MILLIS
Norfolk County
Narrative
The Town of Millis is a suburban industrial town in the Charles River
Valley, incorporated in 1885. First settled in 1658, the first mill was
built in town in 1662 on Bogestow Pond. The town's early economy was based
largely on agriculture and grazing. King Philip's war destroyed every
building in town except the fortified stone house built for protection.
There were taverns, grist and sawmills serving the farming population in
town after 1710, and the community remained a prosperous agricultural town
throughout the century. In the next century, the town's character changed
with the two cotton mills established in 1805. One of these mills is
reputed to have installed the first lace loom in America in 1818.
Brickyards, organ and organ pipe factories, along with a paper mill and
canning factory, in operation in 1837, joined the textile operations as
significant town industries. In modern times, however, all that remained
of early industrial operations were Herman Shoes, Safe Pack Mills and the
Cliquot Club ginger ale plant. Millis retains a significant number of
bungalow-style houses as well as some Greek Revival and Italianate
buildings.
(Seal supplied by community. Narrative based on information
provided by the Massachusetts Historical Commission)
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
GEOGRAPHY
Location
Southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Medway on the west, Holliston on the
northwest, Sherborn on the north, Medfield on the northeast and east, and
Norfolk on the southeast and south. Millis is 15 miles southwest of Boston, 30
miles southeast of Worcester, and 200 miles from New York City.
Total Area: 12.27 sq. miles Land Area: 12.16 sq. miles Population: 7,613 Density: 626 per sq. mile Climate (National Climatic Data Center) (West Medway Station)
Normal temperature in January.....23.9°F
Normal temperature in July........70.8°F
Normal annual precipitation.......46.6"
U.S.G.S. Topographical Plates
Medfield, Holliston
Regional Planning Agency
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Metropolitan Statistical Area (1993 Definition)
Boston
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
GOVERNMENT
Municipal Offices
Main Number: (508) 376-2634
Form of Government
Board of Selectmen
Town Administrator
Open Town Meeting
Year Incorporated
As a town: 1885
Registered Voters (Secretary of State 1994)
Number %
Total Registered 4,474
Democrats 1,027 23.0 %
Republicans 646 14.4 %
Other parties 8 0.2 %
Unenrolled Voters 2,793 62.4 %
Legislators
Senators and Representatives by City and Town
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
DEMOGRAPHICS
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS
Home Sales (Banker & Tradesman)-
Town Stats - Free market Statistics
Subsidized Housing Units (DHCD 1998)
DHCD Subsidized Housing Inventory
Subsidized Housing Units: The number of housing units which count toward the municipality's 10% goal for low- and moderate-income housing. It includes both subsidized affordable units and market rate units in certain eligible subsidized developments.
Public Housing Units (DHCD 1999)
Conventional State: 83
Conventional Federal: 0
Rental Assistance(DHCD 1999)
State (MRVP: 4
Federal (Section 8): 21
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESS
Millis is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail,
air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate Route 495
divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by
numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and
intermodal facilities of Boston.
Major Highways
Principal highways are State Route 109, which connects State Route 128 with
Interstate Route 495, and State Route 115 running N-S.
Rail
Commuter rail service to Back Bay Station and South Station is available in
neighboring Norfolk. Travel time to BBS: 35-47 min.; 491 MBTA parking
spaces. The Bay Colony Railroad (BCRR) provides freight service to Millis,
interchanging cars with Conrail at the Framingham junction. Contact number
for the BCRR: (617) 380-3556; for Conrail: (617) 783-6222.
Bus
Millis is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA). Brush Hill Transportation provides service to Boston.
Other
The Norfolk Airport, a General Aviation (GA) facility, is easily
accessible. It has a 2,700' asphalt runway with a copter approach.
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
CULTURE AND RECREATION
LIBRARIES Board of Library Commissioners On-line Library Catalog
MUSEUMS (American Association of Museums)
None
RECREATION Telephone Numbers for Public Information
Recreational Facilities(Recreational sites and activities)
Department of Environmental Management Recreation Section
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
MISCELLANEOUS
HEALTH FACILITIES (Dept. of Public Health 1992) Hospitals
None
Long Term Care
None
Hospices
None
Rest Homes
Willowbrook Manor Rest Home
UTILITIES
Telephone Numbers for Public Utilities
Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director Department of Housing and Community Development Mitt Romney, Governor, Jane Wallis Gumble, Director
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Department of Housing and Community Development would like to thank the many government agencies noted as having provided information for the community profiles. In addition to these agencies, the Regional Transit Authorities assisted with the transportation component of the profiles. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of many city and town officials, which enabled us to include information obtainable only at the local level. DHCD would also like to thank the following individuals for providing special help: Leslie A. Kirwan, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Local Services, Department of Revenue; Richard Shibley, Deputy Secretary of State; Bob Beattie of the Department of Public Health; Charles W. Clifford from the Martha's Vineyard Commission; Dennis Coffey of the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction; Donna Fletcher and Christian Jacqz of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs; James Griffin from the MBTA; Karen Loh from Banker & Tradesman; Todd Maio from the Department of Welfare; Geoffrey Morton from the Election Division of the Secretary of State's Office; Stephen R. Muench of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission; Rol Murrow of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Mary Ann Neary and Emmanuelle Fletcher, reference librarians at the State House Library; Jeff Nellhaus from the Department of Education; and George Sanborn, reference librarian at the State Transportation Library.
NOTE: The COMMUNITY PROFILE draws information from a diversity of sources. The main source of information is listed under each section. In some instances comments submitted by the municipality were incorporated to correct and/or enhance the information obtained from the main source. However, no changes were made to those data bases which must be consistent throughout the state. DHCD has made efforts to ensure the accuracy of all data in the COMMUNITY PROFILES, but cannot take responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of the information contained in this document.
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