Belchertown, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Belchertown, Massachusetts | |
| Nickname: B-town | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampshire County |
| Settled | 1731 |
| Incorporated | 1761 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Town | 55.4 sq mi (143.4 km²) |
| - Land | 52.7 sq mi (136.6 km²) |
| - Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.8 km²) |
| Elevation | 613 ft (187 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 12,968 |
| - Density | 245.9/sq mi (94.9/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01007 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
Belchertown is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,968 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Belchertown High School, and the infamous Belchertown State School mental institution (closed in 1992.)
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Belchertown, please see the article Belchertown (CDP), Massachusetts.
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[edit] History
Belchertown was first settled in 1731 and was officially incorporated in 1761. The town is named in honor of Jonathan Belcher, royal governor of Massachusetts. This town was originally named Cold Spring.[1]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 143.4 km² (55.4 mi²). 136.6 km² (52.7 mi²) of it is land and 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (4.77%) is water.
Belchertown now contains a portion of Enfield, Massachusetts, one of the four towns that was disincorporated in 1938 to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 12,968 people, 4,886 households, and 3,517 families residing in the town. The population density was 95.0/km² (245.9/mi²). There were 5,050 housing units at an average density of 37.0/km² (95.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.14% White, 0.81% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population.
There were 4,886 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,467, and the median income for a family was $60,830. Males had a median income of $39,656 versus $30,909 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,938. About 5.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
