Mansfield, Massachusetts

Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population is 23,184. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island.

The village of Mansfield Center is located in the town.

The town is twinned with Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England.

History
Mansfield was first settled in 1658 and was officially incorporated in 1775. It was named for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, a pro-colonial member of the House of Lords. Mansfield is largely known for being the home of the Comcast Center (formerly Great Woods, Tweeter Center) concert venue, one of the most popular in Massachusetts.

Benjamin E. Bates, an industrialist and philanthropist, who was the founder of Bates College was born in Mansfield in 1808. Stove and furnace manufacturer and innovator Gordon Chilson (1804–1877) worked here.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.7 sqmi, of which, 20.5 sqmi of it is land and 0.3 sqmi of it (1.25%) is water. There are five conservation areas in the town. They are, from largest to smallest: the Great Woods Conservation Area, Maple Park Conservation Area, York Conservation Area, Marie Strese Conservation Area, and Sweet Pond Conservation Area. The town is bisected by the Canoe, Rumford and Wading Rivers, as well as many small brooks which are all part of the Taunton River Watershed.

Mansfield's location is 28 miles south of Boston, 14 miles west of Brockton, and 19 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bordered by Foxborough and Sharon to the north, Easton to the east, Norton to the south, and Plainville to the west. The town's northern border is also a portion of the northern border of Bristol County. Its localities include East Mansfield, Ginty Corner, Mansfield Center, Purdy Corner and West Mansfield.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,414 people, 7,942 households, and 5,861 families residing in the town. The population density was 1095.4 PD/sqmi. There were 8,120 housing units at an average density of 396.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.30% White, 2.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 7,942 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the town the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,925, and the median income for a family was $78,058 (these figures had risen to $93,533 and $111,316 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $52,416 versus $36,658 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,441. About 3.0% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The town is governed by an open town meeting, which in turn is led by a board of selectmen and town manager. The town has a police department located in the center of town, as well as two fire stations, near the town center and near Purdy Corner. The Mansfield Public Library is located at Memorial Park, and the post office is near the intersection of Routes 106 & 140. In addition to Memorial Park, the town also has the Magna-Vista Recreation Area.

On the state level, the town is represented in the State Senate as a portion of the Bristol and Norfolk district, including Dover, Foxborough, Mansfield, Medfield, Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Walpole, as well as parts of Attleboro and Sharon. The town is a part of three separate state representative districts, the First and Fourteenth Bristol and Eight Norfolk districts. The town is also patrolled by Troop H (Metro Boston region) of the Massachusetts State Police, 3rd District (Foxborough barracks). On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 4, which is represented by Barney Frank. The state's senior (Class II) Senator, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry and the state's junior (Class I) Senator is Scott Brown

Education
Mansfield has its own school department consisting of five schools, governed by a superintendent of schools (whose office is located directly adjacent to the town hall) and a school committee. (Coincidentally, the school department building was once the public library and before that, it was the town hall, and the town hall was once the high school.) There are three elementary schools: the Roland Green Preschool, the Everett J. Robinson Elementary School (serving grades K-2), the Jordan-Jackson Elementary School (serving grades 3-5), the Harold L. Qualters Middle School (serving grades 6-8), and Mansfield High School. Mansfield's teams are nicknamed the Hornets, and their colors are green and white. In recent years, MHS has had successful sports teams, especially the football and track and field teams. For many years in the 1980s and early 1990s, the school's marching band hosted the first event of the New England Scholastic Band Association's fall field show competition season. Other than Roland Green Preschool, all the town's schools are located on either side of East Street near Mansfield Center.

In addition to the public schools, high school students may also attend Southeastern Regional Vocational-Technical High School in Easton or Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton free of charge. Mansfield residents can also send their children to the Foxboro Regional Charter School. The town also has one parochial school, Saint Mary's, which serves grades K-8, and an Islamic high school, Al-Noor Academy, which opened in 2000 and serves the Islamic community along the I-95 corridor.

Mansfield is also known for their outstanding high school sports such as football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and track and field (Men) teams have won multiple league, division, and all-state titles.

Library
The Mansfield Public Library was established in 1884. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Mansfield spent 0.86% ($605,929) of its budget on its public library—some $25 per person.

Transportation
The intersection of Interstates 95 and 495 is located on the Mansfield-Foxborough town line, with both highways going through the town. Additionally, the town includes a limited-access section of Route 140, as well as part of Route 106. The only exit off the interstates which gives direct access to town roads is I-495 Exit 12, which links to Route 140 South at the Comcast Center. The town also has a stop along the MBTA's commuter line between Providence and Boston, and is serviced by Mansfield Municipal Airport, which serves smaller aircraft. The nearest international airport is T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, 30 miles away.