Templeton, Massachusetts

Templeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,013 at the 2010 census. The town comprises four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River. It is the home of Narragansett Regional High School, a regional public high school serving the towns of Templeton and Phillipston.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.4 sqmi, of which 32.0 sqmi is land and 0.4 sqmi, or 1.17%, is water.

Templeton is bordered by Royalston and Winchendon to the north, Gardner to the east, Hubbardston to the southeast, and Phillipston to the west.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,799 people, 2,411 households, and 1,808 families residing in the town. The population density was 212.2 people per square mile (81.9/km²). There were 2,597 housing units at an average density of 81.1 per square mile (31.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.15% White, 0.35% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. 19.2% were of French, 13.3% French Canadian, 12.8% Irish, 10.1% Italian, 9.6% English, 8.0% Polish, 5.4% Finnish and 5.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,411 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,482, and the median income for a family was $52,936. Males had a median income of $38,088 versus $26,993 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,994. About 7.4% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Library
Templeton's Boynton Public Library began in 1868. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Templeton spent 0.49% ($53,608) of its budget on its public library—some $6 per person.

Notable people

 * Stephen Pearl Andrews (1812-1886), individualist anarchist
 * William Goodell (1792-1867), missionary and linguist, the first to translate the Bible into Armeno-Turkish
 * Sarah Goodridge (1788–1853), painter
 * Elizabeth Goodridge (1798-1882), miniaturist, Sarah's sister
 * Mike Kelley (1875–1955), baseball player
 * Charles Knowlton (1800-1850), physician, atheist, and writer
 * Pliny Norcross (1838-1915), Wiscosnin legislator and lawyer
 * Sylvanus Sawyer (1822-1895), inventor and businessman
 * Jonathan Baldwin Turner (1805-1899), classical scholar, botanist, dedicated Christian, and political activist

Sites of interest

 * Templeton Developmental Center, Department of Mental Health, a state-operated facility for individuals with mental health issues
 * Otter River State Forest, operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Located on Beamon Pond, it includes 85 campsites, a swimming beach, picnic areas and a ball field.