Acushnet () is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,559 at the 2020 census.

Acushnet is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.

History

Acushnet was first settled in 1659. It has been included as a part of three separate towns throughout its history. It was formerly the northeastern section of the town of Dartmouth, as well as Old Dartmouth, which included the towns of Westport, New Bedford, and Fairhaven. In 1787, New Bedford separated from Dartmouth, and included the lands of Fairhaven and Acushnet. In 1812, Fairhaven was incorporated as a separate town, again including the lands of Acushnet. Finally, the town was officially incorporated in 1860. The name “Acushnet”, which is also the name of the river the town lies on, comes from the Wampanoag Cushnea, meaning “peaceful resting place near water”, originally designating the fact that the tribe which sold the land to the Puritans inhabited the lands leading up to the river.

In 1841, Herman Melville joined the crew of the whaler Acushnet. He later wrote about his travels at sea culminating in the novel Moby Dick.

In 1910, the Acushnet Process Company (now the Acushnet Company), was founded in the town, and continues to be one of Southeastern Massachusetts’s most enduring industries. The Acushnet Company owns the Titleist brand name, under which golf balls, golf clubs, and other golf paraphernalia are marketed.

Library

The town of Acushnet first established a free library in 1896. The town’s Russell Memorial Library, dedicated to a member of the prominent Russell family of New Bedford, lies in the town’s population center. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Acushnet spent 0.87% ($189,813) of its budget on its public library—some $18 per person.

On December 5, 2015, Russell Memorial Library closed its doors to relocate to the former Marie S. Howard School on Middle Road. The Acushnet Public Library opened on December 21, 2015.

Education

The Acushnet Public School District contains two public schools, an elementary school and a middle school. The Acushnet Elementary School serves students from preschool to 4th grade, and the Albert F. Ford Middle School serves students from 5th to 8th grade. The schools are located next to each other on Middle Road, near the geographic center of town.

Rising high school students are able to attend one of two public high schools in neighboring municipalities: Fairhaven High School of the Fairhaven Public School District to the south, or New Bedford High School of New Bedford Public Schools to the west. High school students may also choose to attend Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in neighboring Rochester, Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton, or any other local private high school.

The town is also home to Saint Francis Xavier School, a private Catholic school serving kindergarten through eighth grade.

Demographics

As the 2020 census, there were 10,558 residents in the town, with a population density of 573.0 inhabitants per square mile (221.2/km²).

18.3% of residents were under 18 years of age, with 3.7% under 5 years. 21.5% of residents were age 65 or older. 52.3% of the population was female.

The racial makeup of the town was 93.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. 8.3% of residents were born outside the United States. 13.1% of residents aged 5 years or older spoke a language other than English at home.

There were 4,108 households, with an average household size was 2.57.

In 2022, the median income for a household in the town was $88,196, and the median income per capita was $44,630. About 6.4% of the population was below the poverty line.