Hopedale, Massachusetts

Hopedale is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located 25 miles southwest of Boston, in eastern Massachusetts. With origins as a Christian utopian community, the town was later home to Draper Corporation, a large loom manufacturer throughout the 20th century until its closure in 1980. Today, Hopedale has become a bedroom community for professionals working in Greater Boston and is home to highly ranked public schools. The population was 6,017 as of the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name.

History

alt=|left|thumb|The Little Red Shop, Hopedale Pond, and the Draper Factory

Hopedale was first settled by Europeans in 1660. Benjamin Albee built a mill on what is now the south end of Hopedale in 1664. A area of the Blackstone Valley was incorporated as the town of Mendon. In 1780, Milford separated from Mendon. On August 26, 1841, Adin Ballou, along with the Practical Christians, gave Hopedale its name, within the town of Milford. Ballou and the Practical Christians established the Hopedale Community based on Christian and socialist ideologies in 1842. The utopian commune went bankrupt in 1856, and its assets were purchased by Ebenezer and George Draper, manufacturers of looms. The Draper factory was slated to be demolished beginning in July 2020, and as of October 2020, demolition has begun. To many of the citizens’ surprise, the latter attempt was successful, and the land where the factory once sat has been completely leveled and cleaned. To this day, only a few of the external satellite buildings remain scattered throughout downtown. It is not yet known what the land will be used for.

Hopedale is included in the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, although much of the town lies within the Charles River watershed.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.20%, is water. The largest body of water is Hopedale Pond, located close to the town center. Hopedale Pond is surrounded by the Parklands, a 275-acre public nature reserve with walking trails, designed in 1899 by a firm operated by Frederick Law Olmsted.

The central business district, known by Census Bureau as the Hopedale Census-Designated Place (CDP), is located at (42.129872, −71.539594).

According to the Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (1.15%) is water.

Hopedale is located in the Blackstone Valley.

Demographics

left|thumb|Hopedale Town Hall ()

Town

At the 2010 census there were 5,911 people, 2,263 households, and 1,572 families in the town. The population density was . There were 2,289 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.02% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2%.

Of the 2,240 households 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.9% of households were one person and 12.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution was 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median household income was $107,550 and the per capita income was $42,756. Males had a median income of $47,380 versus $31,144 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,791. About 2.9% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

CDP

thumb|right|Draper Factory

As of the census

Following the Great Recession, Hopedale explored the possibility of joining Nipmuc Regional High School, however strong community dissent and concerns over a lack of educational benefit led to a rejection of the proposal in late 2010.

Notable people

Adin Ballou, noted 19th-century pacifist, socialist, and abolitionist
Dick Bresciani, Boston Red Sox executive
Brendan Burke, soccer player and coach
Eben Sumner Draper, 44th Governor of Massachusetts
Eben S. Draper Jr., Massachusetts state representative
Wickliffe Draper, political activist, founder of the Pioneer Fund
Dana Gould, comedian
Kevin Nee, professional strongman athlete
Joe Perry, lead guitarist Aerosmith

References

External links

Town of Hopedale official website