Cohasset, Massachusetts
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| Cohasset, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Norfolk County |
| Settled | 1647 |
| Incorporated | 1775 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Town | 31.5 sq mi (81.5 km²) |
| - Land | 9.9 sq mi (25.6 km²) |
| - Water | 21.6 sq mi (55.9 km²) |
| Elevation | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 7,261 |
| - Density | 734.4/sq mi (283.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 02025 |
| Area code(s) | 339 / 781 |
| Website: http://www.townofcohasset.org/ | |
Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,261 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Cohasset was first seen by Europeans in 1614, when Captain John Smith explored the coast of New England. The area was first settled in 1670 and became a town separate from Hingham in 1770. The town's name came from the Algonquian word "Conohasset," meaning "long rocky place." Cohasset was originally part of Suffolk County, and when the southern part of the county was set off as Norfolk County in 1793, it included the towns of Cohasset, Hingham and Hull. In 1803 Hull and Hingham opted out of Norfolk County and became part of Plymouth County, leaving Cohasset as an exclave of Norfolk County. [1]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 81.5 km² (31.5 mi²). 25.6 km² (9.9 mi²) of it is land and 55.9 km² (21.6 mi²) of it (68.56%) is water. It is bordered on the west by Hingham, on the northwest by Hull, on the north and northeast by Massachusetts Bay and on the east and south by Scituate. Cohasset is approximately twelve miles east of Braintree and twenty miles southeast of Boston.
Cohasset is located on the "corner" of the South Shore, where greater Boston Harbor ends and Massachusetts Bay begins. The shore is rocky, with many small ledges and rocks lying offshore. Cohasset Cove and The Gulf provide a long portion of the border with Scituate, while Straits Pond divides Hull from the town on the northwest. Near the center of the coast lies Little Harbor, a large inlet divided from the ocean by Beach Island. Several other brooks and rivers run through the town. A large portion of the southwestern part of town is occupied by the Wompatuck State Park and the Whitney & Thayer Woods Reservation. There is also a bird sanctuary, as well as a large park (Wheelwright Park) near Little Harbor. There are three beaches along the bay, and the Cohasset Yacht Club and a public beach launch in Cohasset Cove.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,261 people, 2,673 households, and 2,012 families residing in the town. The population density was 283.5/km² (734.4/mi²). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 109.5/km² (283.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.20% White, 0.18% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 2,673 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $84,156, and the median income for a family was $100,137. Males had a median income of $79,045 versus $41,397 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,909. About 1.2% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
On the national level, Cohasset is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John Kerry.
On the state level, Cohasset is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Third Plymouth district, which includes Hingham, Hull and Scituate. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth.[2] The town is patrolled on a secondary basis by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.[3]
Cohasset is governed on the local level by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen. The town operates its own police and fire departments, both of which are headquartered near the town center. Emergency services are also provided by the town, with patients taken to the Braintree Hospital. The town's post office is also nearby, just off of the town common. The town's Pratt Memorial Library is located just west of the town center, in what was once a school adjacent to the original library.
[edit] Education
Cohasset operates its own school department for the town's approximately 1,500 students. The Osgood Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The Deer Hill Elementary School, located adjacent to the Osgood School, serves students from grades 3-5. The town operates a combined Middle/High School, which is located just over Bear Hill from the other two schools. Cohasset's athletics teams are known as the Skippers, and their colors are navy blue and white. They compete in the Patriot League, and their chief rival is Hull High School.
High school students may also choose to attend South Shore Vocational Technical High School in Hanover free of charge. There are no private schools in Cohasset, but there are several in neighboring Hingham and the towns west of it.
[edit] Transportation
No divided highways run through Cohasset. The longest state route through the town is Route 3A, which curves through the town between Scituate and Hingham. Route 228 runs along the border with Hingham, crossing the Weir River into Hull. The nearest airport to Cohasset is Marshfield Municipal Airport. The nearest national and international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in Boston. T. F. Green Airport, located outside Providence, Rhode Island, is an alternative to this airport, although it is located further away.
No public transportation outside of school buses travels within the boundaries of Cohasset, though an extension of the MBTA Bus system does stop just over the border into Hingham and Hull near West Corner where the three towns meet. Construction was recently completed on restoration the Greenbush Line of the MBTA's commuter rail service that used to run through downtown Cohasset back in the 1950s. The line is scheduled to begin service in summer of 2007, with a stop between North Main Street and Route 3A, just east of a cemetery.[4]
[edit] Notable residents
[edit] Trivia
- Movies filmed in Cohasset:
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987), starring Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson.
- HouseSitter (1992), starring Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin.
- Actress Kate Bosworth lived in and attended high school in Cohasset.
- Comedic actress Nancy Walls, who appeared on The Daily Show along with husband Steve Carrell, is from Cohasset.
[edit] References
- ^ Information and Historical Data on Cities, Towns and Counties in Massachusetts
- ^ Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov
- ^ Station D-1, SP Norwell
- ^ Greenbush Line Cronstruction website
[edit] External links
- Cohasset Historical Society
- Brief History of Minot's Ledge Lighthouse
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or MapQuest
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, or WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
