Living In Massachusetts Cities And Towns – Athol, Massachusetts
Athol is located in a blue-collar community in the North Quabbin region of West Central Massachusetts. It lies between the picturesque Tully Mountains to the North and the Quabbin Reservoir to the South.
You will find a unique blend of urban and rural characteristics in Athol, Massachusetts. There is a downtown shopping district and an abundance of recreational activities such as camping, hunting and fishing.
Athol, Massachusetts was settled on the banks of the Millers River in the 1790’s as a typical New England town and has been a strong metalwork manufacturing hub since the turn of the century. The town’s nickname, “Tool Town, U.S.A., is well earned. However, today (year of 2007) this industry is no longer flourishing.
Athol, Massachusetts is also home to the annual River Rat Race spectacular. A local canoeing event began 30 years ago evolved into a major tourist and sporting attraction. Each year in early April, the River Rat Race attracts competitors from all over the northeastern United States to compete seriously and for fun.
Culturally, Athol, Massachusetts is not obsolete. Each year the Athol Historical Society hosts many outstanding artists, musicians and other prominent people in addition to a very active local performing arts group that brings “Broadway to Town” at least four times a year.
Athol is located in the central region of Massachusetts, bordered by New Salem and Orange on the west, Royalston on the north, Phillipston on the east, and Petersham on the southeast. Athol is 25 miles west of Fitchburg, 38 miles northwest of Worchester, 72 miles northwest of Boston, and 182 miles from New York City.
Form of government includes Board of Selectmen and Representative Town Meeting. The town was incorporated in 1762.
There are subsidized housing units in Athol, Massachusetts.
Transportation and access
The principal highway is State Route 2, the old Mohawk Trail, which runs across northern Massachusetts. State Route 140 and Interstate 190 connect the region to Worchester. The Springfield Terminal Railway line, formerly Boston and Main Railroad, parallels Route 2 and provides access to the network of intermodal facilities serving central and eastern Massachusetts.
There is no fixed bus service available; however, FRTA provides paratransit services for the elderly and disabled through the Orange Council on Aging and through the GMTA.
There is one hospital, Athol Memorial Hospital, one long term care, Quabbin Valley Conv. Center, no hospice services and one rest home, Tully Brook Rest Home.
There are no libraries or museums in Athol, Massachusetts.
Today, Athol has a surplus of cheap housing and a shortage of employment, which leaves a negative impact on the community’s schools, emergency services, roads, etc. These conditions complicates Athol’s growing social problems such as high crime rate of rape, theft, and assaults, as well as teen pregnancy, drug abuse and high school drop outs. This has been a vicious cycle of civic failure left unchecked since the 1950s.
Household income levels are well below the state median of $50,000 and teen pregnancy rates among the highest in the state. Athol, Massachusetts shares the symptoms of many dying mill towns. The economy in Athol is almost entirely dependent on the L.S. Starrett Co. whose main office is kept in town purely out of historical significance.
Notable residents include:
• Jimmy Barrett, major league baseball player
• Ellen Cheney Johnson, educator, advocate of separate prisons for women
• Lysander Spooner, early American libertarian, abolitionist, writer, anarchist
• Leroy S. Starrett, inventor and businessman
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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved
Written by: Connie Limon. For more information about the history of, visiting and living in Massachusetts visit: http://smalldogs2.com/VisitingMassachusetts To submit articles and find a variety of FREE reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
