Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,050 at the 2000 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state. However, its population density is within the top thirty towns in the state.
Hull has been the summer home to several luminaries throughout the years, including former Boston mayor John F. Fitzgerald (a.k.a. "Honey Fitz"), the father of Rose Kennedy; President Calvin Coolidge; and Joe Kennedy Sr.
History
The Wampanoag tribe called the area "Nantasket," meaning "at the strait" or "low-tide place." It is a series of islands connected by sandbars forming Nantasket Peninsula, on which the Plymouth Colony established a trading post in 1621 for trade with the Wampanoags. The town was first settled in 1624 and officially incorporated in 1644, when it was named for Hull, England. Early industries included fishing, trade and salvaging shipwrecks. During the Revolution, General Benjamin Lincoln oversaw the evacuation of Boston from here in 1778.
Hull 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 Hull and Hingham. In 1803 those towns opted out of Norfolk County and became part of Plymouth County.
Hull features Nantasket Beach, with fine, light gray sand -- generally considered one of the finest beaches in New England. At low tide, there are acres of tide pools. Beginning the community's development as a tourist resort, in 1825 Paul Warrick established the Sportsman Hotel on Nantasket Avenue. More hotels were built, and by 1840, steamboats made 3 trips a day between the town and Boston.
Following the crowds onto the boardwalks were gamblers, pickpockets and confidence men, so Paragon Park was built as a safe place for those seeking amusement. Called a "marvel of fantasy," it once featured a ride based on the Johnstown Flood. The complex closed in 1984 when the property was sold for condominium development. Today, the only surviving remnants of Paragon Park on the boardwalk are the historic carousel and clock tower.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73.1 km²), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) of it is land and 25.2 square miles (65.2 km²) of it (89.26%) is water. Hull is located on narrow Nantasket Peninsula, which juts into Massachusetts Bay, and is the southern land point at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The town is bordered by Hingham Bay to the west, Massachusetts Bay to the north and east, and the towns of Cohasset and Hingham to the south. Hull is located almost twenty miles by land from Boston, although by water, not counting islands, it is just five miles from Windmill Point in Hull to City Point in Dorchester.
Cohasset is the town's only landed connection to the mainland, although two bridges link the town to Hingham. Town neighborhoods include (from south to north) Straits Pond, Nantasket Beach, Kenberma, Waveland, Windmere, Allerton, Spinnaker Island, Stony Beach and Pemberton. The areas directly south and north of Nantasket Beach constitute the majority of the town's landed area. There are two high hills in Allerton and Stony Beach, with the rest of the town being mostly flat. The hill on Stony Beach is the site of Fort Revere Park, a park located at the site of a former defense installation which was active during the first half of the twentieth century. It is capped with an observation tower, which provides spectactular views of the rest of Boston Harbor, as well as much of the northern coast of the South Shore. The lands of Hull also include Peddocks Island, a part of the Boston Harbor Islands State Park.
There are no freeways in the town. The northern end of Route 228, known in town as Nantasket Avenue, is at a rotary at the southern end of Nantasket Beach. The avenue continues on through the rest of town, ending at Windmill Point, between the Coast Guard station and the high school near the windmill. There is bus service but no rail service in town; the MBTA's bus service extends into neighboring Hingham, and the Greenbush Line of the commuter rail recently opened, with its closest stations being in Cohasset and North Scituate, off of Route 3A near two of the roads that lead into town. Commuters to Logan International Airport and Boston (and in the summer to Boston Harbor Islands) can take the MBTA Commuter Boat, which leaves from Pemberton Point, the very tip of Hull. The nearest air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in Boston.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,050 people, 4,522 households, and 2,821 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,648.9 people per square mile (1,408.1/km²). There were 5,366 housing units at an average density of 1,771.9/sq mi (683.8/km²).
There were 4,522 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,377, and the median income for a family was $62,294. Males had a median income of $43,030 versus $34,738 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,331. About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
On the national level, Hull 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, up for re-election in 2008, is John Kerry.
On the state level, Hull is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Third Plymouth district, which includes Cohasset, Hingham and Scituate. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Norfolk district, which includes the towns of Cohasset, Duxbury, Hingham, 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.
Hull is governed on the local level by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a town manager and a board of selectmen. The town hall, as well as the police and fire headquarters, are all located in the southern portion of town, closest to the mainland. There is a branch firehouse in Waveland as well. All emergency services bring patients to nearby South Shore Hospital. There are two post offices, in Kenberma and Waveland, which serve the south and north parts of town, respectively. The town's public library is located along Nantasket Avenue, in an old white Victorian mansion.
Education
Hull has its own school system for its approximately 1,250 students. The Lillian M. Jacobs School, located at Stony Beach and currently in the midst of a renovation, serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The Memorial Middle School is located near the center of the peninsula, adjacent to Bayside Park, and serves sixth through eight grade students. Hull High School is located at the end of the peninsula, and has just undergone a large renovation. Hull High's teams are known as the Pirates, and their school colors are blue and gold. The teams compete in the South Shore League, and their chief rival is similarly-sized Cohasset High.
The town does not have any private schools but does have agreements to send students to regional vocational schools. The nearest private schools are located in neighboring Hingham, and the nearest vocational high school is located in Weymouth.
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