West Bridgewater is a town in
Plymouth County,
Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,707 at the 2020 census.
History
West Bridgewater was first settled in 1651 as a part of Olde Bridgewater. The town separated from
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Bridgewater is a town located in Plymouth County, in the state of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population was 28,633. Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston and approximately 35 miles east ...
and was officially incorporated in 1822, the second of the three communities to separate from Bridgewater (after North Bridgewater, now
Brockton, and before
East Bridgewater) over the span of three years. The town, like many in the area, had both agrarian and industrial roots; the
Town River provided water power for milling and irrigation for farming. The town is home to the
Keith House (1662), the oldest standing parsonage in the U.S. The town is also believed to be the site of the first industrial park in the U.S., now the site of the Town Park. The original Ames Shovel Works was located in the Town Park. Today, the town is mostly residential.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.25%, is water. The town ranks 238th of 351 communities in the Commonwealth in terms of land area, and ranks nineteenth out of the twenty-seven towns in Plymouth County. West Bridgewater is bordered by
Brockton to the north,
East Bridgewater to the east,
Bridgewater to the south, and
Easton to the west, as well as a small section (less than a quarter of a mile long) of the southwestern corner that borders the town of
Raynham. West Bridgewater's town center is approximately south of the center of Brockton, and is south of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
.
West Bridgewater lies along the northeast edge of the
Hockomock Swamp The Hockomock Swamp is a vast wetland encompassing much of the northern part of southeastern Massachusetts. This land is considered the largest freshwater swamp in the state. It acts as a natural flood control mechanism for the region.
History
Dur ...
, with a large section of the southwestern corner of town being covered by the swamp and its wildlife management area. There are also several other protected areas throughout the town, as well as several parks and a large pond surrounded by a state forest. The
Town River also passes through the southern portion of town, branching off into several brooks throughout the town, as does the
Salisbury River in the northeast corner of town.
Transportation
Massachusetts Route 24
Route 24 is a freeway south of Interstate 93 (I-93) in southeastern Massachusetts, linking Fall River with the Boston metropolitan area. It begins in the south in Fall River at the border with Tiverton, Rhode Island where it connects with Rh ...
passes through the western half of town, with an exit at
Route 106. Route 106 passes from east to west in the town, and meets at the center of town with
Route 28. The
Middleborough/Lakeville Line
Middleborough/Lakeville station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Lakeville, Massachusetts, just south of the Middleborough border. It is the southern terminus of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line; it is also an intermediate stop for seasonal ...
of the
MBTA's commuter rail service passes through town, between the towns of Middleborough and Lakeville and
South Station
South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
in Boston. There are no stops in West Bridgewater, but there are stops in
Bridgewater and the
Campello section of Brockton. There are no airports in the town; there are small strips in nearby Taunton and Mansfield, but the nearest national air service is at
Logan International Airport in Boston. The town used to have rail service at Matfield Junction, Cochesett station. Matfield Junction was on the Middleborough branch of the Old Colony line, and Cochsett was on the Easton railroad branch; both were abandoned in the 1930s.
Bloom Bus Lines operates commuter service between
Taunton, West Bridgewater, and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 6,634 people, 2,444 households, and 1,796 families residing in the town. The
population density was 421.5 people per square mile (162.7/km). There were 2,510 housing units at an average density of 159.5 per square mile (61.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.40%
White, 0.95%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, 0.26%
Native American, 0.68%
Asian, 0.45% from
other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.
There were 2,444 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were
married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,958, and the median income for a family was $64,815. Males had a median income of $41,863 versus $31,835 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $23,701. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
On the national level, West Bridgewater is a part of
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, and has been represented since 2001 by
Stephen Lynch.
On the state level, West Bridgewater is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
as a part of the Tenth Plymouth district, which includes portions of Brockton and East Bridgewater. The town is represented in the
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...
as a part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes all or parts of Avon, Braintree, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph, Sharon and Stoughton. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Middleborough) Barracks of Troop D of the
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. As of 10/4/2022, it ...
.
West Bridgewater is governed on the local level by the
open town meeting form of government, led by the town moderator and a
board of selectmen. The current board of selectmen consists of Meredith Anderson, Anthony Kinahan, and Denise Reyes.
The town operates its own police and fire departments, both of which are headquartered together on Route 106 just west of Route 28. The fire department also has an ambulance service, bringing emergency room patients to either Brockton Hospital or Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. The town has its own post office, located on Route 28 across the street from the town hall. West Bridgewater Public Library is located around the corner from the post office, and is a member of the
SAILS Library Network
The SAILS Library Network, formerly Southeastern Automated Integrated Library Services, is a non-profit library consortium of 70 member libraries in 39 communities located throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. SAILS was founded in 1995 to link ...
.
Education
West Bridgewater operates its own school system for its approximately 1,220 students. The Spring Street School, not far from the town center, serves pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. The Rose L. MacDonald School, located closer to the geographic center of the town, serves first, second and third grade students. The Howard School, between the post office and the library, serves fourth, fifth and sixth grade students. The
West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, located along Route 106, serves students from grades 7–12. West Bridgewater's athletics teams are known as the Wildcats, and their colors are maroon and white. The football team plays Holbrook-Avon for its
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
football game, having recently ended its tradition of playing Freetown-Lakeville's Apponequet high school. Before that East Bridgewater had been the original rival.
In addition to the high school, students may choose to attend
Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in South Easton free of charge. The town is also home to the New England Baptist Academy, a private Christian school serving all grades. There are also other private schools in neighboring Bridgewater and Brockton. The nearest colleges are
Massasoit Community College
Massasoit Community College is a public community college in Brockton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1966 and named for Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag. Massasoit Community College is accredited by the New England Commission o ...
in Brockton,
Stonehill College
Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that ...
in Easton, and
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Attleboro, and Cape Cod, BSU h ...
in Bridgewater.
Notable people
*
Cyrus Alger (1781–1856), inventor, owner of the shop which produced the first rifled gun
*
Spike Feresten
Spike Feresten (born ) is an American television writer, screenwriter, comedian and television personality, who is best known for his work on ''Seinfeld'', writing for David Letterman, and hosting the late night ''Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' ...
, talk show host on Fox, writer for the ''
Late Show with David Letterman'', writer for ''
Seinfeld'', who wrote the infamous
Soup Nazi episode
*
Wally Feresten
Chris "Wally" Feresten (born ) is an American cue card handler and supervisor known for his work on ''Saturday Night Live''. He also does cue cards for ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' and his private business, Cue Cards by Wally.
Early life a ...
, cue card handler and supervisor for ''
Saturday Night Live'' and ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers''
*
Jack Gallagher, Nationally known comedian, TV Host (MoneyTrack on PBS) and Playwright. Author of five critically acclaimed one-man shows. "Letters To Declan", "Just The Guy", "What He Left", "A Different Kind Of Cool" and "Complete and Unfinished"
*
Hastings Keith (1915–2005), was a United States Representative from Massachusetts
*
John Davidson (entertainer) (1941-), actor, singer, game show host
See also
*
War Memorial Park
References
External links
Town of West Bridgewater official websiteWest Bridgewater Public Library
{{authority control
Towns in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Towns in Massachusetts
1651 establishments in Massachusetts