Duxbury, Massachusetts

Duxbury is an affluent, coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately 35mi to the southeast of Boston, the population was 15,059 at the 2010 census.Geographic and demographic information on the specific parts of the town of Duxbury is available in articles Cedar Crest, Duxbury , Duxbury Beach, and South Duxbury, respectively.HistoryThe area now known as Duxbury was inhabited by people as early as 12,000 to 9,000 B.C. By the time European settlers arrived here, the region was inhabited by the Wampanoags, who called this place Mattakeesett, meaning “place of many fish.”In 1620, English settlers known as the Pilgrims established their colony in nearby Plymouth. Per the terms of their contract with financial backers in London, they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming. Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield, including Duxbury, was parceled out, and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth.