Tyngsborough, Massachusetts

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Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°40′18″N 71°25′1″W / 42.67167, -71.41694
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Middlesex
Settled 1661
Incorporated 1809
Government
 - Type Open town meeting
Area
 - Total 18.1 sq mi (46.7 km²)
 - Land 16.9 sq mi (43.7 km²)
 - Water 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km²)
Elevation 154 ft (47 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 11,081
 - Density 657.4/sq mi (253.8/km²)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01879
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-71025
GNIS feature ID 0618240
Website: http://www.tyngsboroughmass.com/

Tyngsborough (also spelled Tyngsboro and rhymes with KINGS-burro) is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of 17.86 square miles of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson, Pelham, and the City of Nashua. Tyngsborough is under 40 miles from Boston along the recently widened Route 3 corridor. The town calls itself 'The Gateway to the White Mountains' of New Hampshire, which is the source of the Merrimack River that bisects the town. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 11,081 but has experienced a tremendous burst in residential construction in the last 20 years as part of Greater Boston.

Contents

[edit] History

Tyngsborough's bridges, old and new
Tyngsborough's bridges, old and new

Tyngsborough was first settled by whites in 1661, as part of the massive Dunstable Township. The town of Dunstable, incorporated in 1673, was named after the hometown of pioneer Edward Tyng. However, a relative of his, and the source of the town of Tyngsborough's name, was Colonel Jonathan Tyng whose home, the Tyng Mansion House, was one of the oldest north of Boston. He settled near the Merrimack in what is now Tyngsborough in 1675. The house stood until the 1970s, when it was destroyed by arson. Early on Tyngsborough residents fought a series of small and bloody skirmishes with local Native American tribes. Evidence of this can be found in several old colonial homes in town that still have emergency passages that were used during these attacks. In 1789, Tyngsborough's parish split from the rest of Dunstable, making Tyngsborough a recognized district. On February 23rd, 1809, Tyngsborough became a town.

After Tyngsborough was incorporated it became known for its ferries which travelled up and down the Merrimack River, the quarries that produced granite, and several box companies that started in town. As the town developed, Tyngsborough became a vacation community and had a large seasonal resident population even up until the late 1960s. Today, Tyngsborough is primarily a bedroom community, part of Greater Lowell and the Nashua, New Hampshire region, as well as being an easy commute to the Boston area. The town is probably best known today for its green painted single-arched iron bridge over the Merrimack. Constructed in the early 1930s as a replacement for an earlier wooden planked structure, this bridge has become the town's emblem, and more practically, a major river crossing for residents of Massachusetts and New Hampshire alike. Having fallen into serious disrepair, the green bridge has been replaced by a temporary structure while work is done to restore the former.

[edit] Sports

Tyngsborough is a very competitive high school when it comes to sports. Tyngsborough High School has just entered a new and difficult league called the Dual County League. In Football, they are Division 1A and had a transition year in 2007 with a 5-6 record. In Hockey, they went to the playoffs in 2007 but lost to Lowell 3-1 in the state quarter finals.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.0 square miles (46.7 km²), of which, 16.9 square miles (43.7 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (6.65%) is water. Besides a series of lakes and ponds that spot Tyngsborough the town is split in two by the Merrimack River which runs roughly north-south close to the center of town. The land is mostly rolling hills, small cleared fields, and quite a bit of wooded land. Marshlands can also be found in the area although they are not as prevalent as in the surrounding towns.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 11,081 people, 3,731 households, and 2,947 families residing in the town. The population density was 657.4 people per square mile (253.8/km²). There were 3,806 housing units at an average density of 225.8/sq mi (87.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.63% White, 0.50% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 3,731 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $69,818, and the median income for a family was $78,680. Males had a median income of $46,942 versus $33,396 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,249. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

  • The Tyngsborough Bridge is one of 5 bridges in the world that have the design and are still standing.

[edit] References

  1. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
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