Sutton, Massachusetts

Sutton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,250 at the 2000 census.

History
Sutton was officially incorporated in 1704. The township of Sutton as incorporated consisted of an eight mile square tract of land that extended to Hassanamisco (Grafton). This region of Massachusetts was originally inhabited by the Nipmuck.

By 1735 Hassananmisco and a small portion of the northeastern territory of the Township of Sutton had incorporated as the town of Grafton. Millbury was set apart from Sutton in 1813. In early days Millbury was called North Parish. In the 1830s, Wilkinsonville (a section in north Sutton) took its own name; another area name is "Pleasant Valley" ; known now because of the golf course named that in Sutton.

Of the three first families to settle in Sutton, Alex Gosnel and his family were known to stay through the first winter. They settled on property in the area called Manchaug, near Marble Village. It is home of one of the oldest school houses in America dating back to the 18th century according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Through the 18th and 19th centuries Sutton was a town that enjoyed both agricultural and industrial benefits. The farms and orchards in the area did very well, as did the three large mills that were built in the Manchaug area.

The town is part of the historic Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and has some of its valley sites.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.9 sqmi, of which, 32.4 sqmi of it is land and 1.5 sqmi of it (4.57%) is water.

The town contains five villages known as Sutton Center, Manchaug, Wilkinsonville, West Sutton, and South Sutton. Located in an area known as the "Blackstone Valley," Sutton shares its borders with the towns of Millbury, Grafton, Northbridge, Douglas, Uxbridge, and Oxford.

Sutton is also home to Purgatory Chasm State Reservation.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,250 people, 2,811 households, and 2,282 families residing in the town. The population density was 254.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of 91.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.18% White, 0.68% African American, 0.01% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 2,811 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $75,141, and the median income for a family was $81,000. Males had a median income of $53,482 versus $37,463 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,490. About 3.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local Business
Sutton, although home to several agricultural businesses, has a growing small business population. Part of the Blackstone Valley, many of the businesses are affiliated with groups like the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, Blackstone Valley Tourism Association, and the Sutton Chain of Lights.

Several notable Sutton businesses are:
 * Polyvinyl Films, creators of Stretch-Tite Premium Food Wrap
 * Vaillancourt Folk Art, chalkware collectible studios
 * Pleasant Valley Country Club, golf course used by PGA and LPGA
 * Atlas Box And Crating Co, Inc, national box company
 * Taft Sound, regional sound company
 * Whittier Farms, Inc, national breeder of Holsteins, and processing plant with two milk stores

Adjacent towns

 * Douglas, Massachusetts
 * Grafton, Massachusetts
 * Millbury, Massachusetts
 * Northbridge, Massachusetts
 * Oxford, Massachusetts
 * Uxbridge, Massachusetts