Halifax is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,518 at the 2010 census.

History

Halifax was first settled by Europeans, most notably the Bosworth family from Bosworth Fields in England, in 1669, growing with lumbering and agriculture. It was officially separated from the town of Plympton and incorporated in 1734, and was named for Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. The town was part of an early effort to create a canal between Buzzards Bay and Massachusetts Bay, when in 1795 a canal was proposed between the Taunton River and North River; the plan never succeeded, although the town’s sawmills continued to grow, as did cranberry production, iron furnaces and a wool mill. The railroad came in the nineteenth century, providing access for people from the city to the shores of Silver Lake and the Monponsett Ponds. Today the town is mostly residential, with a small retail area growing at the center of town.

Education

Halifax is a member of the Silver Lake Regional School District, along with Plympton and Kingston. The three towns operate their own elementary schools, with middle school students attending Silver Lake Regional Middle School and high school students attending Silver Lake Regional High School, both of which are in Kingston. Halifax Elementary School is located between the library and fire station in the town center, and serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The high school operates its own vocational division, so there is no agreement with any regional vocational schools. Halifax has no private schools; the nearest are in Kingston and Bridgewater.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,500 people, 2,758 households, and 2,054 families residing in the town. The population density was 464.5 people per square mile (179.3/km²). There were 2,841 housing units at an average density of 175.9 per square mile (67.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.13% White, 0.31% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.

There were 2,758 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,015, and the median income for a family was $65,461. Males had a median income of $47,788 versus $31,200 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,738. About 1.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Statistically speaking, Halifax is the 204th largest community in the Commonwealth in terms of population, and 186th in terms of population density. Both are below the state average and state median.