ZIP Code 01721

Ashland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Previously known as "Unionville", Ashland was incorporated in 1846, bearing the name of statesman Henry Clay's Kentucky estate. It is part of MetroWest, which also consists of the towns of Framingham, Holliston, and Hopkinton. The town has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.4 square miles) and a population of 18,832 at the 2020 U.S. Census. Ashland is located about halfway between the cities of Boston and Worcester, and is a stop on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail Line. The Boston Marathon began in Ashland until the start was moved to HopkINTON's Main Street in 1924. The climate is typical for New England, with frequent cold spells and frequent, frequent, and frequent droughts. The area is bordered by: Sherborn on the northeast; Holliston on the east; and HopKinton on the southwest. The population of the town is expected to exceed 18,000 for the 2020 United States Census, which will be the first time in more than 50 years that the town has been included in the U.N. Census Bureau's official population estimate for the United States has not been released. The city is home to the Ashland Town Forest, Ashland State Park, Warren Woods, and land comprising the beach and dam portions of hopkinton State Park. The Ashland High School sports teams are coined "The Clockers" because of the Warren Synchronizing Timer.

History

For most of the 20th century, Ashland's population remained slow in growth, until the post-war boom beginning in the 1950s. Over time, many farms and open spaces have given way to housing, although some untouched land still remains. A part of the draw of Ashland, and one that has been publicized in recent years, is its "ideal" location about halfway between the cities of Boston and Worcester. It is considerably younger than many of the surrounding towns. These rail lines were gone by the 1920s, rendered obsolete by automobiles. A Warren Synchronizing Timer is on display at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in Washington D.C., and the Ashland High School sports teams are coined "The Clockers". Even though Ashland has left its humble roots as a rural area, it still retains the look and feel of a typical residential Boston-area New England town. It was taken in near-equal parts from the previously established towns of Hopkinton, Holliston (previously of colonial era Sherborn's territory), and Framingham. The construction of the Boston & Worcester Railroad, later the. Boston & Albany, in the 1830s was key to the early development of the town. Decades later, two other rail lines opened stations in Ashland. Along with the Sudbury River, the railroad helped to attract numerous mills to develop a bustling boot and shoe industry. However, by constructing three reservoirs along the river in 1878, the Boston Water Board inadvertently stymied further growth.

Geography

Ashland is located in eastern Massachusetts.It is bordered by Framingham on the northeast, Sherborn on the east, Holliston on the south, Hopkinton on the southwest and Southborough on the northwest.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km²) of which, 12.4 square miles of it is land and 0.5square miles (1.3 kilometers) of it (3.72%) is water. The town is part of the Massachusetts Bay Area. It is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the town. It has a population of 2,816. It was founded in 1838. It became a town in 1841. It received its current name from the town of Ashland, Massachusetts, which was once called Ashland. The name Ashland is now used for the town's main street, Ashland Avenue. It also serves as the name of a street in Framingham, Massachusetts. It runs through Holliston, a town that was once known as Holliston. It ran through Southborough, which is now known as Southborough. Ashland also has a small section of land known as the Southborough Peninsula, which once ran through the south side of the town and is now part of Southborough Township. The Southborough peninsula was once a part of Holliston before it was annexed by the town in the 19th century. The area is now a peninsula.

Climate

Winters are cold, with frequent Nor'easters and occasional blizzards. Snowfall ranges widely from season to season, although the average is about 4050 inches (100130 cm) Summers are generally comfortable, with periods of high humidity. Severe summer weather is not as common as in areas to the west in Central Massachusetts. On July 10, 1989, high winds occurred, causing widespread tree damage through most of Ashland with several homes damaged. This storm was part of a complex of severe storms that spawned several EF0 and EF1 tornadoes in towns in some neighboring counties. The winter of 2010-2011 was notable for snow depths of nearly 40 inches during January and February. Nearly 60 inches of snowfall was recorded in Ashland in January 2011 alone. February 2015 was one of the coldest months on record. Spring temperatures can be mitigated by penetrating cold fronts originating from the Canadian Maritimes, known as "backdoor cold fronts". Typically, high temperatures consistently above 70 degrees do not set in until late May. The last frost is usually in mid-May. Prolonged heat waves of three or more days with highs of 90 or above are uncommon but can occur. In July 2011 an unusually high temperature of 101 was reached. Average July high temperatures are in the low 80s and average lows are around 60. The first frost usually around October 1, and the peak of the fall foliage season averages around October 12. Ashland can expect a "white" Christmas slightly over 50 percent of the time.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, there were 16,593 people, 6,385 households, and 4,531 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 84.2% White, 2.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.8% Asian,2.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population. The median household income was $93,770, and the median family income is $116,799. The per capita income for the town is $46,626. About 3.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6%. of those age 65 or over are living below the poverty line. The town is located on the U.S. Census Bureau's American West Coast. It is the only town in the state to have a post-secondary degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It has a population of about 16,000, the highest rate of any town in Wisconsin. The city's population growth rate since the 1970s has been between 1.5 and 2.0%. The town's population has been declining since the 1980s, when it was growing at a rate of 1.7 per cent per year. The population has declined by 1.6 per cent since the 1990s, the lowest rate of growth since the mid-1980s. It was the first town to post an annual growth rate of more than 2 per cent in the last decade.

Education

In 2005, the town completed the new high school and revised the division of grades. The kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades are in the Henry E. Warren Elementary School and preschool is in the William Pittaway School. In 2009, a new program at Ashland High School encouraged teachers to "bridge the gap between subjects like math and history to the art world and visually engage students with traditional subject matter" In 2016, Ashland high school is ranked #51 among all of the high schools in Massachusetts and #1224 in national school rankings. The mathematics proficiency is at 97% and the English proficiency isAt 98% at Ashlands High School. The 8th grade students have an annual short field trip to Washington D.C. The graduating class of 2007 was the first class to complete a full year in the newhigh school. In 2015, the high school was ranked #424 in the country according to Newsweek. In 2014, the school wasranked #19 in the state of Massachusetts (out of 352 schools) and #396 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The school is located in the town of Ashland, Massachusetts and has a population of about 2,000 people. It is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which is one of the busiest highways in the United States. The town is about 30 miles from Boston, the largest city in the Massachusetts Bay Area. The high school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students.

Points of interest

Ashland was the original start line for the Boston Marathon from 1897 to 1923. Nyanza Color and Chemical Company, later named New England Aniline Works, had a dye plant in Ashland. Ashland Farmer's Market has been operating on Saturdays 9am-1pm June-October each year since 2012. The town also owns 100+ acres of land called "Warren Woods" on the South side of the town. The site was placed on the National Priority List in 1982 when heavy metals and organochlorides were discovered in the soil and water near the Sudbury River. The Ashland State Park is 470 acres including a 157-acre reservoir, the 3.5 mile hiking loop around it passes a boat launch, beach, dam and spillway. Ashland Town Forest is 550 acres with hiking trails around rock outcroppings, small caves and the rumored ending of some women who escaped from the Salem Witch Trials. The city is home to several state parks, including Hopkinton State Park and Ashland City Park, which are both completely or partially located within the town lines. It is also home to the Ashland Public House, which was built in 1832 by Captain John Stone, to capitalize on the new Boston and Worcester Railroad. According to legend, the Inn was the site of a murder. A ten-year-old girl, Mary J. Smith, was struck by a train while playing on the railroad tracks just outside the inn, on June 11, 1862, where she later succumbed to her wounds.

Transportation

The Ashland station is on the Framingham/Worcester Line. The station is accessible from either Pleasant Street or Memorial Drive (which runs behind Ashland Middle School) Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with the station on its Framingham-Worcester Line.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Ashland, Middlesex County, Massachusetts = 43.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 43. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Ashland = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,608 individuals with a median age of 40.3 age the population grows by 8.58% in Ashland, Middlesex County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,518.7 residents per square mile of area (584.8/km²). There are average 2.55 people per household in the 6,232 households with an average household income of $86,322 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.20% of the available work force and has dropped -3.26% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.28%. The number of physicians in Ashland per 100,000 population = 389.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Ashland = 44.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 47.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 123. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 198. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 15.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Ashland, Middlesex County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 78.47%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 27 years with median home cost = $296,700 and home appreciation of -4.76%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.70 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,974 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 1474 students for each Librarian and 345 students for each Counselor. 7.96% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 26.54% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 19.16% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).