Woodstock was first settled in about 1808 as Plantation Number Three. In 1814, a petition was sent to the Massachusetts General Court of Boston that requested the plantation be incorporated into a town called Sparta. Massachusetts GovernorCaleb Strong approved the petition on February 7, 1815 to establish the town of Woodstock. It is unclear why the name Woodstock was chosen.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, of it is land and is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,277 people, 546 households, and 377 families living in the town. The population density was. There were 974 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 98.4% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 546 households of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couplesliving together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the town was 46.2 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,307 people, 525 households, and 371 families living in the town. The population density was 28.6 people per square mile. There were 842 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.85% White, 0.15% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 525 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,642, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $28,889 versus $22,273 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,698. About 5.5% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
