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Acushnet is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,161 at the 2000 census.
History
Acushnet was first settled in 1659. Interestingly, it has been included as a part of three separate towns throughout its history. It was formerly the northeastern section of the town of Dartmouth, which included the towns of Westport, New Bedford, and Fairhaven. In 1787, New Bedford separated from Dartmouth, and included the lands of Fairhaven and Acushnet. In 1812, Fairhaven was incorporated as a separate town, again including the lands of Acushnet. Finally, the town was officially incorporated in 1860. The name "Acushnet," which is also the name of the river the town lies on, comes from the Wampanoag "Cushnea," meaning "as far as the waters," originally designating the fact that the tribe which sold the land to the Puritans inhabited the lands leading up to the river.
In 1910, the Acushnet Process Company (now the Acushnet Company), was founded in the town, and continues to be one of Southeastern Massachusetts's most enduring industries. Acushnet Company owns Titleist,a corporation that makes professional golf balls
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.0 km² (18.9 mi²). 47.8 km² (18.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.43%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,161 people, 3,793 households, and 2,837 families residing in the town. The population density was 212.6/km² (550.6/mi²). There were 3,889 housing units at an average density of 81.4/km² (210.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.20% White, 0.42% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 3,793 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,500, and the median income for a family was $58,722. Males had a median income of $38,709 versus $28,649 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,753. About 1.9% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
See also
Acushnet Center, Massachusetts.
"Acushnet, Massachusetts"