Living in Massachusetts Towns and Cities: Abington, Massachusetts

nAbington is a small community of approximately 13,000 people. The town is located 12 miles south of Boston and was first settled by European settlers in 1668. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the manufacture of boots and shoes was its primary industry. Nearly half of the footwear provided for the Union Army during the Civil War came out of Abington factories. The town is also noted for having a working dairy farm as of 1986. Today, the town’s roots in manufacturing and agriculture have given way to a primarily residential community with several small and medium size businesses flourishing within the boundaries of a quiet town. There are several active civic organizations. Annual celebrations include a St. Patrick’s Day parade, and a 4th of July celebration.nAbington has a fine school system and full time fire and police departments. Other town facilities include:nn• A water departmentn• A sewer departmentn• A public libraryn• Municipal golf coursennSchool system: The Abington Early Childhood Center is located near the center of town and serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade. There are three elementary schools; Center Elementary near the old town center, North Elementary in North Abington, and Woodsdale Elementary near the Ames Nowell State Forest. These schools serve students from third through sixth grades. The Charles M. Frolio Junior High School is located near the center of town, and serves seventh and eighth grade students. Abington High School is located just west of Route 18, across the street from the Town Hall and library. Abington’s teams are known as the Green Wave. The school’s chief rival is Whitman-Hanson Regional High of whom they play in annual Thanksgiving Day football game. Abington is situated in Southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Weymouth on the north, Rockland on the east, Whitman on the south, and Brocton and Holbrook on the west and northwest. It is 4 miles east of Brocton, 19 miles south of Boston, and 21 miles northeast of Plymouth. The normal temperature in January is about 26 degrees F, and in July the normal temperature is about 71 degrees.nForm of Government in Abington, Massachusetts is:nn• Board of Selectmenn• Executive Secretaryn• Open Town MeetingnnTransportation and access: Abington is situated in the Greater Brockton area between State Route 128 and Interstate 495, the inner and outer loops around Boston. State Routes 3, 24, and 28 provide easy access to the airport of Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. Commuter rail service to South Station, Boston is available. The Dial-A-Bat para-transit service is available for the elderly and disabled. Carey’s Bus Lines, Inc., provides commuter service to Boston from Abington and North Abington. There is no hospital in Abington. They have a department of Public Health and two nursing homes, and a library.nnnnThis article is FREE to publish with the resource box.nn© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved