Wales is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Hampden 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 1,838 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Wales was first settled by Europeans in 1726 and was officially incorporated on August 23, 1775, as "South Brimfield," a name it kept until February 20, 1828. The town was renamed after James Lawrence Wales, a local benefactor. Initial settlers included Anthony Needham, John Bullen, and Samuel and Dorothy Munger. The next generation of Mungers became prominent in the town. Samuel (Jr.) served as a

selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the 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 is the most common numb ...

and was deacon of the Baptist Church for many years. Nathaniel was one of 12 men of the district appointed as a "court of Justice and Honor to determine all controversies that may hereafter arise in said District," and was also a deacon of the Baptist Church. The "Meadow District" of Wales was originally known as "Munger's Meadow" and includes graves of early pioneers.

Geography

By the 2010 census, the population had reached 1,838. 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 are land and , or 1.46%, are water. Wales is in southeastern Hampden County and is bounded on the west by Monson; on the south by

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

and

Union, Connecticut Union is a New England town, town located in the northeastern part of Tolland County, Connecticut, Tolland County, Connecticut, United States and is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Plan ...

; on the east by

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

; and on the north by Brimfield. Massachusetts Route 19 crosses the town, leading north to the center of Brimfield and south (via Connecticut Route 19) to

Stafford Springs, Connecticut Stafford Springs is a census-designated place located in Stafford, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,780 at the 2020 Census. The village was a borough until November 1991, when it was disincorporated. Located near the source of ...

Education

Wales Elementary School, serving grades K–6, has its own school committee, part of School Union 61. Wales students attend Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (grades 7–8) and Tantasqua Regional High School in

Sturbridge Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living museum, living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The pop ...

. Union 61 and the Tantasqua district share administrators, including the superintendent, and both include Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, Sturbridge and Wales.

Library

The Wales Public Library opened in 1897. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Wales spent 1.28% ($45,480) of its budget on its public library—approximately $24 per person, per year ($31.63 adjusted for inflation to 2022).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 August 4, 2010

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 had been 1,737 people, 660 households, and 481 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 796 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.75%

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 ...

, 0.52%

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 ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 0.92% 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 0.63% of the population. There were 660 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, and 11.1% had a female head of household with no husband present. The median income for a household in the town was $48,906, and the median income for a family was $51,629. Males had a median income of $39,766 versus $27,557 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 $21,267. About 1.8% of families and 3.5% 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 3.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Town of Wales official website
{{authority control Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Towns in Hampden County, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts