Chelmsford

Chelmsford was incorporated in May 1655 by an act of the Massachusetts General Court. The town has one public high school, which is ranked among the top 500 schools in the nation. Chelmsford experienced a drastic increase in population between 1950 and 1970, coinciding with the connection of U.S. Route 3 in Lowell to Massachusetts Route 128 in the 1950s. The Pennacook inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to European colonization. In 1652, settler-colonizers from the adjacent communities of Woburn and Concord founded the town. In 1760, several women were suspected of being witches such as Sarah (Hildreth) Byam and Martha Sparks who were charged under these accusations. Martha was held in the Boston Gaol for witchcraft, appeared in court, but was eventually set free after about a month. In 2011, Chelm'sford was declared the 28th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. The local economy was fueled by lumber mills, limestone quarries and kilns. The farming community of East Chelm was incorporated as Lowell in the 1820s; over the next decades it would go on to become one of the first large-scale factory towns because of its early role in the country's Industrial Revolution. In 1866, a school for the deaf was established in Chelm, with a capacity of eight students at a time. This school was eventually closed in order to make way for a larger deaf school in Rowley.

History

Chelmsford is the primary city name, but also Kates Corner, S Chelmsford are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Town of Chelmsford. Settler-colonizers from the adjacent communities of Woburn and Concord founded Chelmsford in 1652. The Pennacook inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to European colonization. The town's militia played a role in the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the battle of Bunker Hill. The ginger ale plant, rebuilt in 1912 after a disastrous fire consumed the original plant, stood on Route 110 until its demolition in 1994. It is currently manufactured by Polar Beverages for DeMoulas/Market Basket supermarkets, based out of neighboring Tewksbury.Chelmsford originally contained the neighboring town of Westford, as well as parts of Carlisle, Tyngsborough and a large part of Lowell (formerly known as East Chelms Ford) The town was the birthplace of the ChelMSford Spring Co. in 1901, which later became the Chelpsford Ginger Ale Company, acquired by Canada Dry in 1928. The first school for the deaf was established in 1866, with a focus in oralism. This pioneer school was eventually closed in order to make way for the formation of a larger deaf school in Rowley known as Clark School. The Lieutenant Colonel Moses Parker Middle School honors his name, and the lobby displays a representation of the man. He is depicted in the John Trumbull painting The Death of General Warren at theBattle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775 and in a painting in the Bunker Hill Museum. Captain Benjamin Walker was also killed in this battle.

Geography

Chelmsford has a humid continental climate according to the Köppen climate classification. Summers are typically warm and humid, while winters tend to be cold, windy, and snowy. North Chelmsford, an industrial village, is distinct from the rest of the town to the extent that it has many of its own town services. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.2 square miles (60 km²) The town is bordered by two sizable rivers: the Merrimack River to the north, and the Concord river to the east. The northern parts of Chelmsford tend tobe more urban and densely populated, while the south is generally more rural. The town's population is estimated to be around 20,000 people, with the majority of that population living in the northern part of the city. It is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the town. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the state, with a speed of up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) in some areas. It was built in the 19th century and has been called the "Main Street of the United States" since the early 20th century. It has a population of about 12,000, with most of its residents living in and around the town center. The city is located in the Massachusetts Bay Area, which is the state's second-largest city after Boston. It also has the fourth-largest population in Massachusetts.

Demographics

As of the US census of 2010, there were 33,802 people, 13,313 households, and 9,328 families residing in the town. The town has one police station located near McCarthy Middle School. The 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2), $7.19-million dollar structure began operation in 2003. As of 2008, Chelmsford had a violent crime rate of 132 incidents per 100,000 people, compared to a rate of 449 in Massachusetts as a whole and 455 nationwide. The town had a property crime rates of 1,904 incidents per100,000 in 2008, compared with 2,400 for the state and 3,213 nationwide. The racial makeup of the town was 88.6% White, 1.1% African American, 0.1%. Native American, 8.4% Asian, 0,4% from other races, and 1.4%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2% of the population. The city has a population of 33.802 people (as of the 2010 US census), with a population growth rate of 1.7%. The town's population growth rates have been 2.7% since the 1950s. The population growth Rate has been 3.2% from 1950 to 2010. The rate of population growth has been 4.3% from 2000 to 2010, with a growth of 2.2%. The city's population has grown by 1.8% since 2000. The growth rate has been 5.7 percent since the 1990s.

Government

The town uses a representative town meeting model with a Board of Selectmen overseeing the operation of the town. As of 2020 Chelmsford is represented in the Massachusetts Senate by Michael J. Barrett. The Fay A. Rotenberg School, a juvenile correctional facility for girls operated by the Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps, Inc. on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, first opened in 1982. In 2006 the school moved to its current location in Westborough. The town sends four delegates to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, each of whom represent one or more of ChelMSford's nine precincts. The current town manager is Paul Cohen. Other elected boards include the Planning Board, School Committee, Library Trustees, Cemetery Commission, Board of Health, Sewer Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. The town manager oversees the public employees and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Tami Gouveia is the state representative for precincts one and nine; Thomas Golden Jr., precincts two, three, and eight; James Arciero, precincts eight, five and seven; and Vanna Howard, precinct four. As of May 2020, the members of the Board of selectmen are: Chairman Virginia Crocker Timmins, Vice Chairman Kenneth Lefebvre, Clerk Mark Carota, George R. Dixon, Jr. and Pat Wojtas.. Reporting to the board are the town manager, town counsel, and town accountant. The current mayor of Chelms Ford is Michael J., Barrett.

Education

Chelmsford Public Schools district serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. In 2009, Chelmsford High School ranked 66th out of 150 public high schools considered by Boston Magazine. In the 2006-2007 school year, the average SAT scores were 527 in the reading section, 519 in writing, and 535 in math. The district spent $10,070 per pupil as of 2008, which was lower than the state average of $12,449. The school's 14.5:1 studentteacher ratio was the highest in the state in the 2008-2009 school year. The average student scored 89, 87 and 77 out of 100 on the 2009 Grade 10 MCAS tests, scoring 89, 89 and 77 on the overall scale. The state average for the Grade 10 test was 89 and 87 on the English, math and science portions of the test, respectively. In 2008 per-pupil allocation, $3,937 went to classroom and specialist teachers, $333 to administration, and $185 to instructional materials, equipment and technology. This was an increase of almost $400 from Chelmsford per- pupil spending in 2007. The district's average class size for 2008-09 school year was 12.5 students, which is the same as in the 2007-2008 school year and the 2006-07 school year's average of 12.6 students. The total number of students in the district was 1,856.

Historic places in Chelmsford

Chelmsford Center Historic District. Fiske House (1798) Hildreth-Robbins House (1742) Middlesex Canal (1802) Old Chelmsford Garrison House (1691), now a museum. North Town Hall (1853) Barrett-Byam Homestead (1663)-home of the Chelm'sford Historical Society. The Chelm’sford Museum (1820) is located in the town center. The town has a history dating back to the 13th century. Chelmsford has a population of 1,000. The city is home to a number of historic buildings. The historic center is located at the center of the town. It includes the Fiskel House, the Barrett Byam homestead, and the Garrison House. It is also home to the ChelmsFord Museum, a museum, and a town hall. It also has a historic canal, which was built in 1802. It was also the home of the Middlesex canal, and is now a popular tourist attraction. It has also been the site of numerous other historic buildings, including the B Garrett Homestead, a 17th-century farmhouse, and an 1853 town hall, which is still in use today. The village has a long history, dating to the 17th century, when the town was first settled. The area was once known as "Chelm's Landing" and was part of the Dorset Hundred.

Transportation

Chelmsford is located at the intersection of the major US highways of I-495 and U.S. 3. The heart of the town center is Central Square - the junction of routes 4, 110, the end of 129, and Westford Street. The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail runs 6.8 miles (10.9 km) through Chelmsford, including the Central Square intersection. The town is home to the former Drum Hill Rotary, which was the cause of many accidents due to its small overall size and ability for vehicles to gain speed. The rotary was demolished in 2003 and replaced with a four intersection square with traffic lights, and is now called Drum Hill Square. The LRTA bus routes 15, 16 and 17 connect Chelms Ford to the Lowell train station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line. The line currently serves as a major corridor of Pan Am Railways' District 3 which connects New Hampshire and Maine with western Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York. Freight travels daily through the town over the tracks of the historic Stony Brook Railroad. It is also home to a number of state routes 3A, 4, 27, 40,110, and 129, making it a significant junction of roadways. In 2004, the town was forced to put in stoplights and lane markers. They were necessary to control the traffic-clogged center. Until the 21st century, lights there were seen as non-'historic', crossing the 1 acre (0.40 ha) of pavement with no controls save a few stop signs was akin to a game of Chicken.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Chelmsford, 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 Chelmsford = 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 6,436 individuals with a median age of 41.6 age the population grows by 1.86% in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,625.9 residents per square mile of area (627.8/km²). There are average 2.56 people per household in the 13,285 households with an average household income of $83,813 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.40% 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 23.80%. The number of physicians in Chelmsford per 100,000 population = 389.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Chelmsford = 42.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 50 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 114. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 201. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 16.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 48, 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 Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 81.77%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 41 years with median home cost = $267,500 and home appreciation of 0.37%. 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 $7,718 per student. There are 13.5 students for each teacher in the school, 911 students for each Librarian and 412 students for each Counselor. 9.09% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.72% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 18.14% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).