Woburn, Massachusetts

Woburn, Massachusetts, Library with statue of Benjamin Thompson.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Statue of Thompson outside the library of his hometown, Woburn, Massachusetts. (A copy of the original in Munich.)]] Woburn () is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 37,258 at the 2000 census. Woburn is the birthplace of Anglo-American scientist Benjamin Thompson, a.k.a. Count Rumford, who made great contributions to the nascent science of thermodynamics.

History

Woburn was first settled in 1640 and was officially incorporated in 1642. Woburn is home to "America's Oldest Active Gun Club", the Massachusetts Rifle Association which was founded in 1875 and moved to Woburn in 1876. Woburn is the setting for the 1998 film A Civil Action, starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall, which is based on a book by Jonathan Harr. It is the true life story of a water contamination crisis in Woburn in the 1970s involving W. R. Grace and Company, and the lawsuit around it.

Geography

Woburn is located at (42.484545, -71.152060).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.4 km² (12.9 mi²). 32.8 km² (12.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.71%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,258 people, 14,997 households, and 9,658 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,135.4/km² (2,939.6/mi²). There were 15,391 housing units at an average density of 469.0/km² (1,214.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.57% White, 1.87% African American, 0.10% Native American, 4.85% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.

There were 14,997 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 28.7% 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 2.47 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,897, and the median income for a family was $66,364. Males had a median income of $45,210 versus $33,239 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,207. About 4.5% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people from Woburn

Eric Bogosian, playwright and actor.
Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber, lived on Montvale Avenue in the 1830s.
Stephen McCauley, author (The Object of My Affection, The Easy Way Out, The Man of the House, True Enough)
Charles McMahon, Marine Corporal, last casualty in Vietnam
Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, scientist and inventor
Lyle R. Wheeler, Academy Award-winning art-director (Gone with the Wind, The King and I)
Philemon Wright, founder of Ottawa, Canada.

Points of interest

External links

Cities in Massachusetts | Middlesex County, Massachusetts