Norfolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2010 census, the population was 670,850. Its county seat is Dedham. The county was named after the English county of the same name with the meaning "northern folk". Two towns, Cohasset and Brookline, are exclaves.
Norfolk County is included in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Norfolk County is the 28th highest-income county in the United States with a median household income of $81,899. It is the wealthiest county in Massachusetts.
Video Norfolk County, Massachusetts
History
Norfolk County, Massachusetts was created on March 26, 1793 by legislation signed by Gov. John Hancock. Most of the towns were originally part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The towns of Dorchester and Roxbury were part of Norfolk County when it was created but, as Boston annexed each town, they became part of Suffolk County again. Hingham and Hull were originally part of the Norfolk County legislation but petitioned to remain in Suffolk county and in June 1793 their removal to Norfolk county was repealed. Later, in 1803, they were moved into Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The county is the birthplace of four Presidents of the United States (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush), resulting in the moniker "County of Presidents."
Sheriffs
There have been 21 sheriffs of Norfolk County.
Maps Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km2), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km2) is land and 48 square miles (120 km2) (11%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Massachusetts by total area. The county is not completely contiguous; the towns of Brookline and Cohasset are each part of Norfolk County but are separated from the majority of Norfolk County (and each other) by either water or other counties. At the county's formation, Hingham and Hull were to be part of it, but joined Plymouth County instead, leaving Cohasset as the initial exclave of Norfolk County and an enclave of Plymouth County. Brookline became the second exclave of Norfolk County in 1873 when the neighboring town of West Roxbury was annexed by Boston (thus leaving Norfolk County to join Suffolk County) and Brookline refused to be annexed by Boston after the Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873.
Adjacent counties
- Middlesex County (northwest)
- Suffolk County (north)
- Plymouth County (southeast)
- Bristol County (south)
- Providence County, Rhode Island (southwest)
- Worcester County (west)
National protected areas
- Adams National Historical Park
- Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part)
- Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Demographics
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 650,308 people, 248,827 households, and 165,967 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,628 people per square mile (628/km²). There were 255,154 housing units at an average density of 639 per square mile (247/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.02% White or European American, 3.18% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 5.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 1.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% were of Irish, 13.4% Italian, 7.7% English and 5.0% descendants of colonists ancestry according to Census 2000. 85.7% spoke English, 2.3% Chinese in any dialect, 2.0% Spanish, 1.0% Italian and 1.0% French as their first language.
There were 248,827 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $63,432, and the median income for a family was $77,847 (these figures had risen to $77,294 and $95,243 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $51,301 versus $37,108 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,484. About 2.90% of families and 4.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 670,850 people, 257,914 households, and 168,903 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,693.6 inhabitants per square mile (653.9/km2). There were 270,359 housing units at an average density of 682.5 per square mile (263.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% white, 8.6% Asian, 5.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
Of the 257,914 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 40.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $81,027 and the median income for a family was $101,870. Males had a median income of $68,070 versus $51,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $42,371. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Demographic breakdown by town
Income
The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Religion
*congregations
**adherents
Politics
Communities
Cities
- Braintree
- Franklin
- Quincy
- Randolph
- Weymouth
Towns
Note: West Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1874), Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1868), Dorchester (founded 1630, annexed to Boston 1870), Hyde Park (incorporated 1868 from Dorchester, Milton, and Dedham, annexed to Boston 1912), and Hingham and Hull were originally part of Norfolk County when the county was incorporated in 1793. As of August 2012, Hingham's Precinct 2 will be part of the Fourth Norfolk District.
Census-designated places
See also
- Registry of Deeds (Massachusetts)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
References
- History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, by Duane Hamilton Hurd. Published by J.W. Lewis & Co., 1884. 1001 pages.
- History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918 by Louis Atwood Cook. Published by The S.J. Clarke publishing company, 1918. Volume 1.
External links
- Geographic data related to Norfolk County, Massachusetts at OpenStreetMap
- Norfolk County official site
- Map of cities and towns of Massachusetts
Source of article : Wikipedia
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