- Kingston, Massachusetts
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kingston, Massachusetts
nickname =
motto =
imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Green Street in Kingston on an autumn day.
image_
mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =Massachusetts
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Plymouth
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1620
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1726
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
government_type =Open town meeting
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 52.8
area_total_sq_mi = 20.4
area_land_km2 = 48.0
area_land_sq_mi = 18.5
area_water_km2 = 4.8
area_water_sq_mi = 1.9
population_as_of = 2000
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 11,780
population_density_km2 = 245.5
population_density_sq_mi = 635.7
elevation_m = 34
elevation_ft = 105
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 42 |latm = 02 |lats = 30 |latNS = N
longd = 70 |longm = 40 |longs = 22 |longEW = W
website = [http://www.kingstonmass.org/ www.kingstonmass.org]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 02364
area_code = 339 / 781
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 25-33220
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0619469
footnotes =Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County,
Massachusetts ,United States . As of 2000 it had a population of 11,780.History
Before European settlers arrived in Kingston it was within the tribal home to the
Wampanoag people. Even before theMayflower had landed in Plymouth the Wampanoags were severely damaged from rapidly spreading pandemics from earlier contacts with Europeans. Several ancient Native American burial sites have been located within the borders of Kingston.Originally the north precinct of the town of Plymouth, Kingston was first settled by Europeans in 1620, shortly after the landing of the
Pilgrims atPlymouth Rock . Modern day Kingston is believed to be the site of several bloody battles duringKing Phillip's War from 1675-1676. It is public record that the residence of Governor Bradford was raided by the Natives before the Wampanoags were completely devastated.50 years later, Kingston was incorporated as a distinct town in 1726 following a tax dispute between the residents of north and south Plymouth. Kingston is home of the longest continuously run boat yard in
North America . The Revolutionary War era brig, the Brig Independence was built by Kingston ship builders and has emerged as a town icon adorning the Kingston town seal as well as the subject of the town song "Independence". The tenure of the Brig Independence in theMassachusetts Navy was short however when the ship was captured in battle off the coast ofNova Scotia by HMS Hope and HMS Nancy.In the early to middle 1800s, Kingston flourished as not only a center for ship building, but ice harvesting as well. Jones River Pond, the largest body of freshwater in town, was used to harvest ice during the long
New England winters which would then be shipped all throughout the world. Jones River Pond was even renamed to Silver Lake for marketing purposes during the height of the ice harvesting export industry and retains the name today. Kingston is also home to the first co-op store in North America which was closed when the Silver Lake Post Office shut down operations in 1954.In the 1950s Kingston was transformed from a small rural town into an extension of the Boston metropolitan area when Route 3 was constructed which connects Boston to Cape Cod and has 3 exits in Kingston. Kingston, however, saw its largest population boom in the early 1990s when the Old Colony Railroad was reopened as a commuter rail which connected once rural Kingston with
Boston making it an even more viable place for commuters to Boston to live.Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which, 18.5 square miles (48.0 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.8 km²) of it (9.12%) is water. Kingston borders the towns of Pembroke to the north, Duxbury to the northeast, Plymouth to the south, Carver to the southwest, and Plympton to the west. Kingston is approximately eighteen miles southeast of Brockton and thirty-five miles south-southeast of Boston.Kingston lies on
Kingston Bay , an inlet to the largerPlymouth Bay . TheJones River runs through the town from its source, Silver Lake, to the bay. There are several brooks that branch off the river, as well as several other smaller ponds throughout the town. There is a state forest in the town, located in the southern portion of the town. Kingston is also the site of Gray's Beach, just north of the Plymouth town line.Route 3, also known as the Pilgrims Highway, runs through the eastern portion of town. There are two exits for Kingston, at the Independence Mall in the southern portion of town, and at Route 3A. There is also an exit just over the Duxbury town line where Route 3A again crosses the highway. The new highway portion of
U.S. Route 44 also passes through the southern portion of town, along the edge of the state forest, on its way to its new intersection with Route 3. Additionally, Routes 27, 53, 80 ad 106 all end in the town, with all except Route 27 (which ends at Route 106) ending at their intersections with Route 3A.Kingston is one of the two termini of the Kingston/Plymouth line of the MBTA's Commuter Rail system. The Kingston terminus is located just off of Route 3, north of the mall. Regional air service can be reached at Plymouth Municipal Airport; the nearest national and international air service can be reached at
Logan International Airport in Boston.Kingston is also located on the 42nd parallel, recognized by a roadside memorial on Landing Road near the Bay Farms area.
Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 11,780 people, 4,248 households, and 3,139 families residing in the town. Thepopulation density was 635.7 people per square mile (245.5/km²). There were 4,525 housing units at an average density of 244.2/sq mi (94.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.00% White, 0.96% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.There were 4,248 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,780, and the median income for a family was $65,101. Males had a median income of $48,423 versus $29,516 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $23,370. About 4.0% of families and 5.8% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.Government
Kingston is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Twelfth Plymouth District, which includes Plympton and portions of Duxbury, Halifax, Middleborough and Plymouth. The town is represented in theMassachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and portions of Barnstable. [ [http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov] ] The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of theMassachusetts State Police . [ [http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Law+Enforcement+%26+Criminal+Justice&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=State+Police+Troops&L4=Troop+D&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_divisions_field_services_troops_troop_d_msp_field_troop_d_station_d1&csid=Eeops Station D-1, SP Norwell] ]On the national level, Kingston is a part of
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district , and is currently represented byBill Delahunt . The state's senior (Class I) member of theUnited States Senate , re-elected in 2006, isTed Kennedy . The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, isJohn Kerry .Kingston operates under the
open town meeting form of government, led by a town administrator and aboard of selectmen . Kingston's town offices moved into a new building in 2003, closer to its animal control and highway department facilities, on the opposite side of Evergreen Cemetery from the old building. The town operates its own police and fire departments, with a branch firehouse located near the Plymouth town line. The town's EMT service brings its patients to nearby Jordan Hospital in Plymouth. The town has a single post office, located along Route 3A. The Kingston Public Library is located just across the street from the old town hall, and is a part of the Old Colony Library Network.Education
Kingston is a member of the Silver Lake Regional School District along with Plympton and Halifax. Although the towns in the Silver Lake School District share a middle school and a high school, each operates their own elementary schools. Kingston operates the Kingston Elementary School and Kingston Indermediate School for students through sixth grade. Once students reach seventh Grade they are sent to Silver Lake Regional Middle School and then
Silver Lake Regional High School , both of which are located in Kingston. Silver Lake's teams are known as the Lakers, and their colors are red and silver. Their chief rival is Pembroke High School, whom they play in the annual Thanksgiving Day football game. Pembroke was previously part of the Silver Lake Regional High School District but withdrew in 2005. A brand new Silver Lake High School building has recently finished construction in January 2006. The official school website can be found at the [http://www.slrsd.org/slrhs Silver Lake Regional School District Website] .Kingston is home to one private school, Sacred Heart, which is located along Bishops Highway (Route 80) just south of Route 44. It serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Silver Lake operates its own vocational facilities, so there is no association within the school system to any other regional vocation school.
Media
Television
Kingston is covered in both the
Boston andProvidence, RI media markets, receivingWCVB (ABC), WBZ (CBS), andWHDH (NBC) news from Boston. RecentlyWFXT (Fox 25) has added a news bureau which covers Kingston.Newspapers
Kingston is covered in print media by the "
Boston Globe ", "Boston Herald ", "The Patriot Ledger ", "Brockton Enterprise ", "Kingston Reporter", and the "Kingston Observer".Transportation
Commuter rail service from Boston's
South Station is provided by theMBTA with a stop in Kingston on its Plymouth/Kingston Line. [ [http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/stations/?stopId=101 Kingston station official website] ."mbta.com". AccessedMay 25 2008 .] Not all non-peak trains stop at Kingston - some trains terminate at Plymouth instead.Notable residents
* William Bradford, signatory to the
Mayflower Compact and governor ofMassachusetts Bay Colony
*Neil Cicierega , internet personality and musician
* Chris Cooper, actor
*Marianne Leone Cooper , actress, wife of Chris Cooper
*Rich Cronin , singer, songwriter
*John Holmes , US Representative from 1817-1820 and US Senator from 1820-1827 and 1829-1833
*Jesse Reed , inventor of the first nail machine to cut and head a nail in one operation 1807, 1810, and 1811.
* William Richardson, architect
* Simeon Sampson, Revolutionary War hero and Captain of USS Independence
* Peleg "Pegleg" Wadsworth, American Captain atBattle of Lexington and Concord
*Squierbullet92 , Online Video Sensation that Sweeps the NationReferences
External links
* [http://www.kingstonmass.org/ The Town of Kingston Official Website]
* [http://www.silverlake.mec.edu Silver Lake Regional School District]
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