster grant. However, Sholan's nephew
Tahanto would eventually sell the Chocksett land to the inhabitants of Lancaster in 1713.
The first white settlers arrived in Chocksett seven years later, in 1720, formerly inhabitants of Lancaster proper. Among these first settlers were families such as Beman, Sawyer, Houghton, and Osgood – names reflected to this day in the names of Sterling's oldest roads.
A short time after settlement, in 1733, the residents of the Chocksett area requested its own incorporation, separate from Lancaster, due to the "great inconvenience" of a long distance to the church in Lancaster's center. This request was denied. However, by 1780 the population of Chocksett was so numerous as to constitute a majority. So the voters of the area voted out the existing Lancaster town officers and began to conduct town business and meetings in Chocksett. This was enough to convince the rest of Lancaster that it was now time for Chocksett, the Second Parish of Lancaster, to go its own way.
In 1781, Chocksett was incorporated as its own town: Sterling. The town derives its name from
General William "Lord Stirling" Alexander, who served valiantly under Gen.
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
in the New York and other campaigns. His portrait hangs in the town hall, and the town commemorated Alexander with a medallion during its bicentennial celebration in 1981. A duplicate portrait resides in the town hall of New Windsor, NY.
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 3.42%, is water.
Interstate 190 cuts Sterling in half. Sterling is also crossed by
Massachusetts Route 12,
Massachusetts Route 62,
Massachusetts Route 140, and
Massachusetts Route 110.
Sterling is bordered by
Leominster
Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...
to the north,
West Boylston to the south,
Princeton and
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
to the west,
Lancaster to the northeast, and
Clinton and
Boylston to the southeast. Sterling borders Boylston on the
Wachusett Reservoir.
Demographics

As of the
2020 United States census, there were 7.985 people and 3,248 households in the town. The population density was . The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $372,400. The
racial makeup of the town was 95.7% White, 1.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.
21.7% were under the age of 18, and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The population was 52.4% female.
The median income for a household in the town was $119,000. 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 $59,851. About 1.8% of the population was 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 ...
.
Government
Taxes
Residents of Sterling pay
property tax
A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
es on real estate and certain other personal items, such as unregistered vehicles. The value of taxable property is determined by the town Board of Assessors. In 2023, the tax rate was
$14.30 for one thousand dollars of valuation. Although the tax rate consistently decreased from 2016 to 2023, average bills have increased due to changes in valuation.
Library

The Sterling public library began in 1871. The Conant Public Library building, financed by
Edwin Conant in memory of his daughter Elizabeth Ann Conant, was dedicated in 1886. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sterling spent 1.59% ($289,567) of its budget on its public library—approximately $36 per person, per year ($47.44 adjusted for inflation to 2022). The Conant Library building closed in 2002 so it could be renovated. During this time, the library was temporarily moved to the Old Town Hall. The renovation was finished in 2004, and the library returned to its original location.
Education
Sterling is part of the
Wachusett Regional School District. Students between Grades K–4 attend Houghton Elementary School, while students between Grades 5–8 attend Chocksett Middle School. Most Sterling residents attend
Wachusett Regional High School in
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
for high school. Some Sterling residents, however, can attend
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in
Fitchburg.
Utilities
Sterling provides town water to many residents, although the more rural parts of town remain on private wells. The source of town water is six groundwater wells located on Redemption Rock Trail and
Worcester Road. All public wells use an
ultraviolet light
Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of th ...
purification system. In 2010, town water supply was affected by high bacteria levels, including detection of
E. coli
''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...
, and residents were advised to boil water until the situation was resolved.
There are no town sewer services, and all houses have private
septic system
Onsite sewage facilities (OSSF), also called septic systems, are wastewater systems designed to treat and dispose of effluent on the same property that produces the wastewater, in areas not served by public sewage infrastructure.
A septic tank a ...
s.
The town also offers curbside trash and recycling pickup for no additional fee. The town recycling center at the Sterling Department of Public Works closed permanently on July 1, 2015. Residents may use the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center in West Boylston, MA to drop off recycling and larger bulk items.
Sterling is one of 41 communities in the state that has its own municipal electric light company. The Light Department works under the direction and control of three elected Commissioners who serve rotating 3 year terms. The Light Board hires a Manager who runs day-to-day operations.
In fall of 2016, Sterling Municipal Light Department broke ground on the "first utility-scale energy storage facility in Massachusetts", which can, in the case of an electric outage, power the emergency dispatch center and police station for up to twelve days. The battery storage also helps the town save money on peak power charges from the grid operator. The award-winning project has generated considerable interest, attracting international visitors from Europe and Asia. In the aftermath of the devastating 2017 hurricanes
Irma and
Maria in the Caribbean, the microgrid project has been cited as a model of designing and building power infrastructure for resiliency in disaster situations.
Eversource provides
natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
service in Sterling.
Points of interest
An annual event, the Sterling Fair, is typically held in early to mid-September. The Sterling Fair is one of the last remaining agricultural fairs with free admission. In addition to traditional livestock exhibits including goats, cows, rabbits and sheep, the fair has carnival games and rides, as well as patron-submitted exhibits and artwork, a petting zoo, contests, oxen pulls, a pancake breakfast held by the Sterling Chocksett Club, live music performances, food, and fireworks.
* Close proximity to
Wachusett Mountain (state forest and ski area) and
Leominster State Forest.
* Davis Farmland, a seasonal petting zoo for children and Davis Mega Maze, New England's only world-class adventure cornfield maze.
* Sholan Park located on Lake Waushacum has a beach area with a dock for swimming. It also has grills for cookouts, a sand volleyball court, and a boat ramp.
Notable people

*
Fred Borchelt (1954-), American Olympic athlete and physicist.
*
Ebenezer Butterick (1826–1903), inventor of tissue paper dress patterns, which revolutionized home
sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening pieces of textiles together using a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeo ...
. The town's municipal building is located in the old Butterick School, which was named after his daughter, Mary Ellen
*
Edwin Conant, Businessman, Attorney, Philanthropist
*
Charles Herbert Colvin, aeronautical engineer
*
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...
, bodybuilder and four-time
Mr. Olympia
Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...
*
Meghan Kilcoyne, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the
12th Worcester district, grew up in Sterling
*
Prentiss Mellen, United States senator (1818–1820)
*
William Francis Nichols, Arizona Territorial Secretary
*
Le Gage Pratt, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
*
Arthur Prentice Rugg, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court; born in Sterling
* Mary Sawyer Tyler, the alleged real-life "Mary" of the poem "
Mary Had a Little Lamb"
Film and literary references
*The 2001 film ''
Shallow Hal
''Shallow Hal'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, Farrelly Brothers. The film stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black, with Jason Alexander, Joe Viterelli, and Susan Ward in supporting roles. Filming took pla ...
'' had scenes shot in Sterling.
*Sterling is the setting of
Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (October 24, 1788April 30, 1879) was an American writer, activist, and editor of the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the American Civil War, Civil War, ''Godey's Lady's Book''. She was the author of t ...
's poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Mary Sawyer, the alleged real-life subject of the poem, lived in Sterling and attended the
Redstone School. The Sawyers'
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
was a
National Historic Place until it was destroyed by arson in August 2007. A new replica of the house has been created.
See also
*
Sterling Camp Meeting Grounds, a former Methodist Camp Meeting site
References
External links
Sterling official websiteHistory of Sterling Massachusetts: Images, photos and postcards from the past
{{authority control
Towns in Worcester County, Massachusetts
Towns in Massachusetts