Welcome to Townsend ...
Townsend is located in Middlesex County<1>.
Google driving directions from your current location to Townsend
Townsend was settled in 1676 and was incorporated in 1732.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Townsend has a population of 9,507 people<2> (see below for details).
Townsend is 310 feet [94 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Townsend lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Townsend: 978 & 351<4>
The ZIP code for Townsend: 01469<5>
Websites for Townsend ...
Official Website: www.townsend.ma.us/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Townsend had an population of 9,507 people. This is an increase of 6.51% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 3.36% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Townsend had a population of 8,926 people. This makes Townsend the county's 44th most populous community.
The population of Townsend represents 0.14% of the total population of Massachusetts (which has 6,547,629 people), making it the state's 189th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 8,926 people, the population of Townsend decreased 2.96% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 9,198 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Townsend.
Communities Also Named Townsend ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 23 communities that are also named Townsend - they are located in British Columbia, Colorado (2), Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Ohio (3), Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Townsend.
Communities near Townsend ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Townsend.
- Lowell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - Nashua
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
- Nashua is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89,167 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nashua <6>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Nashua
From Townsend to Nashua
- Leominster
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leominster
- Leominster is located in Worcester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,548 people
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Leominster
From Townsend to Leominster
- Fitchburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Chelmsford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelmsford
- Chelmsford is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35,528 people
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Chelmsford
From Townsend to Chelmsford
- Merrimack
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimack
- Merrimack is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,452 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merrimack <6>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Merrimack
From Townsend to Merrimack
- Hudson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Hudson is located in Hillsborough County (NH)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,620 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <6>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Hudson
From Townsend to Hudson
- Westford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast) - Acton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast) - Gardner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Townsend. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Townsend.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Townsend. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Townsend.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Townsend. See our Newspapers Page for Townsend.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Townsend ...
Looking for more information about Townsend? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Townsend, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Townsend.
Adding Townsend to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Townsend in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Townsend was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Townsend post office opened in 1808.
We also found Townsend in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Townsend.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Townsend: www.townsend.ma.us/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Middlesex, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Townsend. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Townsend - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 978 code has been Overlayed with the 351 area code. New phone numbers in the Townsend area will be assigned with one of these codes: 978 or 351. As a result, placing a call in the Townsend area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Townsend). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Townsend or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |