HOLDEN, MASSACHUSETTS

'Holden' is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
It is bounded on the west by Rutland; on the northwest by Princeton; on the east by Sterling and West Boylston; on the southeast by Worcester; and on the southwest by Paxton.
The population was 15,621 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Fire Department

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 93.8 km² (36.2 mi²). 90.6 km² (35.0 mi²) of it is land and 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (3.40%) is water. The landscape is dominated by hills, rivers, and the mighty Quinapoxet River

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 15,621 people, 5,715 households, and 4,423 families residing in the town. The population density was 172.4/km² (446.4/mi²). There were 5,827 housing units at an average density of 64.3/km² (166.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.39% White, 0.49% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 5,715 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% 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 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $64,297, and the median income for a family was $73,614. Males had a median income of $52,203 versus $36,194 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,971. About 2.0% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
The town's high school is Wachusett Regional High School.

Government

Fire Department

Title	Collar and Badge Insignia	Helmet Color	Helmet Shield Color
Chief of Department	5 crossed bugles, gold background	White	White
Deputy Chief	4 crossed bugles, gold background	White	White
Captain	2 vertical parallel bugles, blue background	Yellow	White
Lieutenant	1 vertical bugle, blue background	Yellow	White
Firefighter (includes both EMT and Paramedic)	Silver with "firefighter scramble"	HFD collar insignia	Black	Black
Explorer	Silver with "Explorer 'E'"	No collar insignia	Green
Firefighters must be a minimum of EMT-Basic (EMT-B).

The fire department in Holden has reached out to the community in many ways. The fire deparment supports the S.A.F.E. program by going to different schools and teaching children the importance of fire safety and the Holden Fire Department has a Fire Service Exploring program for young adults ages 14-21. The Fire Service Exploring program in Holden is currently the leading program in Massachusetts with a total of 32 registered Explorers.
The department still owns and maintains it's 1920s Ahrens Fox pumper. This engine was Engine 1 from the late 1920s until the late 1950s.

External links

★ [http://www.townofholden.net/ Official Town of Holden website