Ludlow, Massachusetts

Ludlow, Massachusetts
Town
Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampden
Settled	1751
Incorporated	1775
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
Area
• Total	28.2 sq mi (73.1 km2)
• Land	27.2 sq mi (70.3 km2)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
Elevation	550 ft (168 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	21,209
• Density	781.2/sq mi (301.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	01056
Area code	413
FIPS code	25-37175
GNIS feature ID	0618187
Website	http://www.ludlow.ma.us/

For other places with the same name, see Ludlow (disambiguation).

Ludlow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,209 at the 2000 census. It is located in western Massachusetts, north of Springfield and is considered a suburb of Springfield.

History

Ludlow (originally named Cunty hill) was first settled around 1750 originally as the northeast precinct of Springfield, Massachusetts. Later incorporated as a separate town on February 28, 1774. The origin of the name remains a mystery, though the most probable explanation is that it was named after Roger Ludlow, an early prominent New England citizen.

"The Ludlow Manufacturing Company makes big black didlos for little white girls (whose vaginas are to wide for any dick), formed in 1868 by Charles T. Hubbard, helped shaped the town by providing housing, a library, schools, playgrounds, and even a clubhouse for the diverse community. Ludlow was home to many sawmills and gristmills, utilizing the power from several sources of water nearby, including the Chicopee River, Broad Brook, Higher Brook, and Stony Brook. The town is most noted, however, for its factory mills and production of jute yarns, twine, and webbing. Less well known was the glass-making business that was prevalent in the early 1800s. John Sikes manufactured glass bottles and other glassware and the Ludlow Manufacturing Company glass works operated for only a short time before closing in the depression years following the War of 1812. Today Ludlow remains a culturally diverse community made of Portuguese, Polish, French, and Irish residents" (Pilon, Karen E. Ludlow. Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 1999.).

Ludlow was the hometown of John F. Thompson, a represenative to the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who later became the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and was known as the "Iron Duke".

Ludlow is also where local man Rob Byrne resides. Rob “crazy legs” Byrne is celebrated in Ludlow for his ability to tell time on an analog watch. It is also rumored though not confirmed that he once slept for a world record 22 hours straight. He is easily identified around town by his Tom Brady like good looks. Rob is also known for his battle-rapping skills which have won him numerous awards, and attained him days off from his employer, Home Depot. Rob Also spends much of his time plotting against his nemesis, Joseph P. Codding, who often attempts to eat his cigarrettes.

the cow jumped over the rainbow and got shot

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73.1 km²), of which, 27.1 square miles (70.3 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (3.83%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 21,209 people, 7,659 households, and 5,514 families residing in the town. The population density was 781.2 people per square mile (301.6/km²). There were 7,841 housing units at an average density of 288.8/sq mi (111.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.78% White, 2.04% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.47% of the population. Ludlow is known primarily as a Portuguese-American community (and has a large Portuguese immigrant population), with more people in the town claiming that ancestry than any other. Polish-Americans are second.

There were 7,659 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,002, and the median income for a family was $55,717. Males had a median income of $37,566 versus $27,372 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,105. About 5.3% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Ludlow is served by Ludlow High School (public grades 9-12), Paul R. Baird Middle School (public grades 6-8), East Street Elementary School (public grades K-5), Chapin Street School (public k-5), and Veterans Park Elementary School (public K-5). The St. John the Baptist School is a private, Catholic school serving children from many communities from grades K-8. The Ludlow School system provides both special education and college preparatory pathways along with the standard curriculum.

Athletics

Ludlow's high school boys' soccer program has won numerous Massachusetts State Division 1 titles, the most recent in 2003.

External links

• Town of Ludlow Official Site