Hopkinton

Hopkinton is the name of several towns in the United States:

Hopkinton, Rhode Island

Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,188 at the 2010 census.

History

Hopkinton is named after Stephen Hopkins (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), who was governor of the colony of Rhode Island when the town was partitioned from Westerly and incorporated in 1757. Hopkinton once featured a number of industrial villages, such as Locustville, Moscow, Centerville, and Wood River Iron Works, each being named after the mill they surrounded. Today only Hope Valley, Rockville, Ashaway and Bradford are recognized with a post office. A section of the town has its own post office known as simply "Hopkinton". The town hall is located in the village of Hopkinton City, which was once a major stagecoach hub..

Geography

Hopkinton is found at 41.461 N latitude and 71.778 W longitude and borders Richmond and Charlestown. It is on the Pawcatuck River on the Connecticut border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.1 square miles (114 km²), of which, 43.0 square miles (111 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (2.58%) is water.

Hopkinton, Massachusetts

Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, less than 30 miles (48 km) west of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation. At the 2010 census, the town had a population of 14,925. The US Census recognizes a village within the town known as Woodville, reporting a population of 2,550.

History

The town of Hopkinton was incorporated on December 13, 1715. Hopkinton was named for an early colonist of Connecticut, Edward Hopkins, who left a large sum of money to be invested in land in New England, the proceeds of which were to be used for the benefit of Harvard University. The trustees of Harvard purchased land from the Native American residents with money from the fund and incorporated the area, naming it in honor of its benefactor. During King George's War, natives raided the town, taking captives to Quebec.

Grain was the first production crop grown in the area, while fruit and dairy industries were developed later. Agriculture predominated until 1840 when the boot and shoe industries were introduced into the town. By 1850 eleven boot and shoe factories were established in Hopkinton. Fires in 1882 and the migration of those industries to other parts of the country eliminated these industries from Hopkinton.