Monson, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monson, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden County |
| Settled | 1715 |
| Incorporated | 1775 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| - Board of Selectmen |
Richard E. Guertin (chairman),
Edward S. Harrison, and Kathleen C. Norbut |
| Area | |
| - Town | 44.8 sq mi (116.1 km²) |
| - Land | 44.3 sq mi (114.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km²) |
| Elevation | 407 ft (124 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 8,359 |
| - Density | 188.8/sq mi (72.9/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01057 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| Website: http://www.monson-ma.gov/ | |
Monson (pronounced IPA: [ˈmʌnsn̩]) is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,359 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the village of Monson Center, please see the article Monson Center, Massachusetts.
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[edit] History
Monson was first settled in the year 1715 and was officially incorporated in 1775. Monson was largely a mill town until just recently when most of the mills in town closed down due to poor business. Monson also had a large granite quarry that was opened by Rufus Flynt later owned by his oldest son William Flynt and was closed around 1935.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 116.1 km² (44.8 mi²). 114.7 km² (44.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.20%) is water...
Monson is bordered on the north by Palmer, on the east by Brimfield and Wales, on the south by Stafford, CT, and on the west by Hampden and Wilbraham.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,359 people, 3,095 households, and 2,203 families residing in the town. The population density was 72.9/km² (188.8/mi²). There were 3,213 housing units at an average density of 28.0/km² (72.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.67% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.
There were 3,095 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,030, and the median income for a family was $58,607. Males had a median income of $41,373 versus $30,545 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,519. About 5.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
