Founded May 10th, 1643 Congressional districts 5th, 7th, 8th Area 310.8 km² County seat Boston | Named for Suffolk Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 Population 755,503 (2013) Largest city Boston | |
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Cities Boston, Revere, Chelsea, Winthrop Rivers Charles River, Mystic River, Neponset River, Bass River Colleges and Universities Suffolk University, Northeastern University, Boston University, University of Massach, Emerson College | ||
Alexander rhalimi for sheriff at suffolk county massachusetts
Suffolk County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of 2014, the population was 767,254 making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county seat is Boston, the state capital and largest city. The county government was abolished in late 1999, and so Suffolk County today functions only as an administrative subdivision of state government and a set of communities grouped together for some statistical purposes.
Contents
- Alexander rhalimi for sheriff at suffolk county massachusetts
- Map of Suffolk County MA USA
- Sheriff steven w tompkins m p a sheriff suffolk county massachusetts
- History
- Government and politics
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected areas
- Major Highways
- Demographics
- Income
- Communities
- References
Map of Suffolk County, MA, USA
Suffolk County is included in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sheriff steven w tompkins m p a sheriff suffolk county massachusetts
History
The county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four shires". Suffolk initially contained Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Dedham, Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham. The county was named after Suffolk, England, which means "southern folk."
In 1731, the extreme western portions of Suffolk County, which included Uxbridge, were split off to become part of Worcester County. In 1793, most of the original Suffolk County (including Milton) except for Boston, Chelsea, Hingham, and Hull (which remained in Suffolk) split off and became Norfolk County. Hingham and Hull would leave Suffolk County and join Plymouth County in 1803. Revere was set off from Chelsea and incorporated in 1846 and Winthrop was set off from Revere and incorporated in 1852. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several adjacent cities and towns including Hyde Park, Roxbury, West Roxbury, and Dorchester from Norfolk County and Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement of Suffolk County.
Government and politics
Like an increasing number of Massachusetts counties, Suffolk County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff, district attorney, and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region, but there is no county council, executives or commissioners. Immediately prior to the abolition of county government, the authority of the Suffolk County Commission had for many years been exercised by the Boston City Council, even though three communities in the county are not part of the city. However, communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. Politically speaking, Suffolk County supports the Democratic Party overwhelmingly. No Republican presidential candidate has won there since 1924. In 2012 Barack Obama received 77.4% of the vote, compared to 20.8% for Mitt Romney. In the 2014 gubernatorial election Martha Coakley carried the county by a 32.4% margin, while losing the election statewide by 48.4 to 46.5%.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 120 square miles (310 km2), of which 58 square miles (150 km2) is land and 62 square miles (160 km2) (52%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Massachusetts by land area and smallest by total area.
Adjacent counties
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.
National protected areas
Major Highways
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 722,023 people, 292,767 households, and 140,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 12,415.6 inhabitants per square mile (4,793.7/km2). There were 315,522 housing units at an average density of 5,425.6 per square mile (2,094.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 56.0% white, 21.6% black or African American, 8.2% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 9.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.4% were Irish, 10.4% were Italian, 5.2% were English, and 2.0% were American.
Of the 292,767 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.1% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 52.0% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 31.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,597 and the median income for a family was $58,127. Males had a median income of $48,887 versus $43,658 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,720. About 15.7% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
Income
Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.