Editing Berlin, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Berlin, Massachusetts
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Berlin Mass View.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = View from summit of Sawyer Hill, Berlin, Massachusetts
|image_seal               = Seal of Berlin, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               = Flag of Berlin, Massachusetts.png
|image_map                = Worcester County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Berlin highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]] and the state of [[Massachusetts]].
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester]]
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = 1665
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1812
|established_title3       = 
|established_date3        = 
|government_type          = [[Open Town Meeting]]
|leader_title             = [[Town Administrator]]
|leader_name              = Kristen L. Rubin
|leader_title1            = [[Select Board]]
|leader_name1             = {{ubl|Margaret Stone, Chair (2027)|R. Scott Hawkins, Vice Chair (2026)|Christine Keefe, Clerk (2025)}}
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 33.9
|area_total_sq_mi         = 13.1
|area_land_km2            = 33.5
|area_land_sq_mi          = 12.9
|area_water_km2           = 0.4
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.2
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 3158
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_m              = 91
|elevation_ft             = 300
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|22|52|N|71|38|15|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 01503
|area_code                = [[Area code 351|351]] / [[Area code 978|978]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-05490
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0619476
|website                  = {{URL|www.townofberlin.com}}
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Berlin''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɜːr|l|ᵻ|n}} {{respell|BUR|lin}}) is a town in [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]], [[Massachusetts]], United States. The town was first settled in 1665 and incorporated in 1812, and is governed under the [[open town meeting]] system. It is located {{convert|12|mi}} northeast of [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] and {{convert|29|mi}} west of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. The population was 3,158 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2502705490|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 11, 2021 |title=Census - Geography Profile: Berlin town, Worcester County, Massachusetts}}</ref>
<!-- {| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Population
!Voters
!Taxes Raised
|-
|1950
|1,349
|699
|67,595
|-
|1960
|1,742
|891
|172,419
|-
|1970
|2,099
|925
|480,099
|-
|1980
|2,215
|1,248
|1,108,835
|-
|1990
|2,293
|1,325
|1,764,893
|-
|2000
|2,380
|1,641
|3,649,576
|-
|2010
|2,866
|1,994
|7,095,610
|-
|2020
|3,201
|2,381
|12,314,017
|} -->

== History ==
Berlin was home to the [[Nashaway]], and Sachem [[Sholan]] deeded part of the town's land to settlers in 1643.<ref>''The Story of Colonial Lancaster,'' p. 3, 60, 61 https://ia601009.us.archive.org/31/items/storyofcoloniall00saff/storyofcoloniall00saff.pdf (accessed 3/30/24)</ref> Berlin was first settled in 1665. It was named "Berlin" as a district in 1784, and incorporated as a town in 1812. The pronunciation (which unlike the German city emphasizes the first syllable) is believed to date from 1784.<ref>[https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-04-27/small-town-familiar-name-totally-unexpected-pronunciation Think you know how to pronounce Berlin, New Hampshire? Think again.]</ref>

Berlin lies in a low range of hills between the [[Nashua River]] and [[Assabet River]] valleys. Incorporated in 1812, the town was a residential and agricultural community, growing mixed hay grains and raising cattle. For a period after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Berlin was home to a large shoe factory, and shoe manufacturing and lumbering provided non-agrarian jobs. The town soon moved into specialty market gardening, sending 41,000 bunches of [[asparagus]] to market in 1885, growing [[hops]] and raising chickens. By 1940, 836,600 dozen eggs were produced annually by the poultry farmers of Berlin.

===Town Hall===

Berlin's first town house was constructed in 1831 for town meetings and social activities. Community growth necessitated the construction of a new town hall, and construction of the new town hall was started in 1869 and completed in 1870.  The lot, a small piece of land facing the Meeting House Common in the center of Berlin, was given to the town by Artemas Barnes.

The Memorial Hall, on the first floor, included photographs of nearly all the local soldiers lost in the Civil War.  Later the photos of other Civil War veterans were added until likenesses of nearly 100 local men were collected there.  In the 20th century, war dead of World War I, World War II and Vietnam were added.

Barnes Hall, used for social gatherings, and the Selectmen's Room were also on the first floor.  In 1904–1905, an addition was built at the back of the building to provide space for a kitchen and the public library on the first floor, and the stage on the second floor. Toilets were added in the 1630s.

In 1998, however, the town hall was moved from the 1870 building to the former home of the elementary school and the school was moved into a new building down the road.

The public library was located in the Town Hall from 1891 until 1928. Barnes Hall was used as a school room in the 1870s. As recently as 1999 the locally produced musical ''Swinging Into the Millennium'' was held in the upper hall. Two area [[contra dance]] groups have used the hall in recent years.  Meetings of Boy and Girl Scouts and local youth baseball and soccer groups also are held in the building.

The project of refurbishing and providing ADA-accessible access to the second floor of the 1870 Town Hall was completed in 2019.  The space is available for both Town government use and for rent as a function hall and meeting space.

==Education==
Berlin shares its school district with neighboring Boylston to form the [[Berlin-Boylston Regional School District]]. Students attend Berlin Memorial School from kindergarten to fifth grade, while middle/high school students attend [[Tahanto Regional High School]].

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|13.1|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|12.9|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi}}, or 1.22%, is water.  Berlin is bordered by [[Hudson, Massachusetts|Hudson]] and [[Marlborough, Massachusetts|Marlborough]] to the east, [[Bolton, Massachusetts|Bolton]] to the north, [[Clinton, Massachusetts|Clinton]] and [[Boylston, Massachusetts|Boylston]] to the west, and [[Northborough, Massachusetts|Northborough]] to the south.  Berlin is the [[center of population]] for [[New England]].<ref>[https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt Population and Population Centers by State: 2000] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705075500/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |date=July 5, 2013 }}. United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved January 14, 2007.</ref>

[[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|Interstate 495]] and [[Massachusetts Route 62|Route 62]] go through Berlin.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations | type=USA
 | 1850|866
 | 1860|1106
 | 1870|1016
 | 1880|977
 | 1890|884
 | 1900|1003
 | 1910|904
 | 1920|868
 | 1930|1075
 | 1940|1057
 | 1950|1349
 | 1960|1742
 | 1970|2099
 | 1980|2215
 | 1990|2293
 | 2000|2380
 | 2010|2866
 | 2020|3158
 | 2023*|3425
 | footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020−2023| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=May 19, 2024 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,380 people, 872 households, and 666 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|184.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 893 housing units at an average density of {{convert|69.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 97.61% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 0.17% [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 0.08% [[Native American (U.S. census)|Native American]], 0.97% [[Asian (U.S. census)|Asian]], 0.38% from [[Race (United States census)|other races]], and 0.80% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 872 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,667, and the median income for a family was $76,419. Males had a median income of $50,711 versus $32,330 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,915.  About 2.1% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==

Berlin, like many small New England municipalities, uses an [[open town meeting]] as its form of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a town administrator, who is appointed by a three member Select Board. 

{{Worcester County politicians |
| county = Worcester
| state_rep = [[Meghan Kilcoyne]] (D) 
| state_sen = [[Robyn Kennedy]] (D) 
| gov_councilors = Paul DePalo (D)
| fed_rep = [[Lori Trahan]] (D) ([[United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts District 3|3rd District]]),
| fed_sen = [[Elizabeth Warren]] (D)<br>[[Ed Markey]] (D)}}

==Notable people==

* [[Katherine Bacon]], artist, historian
* [[Donald Featherstone (artist)|Donald Featherstone]], artist behind the [[plastic flamingo]]. Buried in Berlin
* [[Aaron Feuerstein]], businessman, philanthropist, third-generation owner and CEO of Malden Mills in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]]
* [[Holman K. Wheeler]],<ref name="Wheeler_Family">{{cite book |publication-date=1914 |title=The Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America |year=1914 |publisher=American College of Genealogy |author=Albert Gallatin Wheeler |url=https://archive.org/details/genealogicaland00genegoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/genealogicaland00genegoog/page/n422 390] |access-date=September 22, 2019}}</ref> architect of more than 400 structures in [[Lynn, Massachusetts]]<ref name="Industries">{{cite book |publication-date=1886 |title=Industries of Massachusetts: Historical and Descriptive Review of Lynn, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Salem, Beverly, Peabody, Danvers, Gloucester, Newburyport, and Amesbury, and their leading Manufacturers and Merchants. |year=1886 |publisher=International Publishing Co. |url=https://archive.org/details/industriesofmass00wars |page=[https://archive.org/details/industriesofmass00wars/page/52 52] |access-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

==References==

{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Berlin, Massachusetts}}
*[http://www.townofberlin.com/ Town of Berlin official website]

{{Worcester County, Massachusetts}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Berlin, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Worcester County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]