Tewksbury, Massachusetts

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Tewksbury, Massachusetts
nickname =
motto =


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts


mapsize1 =
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Massachusetts
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Middlesex
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1637
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1734
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
government_type = Open town meeting
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
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area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 54.5
area_total_sq_mi = 21.1
area_land_km2 = 53.7
area_land_sq_mi = 20.7
area_water_km2 = 0.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.3
population_as_of = 2007
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 29,607
population_density_km2 = 551.3
population_density_sq_mi = 1,430.3
elevation_m = 38
elevation_ft = 126
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 42 |latm = 36 |lats = 38 |latNS = N
longd = 71 |longm = 14 |longs = 05 |longEW = W
website = http://www.tewksbury.net/
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 01876
area_code = 978 / 351
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 25-69415
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0618238
footnotes =

Tewksbury (pronEng|ˈtʊksbɛriː/, /ˈtʊksbriː) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,851 at the 2000 census.

History

Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury, England.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.5 km²), of which, 20.7 square miles (53.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (1.61%) is water.

The Merrimack River forms part of the northern boundary of Tewksbury, and the Shawsheen River runs through the southern end of town as well.

Tewksbury is in Greater Lowell - The town is located about convert|25|mi|km north of Boston along I-93 and I-495 (Boston's outer beltway). Tewksbury borders the city of Lowell to the northwest, Dracut to the north (unrechable across the Merrimack), Andover to the east, Wilmington to the southeast, and Billerica to the southwest. Tewksbury also meets the town of Chelmsford at a point in the middle of the Concord River along with Lowell and Billerica.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 28,851 people, 9,964 households, and 7,692 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,392.3 people per square mile (537.6/km²). There were 10,158 housing units at an average density of 490.2/sq mi (189.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.44% White, 0.67% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population.

There were 9,964 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,800, and the median income for a family was $76,443. Males had a median income of $50,296 versus $33,918 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,031. About 1.9% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Hospital

Tewksbury Hospital, a state-owned facility is located here. Originally built as an almshouse in the mid-19th Century, it includes over 900 acres of open space. Tewksbury Hospital is the home to both the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Public Health, and has many different programs for addictive behavior and other health concerns.

Noteworthy residents

Mico Kaufman, sculptor, credits include four Presidential Innaugural Medals

His most notable work, in the context of Tewkesbury UK/USA, is his bronze sculpture entitled "Touching Souls".Four children, native-American, European-American, African-America and Asian-American, sitting on the ground, arms leaning back, legs outstretched and apart, with the soles of their shoes/boots touching. The original is in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and the replica in the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey, England. The replica can be seen [http://bluewater.zaadz.com/photos/view/282859 here.]

Anne Sullivan, tutor and companion of Helen Keller.

Author J.W. Buckley was raised in Tewksbury and still maintains an American residency there.

High School

The Tewksbury Memorial High School is currently on a warning status of Standards of Accredation on Cirriculum, School Resources for Learning, and Community resources for learning. [http://www.tewksbury.mec.edu/TMHS/pdf/neascmarchletter08.pdf] Steps are currently being made to upgrade and repair. It is also going under renovation this summer to hopefully help students academically with more technology.

Tewksbury Memorial High School scored second highest in the area in 2004 but has taken a sharp decline since then.

The athletic teams from TMHS compete in the highly competitive Merrimack Valley Sports Conference. Their big league rivals are Andover, Billerica, Lowell and Chelmsford. The big rivalry, though, is with neighboring Wilmington which the football team plays on Thanksgiving Day every year. Tewksbury's school colors are Scarlet Red and White.And in 2008 their boys spring track team won the MVC division II.

References

reflist

External links

* [http://www.TewksburyIssues.org Tewksbury Citizen Activist website]
* [http://www.Tewksburyhistoricalsociety.org Tewksbury Historical Society]
* [http://www.tewksbury.net/ Tewksbury official website]
* [http://www.tewksbury.com/ Tewksbury Community Website]