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Palmer is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,497 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Palmer, please see the articles on Bondsville, Palmer (CDP), and Three Rivers.
History
Palmer is composed of four separate and distinct villages; Depot Village, (named for the ornate railroad terminal designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson), Thorndike, Three Rivers, and Bondsville. The villages began to develop their distinctive characters in the 18th century, and by the 19th century, two rail lines and a trolley line opened the town to population growth.
Palmer's first settler was John King. He built his home in 1716 on the banks of the Chicopee River. A large group of Scottish-Irish Presbyterians followed, arriving in 1727. In 1775, Massachusetts officially incorporated Palmer. Depot Village became Palmer's main commercial and business center during the late nineteenth century, and remains so today. Palmer's industry developed in Bondsville. During the 18th century, saw and grist mills were established by the rivers. By 1825, Palmer woolen mills began to produce textiles. Subsequently, Palmer's Blanchard Scythe Factory, Wright Wire Woolen Mills, and the Holden-Fuller Woolen Mills developed major industrial capacity, and constructed large amounts of workers housing. By 1900 companies Boston Duck, (which made heavy cotton fabric), housed over 500 employees in the town.
Palmer's recent history has been characterized by industrial decline, precipitated by the waning popularity of railroads, and during the past decade, increased yuppification. In 2005, Palmer opened a large Public Library, in the Federalist style.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 82.9 km² (32.0 mi²). 81.7 km² (31.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.53%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 12,497 people, 5,078 households, and 3,331 families residing in the town. The population density was 153.0/km² (396.3/mi²). There were 5,402 housing units at an average density of 66.2/km² (171.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.82% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.
There were 5,078 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,443, and the median income for a family was $49,358. Males had a median income of $35,748 versus $26,256 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,664. About 5.8% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
"Palmer, Massachusetts"