Duxbury (town), Massachusetts

Duxbury is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Although not located in the same county as Boston, Duxbury is considered to be a Boston suburb, located approximately 35 miles to the south of that city. The population was 14,248 at the 2000 census.

For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Duxbury, please see the articles on Cedar Crest, Duxbury (CDP), and South Duxbury.

History

Duxbury was first settled in 1624 by Myles Standish who named the town after Duxbury Woods in his home town of Chorley, Lancashire, Great Britain. Several of the surviving "Pilgrims" settled in Duxbury, including George Soule. The town was officially incorporated in 1637.

The Myles Standish Burying Ground in Duxbury is claimed to be the oldest maintained cemetery in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 97.4 km² (37.6 mi²). 61.5 km² (23.8 mi²) of it is land and 35.9 km² (13.9 mi²) of it (36.87%) is water.

Duxbury is the sixth largest cranberry producer in Massachusetts. It also has come in recent years to be known for its oyster beds, as well as other shellfish.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 14,248 people, 4,946 households, and 3,941 families residing in the town. The population density was 231.6/km² (599.8/mi²). There were 5,345 housing units at an average density of 86.9/km² (225.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80% White, 0.64% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 4,946 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $97,124, and the median income for a family was $106,245. Males had a median income of $77,228 versus $41,730 for females. The per capita income for the town was $40,242. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over. The relative opulence of the town has led some to either approvingly or sardonically call it "Deluxebury". The town is also sometimes referred to as “Jeepville” because of the prevalence of Jeeps. Duxbury residents have had a long association with Jeeps because Jeep was the first company to offer four-wheel-drive vehicles which Duxbury residents use to canvas their drive-on barrier beach.

Famous residents

The indie rock singer Juliana Hatfield (b. 1967) grew up in Duxbury, and attended Duxbury High School.
Former NBA center Bill Curley starred at Duxbury High School and later at Boston College before being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs.
Joe Perry, guitarist for Aerosmith, was Duxbury's most famous resident for many years.
Pat Leahy, an NHL hockey player currently playing for the Boston Bruins, was born in Duxbury in 1979.
Captain Amasa Delano was born in Duxbury in 1763; he became fictionalized as a character in Herman Melville's novella Benito Cereno (1855).
The present coach of the Boston Bruins Mike Sullivan is currently living in Duxbury.

Points of interest

External links