Bellingham

Bellingham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,945 at the 2020 census. The town sits on the southwestern fringe of Metropolitan Boston, along the rapidly growing "outer belt" that is Route 495. It is formally a part of the BostonCambridgeQuincy metropolitan statistical area, as well as the Providence metropolitan area. There is no rail service in town; however, the MBTA's Franklin Line terminates just 2 miles (3 km) from the town center. The nearest small craft airport is at the Hopedale Regional Airport, just over the town line along Route 140. The Worcester Airport is twenty-eight miles away, and the nearest national air service can be reached at T. Green Green International Airport, thirty miles away. The neighboring city of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, had a proposed plan to bring commuter rail service to the area, which would require an extension of the MBT line to Bellingham, and approximately 5 miles (8 km) away from the center of the town. It has a total area of 19.0 square miles (49.2 km²), of which 18.5 sq miles (47.9 km²) is land and 0.5 square mile (1.3 km²] (2.58%) is water. Its mean elevation is 293 feet (89 m) above sea level. Its name comes from an early governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Richard Bellingham.

History

Most of the land to be called Bellingham was originally a portion of Dedham. The first land bought in Bellingham that was Dedham was purchased in 1696 by a man who believed that that government is best which governs least. The town was founded with a Pilgrim (Congregationalist) meeting house, like all the towns in the colony at the time. Deborah Sampson enlisted as "Robert Shurtlieff" at Bellingham, near the end of the Revolutionary War, and disguised herself as a man, to become America's first woman soldier. During the Industrial Revolution, several man-made ponds were constructed to support industry in land that had been swamp. Today the northern part of the town is part of. the economic boom along I-495, with the southern being mostly suburban. The town is named for Richard Bellingham, an early governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Leland, a Baptist minister, who was a major supporter of James Madison and the First Amendment to the Constitution, was baptized in. Bellingham's Baptist church in 1775 was a favorite of the late First Amendment supporter, James Madison, and his son-in-law, Thomas Madison, who served as the state Supreme Court justice from 1775 to 1783. The city's name was changed to Bellingham without record of the benefactor. The village was originally named "Westham" (short for "West Dedham") by 1718, and the town officially incorporated on November 27, 1719.

Geography and transportation

Bellingham is located at the southwestern corner of Norfolk County, just northwest of the northeast corner of Rhode Island. It is bordered by Medway on the north, Franklin to the east, Wrentham to the southeast; Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on the south; and Blackstone, Hopedale and Mendon to the west, and Milford to the northwest. The town's mean elevation is 293 feet (89 m) above sea level. The nearest international airport is Boston's Logan International Airport, 35 miles (56 km) away. There is no rail service in town; however, the MBTA's Franklin Line terminates just 2 miles (3 km) from the town line at Forge Park/I-495 in Franklin. A study was conducted in 2007 on whether or not it would be feasible to expand the Franklin line westward; the results of which were determined that rehabilitating the old abandoned rail line would cost too much money and not bring enough benefit to the area. However, as the population grows in this general area, it is most likely that theMBTA will not drop plans for such an extension. The next closest airport is Worcester Regional Airport, twenty-eight miles away, and the nearest national air service can be reached at T. F. Green Airport, thirty miles away. In 2006, the town went from having no traffic lights in the late 1980s to well over a dozen in 2006. It has a total area of 19.0 square miles (49.2 km²), of which 18.5 square mile (47.9 km²) is land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,314 people, 5,557 households, and 4,284 families residing in the town. 54.17% of the people in Bellingham, Massachusetts are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion. People of Buddhist, Jewish, Mennonite, Mormon, or Muslim faiths meet in neighboring towns for worship. The FBI Crime Database states that out of Massachusetts' 279 cities and towns, Bellingham was ranked 87th in Most Property Damage per 100,000 in 2013. However, it was ranked 122nd for Most Burglaries per100,000. Some of the cities with the highest crime rates in the state include Fall River and Springfield. There are also 7 confirmed sex offenders living inBellingham as of 2015. The median income for a household in theTown was $103,258. The per capita income for the town was $44,236. About 1.6% of families and 2.5%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 2. 5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of people age 65 or over. The town is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs between Boston and Cambridge. The Turnpix is a popular tourist destination in the Boston area. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the city, leading to the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon. Bellingham is also the site of the world's busiest airport, the New England International Airport, and the Port of Boston.

Commerce

The town had never experienced any large growth until 1993, when Wal-Mart opened a store along Hartford Avenue (route 126), near the 495 interchange. Most recently, the town has been in talks with S.R. Weiner of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to develop a 1,150,000 square foot (107,000 m2) "lifestyle center" that would include upscale shops and restaurants. Planning is underway for a new highway interchange and rerouting of Route 126, and Phase One of the project was to have opened in late 2008 or early 2009. The town has looked at many different options to revitalize its southern end (and a stark contrast to its northern, where most of the development is located) The newest of development along this 2 mile (3 km) stretch of road (from the Rhode Island border to Crooks Corner) is the newly opened Stop & Shop along the Blackstone border. A CVS/Pharmacy also opened across the street replacing a vet clinic. Public meetings and debate are currently underway to discuss the options for development, along with a revitalization plan for the Town Center, where construction continues to re-develop the route 140 and 126 intersection, where a second Walgreens pharmacy opened in early 2007. Cumberland Farms was opened in the early part of 2016 going in a vacant lot next to Rocky's Ace Hardware. A free standing building in the same parking lot houses PJ's Bar and Grille, a beauty salon and Fusion Express.

Education

As of current, there are two elementary schools (Stallbrook, and DiPietro), one middle school (Bellingham Memorial), and 2 high schools. The Clara Macy Elementary school was closed before the start of the 2015-2016 school year and was demolished the following year. In 2019 Bellingham High School ranked 205 in Massachusetts as a result many families elect to school choice to nearby towns of Medway and Holliston or go to private and technical schools, Tri-County in Franklin, Blackstone Valley Tech in Upton, and Mount St. Charles in Woonsocket, RI. Bellingham is known for producing good baseball, softball and football teams but are considered an easy win in other sports by the other members of the league. The school's sports teams have competed in the Tri-Valley League since the leagues induction in 1966. In 2015 Bellingham's football team was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the country. The football team is considered one of the best in the nation and has won several state championships. The high school's baseball team is known as the Bellingham Red Sox. The baseball team has won numerous state championships and is considered a powerhouse in the region. The girls' basketball team has been known to win the state championship in many years. The boys' basketball teams have won the state title in several years and are considered a force to be reckoned with in the area. The women's basketball team was known to be a force in the community and has been named one of Massachusetts' best teams in recent years.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries include Precious Blood & St. John, Ukrainian-American Cemetery, Union Cemetery, North Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery. They are located on Wrentham Rd, Center St, Hartford Ave, and Mechanic St, among other streets.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bellingham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts = 26.9. 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 35. 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 Bellingham = 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 5,433 individuals with a median age of 39.4 age the population grows by 6.81% in Bellingham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 340/km 2 (890 residents per square mile of area). There are average 2.64 people per household in the 1,819 households with an average household income of $77,321 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.40% of the available work force and has dropped -5.31% 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 18.98%. The number of physicians in Bellingham per 100,000 population = 414.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bellingham = 48 inches and the annual snowfall = 46.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 112. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 200. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 13.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, 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 Bellingham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 81.51%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 39 years with median home cost = $247,000 and home appreciation of -3.47%. 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 $11.91 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 $6,741 per student. There are 13.7 students for each teacher in the school, 1303 students for each Librarian and 668 students for each Counselor. 11.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.97% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.47% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).