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Westford, Massachusetts

Westford, Massachusetts
Town
Old Westford Academy,now the Westford Museum
Old Westford Academy,
now the Westford Museum
Official seal of Westford, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°34′45″N 71°26′18″W / 42.57917°N 71.43833°W / 42.57917; -71.43833Coordinates: 42°34′45″N 71°26′18″W / 42.57917°N 71.43833°W / 42.57917; -71.43833
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Middlesex
Settled 1635
Incorporated September 23, 1729
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
Area
 • Total 31.3 sq mi (81.1 km2)
 • Land 30.6 sq mi (79.3 km2)
 • Water 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation 406 ft (124 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 21,951
 • Density 712.1/sq mi (274.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01886
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-76135
GNIS feature ID 0618244
Website www.westford-ma.gov

Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.

Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23, 1729.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Westford primarily produced granite, apples, and worsted yarn. The Abbot Worsted Company was said to be the first company in the nation to use camel hair for worsted yarns. Citizens from Westford also had some notable involvement in the Revolutionary War. Westford Minutemen were alerted by efforts of Samuel Prescott who alerted Acton, to the southeast towards Stow.

Paul Revere's son attended Westford Academy and a bell cast by Revere graces its lobby today. A weather vane made by Paul Revere sits atop the Abbot Elementary school.

By the end of the American Civil War, as roads and transportation improved, Westford began to serve as a residential suburb for the factories of Lowell, becoming one of the earliest notable examples of suburban sprawl. Throughout the 20th century (and with the invention of the automobile), Westford progressively grew, continuing to serve as residential housing for the industries of Lowell, and later, Boston.

In the 1960s, the town was home to one of the research sites supporting Project West Ford.

By the 1970s, with the advent of the 128 Technology Belt, Westford began to act as a suburb for high-tech firms in Burlington, Woburn, and other areas, and later became a center of technology itself.


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