Monson, Massachusetts
Memorial Hall in downtown Monson
Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°06′15″N 72°19′10″W / 42.10417, -72.31944
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampden
Settled	1715
Incorporated	1775
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
- Board of    Selectmen	Richard E. Guertin (chairman), Edward S. Harrison, and Kathleen C. Norbut
Area
- Total	44.8 sq mi (116.1 km²)
- Land	44.3 sq mi (114.7 km²)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km²)
Elevation	407 ft (124 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,359
- Density	188.8/sq mi (72.9/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01057
Area code(s)	413
FIPS code	25-42145
GNIS feature ID	0618188
Website: http://www.monson-ma.gov/

Monson (pronounced /ˈmʌnsən/) is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,359 at the 2000 census.

The village of Monson Center lies at the center of the town.

History

Monson was first settled in the year 1715 and was officially incorporated in 1775. Monson was largely a mill town until just recently when most of the mills in town closed down due to poor business. Monson also had a large granite quarry that was opened by Rufus Flynt later owned by his oldest son William Flynt and was closed around 1935.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.8 square miles (116.1 km²), of which, 44.3 square miles (114.7 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (1.20%) is water...

Monson is bordered on the north by Palmer, on the east by Brimfield and Wales, on the south by Stafford, CT, and on the west by Hampden and Wilbraham.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 8,359 people, 3,095 households, and 2,203 families residing in the town. The population density was 188.8 people per square mile (72.9/km²). There were 3,213 housing units at an average density of 72.6/sq mi (28.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.67% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.

There were 3,095 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,030, and the median income for a family was $58,607. Males had a median income of $41,373 versus $30,545 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,519. About 5.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

• Monson, like its neighboring town of Hampden, does not have a single traffic light. Yet Monson does have a blinking light at the intersection of Route 32 and High Street in the center of town.

• Monson is home to the Monson Developmental Center, a hospital for the mentally retarded that has served as a home for epileptics and people with other disorders since the 1800s. There are still sections of the old portion of the hospital that, despite being abandoned, are still standing today.

Mills

• Ellis Mill Number 1
• Ellis Mill Number 3
• Omega Metal Processing
• S. F. Cushman Woolen Mill

See also

• First Church of Monson
• Flynt Quarry
• Monson High School

References

External links

• Town of Monson official website

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Hampden County, Massachusetts
Cities	Agawam | Chicopee | Holyoke | Springfield | West Springfield | Westfield
Towns	Blandford | Brimfield | Chester | East Longmeadow | Granville | Hampden | Holland | Longmeadow | Ludlow | Monson | Montgomery | Palmer | Russell | Southwick | Tolland | Wales | Wilbraham
CDPs	Bondsville | Holland | Monson Center | Palmer | Three Rivers | Wilbraham
Villages	Feeding Hills | Forest Park