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Plymouth is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest municipality in Massachusetts in terms of square miles. The population was 51,701 at the 2000 census. It and Brockton are the county seats of Plymouth County6. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Plymouth, please see the articles on North Plymouth, Plymouth (CDP), and White Island Shores. Because of the Plymouth's unusually large land mass relative to other municipalities in Massachusetts, residents usually refer or reference sections of the town by unofficial village names:
History Plymouth was the landing site of the Mayflower, and the location of the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony, established by the English settlers, once known as the Separatists or Brownists and now known as "Pilgrims" *, in 1620. It was the second permanent settlement in British North America, and the capitol of the Plymouth Colony until the colony's annexation by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Plymouth was a local center of shipbuilding and fishing for centuries. Its principal notable industry was the Plymouth Cordage Company, a major manufacturer of rope and cordage products, founded in 1825. At one point, the longest ropewalk in the world -- a quarter-mile long -- was found on the Cordage Company's site on the North Plymouth waterfront. The Company thrived into the 1960s, when competition from synthetic-fiber ropes forced it out of business. Even though it had good economics (they did trade with the Native Americans), it wasn't enough to keep the business running. Tourism and Recreation Promoted as America's Hometown, Plymouth is a tourist destination for its heritage, which includes Plymouth Rock, the living history village Plimoth Plantation and Pilgrim Hall Museum, the nation's oldest public museum. The Plymouth Rock Memorial was designed by famed astronomical illustrator Chesley Bonestell, who designed the Chrysler Building gargoyles and contributed to the design of the Golden Gate Bridge. At a small pier approximately 300 yards from Plymouth Rock, there is a replica of the original Mayflower ship (Mayflower II. Built in England in 1957 and sailed to America by famous mariner Alan Villiers), it serves as a museum where one can learn about the historic voyage from Plymouth, England. The town also features the National Monument to the Forefathers, dedicated in 1889. Another notable historical site is the Jenney Grist Mill, a working replica of the original mill, which was built in 1636. Plymouth is home to numerous beaches, a working port -- from which whale watch, deep sea fishing and harbor excursions sail -- and Myles Standish State Forest, the Commonwealth's second largest state forest and a popular camping destination. Also, Ellisville State Park boasts a natural beach inside Cape Cod Bay. Transportation There are two main highways in Plymouth. MA-3A runs through the town center where the town hall, the shops, and many restaurants are located. The other, US-44, runs East-West, and intersects MA-3A just outside of the town center. Getting to Plymouth by car is also made easy by its access via the MA-3 highway, which runs North-South; just inside of the eastern coast of the state, from Boston to Cape Cod. Plymouth also is serviced by several (non-rush hour) MBTA commuter rail trains from Boston daily, as well as by bus service from the Plymouth & Brockton company. The GATRA transit system runs four local bus routes servicing both Plymouth proper and several adjacent towns. Capn John Boats operates a daily ferry to Provincetown as well as whale watch excursions and deep sea fishing. Geography The latitude of Plymouth is 41.958N. The longitude is -70.667W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 347.0 km² (134.0 mi²). 249.8 km² (96.5 mi²) of it is land, and 97.2 km² (37.5 mi²) of it (28.00%) is water. Plymouth has the largest land area of any municipality in Massachusetts. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 51,701 people, 18,423 households, and 13,264 families residing in the town; by population it is the second-largest "town" in Massachusetts. The population density was 206.9/km² (536.0/mi²). There are 21,250 housing units, at an average density of 85.1/km² (220.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.82% White, 1.91% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population. There are 18,423 households, out of which 36.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households are made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town, the population is spread out; with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $54,677, and the median income for a family was $63,266. Males had a median income of $44,983 versus $31,565 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,732. About 4.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. Notable residents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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