Dublin Core
Title
Centennial Monograph: Population Trends in Maynard
Description
A review of the population of Maynard from 1871 through 1973.
Creator
Birger Koski
Date
1973-09
Identifier
2019.237
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
The purpose of this paper is not to reveal startling trends in our population growth but simply to have on record in our files this aspect of Maynard history.
What is revealing is that we have had no growth comparable to our two immediate neighbors - Acton and Sudbury - where there has been phenomena! growth since the Second World War. Possibly our small size and loss of land to the government during the Second World War accounts for this.
From a very small population base in 1847, the coming of Assabet Manufacturing Company in that year to the shores of the Assabet contributed to a growth to 1820 people (895 males and 925 females) by 1871 the year of our incorporation.
We do not have any other figures prior to 1830 so, let us start there.
1880 - 2291
1895 - 3100
1901 - 3142: Native Born Male: 949; Native Born Female: 1OOO; Foreign Male: 590; Foreign Female: 603
1905 - 5700: A Newsnote of Feb. 5, 1904 tells us that the Foreign Population is about half of the total.
1910 - 6339
1915 - 6774
1920 - 7086
1925 - 7857: Male: 4090; Female 3767
1930 - 7156
1940 - 6812: 20 or over: 5153; The larger figure must include children
1945 - 7017: 20 or over: 5290
1949 - 7017: over 20: 5272 (Town Report, 1949)
1950 - 6978: over 20: 5239) (in 1950 General Laws, Chapter 51, Sect. 4, it was passed that all persons in the Commonwealth 20 or over would be listed every January.)
1955 - 7253
I960 - 7695
1965 - 9070
1970 - 9590
We have not been successful in acquiring any figures for 1971-72-73 from those in charge of the yearly census they are not available. However, it is understood that we are over the 10,000 mark.
From 1895 to 191O we more than doubled our growth from 3100 to 6390, caused by the American Woolen Co. expansion starting in 1899.
From 1910 to 1925 the growth was about 1400, more than the half of that between 1920 and 1925, caused by the boom after the First World War.
From 1925 to 30 we lost about 700, no doubt caused by the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the boom and bust cycles of the Textile Industry.
From 1930 to '55 we remained remarkably stable: 7156 in '30, 7253 in '55.
If our population is over 10,000 as of now, since 1955 we have grown about a third larger. This doubtlessly has been created by people moving into Suburbia.
As a neighbor of ours from Concord said in the middle I840's about his farming friends and others throughout America "People live lives of quiet desperation" - so we in a one-industry town. His name was Henry Thoreau.
Read at the Sept. 1973 Meeting
Maynard Historical Society
B.R.Koski
What is revealing is that we have had no growth comparable to our two immediate neighbors - Acton and Sudbury - where there has been phenomena! growth since the Second World War. Possibly our small size and loss of land to the government during the Second World War accounts for this.
From a very small population base in 1847, the coming of Assabet Manufacturing Company in that year to the shores of the Assabet contributed to a growth to 1820 people (895 males and 925 females) by 1871 the year of our incorporation.
We do not have any other figures prior to 1830 so, let us start there.
1880 - 2291
1895 - 3100
1901 - 3142: Native Born Male: 949; Native Born Female: 1OOO; Foreign Male: 590; Foreign Female: 603
1905 - 5700: A Newsnote of Feb. 5, 1904 tells us that the Foreign Population is about half of the total.
1910 - 6339
1915 - 6774
1920 - 7086
1925 - 7857: Male: 4090; Female 3767
1930 - 7156
1940 - 6812: 20 or over: 5153; The larger figure must include children
1945 - 7017: 20 or over: 5290
1949 - 7017: over 20: 5272 (Town Report, 1949)
1950 - 6978: over 20: 5239) (in 1950 General Laws, Chapter 51, Sect. 4, it was passed that all persons in the Commonwealth 20 or over would be listed every January.)
1955 - 7253
I960 - 7695
1965 - 9070
1970 - 9590
We have not been successful in acquiring any figures for 1971-72-73 from those in charge of the yearly census they are not available. However, it is understood that we are over the 10,000 mark.
From 1895 to 191O we more than doubled our growth from 3100 to 6390, caused by the American Woolen Co. expansion starting in 1899.
From 1910 to 1925 the growth was about 1400, more than the half of that between 1920 and 1925, caused by the boom after the First World War.
From 1925 to 30 we lost about 700, no doubt caused by the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the boom and bust cycles of the Textile Industry.
From 1930 to '55 we remained remarkably stable: 7156 in '30, 7253 in '55.
If our population is over 10,000 as of now, since 1955 we have grown about a third larger. This doubtlessly has been created by people moving into Suburbia.
As a neighbor of ours from Concord said in the middle I840's about his farming friends and others throughout America "People live lives of quiet desperation" - so we in a one-industry town. His name was Henry Thoreau.
Read at the Sept. 1973 Meeting
Maynard Historical Society
B.R.Koski
Storage
SU9-4