Devens

History

The area itself is named after jurist and Civil War general Charles Devens. In 2011, the CDP tried to secede from Ayer, Shirley, and Harvard and become the 352nd town in the state but failed the vote. Some residents are still looking to secede to become a town. The area operated as Camp Devens and later Fort Devens from 1917 to 1996. The Fort's sitting was due primarily to its location at a major hub of the rail network in New England. The U.S. Army base was officially closed in 1996 after 79 years of service. Some parcels were retained by the federal military for use as the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area, reactivated as a smaller Fort Devens in 2007. The process for distribution of surplus land parcels on the former Fort Devens allowed the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Shriver Job Corps, Massachusetts National Guard, Massachusetts Veterans and MassDevelopment to acquire the land. The Bureau of Prisons established the Federal Medical Center, Devens, a prison hospital. The bulk of the land was purchased by MassDevelopment for $17 million. MassDevelopment is a quasi-public development authority that has been given the task of turning Devens into a residential and business community. Since the closing of the military base, many of the existing buildings have been renovated or reconstructed; housing developments now exist, along with a growing business park, a new hotel, restaurants, two disc golf courses and a golf course. Veterans of the Army Security Agency have also expressed interest in building a museum there, as Fort Devens was their principal training facility for more than two decades. A comprehensive disposition process has been ongoing since 2003, charged with determining the future political governance of Devens. During 2005-06 it was determined that the…

Geography

Devens is on the boundary between Middlesex and Worcester counties, with approximately half in the northwestern part of the town of Harvard in northeastern Worcester County and the rest in the southeastern part of the town of Shirley and the western part of the town of Ayer in northwestern Middlesex County. The Devens CDP is bordered to the northeast by the village of Ayer and to the west by the village of Shirley. Massachusetts Route 2 forms the southern edge of the community, with access from Exit 106. Route 2 leads west to the Leominster/Fitchburg area and east to Concord. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Devens CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.31%, are water. The Nashua River flows northward through the west side of the community, part of the Merrimack River watershed.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  33,914
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33,303
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,816
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  29,589
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  28,492
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,502
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  24,445
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  23,563

Largest nearby schools

• Leominster High School
  High · Leominster · 1,034 students · 11:1 ratio
• Sky View Middle School
  Middle · Leominster · 886 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Clinton Elementary
  Elementary · Clinton · 840 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Nashoba Regional
  High · Bolton · 831 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Center For Technical Education Innovation
  High · Leominster · 800 students · 25:1 ratio
• Florence Sawyer School
  Elementary · Bolton · 735 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• McKay Elementary School
  Elementary · Fitchburg · 727 students · 11:1 ratio
• Northwest
  Elementary · Leominster · 727 students · 14:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire