Auburn, Massachusetts

Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,889 at the 2020 census.^[1]

Auburn, Massachusetts
Town
Auburn Town Offices and Merriam Library
Flag Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°12′N 71°50′W
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1714
Incorporated	April 10, 1778
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
• Town Manager	Edward Kazanovicz
• Board of Selectmen	Chair Scott Wrenn Vice-Chair Sara Rufli Dan Carpenter Lionel Berthiaume
• School Committee	Chair Jessica Harrington Vice-Chair Meghan McCrillis Gail Halloway Samantha Raphael Brooke Wrenn
Area
• Total	16.4 sq mi (42.5 km2)
• Land	15.4 sq mi (39.8 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
Elevation	603 ft (184 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,889
• Density	1,000/sq mi (400/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	01501
Area code	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-02760
GNIS feature ID	0619474
Website	www.auburnguide.com

History

The Auburn area was first settled in 1714. On April 10, 1778, parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massachusetts were incorporated as the Town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward (second in command to George Washington). In 1837, the town changed its name to Auburn after the Post Office complained that the name was too similar to the nearby town of Ware.^[2]

Before incorporation, most of Auburn was known as the South Parish of Worcester; other portions fell within the town limits of Leicester and Millbury.

Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from Pakachoag Hill, on his aunt Effe Ward's farm, in Auburn on March 16, 1926. Goddard is commemorated in Goddard Memorial Park, located downtown next to the Auburn Fire Department Headquarters. The park features a model of Goddard's prototype liquid-fueled rocket and a Polaris missile (Type A-1). A second replica of Goddard's prototype stands at Auburn High School. Goddard's launch is also commemorated with a small monument, the Goddard Rocket Launching Site, between the first and ninth holes of Pakachoag Golf Course.^[3]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1850	879	—
1860	914	+4.0%
1870	1,178	+28.9%
1880	1,317	+11.8%
1890	1,532	+16.3%
1900	2,446	+59.7%
1910	2,797	+14.3%
1920	3,052	+9.1%
1930	6,147	+101.4%
1940	6,629	+7.8%
1950	8,840	+33.4%
1960	14,047	+58.9%
1970	15,347	+9.3%
1980	14,845	−3.3%
1990	15,005	+1.1%
2000	15,901	+6.0%
2010	16,188	+1.8%
2020	16,889	+4.3%
2023	16,820	−0.4%
Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

The 2010 Auburn, MA, population was 16,188. There are 1,053 people per square mile.

The median age is 40.8. The US median is 37.6. 61.86% of people in Auburn, MA, are married. 8.00% are divorced. The average household size is 2.41 people. 22.71% of people are married, with children. 5.08% have children, but are single.

According to the 2000 census, 97.21% of people are white, 0.81% are black or African American, 1.19% are Asian, 0.10% are Native American, and 1.00% are "other". 1.24% of the people in Auburn, MA, are of Hispanic ethnicity.

Arts and culture

Dr. Robert H. Goddard Park

Points of interest include:

• Auburn Mall
• Goddard Rocket Launching Site
• Worcester Flood Diversion Channel

Government

The form of government is representative town meeting. There are 24 town-meeting members from each of the five precincts of the town, for a total of 120 who represent the people at the annual town meeting each May. The town also has a Board of Selectmen which consists of five elected members, each serving for a term of three years. As of 2009, the town adopted a new charter which allowed for the creation of a Town Manager.

State government
State Representative(s):	Paul K. Frost (R)
State Senator(s):	Michael O. Moore (D)
Governor's Councilor(s):	Paul DePaulo (D)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s):	2nd District
U.S. Senators:	Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Education

Auburn High School

Schools in Auburn include:^[15]

• Bryn Mawr School (grades K–2)
• Pakachoag School (grades K–2)
• Swanson Road Intermediate School (grades 3–5)
• Auburn Middle School (grades 6–8)
• Auburn High School (grades 9–12)

Infrastructure

Highways

• I-90
• I-290
• I-395
• Route 12
• US 20

Notable people

• Paul Allaire (1938–2019), CEO of Xerox Corp. from 1990 to 2001
• Jacob Whitman Bailey (1811–1857), biologist, educator^[16]
• Tyler Beede (born 1993), baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• John Curdo (1931–2022), chess master, winner of numerous titles, including the US Senior Championship, who lived here in later life
• Patrick Allen Joslyn (born 1986), drag performer known onstage as Joslyn Fox
• Robert Goddard (1881–1945), rocket scientist
• Jeffrey Lynn (1909–1995), stage-screen actor and film producer