Editing Oakham, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Oakham, Massachusetts
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Town Center, Oakham MA.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Town Center
|image_seal               = Seal of Oakham, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               = 
|image_map                = Worcester County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Oakham 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         = 1749
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1775
|established_title3       = 
|established_date3        = 
|government_type          = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title             = <!--[[Administrative Assistant]]-->
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
|leader_name1             = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 55.8
|area_total_sq_mi         = 21.5
|area_land_km2            = 54.7
|area_land_sq_mi          = 21.1
|area_water_km2           = 1.1
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.4
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 1851
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_m              = 320
|elevation_ft             = 1050
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|21|10|N|72|02|45|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
|website                  = [http://www.oakham-ma.gov/ www.oakham-ma.gov]
|postal_code_type         = ZIP code
|postal_code              = 01068
|area_code                = [[Area code 508|508]] / [[Area code 774|774]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-50670
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0618378
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Oakham''' is a town in [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]], [[Massachusetts]], United States. The population was 1,851 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2502750670|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 12, 2021|title=Census - Geography Profile: Oakham town, Worcester County, Massachusetts}}</ref>

== History ==
Oakham was first settled by British colonists in 1749 as part of Rutland, and was officially incorporated in 1762. It was originally named Oakhampton, but the name was changed for an unknown reason. {{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The village of Coldbrook Springs was a part of Oakham, near the Barre line, established on the site of a natural iron spring. A railroad depot was built in nearby in the 1830s and the village eventually included a hotel, tavern, [[Medicinal spring|medicinal spa]], and a number of houses. The area is part of the Ware River Watershed and now part of the Massachusetts state forest, having been cleared of all structures as a part of the [[Quabbin Reservoir]] Aqueduct system.

Residents of Oakham are known as "Oakhamites."

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|21.5|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|21.1|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.4|sqmi}}, or 1.90%, is water.

Oakham is bordered by [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]] to the northwest, [[Rutland, Massachusetts|Rutland]] to the northeast, [[Paxton, Massachusetts|Paxton]] to the southeast, [[Spencer, Massachusetts|Spencer]] to the south, and [[New Braintree, Massachusetts|New Braintree]] to the southwest.  The towns of Oakham, New Braintree, Spencer and [[North Brookfield, Massachusetts|North Brookfield]] share a common town corner; however, due to its location within feet of the banks of Brooks Pond, there is no direct way to get to North Brookfield from Oakham.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations | type=USA | align=left | state=collapsed
 | 1850|1137
 | 1860|959
 | 1870|860
 | 1880|869
 | 1890|738
 | 1900|588
 | 1910|552
 | 1920|477
 | 1930|502
 | 1940|423
 | 1950|455
 | 1960|524
 | 1970|730
 | 1980|994
 | 1990|1503
 | 2000|1673
 | 2010|1902
 | 2020|1851
 | 2023*|1886
 | 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 1,673 people, 578 households, and 467 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|79.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 591 housing units at an average density of {{convert|28.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 98.33% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.36% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.12% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.60% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.24% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.36% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.02% of the population.

There were 578 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. Of all households 14.7% were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,729, and the median income for a family was $63,487. Males had a median income of $42,065 versus $30,882 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $23,175.  About 1.5% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==

Oakham is part of the Quabbin Regional School District along with [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]], [[Hardwick, Massachusetts|Hardwick]], [[Hubbardston, Massachusetts|Hubbardston]], and [[New Braintree, Massachusetts|New Braintree]]. Elementary School Students attend Oakham Center School, from grades K–6, middle school students attend Quabbin Regional Middle School from grades 7–8, and high school students attend [[Quabbin Regional High School]] from grades 9–12.

==Government==
{{Worcester County politicians |
| county = Worcester
| state_rep = Donnie Berthiaume (R)
| state_sen = Anne M. Gobi (D) 
| gov_councilors = Jen Caissie (R)
| fed_rep = [[Jim McGovern (congressman)|James P. McGovern]] (D-[[United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts District 2|2nd District]]),
| fed_sen = [[Edward Kennedy]] (D)<br>[[John Kerry]] (D)}}

==Library==

The Oakham Free Public Library was established in 1892,<ref>Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gbUYAQAAIAAJ v.9] (1899)</ref> and in 1907 a library building made of local fieldstone, Fobes Memorial Library, was built with money donated by the Fobes family.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Building History {{!}} Oakham, MA|url=https://www.oakham-ma.gov/about-us/pages/building-history|access-date=May 26, 2021|website=www.oakham-ma.gov}}</ref> In fiscal year 2008, the town of Oakham spent 1.71% ($47,657) of its budget on its public library—approximately $24 per person, per year ($29.39 adjusted for inflation to 2021).<ref>July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: [http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repmunicpie/index.php Municipal Pie Reports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123010127/http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repmunicpie/index.php |date=January 23, 2012 }}. Retrieved August 4, 2010</ref> In fiscal year 2017, Oakham spent 1.66% ($58,062) of its budget on its public library—approximately $30 per person, per year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners |title=The FY2017 Municipal Pie What's Your Share? |url=https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/802161/ocn725879606-2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |website=State Library of Massachusetts |access-date=June 19, 2022 | oclc =ocn725879606 |archive-url=https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/802161 |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |location=Boston |page=2 |date=December 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book
| publisher = Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Press
| last = Wright
| author-link = Henry Parks Wright
| first = Henry Parks
| title = Soldiers of Oakham, Massachusetts, in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War
| location = New Haven
| access-date = April 20, 2014
| date = 1914
| url = https://archive.org/details/soldiersofoakham01wrig
}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Oakham, Massachusetts}}

{{Worcester County, Massachusetts}}
{{Authority control}}

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