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Marshfield, Massachusetts
Town
Marshfield Town Hall
Marshfield Town Hall
Official seal of Marshfield, Massachusetts
Seal
Motto(s): 
"Home of Daniel Webster"
Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts
Location in Plymouth County in Massachusetts
Marshfield, Massachusetts is located in Massachusetts
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Location in Massachusetts
Marshfield, Massachusetts is located in the United States
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Plymouth
Settled 1632
Incorporated March 1, 1640
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
Area
 • Total 31.7 sq mi (82.2 km2)
 • Land 28.5 sq mi (73.7 km2)
 • Water 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2)
Elevation
17 ft (5 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 25,825
 • Density 906.1/sq mi (350.4/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code
02050
Area code(s) 339/781
FIPS code 25-38855
GNIS feature ID 0619470

Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,825 at the 2020 census.

It includes the census-designated places (CDPs) of Marshfield, Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, and Cedar Crest, and shares the Green Harbor CDP with the town of Duxbury.

History

Main article: History of Marshfield, Massachusetts

Geography

Marshfield Ocean Bluff
Brant Rock looking south

Marshfield is located on the South Shore, about where Cape Cod Bay meets Massachusetts Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.74 square miles (82.2 km2), of which 28.46 square miles (73.7 km2) is land and 3.28 square miles (8.5 km2) (10.33%) is water. Marshfield is bordered by Massachusetts Bay to the east, Duxbury to the south and southeast, Pembroke to the west, Norwell to the northwest, and Scituate to the north and northeast. Marshfield is 18 miles (29 km) east of Brockton and 29 miles (47 km) southeast of Boston.

Marshfield is named for the many salt marshes which border the salt and brackish borders of the town. There are three rivers: the North (along the northern border of the town), South (which branches at the mouth of the North River and heads south through the town) and the Green Harbor River (which flows just west of Brant Rock and Green Harbor Point at the south of town).

The South River divides a peninsula from the rest of the town, where Rexhame village and the Humarock and Fourth Cliff neighborhoods of the town of Scituate lie. The Scituate neighborhoods can be reached by land by two bridges, by boat, or by foot along Rexhame Beach. The Rexhame-Humarock peninsula is a barrier beach with an 84-foot-high (26 m) moraine, one of only two barrier beach moraines on the east coast of the United States.

Marshfield is the site of several small forests and conservation areas, including the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary along the Green Harbor River and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary along Route 3A.

The town of Marshfield has six separate zip codes: Marshfield (02050), Brant Rock (02020), Ocean Bluff (02065), North Marshfield (02059), Marshfield Hills (02051), and Green Harbor (02041). There are eight villages in the town: Marshfield Center, Fieldston, Ocean Bluff, Rexhame, Brant Rock, Green Harbor, Marshfield Hills, and North Marshfield.

The following beaches comprise Marshfield's 5-mile-long (8 km) public seashore: Rexhame, Fieldston, Sunrise, Ocean Bluff, Brant Rock, Blackman's Point, Blue Fish Cove (along Cove Street between the camp ground and the big rock), and Green Harbor (also known as "Burke's Beach"). Marshfield is a popular summer beach destination. Tourists and vacationers cause the town's population to nearly double from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Only full-time residents can vote on public tax matters.

Demographics

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income
Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1850 1,837 —    
1860 1,870 +1.8%
1870 1,659 −11.3%
1880 1,781 +7.4%
1890 1,713 −3.8%
1900 1,810 +5.7%
1910 1,738 −4.0%
1920 1,379 −20.7%
1930 1,625 +17.8%
1940 2,419 +48.9%
1950 3,267 +35.1%
1960 6,748 +106.6%
1970 15,223 +125.6%
1980 20,916 +37.4%
1990 21,531 +2.9%
2000 24,324 +13.0%
2010 25,132 +3.3%
2020 25,825 +2.8%
2023* 25,765 −0.2%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,324 people, 8,905 households, and 6,598 families residing in the town. The population density was 854.8 inhabitants per square mile (330.0/km2). There were 9,954 housing units at an average density of 349.8 per square mile (135.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 92.69% White, 3.54% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.67% of the population.

There were 8,905 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $142,610. and the median income for a family was $172,330. The median home value was $890,000. Males had a median income of $111,992 versus $83,773 for females. The per capita income for the town was $92,012. About 0.6% of families and 0.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Marshfield operates its own school system for the town's nearly 4,700 students. There are five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school

Elementary Schools K–5:

  • Edward Winslow Elementary School
  • Daniel Webster Elementary School
  • Martinson Elementary School
  • South River Elementary School
  • Eames Way Elementary School

Middle School 6–8:

  • Furnace Brook Middle School

High School 9–12:

  • Marshfield High School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Massachusetts Route 3, also known as the Pilgrims Highway, skirts the town along the Pembroke town line, and can be accessed in Marshfield via the Route 139 exit. Route 139 loops through the town, with a long portion passing along the beaches of the Ocean Bluff and Fieldston neighborhoods before heading north and east into Pembroke. Route 3A also passes through the town, entering from the south in Duxbury and exiting over the North River into Scituate.

There is daily bus service connecting with the MBTA station in Braintree and another bus connecting with South Station in Boston. The nearest train station is the Greenbush station in Scituate. There is a commuter ferry to Boston available in Hingham. The nearest major airport is Logan International Airport in Boston. The area is also served by T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and the town's own municipal airport for general aviation. The nearest freight rail service is in Wareham.

Notable people

See also

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