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Webster, Massachusetts

Webster, Massachusetts
Town
Town Hall, Webster, Massachusetts
Town Hall, Webster, Massachusetts
Official seal of Webster, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°03′00″N 71°52′50″W / 42.05000°N 71.88056°W / 42.05000; -71.88056Coordinates: 42°03′00″N 71°52′50″W / 42.05000°N 71.88056°W / 42.05000; -71.88056
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1713
Incorporated 1832
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
 • Town
   Administrator
Doug Willardson
 • Board of Selectmen Donald D. Bourque, Chairman
Randy Becker, Vice Chairman
Andrew M. Jolda, Secretary
Robert Miller
Mark G. Dowgiewicz
Area
 • Total 14.5 sq mi (37.7 km2)
 • Land 12.5 sq mi (32.3 km2)
 • Water 2.1 sq mi (5.3 km2)
Elevation 460 ft (140 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 16,767
 • Density 1,200/sq mi (440/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01570
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-73895
GNIS feature ID 0618389
Website www.webster-ma.gov

Webster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,767 at the 2010 census.

Webster was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated on March 6, 1832. The area forming the town had previously been divided among the town of Dudley, the town of Oxford and an unincorporated gore. The primary founder was the manufacturer Samuel Slater, who came to the area after his celebrated activities in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and founded several textile mills, one of which was taken over by the Cranston Print Works in 1936. He named the town after his friend Daniel Webster. Slater spent his last years in Webster and died and is buried there in Mount Zion Cemetery.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.5 square miles (38 km2), of which 12.5 square miles (32 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), or 14.10%, is water.

The town is bounded on the north by Oxford; on the east by Douglas; on the south by Thompson, Connecticut, and on the west by Dudley, with which it is most closely tied culturally and politically.

The town is home to Lake Chaubunagungamaug, also known as "Webster Lake", a body of water with a surface area of 1,442 acres (584 ha). Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, a 45-letter alternative name for this body of water, is often cited as the longest place name in the United States and one of the longest in the world. Today, "Webster Lake" may be the name most used, but some residents of Webster take pride in reeling off the longer versions.


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