Plymouth County, MA Real Estate, Norfolk County, MA Homes

HISTORY:
The Town of Kingston is a coastal community in Southeastern Massachusetts located about 35 miles from Boston. The Town was incorporated in 1726, though prior to 1726 Kingston was known as the North Precinct of Plymouth. The first request to separate into an independent township was in 1717 when 41 men of the northern part of Plymouth petitioned the General Court to have the Northern Precinct be set off from Plymouth as a separate township so that residents could worship closer to their homes, than they had been. The General Court would only grant the township if the petitioners could support a public school. Several years later, in response to decisions being made about schooling in Plymouth, Northern Precinct residents raised twenty pounds to defray the charge of a school and again petitioned the General Court to divide Plymouth and erect a new town by the name of Kingston. The Court agreed and in June of 1726, Kingston became an independent town. Towards the end of the nineteenth-century the building of commercials ships declined and one by one the yards closed. They were soon replaced by a few small boatyards; perhaps the most notable being the yard of George Shiverick. Shiverick designed and built racing yachts and the famed Shiverick catboats from 1898 - 1940, one of which was owned by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Through succeeding centuries the Town of Kingston flourished due to the productive lands of the Jones River and its tributaries. The abundant iron ore mined from the town's bogs was processed into tacks, nails, augurs, anchors, stoves, hollow ware, shovels and spades by the mills and foundries in town. As one industry faded, another rose to take its place. Farming was succeeded by the iron industry, and that in turn was succeeded by the shipbuilding industry that flourished along the banks of the lower Jones River. The first warship, the Independence, built for the Revolutionary Provincial Government of Massachusetts was launched at the Drew shipyard in July 1776, commanded by Capt. Simeon Sampson, a Kingston resident. Though the Independence was the first contracted and commissioned warship, the Brig was the second Massachusetts warship launched, losing the race by two weeks to the Tyrannicide of Salisbury.

DEMOGRAPHICS:
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which, 18.5 square miles (48.0 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.8 km²) of it (9.12%) is water. Kingston borders the towns of Pembroke to the north, Duxbury to the northeast, Plymouth to the south, Carver to the southwest, and Plympton to the west. Kingston is approximately eighteen miles southeast of Brockton and thirty-five miles south-southeast of Boston. Kingston lies on Kingston Bay, an inlet to the larger Plymouth Bay. The Jones River runs through the town from its source, Silver Lake, to the bay. There are several brooks that branch off the river, as well as several other smaller ponds throughout the town, including Muddy Pond. There is a state forest in the town, located in the southern portion of the town. Kingston is also the site of Gray's Beach, in a neighborhood called Rocky Nook, just north of the Plymouth town line. As of the census of 2000, there were 11,780 people, 4,248 households, and 3,139 families residing in the town. The population density was 635.7 people per square mile (245.5/km²). There were 4,525 housing units at an average density of 244.2/sq mi (94.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.00% White, 0.96% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population. There were 4,248 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $53,780, and the median income for a family was $65,101. Males had a median income of $48,423 versus $29,516 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,370. About 4.0% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

GOVERNMENT:

Kingston is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Twelfth Plymouth District, which includes Plympton and portions of Duxbury, Halifax, Middleborough and Plymouth. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and portions of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police. On the national level, Kingston is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, John Kerry, was reelected in 2008. Kingston operates under the open town meeting form of government, led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen. Kingston's town offices moved into a new building in 2003, closer to its animal control and highway department facilities, on the opposite side of Evergreen Cemetery from the old building. The town operates its own police and fire departments, with a branch firehouse located near the Plymouth town line. The town's EMT service brings its patients to nearby Jordan Hospital in Plymouth. The town has a single post office, located along Route 3A. The Kingston Public Library is located just across the street from the old town hall, and is a part of the Old Colony Library Network.

EDUCATION:

Kingston is a member of the Silver Lake Regional School District along with Plympton and Halifax. Although the towns in the Silver Lake School District share a middle school and a high school, each operates their own elementary schools. Kingston operates the Kingston Elementary School and Kingston Indermediate School for students through sixth grade. Once students reach seventh Grade they are sent to Silver Lake Regional Middle School and then Silver Lake Regional High School, both of which are located in Kingston. Silver Lake's teams are known as the Lakers, and their colors are red and silver. Their chief rival is Pembroke High School, whom they play in the annual Thanksgiving Day football game. Pembroke was previously part of the Silver Lake Regional High School District but withdrew in 2005. A brand new Silver Lake High School building has recently finished construction in January 2006. The official school website can be found at the Silver Lake Regional School District Website. Kingston is home to one private school, Sacred Heart, which is located along Bishops Highway (Route 80) just south of Route 44. It serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Silver Lake operates its own vocational facilities, so there is no association within the school system to any other regional vocation school. The Reed Community Building houses the Town's recreational programs for youths. Kingston is especially proud of its Norman P. Opachinski Athletic Field Complex, consisting of a concession stand and eleven fields for baseball, soccer, and football located near the town center on Pottle Street. The fields are under the direction of the Recreation Commission who also oversee the newly renovated Gray's Beach Park in Rocky Nook. Another Kingston gem is its Public Library, which contains over 58,000 volumes and offers residents a place to meet one another and discuss community issues. The Kingston Public Library also offers the means for residents to learn about and better understand both their own heritage and the history of Kingston; helps with finding, evaluating and using information effectively on a broad array of topics; provides access to a strong, current collection of popular titles in various formats; and offers a range of programs for leisure activity.

TRANSPORTATION:
Route 3, also known as the Pilgrims Highway, runs through the eastern portion of town. There are two exits for Kingston, at the Independence Mall in the southern portion of town, and at Route 3A. There is also an exit just over the Duxbury town line where Route 3A again crosses the highway. The new highway portion of U.S. Route 44 also passes through the southern portion of town, along the edge of the state forest, on its way to its new intersection with Route 3. Additionally, Routes 27, 53, 80 ad 106 all end in the town, with all except Route 27 (which ends at Route 106) ending at their intersections with Route 3A. Kingston is one of the two termini of the Kingston/Plymouth line of the MBTA's Commuter Rail system. The Kingston terminus is located just off of Route 3, north of the mall. Regional air service can be reached at Plymouth Municipal Airport; the nearest national and international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in Boston.