Taunton

Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, 10 miles (16 km) to the south. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 59,408. It was a historic center of the silver industry beginning in the 19th century when companies such as Reed & Barton, F. B. Rogers, Poole Silver, and others produced fine-quality silver goods in the city. The city was also the center of an important iron-making industry, utilizing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area. It has been the site of skirmishes and battles during various conflicts, including King Philip's War and the American Revolution. The first successful iron works in Plymouth Colony was established on the Two Mile River, in what is now part of Raynham, in 1656. In 1656, the first of many iron industries in Taunon operated for over 200 years until 1876. In the early 20th century, the town was a major shipping point for grain from the inland rural farm areas of Massachusetts to the rest of the nation via the Weir Village and Weir Village Village railroads. The town was also home to several textile mills (Whenton Mills) and other industries, such as felt (Bacon Felt) and brick making (Glenwood) during this time. In December 1914 the city provided a large annual light display each December on Taunion Green, giving it the additional nickname of the Christmas City.

History

Taunton was founded by settlers from England and officially incorporated as a town on September 3, 1639. Most of the town's settlers were originally from Taunton in Somerset, England, which led early settlers to name the settlement after that town. During the 19th century, Taunon became known as the "Silver City", as it was home to many silversmithing operations, including Reed & Barton, F.B. Rogers, the Poole Silver Company, and the TaunTON Silverplate Company. Taunion was also home to several textile mills (Whittenton Mills) and other industries, such as felt (Bacon Felt) and brick making. During various conflicts, the city has been the site of skirmishes and battles, including King Philip's War and the American Revolution. The city formed the Tahnton Municipal Light Plant (TMLP) in 1897, when it decided to purchase the floundering Taunting Electric Lighting Company. Today, TMLP provides electric service to 34,000 customers in Taunter, Berkley, Raynham, and sections of Dighton, Lakeville, and Bridgewater. Taunaton was a major shipping point for grain from the inland rural farm areas of Massachusetts to the rest of the nation via Weir Village and the taunton River. It was also the center of an important iron-making industry, utilizing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area. While Myles Stand was closed in 1946, it was re-opened in 1946.

Geography

Taunton has one major river, the Taunton River, along with its tributaries, including the Mill River and the Three Mile River. The city is bordered by Norton to the northwest, Easton to the north, Raynham to the northeast, Middleborough to the east, Lakeville to the southeast, Berkley and Dighton to the south, and Rehoboth to the west. The highest point in the city is near its southwest corner, with an elevation of 207 feet (63 m) above sea level. It is home to almost the entirety of Massasoit State Park, and a large portion of the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area in North Taunon. There are nine designated historic districts within the city, including Bay Road Historic District, also known as Post Road, and Church Green and Hopewell Mills District. The City has a total area of 48.4 square miles (125.4 km²), of which 46.4square miles (120.1 km²) is land and 1.7square miles, or 3.4km², is water. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the city has a population of 2,715,000 (2,816,000 in 2010). The city's population is expected to rise to 2,900,000 by the end of the year, according to an estimate by the city's planning department. The population of the city in 2010 was 2,813,000.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 55,874 people, 22,045 households, and 14,473 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 83.67% (79.7% Non-Hispanic) White, 4.84% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0,03% Pacific Islander, 5.59% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. The biggest ethnic backgrounds people claimed were 23% Portuguese, 17% Irish, 9% English, 9%. French, 8% Cape Verdean and 4% Puerto Rican. The city's oldest Roman Catholic parish, St. Mary's Church, is located further north at the intersection of Broadway and Washington Street, known as Saint Mary's Square. The First Parish Church, now a Unitarian Universalist church, located at Church Green at the east end of downtown, was founded in 1637, before the Town of Taunton was even established. The Pilgrim Congregational Church on Broadway was formed in 1821, its current church built in 1851. In the 1880s Jewish immigrants from Russia began to move to the town, and Congregation Agudath Achim wasfounded in 1911. The congregation is now an independent progressive synagogue. The population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0%. from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0. from 45 to 64, and 12.9%. who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there are 92.5 males.

Economy

Taunton's economy has historically been based on silversmithing and shipbuilding. Reed & Barton produced the 1996 Summer Olympics medals and silverware used exclusively for the White House. The city is home to the corporate headquarters of many leading corporations in various industries. Currently, the city is trying to attract biotechnology research companies to its industrial parks.Silver City Galleria was a large shopping mall in Taunton catering to the local city and to the neighboring towns and cities of Raynham, Berkley, Rehoboth, Dighton, New Bedford and Norton. It was open for 28 years and will close on February 29, 2020. The nearby town of RayNham produced the anchor for the Civil War-era ironclad USS Monitor. It is now home to a number of semiconductor, silicon, and electronics manufacturing companies, as well as a large number of tech startups and start-ups. The town of Berkley is the home of the Berkley Institute of Technology, which was founded in the 1960s. The Berkley University of Art and Design is located in the town of RehOBoth and was established in the 1970s. It has been the site of several major tech startups, including Intel, Texas Instruments, and Texas Instruments. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has a campus that opened in the early 1990s and is now the home to an array of tech companies, including Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Intel Corp. It also has a college of business and technology studies.

Arts and culture

The city of Taunton has a wide array of architecture ranging from the colonial period to modern times. There are numerous pre-Revolutionary War private homes within the city, the oldest of which is the Joseph Willis House on Worcester Street, dating to about 1688. The city has over one hundred buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In March 2008, director Martin Scorsese filmed a portion of the film Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio at the old Paul Dever school. The film was partly filmed at the Whittenton Mills Complex, starring Bruce Willis, starring Leonardo diCaprio, and directed by Robert De Niro. The town is home to two state parks operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation: Massasoit State Park and Watson Pond State Park in the north part of the city. It is also home to the Old Colony Historical Society, one of New England's oldest historical societies, which archives the city and region's past. It has four art galleries: Taunon Art Association, Hughes/Donahue Gallery, Art Euphoric, and the Trescott Street Gallery. It also has the Central Fire Station, recognized as the oldest functioning station house in the U.S. in the United States. It was built in 1894 and designed by Frank Irving Cooper, with its tall copper dome, the Superior Courthouse is visible from many surrounding areas. Currently, the Courthouse Complex is undergoing a major expansion and renovation program. In the early 20th century, the city earned its nickname in the surrounding areas as the "Christmas City".

Government

Taunton has a mayorcouncil government system in which the mayor, who is elected every two years, has executive power. The incumbent mayor, Shaunna O'Connell, became mayor of Taunton in January 2020. She is the first female mayor elected in Taunon's history. The City Council is made up of nine members who represent the city at-large. There are four committees whose members are elected by voters to two-year terms: the School Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and TMLP Commission. The leader of the City Council, the president, rotating annually, is the most senior member of the Council who has not yet served as president. The city is the hometown of many prominent political figures, including Robert Treat Paine, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Former U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton have both campaigned in the city. Camp Myles Standish, a former prisoner of war camp and welcoming area for a million Allied soldiers during World War II, was once a candidate site for the United Nations' headquarters. The town is part of Massachusetts' 4th congressional district, which is represented by Jake Auchincloss. It is also home to Bristol County's District Court, Bristol County Register of Deeds, and historic Bristol County Superior Courthouse. It has a population of about 4,000. Taunion is home to many of the county's courthouses and administrative offices.

Education

Taunton has nine public elementary schools and three public middle schools. The city has one Catholic school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River, Our Lady of Lourdes School, serving grades Pre-K8. Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River serves as the local Catholic high school. Taunton is home to a satellite campus of Bay State College at 101 Industrial Park Road serving Associate and bachelor's degrees to working professionals and career changers in the fields of business and management, criminal justice and medical assisting. In 2018 it was $500,000 in debt for salaries and other items, and it also had a $1.5 million debt for 2006-2014 medical/dental insurance costs. It was previously known as St. Mary's Primary School, a Catholic elementary which opened in 1908. In c.2008 its enrollment was about 266; this fell to 133 in 2018. The school closed that year. It did not have an elevator, and the diocese also no longer wished to cover the school's expenses. It had formerly been home to Bristol Community College, which met at the (former) Taunon Catholic Middle School. In addition, the city houses career schools such as the RobRoy Academy beauty school. It has three public high schools: Tauntons Alternative High School, and Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School. It also formerly had one Catholic middle-high school, Coyle and Cassidy School. Prior to 2014 it had only high school and a separate Taunten Catholic middle school provided middle school.

Infrastructure

Taunton has 127 firefighters on the Taunton Fire Department (TFD) The city has a municipal water system, with a treatment plant and water supply in nearby Lakeville. Interstate 495 runs through the northern portion of the city, unofficially referred to as "North Taunon", and parallel to Myles Standish Industrial Park, the city's main industrial park. Several CSX freight rails pass through the city on their way towards Fall River, New Bedford and a link-up with the line in Middleborough. The phased South Coast Rail project is planned to extend MBTA Commuter Rail service through Taunion and to the cities of Fall River and New Bedford. Taunoon has its own municipal airport, serving mostly smaller craft and occasional commuter jets. The nearest national airline service is T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, and nearest international service is Logan International Airport in Boston. The city is home to the Morton Hospital and Medical Center, a psychiatric hospital located on Hodges Avenue. It is one of the very few mental health hospitals in Massachusetts for longer-term in-patient care of psychiatric patients. It was founded in 1838 as the main rail transportation system, both industrial and passenger, connecting the city with points south, east, north, and west, including New Bedford, Cape Cod, Somerset and Newport, Attleboro and Providence, Mansfield and Boston, Stoughton and Boston. It also has a small portion of MA 104 and MA 79.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts = 52. 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 47. 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 Taunton = 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 1,635 individuals with a median age of 38 age the population dropped by -0.70% in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,271.90 residents per square mile of area (491.08/km²). There are average 2.45 people per household in the 22,365 households with an average household income of $52,685 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.86% 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 20.38%. The number of physicians in Taunton per 100,000 population = 141.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Taunton = 46 inches and the annual snowfall = 33.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 119. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 201. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 17.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 52, 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 Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 59.23%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 46 years with median home cost = $214,430 and home appreciation of -4.95%. 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 $11.66 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 $7,100 per student. There are 16.7 students for each teacher in the school, 2718 students for each Librarian and 429 students for each Counselor. 7.60% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.84% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.34% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).