Talk:Tyngsborough, Massachusetts

Citing sources

I added some financial data today that was in the Sun and referenced the MMA website. Maybe the budget and tax data for towns should be on all of the communities in the Commonwealth? I'd gladly finish up the Lowell area at least, but I'm new to Wikipedia and am a bit unclear on citing sources (should I directly site MMA from the section, or is it best at the bottom where it is?), and of course, I'd need a proofread version of the section so I could just copy it over for each town. — Preceding unsigned comment added by CSZero (talk • contribs) 14:58, 2 October 2005 (UTC)

All the external links should be at the bottom of the page as they are now. This is a wikipedia standard. I am pretty new too but I read the help section on posting and it gives you the basics. Unless you are putting in a direct quote I don't think you need to cite the source. I think you can also directly copy content from government web sites since they are public funded and the data is like public property. (There is more in the help section about this.) Also, I think you should always hit the signiture button after a post on a talk page. This way people know what you posted and what I posted. I don't know if this is a standard but I have seen it done on all the other talk pages. I think it is great that you decided to contribute to wikipedia; the more the merrier! Thanks for updating the Tyngsborough page.

--David Marcucci 14:26, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

Bridge

Someone who knows what's going on should provide an update on the bridge situation. As of April 2006, the old bridge is closed, and a new bridge of much plainer design is open right next to it. A clerk in a store told me the old bridge is being repaired; I couldn't find any good accounts with Google, and I'm not sure if the new bridge is temporary, or if there will be two bridges right next to each other when the work is done. GMcGath 11:40, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure anything is official yet. Supposedly, the temporary bridge is just ... temporary, but they've already been talking about keeping it as a pedestrian bridge, which might very well mean they'll keep both in the end for cars. There's supposed to be a completely new bridge eventually at the foot of Westford Rd, but that's a few years off. Either way, we're going to get a major redesign of the intersection on the east bank.

Hopefully they don't keep the temporary bridge, because it really ruins the view of the original bridge, especially with the supports in the river.

CSZero 13:15, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

They were not planning to and did not keep the temporary bridge. They had spoken about keeping the second bridge as a pedestrian option for a bit, but there was a need for the temporary bridge in another town on the same river (Merrimack). They renovated the original bridge (new paint and repaved/reinforced the road). All looks beautiful now! HannahGillis (talk) 01:18, 8 September 2016 (UTC)

Gateway to the White Mountains?

I don't think so. The White Mountains are in central NH, at least 70 miles north of Tyngsboro. --Schzmo 20:14, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

I live in Nashua, and the only place I've heard that claim for Tyngsboro was in this article. Probably every place from Boston to Franconia makes the claim to some extent. Deleting it was the right move. GMcGath 20:37, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Due to Tyngsboro's history as a vacation destination (before the automobile), it might not be that crazy of a claim - from the town's point of view. However, as you said, many towns probably claim this, and Google confirms that. I vote to put that sentence back, with an addition of "the town claims..." I removed the "Gateway to New Hampshire" line, since it doesn't seem like a town in a state like Massachusetts could be considered a 'gateway' to a much smaller state like New Hampshire. Besides, Nashua's nickname of 'Gate City' is well established. While we're at it, the claim that Tyngsboro is 30 minutes from Boston is absolutely crazy. It's a good 40 miles, so even in the event of no traffic, that's going pretty fast... CSZero 13:37, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Mapquest, which is usually optimistic, says 36.83 miles and 45 minutes. GMcGath 14:21, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I put in a newly worded group of sentences about both. I changed the time claim to a distance claim. Tyngsboro is the first town in Massachusetts the Merrimack enters, so a traveller from Boston would quite conceivably have to pass through Tyngsboro as the last town in Massachusetts on a trip to the Mountains. CSZero 15:41, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Not exactly. After Tyngsboro, the Merrimack curves and runs parallel to the MA-NH state line. If one took I-93 out of Boston, you could claim that Methuen (through which the Merrimack also runs) was the gateway to the White Mountains. And it's the same distance/time to the White Mountains as Tyngsboro. --Schzmo 18:46, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Agreed it's the same distance and time, but Tyngsboro is the most upriver town in the state. I have a feeling (not the most encyclopedic thing to base writing on), that the Gateway term predates the interstate system. US 3 follows the Merrimack from Lowell to the White Mountains (after leaving Boston), which itself *probably* follows an old rail line through the river valley. I've tried Googling around for more information, but am having little luck. CSZero 11:53, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

New Stats

Seems there are all new stats from the department of revenue: http://www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/mdmstuf/aag/aag301.doc
I don't have time to update the page now but I wanted to note this in case someone gets to it before me. --David Marcucci 21:26, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Theatre?

Didn't want to be a jerk and just revert it, but in my opinion, this new section on Theater is a violation of WP:UNDUE and needs to be pared down. CSZero (talk) 18:35, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

Any notable residents or school Alumni we could add?

I'm not aware of any myself, but if anyone else knows, please add them. The snare (talk) 08:19, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Evolution from vacation community to bedroom community / development during 20th Century?

I thought it might be a good idea to elaborate on Tyngsborough's former status as a vacation community with a significant seasonal population. The following is what I believe to be correct, but I know of no sources with which to verify it's accuracy. The concentration of lakes in Tyngsborough as well as it's relative close proximity to Boston made the community an attractive vacation destination or place to keep a summer home for people living in and closer to Boston. This was the case prior to the completion of the interstate highway system during the mid 20th Century, after which time the drive from Greater Boston to the larger lakes in New Hampshire and Maine became more manageable, increasing their viability as vacation destinations and causing Tyngsborough to fall out of favor with vacationers and second-home buyers. However, the highways made commuting from Merrimack Valley communities like Tyngsborough to Boston more practical, and Tyngsborough became attractive to more people as a place to live year round. Population growth and development followed, causing the town to become the suburban bedroom community and commuter town that it is today. Many of the old cottages still exist; however, most have been extensively modified and expanded to serve as year-round homes.

This is the extent of my knowledge on the subject and I admit it is purely anecdotal and observational. I am not very clear on the timeline or any of the details. I don't know when the town was at its peak as a vacation destination and exactly when it went into decline or what other attractions or diversions there were for vacationers. For example, I have heard people speak of an amusement park and large hotel that were located on the East side of town. Also, many of the communities in the Merrimack Valley that have ponds and lakes were once vacation or weekend destinations to a certain extent, but was Tyngsborough's past identity even more tied to tourism, and if so, why?

As for the town's development, I am under the impression that the town developed slower than some of its neighboring communities. My father use to drive a delivery truck in town during the early 1980s, and he remembers the town still being relatively rural with unpaved roads in some areas. Is this accurate or fair to say? Qwerty01879 (talk) 04:56, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

I remember unpaved roads in Tyngsboro into the 1990s. When I moved there in the 1980s, the town's population was something like 2,500. It's up to 11,000 now. Tyngsboro was a summer home to actress Nance O'Neil. The trolley lines from Lowell and Nashua ran through town as well, and I'd guess that Lakeview Ave, which was built as a trolley road (there used to be a dance hall and amusement park in Mascuppic, but on the Dracut side), were popular destinations as well. I have a book on the town - I'll see if I can find a time to add some of it later. CSZero (talk) 03:34, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

Intro

Could we add a bit more to the introductory paragraph? Seems a little sparse and we might want to list "Tyngsboro" as the primary spelling as it has become the most common use of the word, then maybe follow with "Tyngsborough" in parenthesis as this becoming the slightly outdated way to spell it.

HannahGillis (talk) 01:11, 8 September 2016 (UTC)

History

It was _settled_ in 987 BCE as part of the Dunstable Township? Which township didn't exist until 1656 and hundreds of years before colonization? We seem to be missing some bridging information here. Also, known after incorporation for its ferries which traveled the Nile River in Africa? That's a long commute as a ferryman. Guillaime (talk) 02:36, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

@Guillaime: looks likes some vandals got to the page, I've gone ahead and cleaned it back up. W42 17:30, 22 September 2022 (UTC)