Auburn, Massachusetts

Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.

History
The Auburn area was first settled in 1714 as Of Today outer parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massachusetts, and the town was officially incorporated on April 10, 1778 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward. The town changed its name to Auburn in 1837, after the Post Office complained that the name was too similar to the nearby town of Ware.

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 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.

In this park there is a model of Dr. Goddard's prototype liquid-fueled rocket and a Polaris Ballistic Missile (Type A-1). Across the street at the Auburn High School stands a mini version of the prototype.

In addition, there is a small memorial commemorating the feat on the actual site where Goddard launched his rocket. (The memorial is located between the 1st and 9th holes on Pakachoag Golf Course.)

Highways
I-90: The 138 mile Massachusetts Turnpike was commissioned in 1957 and is a part of the 3,099 mile long I-90, the longest Interstate in the country. Almost 5 miles of I-90 runs from the west-southwest to east-northeast through Auburn and is six lanes wide (three each direction) through the town. The right of way is nominally about 300 feet wide. Auburn also contains Exit 10. The total land utilized in Auburn for the interstate is about 200 acres.

I-290: The first three miles of the 20 mile long northbound Interstate 290 is in Auburn along with exits 7 (I-90), 8 (Rt. 12), and 9 (Swanson RD EB, Auburn St. WB).

I-395: Two miles of Interstate 395 are in Auburn which becomes I-290 where they pass I-90.

Route 12: Five miles of Rt. 12 (Southbridge St.) traverses generally north/south through Auburn and its intersection with Auburn St. is named Drury Square.

US 20: Five miles of US 20 runs through Auburn. At 3,365 miles, US 20 is the longest road in the United States. In Auburn it is also known as Southbridge St. (concurrent section with RT 12), Washington St. and the SW Cutoff.

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.

Demographics
The 2010 Auburn, MA, population is 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.
 * Families in Auburn, MA

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.
 * Racial demographics in Auburn, Massachusetts

Education
Auburn has two elementary school "districts." Homes north and west of Route 12 (Southbridge Street) feed into Bryn Mawr School (grades K–2) and Julia Bancroft School (grades 3–5). The other half of town feeds into Mary D. Stone School (grades K–2) and Pakachoag School (grades 3–5). All Auburn public school students attend Auburn Middle School (grades 6–8). Some students attend Auburn High School (grades 9–12), while others are given the option to attend Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School.

A new Auburn High School opened on Drury Square in the center of town directly next to the old high school in the fall of 2006, equipped with turfed fields, to include the football field (Memorial Field) all-purpose field, baseball field, and a grass softball field (Rebecca J. Colokaithis Field), as well three new tennis courts and a basketball court (Holstrom Corner). Auburn High School participates in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.

In 2006 a group called "Save the '35" protested demolition of the oldest (1935) wing of the former high school. The old high school has now been completely demolished, except the dome on top of the high school, which is now located as a monument outside of right center field of the baseball field. A few of the bricks of the old building were sold within the town, and there are some located at the Auburn Historical Museum. In 1997, the Eastern Nazarene College started a learning annex in Auburn.

Points of interest

 * Goddard Rocket Launching Site
 * Auburn Public Schools
 * Lemansky Park (aka Rocketland Park)
 * Pakachoag Golf Course
 * Auburn Historical Museum
 * Horgan Skating Rink
 * Auburn Public Library

Notable people

 * Paul Allaire, former CEO of Xerox Corp. (1990–2001)
 * Jacob Whitman Bailey, biologist, educator (1811–1857)
 * Tyler Beede, 1st round draft pick (Toronto Blue Jays), 2012 SEC All-Freshman Team