Carlisle, Massachusetts

Carlisle, Massachusetts
Town
Downtown Carlisle in 2009
Downtown Carlisle in 2009
Official seal of Carlisle, Massachusetts
Seal
Official logo of Carlisle, Massachusetts
Logo
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°31′45″N 71°21′00″W / 42.52917°N 71.35000°W / 42.52917; -71.35000
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
Settled1651
Incorporated1805
Government
 • Town
   Administrator		Ryan McLane
Area
 • Total
15.5 sq mi (40.2 km2)
 • Land15.4 sq mi (39.8 km2)
 • Water0.15 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation
203 ft (62 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
5,237
 • Density341/sq mi (131.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
01741
Area code351 / 978
FIPS code25-11525
GNIS feature ID0619397
Websitewww.carlislema.gov

Carlisle is a town located northwest of Boston in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 5,237.

History

English colonists first settled the area now incorporated as the town of Carlisle in 1651, on parcels of lands of the neighboring towns of Acton, Billerica, Chelmsford and Concord. Carlisle became a district of Concord in 1780 and was incorporated as a town by an act of the legislature in 1805. The town was named for Carlisle, England, the hometown of one of Carlisle's earliest settlers, James Adams.

Amenities and culture

Carlisle contains a library, a book store, a dentist's office, a school (Carlisle Public School) and an auto body shop. There are two ice cream stores: one of the four branches of Kimball Farm, and Great Brook Farm State Park which is home to the first robotic milking system in Massachusetts and serves ice cream made from the farm's milk. Great Brook Farm is also the site of a cross-country ski-touring center. The Castle Playground, next to the Carlisle Public School, was built by community volunteers in 1988. In 2022, a committee of parents and educators led a volunteer effort to replace it with a new, accessible structure that includes musical and educational features.

The Carlisle Mosquito has appeared as the weekly independent newspaper of the town since 1972; it is a non-profit publication distributed free to all town residents.

The Gleason Public Library is one of the 36 libraries in the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium; its building also contains a seismograph. Cultural organizations include the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra, the Carlisle Community Chorus, and the Savoyard Light Opera Company.

Carlisle Old Home Day has been held for over 100 years on the weekend prior to the Fourth of July as a free public event with family-friendly games and activities.

Ferns Country Store, at 8 Lowell Street, has been site of a store dating to 1844. In 2007, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts named it Retailer of the Year. It served as the village-center general store until closing in 2025, though efforts to reopen it are underway as of 2026.

Until 2012, the town was also home to the Blue Jay Recording Studio, where artists such as the Platters, Aerosmith, Aimee Mann, Amy Grant, Alice Cooper, Boston, John Williams and the Boston Pops, Buckwheat Zydeco, Billy Joel, Lauryn Hill, Rihanna, Roy Orbison, k. d. lang, Pat Metheny, Yo Yo Ma, Carly Simon, the Pussycat Dolls, Genesis and Lady Gaga recorded.

Geography

An 1875 map of Carlisle

Carlisle is located about 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of Lowell and 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Boston. It borders the towns of Concord, Acton, Westford, Chelmsford, Billerica, and Bedford.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40 km2), of which 15.4 square miles (40 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (1.09%) is water.

Conservation land makes up about a quarter of the town's area. Besides town-owned land overseen by the town's Conservation Committee, Carlisle is home to the Carlisle Conservation Foundation, Great Brook Farm State Park, and a portion of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge neighboring the Concord River.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1790555—    
1850632+13.9%
1860621−1.7%
1870569−8.4%
1880478−16.0%
1890481+0.6%
1900480−0.2%
1910551+14.8%
1920463−16.0%
1930560+21.0%
1940747+33.4%
1950876+17.3%
19601,488+69.9%
19702,871+92.9%
19803,306+15.2%
19904,333+31.1%
20004,717+8.9%
20104,852+2.9%
20205,237+7.9%
2022*5,157−1.5%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,717 people, 1,618 households, and 1,372 families residing in the town. The population density was 307.1 inhabitants per square mile (118.6/km2). There were 1,655 housing units at an average density of 107.7 per square mile (41.6/km2). Carlisle maintains a minimum 2-acre (8,100 m2) zoning law on new development. The racial makeup of the town was 93.47% White, 0.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.[citation needed]

There were 1,618 households, out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.6% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 11.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.18. The population had a distributed age profile, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.[citation needed]

The median income for a household in the town was $176,228, while average household income was $244,544; the per capita income was $87,470.[citation needed]

Notable people

Notes

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Carlisle town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Historical Commission | Town of Carlisle". carlislema.gov.
  3. ↑ "Great Brook Farm State Park". Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ Amos Decker (December 11, 2021). "Great Brook Bill Koch Ski League". Greatbrookski.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ Mosquito, Carlisle. "Carlisle Communications Group". The Carlisle Mosquito. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Home - Gleason Public Library". Gleasonlibrary.org. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Welcome to the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra". ccorch.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "An intergenerational choral ensemble in Carlisle, MA". Carlisle Community Chorus. January 24, 2022. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "The Savoyard Light Opera Company". savoyardlightopera.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ "CARLISLE OLD HOME DAY - Home page Carlisle Old Home Day celebration". Carlisleohd.org. June 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ "A store that likes loitering". The Boston Globe. October 18, 2014.
  12. ↑ Damiano, Mike (October 21, 2026). "Carlisle is a pristine Colonial gem. But a 'doomsday' sewage problem could make its village center uninhabitable". The Boston Globe.
  13. ↑ "25 Years of RAMAE Winners" (PDF). Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
  14. ↑ Mosquito, Carlisle. "Carlisle Communications Group". The Carlisle Mosquito. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  16. ↑ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  19. ↑ "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  20. ↑ "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  21. ↑ "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  22. ↑ "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  23. ↑ "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  24. ↑ "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  25. ↑ "1790 Census" (PDF). Office of the United States Marshal. 1793. Pages 23 through 32. Massachusetts. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  26. ↑ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020−2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  27. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  28. ↑ The Way to Carlisle Village: Residents Enjoy Their Privacy but Seek a Place to be Neighborly . www.boston.com . Accessed September 24, 2008.
  29. ↑ "CNN Anchor John Berman Opens Up About 'Newsroom' and His Love of Politics". Westchester Magazine. September 29, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Meet Clairo, the Carlisle native who's playing Coachella | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.