| Official name | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
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| Image seal | FoxboroughSeal.png |
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| Map caption | Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates display | inline,title |
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| Coordinates region | US-MA |
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| Subdivision type | Country |
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| Subdivision name | United States |
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| Subdivision type1 | State |
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| Subdivision name1 | Massachusetts |
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| Subdivision type2 | County |
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| Subdivision name2 | Norfolk |
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| Established title | Settled |
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| Established date | 1704 |
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| Established title2 | Incorporated |
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| Established date2 | June 10, 1778 |
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| Government type | Open town meeting |
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| Leader title | |
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| Leader title1 | |
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| Area total km2 | 54.1 |
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| Area total sq mi | 20.9 |
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| Area land km2 | 52.0 |
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| Area land sq mi | 20.1 |
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| Area water km2 | 2.1 |
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| Area water sq mi | 0.8 |
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| Population as of | 2007 |
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| Settlement type | Town |
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| Population total | 16,298 |
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| Population density km2 | 313.4 |
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| Population density sq mi | 810.8 |
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| Elevation m | 0 |
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| Elevation ft | 0 |
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| Timezone | Eastern |
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| Utc offset | -5 |
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| Timezone dst | Eastern |
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| Utc offset dst | -4 |
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| Website | www.townfoxborough.us |
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| Postal code type | ZIP code |
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| Postal code | 02035 |
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| Area code | 508 |
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| Blank name | FIPS code |
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| Blank info | 25-24820 |
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| Blank1 name | GNIS feature ID |
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| Blank1 info | 0618320 |
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Foxborough is a town in
Norfolk County,
Massachusetts,
United States, approximately southwest of
Boston and northeast of
Providence,
Rhode Island. The population was 16,246 at the 2000
census. The town is best known as the site of
Gillette Stadium, home of the
New England Patriots of the
National Football League and the
New England Revolution of
Major League Soccer. "Foxborough" is the official spelling of the town name, although the alternative spelling "
Foxboro" is also frequently used. This alternative spelling is used by the United States Postal Service as the correct form by which to address mail to recipients in the town. The sign on the post office reads "Foxboro."
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Foxborough, please see the article Foxborough (CDP), Massachusetts.
History
Settled in 1704 and incorporated in 1778, Foxborough was named for
Charles James Fox, a
Whig member of
Parliament and a staunch supporter of the
Colonies in the years leading up to the
American Revolution.
The town was once home to the world's largest straw hat factory. Founded by local businessman E.P. Carpenter, the Union Straw Works burned to the ground in the early 20th century. The town post office now stands on the site.
Foxborough was composed of small neighborhood communities until the early 1900s. These included Foxvale/Paineburgh, which remained semi-independent until the mid-twentieth century; Quaker Hill in South Foxborough; and Lakeview/Donkeyville in West Foxborough.
Foxborough is home to Gillette Stadium, home of the 3 time Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots, as well as the Major League Soccer club New England Revolution, both owned by Bob Kraft. Kraft recently bought the area around the stadium to create Patriot Place shopping plaza. The plaza consists of stores such as The Christmas Tree Shops and Bass Pro Shop, many clothing stores, and restaurants including The CBS Scene, Bar Louie, Davio's, Five Guys, Olive Garden, Skipjack's, and Red Robin.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.9 square miles (54.1 km
2), of which, 20.1 square miles (52.0 km
2) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km
2) of it (3.88%) is water. Foxborough is drained by the Cocasset River.
Climate
Foxborough's climate is humid continental, which is the predominant climate for Massachusetts and New England. Summers are typically hot, rainy, and humid, while winters are cold, windy and snowy. Spring and autumn are usually mild, but conditions are widely varied, depending on wind direction and jet stream positioning.
Foxborough's warmest month is July, with an average high temperature of 83°F and an average low of 62°F. The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of 36°F and an average low of 18°F. Periods exceeding in summer and below in winter are not uncommon but rarely extended, with about 14 days per year seeing the former extreme.
Much like the rest of the Northeastern seaboard, Foxborough receives ample amounts of precipitation year-round. On average, summer months receive slightly less precipitation than winter months. Foxborough averages about 46 in of rainfall a year. Foxborough, like other Massachusetts towns, is very vulnerable to Nor'easter weather systems. The town is sometimes vulnerable to Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms, which infrequently threaten the New England region during the early autumn months.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The
population density was 809.1 people per square mile (312.4/km
2). There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7/sq mi (121.1/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.09%
White, 0.82%
Black or
African American, 0.11%
Native American, 1.22%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.20% from
other races, and 0.54% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 6,141 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $64,323, and the median income for a family was $78,811. Males had a median income of $51,901 versus $35,748 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,294. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Foxborough is run by a five-member board of selectmen and elected town officials like the town moderator and town clerk. Day-to-Day operations involving items under the Board of Selectmen's purview is handled by an appointed Town Manager.
Board of Selectmen (Term Ends)Lynda Walsh, Chairman (2013)Lawrence Harrington, Vice-Chairman (2012)James DeVellis, Clerk (2013)Paul D. Mortenson (2011)Lorraine Brue (2012)
Other town officials
Kevin Paicos (Town Manager)Robert E. Cutler Jr. (Town Clerk)Robert Swanson (Department of Public Works)Marc Resnick (Town Planner)William Casbarra (Building Commissioner)Pauline Clifford (Health Agent)Jane Sears Pierce (Conservation Manager)Bob Boette (Conservation Commission Chairman)Leo Potter (Water and Sewer Superintendent) Randy Scollins (Finance Director)Roger P. Hatfield (Fire Chief)Edward T. O’Leary (Police Chief)Michael Johns (Veteran's Agent)Robert E. Hicks(Historical Commission Chairman)Deborah Giardino (Recreation Director)Thomas F. Buckley (Town Assessor)Dr. Christopher H. Martes (Superintendent of Schools)
Town Hall is located at 40 South Street, Foxborough, MA 02035.
Education
Public schools
Foxborough has a public school system. The
Foxborough Public Schools (FPS) district currently has an enrollment of over 3,000 children in grades from pre-school to grade 12.
The schools are notable for the amount of money they invest in technology. FPS receives recognition for outperforming by both state and national standards.
Foxborough public schools:
Charles G. Taylor Elementary School (K - 4)
Vincent M. Igo Elementary School (Pre-K - 4)
Mabelle M. Burrell Elementary School (K - 4)
John J. Ahern Middle School (5 - 8)
Foxborough High School (9 - 12)
Foxborough High School offers a wide variety of sports including: golf, track and field, football, soccer, cross country, volleyball, swim, basketball, wrestling, hockey, indoor track, cheerleading, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, and softball.
The mascot of the high school is the Warriors, whose colors are blue and gold.
The football team has won the Hockomock League title and also won the Division 2 Super Bowl various times, most recently in 2007 with a 21-10 victory over Burlington. Coincidentally, the Super Bowl win also gave coach Jack Martinelli his 200th win. During the 1987 and 1988 seasons, the Warriors won back to back Division 3 Super Bowls and went undefeated in 1988. This team featured 5 players that went on to play Division 1 college football (Chris Cady, Eric Matckie, Tom Nalen, Dan Sullivan, Rob Turenne). The cheerleading team has also earned recognition, making it to nationals for the first time in 2004 and then again in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The golf team has produced many all-scholastic players and even state champions, as has the wrestling team. The boys' indoor track team were the Hockomock Champions in the 2006/2007 season. The field hockey team have been the Hockomock Champions several times in recent years.
Foxborough High School is also known for its music program, which includes a string orchestra, symphony orchestra, chorus, marching band, concert band, symphonic winds, winds ensemble and jazz band/choir. Many of these groups regularly place in competitions, but the Jazz Ensemble has been recognized in several Essentially Ellington competitions. The top 15 Jazz bands in the country send in recordings of themselves and judges judge the bands. Foxborough is known for being in the top 15 for several years.
Foxborough Regional Charter School (FRCS) is a college preparatory school for grades K-12 located near the town common, at 131 Central Street. FRCS was originally founded as the Sabis Foxborough Regional Charter School in 1998. In 2002, the school broke off from Sabis, and thus dropped it from the school name.
The Sage School is located on Mechanic street. It provides gifted education for students, K-8.
Community organizations
Foxborough Founders Day Planning Committee
Foxborough Historical Society
Foxboro Jaycees
Foxboro Lions Club
Foxboro Rotary Club
Points of interest
Foxboro Grange Hall
Gillette Stadium- Home of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution.
Patriot Place - An outdoor shopping and entertainment complex next to Gillette Stadium.
Orpheum Theater - A local non-profit theater which serves as the home to Bay Colony Productions, a local community theater company, as well as the venue for other live performances and movies, including the annual Three Stooges film festival.
F. Gilbert Hills State Forest - Encompassing in Foxborough and Wrentham, the state forest is used for hiking, biking, cross country skiing, horseback riding, and observing nature. Contained on state forest land are some unique stone structures that some believe were made and used by the native Algonquin tribes prior to the town's founding.
Memorial Hall - a stone building and monument in the center of town dedicated to those who served in the armed forces, containing a permanent collection of historical artifacts relating to town history.
Notable residents
Jayson P. Ahern, Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Seth Boyden, born in Foxborough, later became one of Newark, New Jersey's foremost citizen-inventors, responsible for inventing patent leather, malleable iron and other processes as well as one of the first to develop daguerreotype.
Frank Boyden, headmaster of
Deerfield Academy
Matt Leonard, WAAF radio personality
Ha Jin, author.
Joanna Levesque, professionally known as JoJo, an R&B; singer-songwriter and actress
Tom Nalen, former professional football player for the
Denver Broncos
Chris Sullivan, musician, actor, cast member of The Electric Company
Nguyen Van Thieu, (died in US exile in 2001) President of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975.
Madame Nguyen Van Thieu, the last serving First Lady of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975.
References
External links
Town of Foxborough
Boyden Library
Vital Records of Foxborough, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850
Unofficial Foxborough Forum
State's Foxborough information page
Town of Foxborough Building Department
The Foxboro Reporter (Local Newspaper)
Foxborough Founders Day
Category:Towns in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Category:Populated places established in 1704
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![Green Day - American Idiot [Live @ Gillette Stadium, Foxborough 2005]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110602184709im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SX1X2jRR4GE/0.jpg "Green Day - American Idiot [Live @ Gillette Stadium, Foxborough 2005]")
![The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for approximately 29 miles to its mouth at Dorchester Bay between Quincy and the Dorchester section of Boston, near the painted gas tank[1].](http://web.archive.org./web/20110602184709im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/a4/0f/2fc2d7411965ef2e2bb65f605368_grande.jpg "The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for approximately 29 miles to its mouth at Dorchester Bay between Quincy and the Dorchester section of Boston, near the painted gas tank[1].")
![The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for approximately 29 miles to its mouth at Dorchester Bay between Quincy and the Dorchester section of Boston, near the painted gas tank[1].](http://web.archive.org./web/20110602184709im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/a4/0f/2fc2d7411965ef2e2bb65f605368_thumb.jpg "The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for approximately 29 miles to its mouth at Dorchester Bay between Quincy and the Dorchester section of Boston, near the painted gas tank[1].")
