Cohasset is a town in
Norfolk County,
Massachusetts,
United States, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,261 at the
2000 census. The zipcode of Cohasset, Mass. is 02025.
History
Cohasset was first seen by Europeans in 1614, when
Captain John Smith explored the coast of
New England. The area was first settled in 1670 and became a town separate from
Hingham in 1770. Previously, what is today the town of Cohasset was known as Hingham's Second Parish. The town's name came from the
Algonquian word "Conahasset," meaning "long rocky place." Much of the land was originally granted to the "Conahasset Partners."
At a special town meeting of January 1670, the shares in the new town were apportioned and divided among the new proprietors, many of whom were large
Hingham landowners. The largest number of shares — 35 — went to Hingham Town Clerk Daniel Cushing, with the second largest (25) to Reverend Peter Hobart, Hingham's minster. Others receiving large grants were: Capt. Joshua Hobart, Peter Hobart's brother (18 shares); Lieut. John Smith (15 shares); Ensign John Thaxter (16½ shares); and deacon
John Leavitt (with 14½ shares). The layout of the town was distinctive. Many lots were laid out in long narrow strips, facilitating more lots having road frontage, and avoiding back lots.
Cohasset was originally part of
Suffolk County, and when the southern part of the county was set off as
Norfolk County in 1793, it included the towns of Cohasset, Hingham and
Hull. In 1803 Hull and Hingham opted out of Norfolk County and became part of
Plymouth County, leaving Cohasset as an
exclave of Norfolk County.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.5 square miles (81.5 km²), of which, 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²) of it is land and 21.6 square miles (55.9 km²) of it (68.56%) is water. It is bordered on the west by
Hingham, on the northwest by
Hull, on the north and northeast by
Massachusetts Bay and on the east and south by
Scituate. Cohasset is approximately twelve miles east of
Braintree and twenty miles southeast of
Boston.
Cohasset is located on the "corner" of the
South Shore, where greater Boston Harbor ends and Massachusetts Bay begins. The shore is rocky, with many small ledges and rocks lying offshore. Cohasset Cove and The Gulf provide a long portion of the border with Scituate, while Straits Pond divides Hull from the town on the northwest. Near the center of the coast lies Little Harbor, a large inlet divided from the ocean by Beach Island. Several other brooks and rivers run through the town. A large portion of the southwestern part of town is occupied by the
Wompatuck State Park, formerly the
Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex, and the Whitney & Thayer Woods Reservation. There is also a bird sanctuary, as well as a large park (Wheelwright Park) near Little Harbor. There are three beaches along the bay, and the Cohasset Yacht Club and a public boat launch in Cohasset Harbor.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 7,261 people, 2,673 households, and 2,012 families residing in the town. The
population density was 734.4 people per square mile (283.5/km²). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 283.7/sq mi (109.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.20%
White, 0.18%
African American, 0.07%
Native American, 0.76%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.19% from
other races, and 0.58% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 2,673 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were
married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $84,156, and the median income for a family was $100,137. Males had a median income of $79,045 versus $41,397 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $42,909. About 1.2% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Cohasset Town Hall
On the national level, Cohasset is a part of
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by
Bill Delahunt. The senior (Class II) Senator, re-elected in 2008, is
John Kerry. The (Class I) member of the
United States Senate, was, until his recent death,
Ted Kennedy. His seat will be filled by special election in January, 2010.
On the state level, Cohasset is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Third Plymouth district, which includes Hingham, Hull and Scituate. The town is represented in the
Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Duxbury, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Norwell, Scituate and Weymouth. The town is patrolled on a secondary basis by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the
Massachusetts State Police.
Cohasset is governed on the local level by the
open town meeting form of government, and is led by an executive secretary and a
board of selectmen. The town operates its own police and fire departments, both of which are headquartered near the town center. Emergency services are also provided by the town, with patients taken to the South Shore Hospital in
Weymouth. The town's post office is also nearby, just off of the town common. The town's Pratt Memorial Library is located just west of the town center, in what was once a school adjacent to the original library.
Cohasset Schools are represented by and headed by the Cohasset School Committee. Members of the Cohasset School Committee include Adrienne MacCarthy (Committee head), Rick Flynn, Lucia Flibotte, Alfred Slanetz and Pam Miles.
Education
Cohasset operates its own school department for the town's approximately 1,500 students. The Osgood Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The Deer Hill Elementary School, located adjacent to the Osgood School, serves students from grades 3–5. The town operates a combined Middle/High School, which is located just over Bear Hill from the other two schools. Cohasset's athletics teams are known as the Skippers, and their colors are
navy blue and white. They compete in the South Shore League, and their chief rival is Hull High School.
High school students may also choose to attend
South Shore Vocational Technical High School in Hanover free of charge. There are no private schools in Cohasset, but there are several in neighboring Hingham and the towns west of it.
Transportation
No divided highways run through Cohasset. The longest state route through the town is
Route 3A, which curves through the town between Scituate and Hingham.
Route 228 runs along the border with Hingham, crossing the Weir River into Hull. The nearest airport to Cohasset is
Marshfield Municipal Airport. The nearest national and international air service can be reached at
Logan International Airport in Boston.
T. F. Green Airport, located outside
Providence, Rhode Island, is an alternative to this airport, although it is located further away.
The
MBTA Bus system services the bordering town of Hingham. The
MBTA's commuter rail
Greenbush Line has a
Cohasset station off Route 3A, just east of a cemetery.
Notable residents
Trivia
- Movies filmed in Cohasset:
- Actress Kate Bosworth lived in and attended high school in Cohasset.
