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'Grafton' is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,894 at the 2000 census.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Government

Notable residents

References

External links

History

Bands of the Nipmuc tribe were the indigenous inhabitants, and maintain a state-recognized reservation known as Hassanamessit, or Hassanamisco, which was formerly a Praying Indian village.^[1] Grafton was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1735. It is named for the Duke of Grafton, a title created for the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. In the 1930s, a movie, ''Ah, Wilderness!'', was filmed in the town. The moviemakers built a gazebo for the screenshots and left it on the town's common. The gazebo still stands there today.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 60.3 km² (23.3 mi²). 58.9 km² (22.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.28%) is water. Grafton is located 30 miles west of Boston, MA (35 minutes east) and 5 miles southeast of Worcester, MA (8 minutes northwest).

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. The population density was 252.9/km² (655.0/mi²). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 99.0/km² (256.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92% White, 1.25% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.91% of the population.
There were 5,694 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,020, and the median income for a family was $66,396. Males had a median income of $48,016 versus $32,347 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Notable residents

★ Simon Willard and his brothers, clock makers

★ John Adams Whipple, pioneer photographer and inventor

★ Bethany Hart, 2006 women's USA Olympic Bobsled team member

★ Marc Orrell, Guitarist for the band Dropkick Murphys

★ Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator of the New York Giants

★ Frank O'Hara, avant-garde poet and playwright

References

1. [1] Martin Issues Final Determination to Decline Federal Acknowledgment
of The Nipmuc Nation, 2004

External links

★ Grafton official website

★ Grafton, Massachusetts History, Photos, and Info

★ Grafton Daily at the Blackstone Daily

★ Grafton Public Schools

★ Grafton Group on Flickr