| Heath, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Franklin |
| Settled | 1765 |
| Incorporated | 1785 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Total | 24.9 sq mi (64.5 km²) |
| - Land | 24.9 sq mi (64.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,680 ft (512 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 805 |
| - Density | 32.3/sq mi (12.5/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01346 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-29650 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618167 |
| Website: http://www.townofheath.org/ | |
Heath is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 805 at the 2000 census.
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History
Heath was first settled in 1765 and was officially incorporated in 1785. The town is named after William Heath, the Major General of Massachusetts and Brigadier General in the national army during the American Revolution.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²), of which, 24.9 square miles (64.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.08%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 805 people, 292 households, and 212 families residing in the town. The population density was 32.3 people per square mile (12.5/km²). There were 648 housing units at an average density of 26.0/sq mi (10.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.50% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population. There were 292 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $50,536, and the median income for a family was $55,938. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,777. About 6.5% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over. During the 1970s and 1980s, many families from New York, Connecticut, and Maine moved to Heath. These comprise roughly half of the town's population.
Notable residents
- H. P. Lovecraft spent time in Heath exploring the rocky hills. It is believed that he used the landscape as a reference for some of the scenes in his stories.
- Reinhold Niebuhr made his summer home in Heath, where, in 1934, he first delivered the famous Serenity Prayer.
- Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter made his summer home in Heath.
