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Masterton is a thriving community with a population ( 2001) of 19,497. It therefore did not quite qualify to be a city by 1989 when the minimum requirement for that name was lifted from 20,000 to 50,000. A commuter rail link allows many residents easy access to work in the cities of Wellington, Lower Hutt, or Upper Hutt.
Named after pioneer Joseph Master, it was first settled by Europeans on 21 May 1854. It gained borough status in 1877.
Local industries involve service industries for the surrounding farming community. The town is the headquarters of the annual Golden Shears sheep-shearing competition.