Athol is located in a blue collar community in the North Quabbin region Central-Western Massachusetts. It is among the picturesque hills of Tully, in the North and South Quabbin Reservoir.

Find a unique combination of urban and rural characteristics in Athol, Massachusetts. There is a business district center and an abundance of recreational activities such as camping, hunting and fishing.

Athol, Massachusetts was settled on the banks of the river in the 1790Â Miller as a typical New England town and has been a strong metal manufacturing center since the turn of the century. The nickname of the town, a "tool of the city, U.S., is well deserved. However, (today year 2007), this industry is no longer thriving.

Athol, Massachusetts, is also home to the annual race River Rat spectacular. A local canoeing event started 30 years ago became a major tourist attraction and sports. Each year in early April, the River Rat Race attracts competitors from throughout the Northeast to compete seriously and for fun.

Culturally, Athol, not Massachusetts is obsolete. Each year the Athol Historical Society hosts many prominent artists, musicians and other prominent people, and a very active local performance of the Arts group brings a "Broadway to Town" at least four times a year.

Athol is located in central Massachusetts, bordered by New Salem and Orange in the west, in northern Royalston, Phillipston in the east, and Petersham in the southeast. Athol is 25 miles west of Fitchburg, 38 miles northwest of Worcester, 72 miles northwest of Boston, and 182 miles from New York.

Form of Government including the Board of Selectmen and Representative Town Meeting. The city was incorporated in 1762.

There are units of subsidized housing in Athol, Massachusetts.

Transport and access

The main road is the State of Route 2, Mohawk old road, which runs across northern Massachusetts. State Route 140 and Interstate 190 connect the region to Worcester. The line terminal Springfield Railway before Boston and Main railroad parallels Route 2 and provides access to the network of intermodal facilities, which serves central and eastern Massachusetts.

There are no fixed bus service available, however, FRTA provides paratransit services for the elderly and disabled through the Council of Orange on Aging and by the GMTA.

There is a hospital, Athol Memorial Hospital, a long-term care, Quabbin Valley Conv. Center, no services of hospice and a nursing home, Tully Brook Nursing Home.

There are no libraries or museums in Athol, Massachusetts.

Today, Athol has a surplus of price housing and job shortages, leaving a negative impact on the community schools, emergency services, roads, etc. These conditions are compounded growing Athol social problems such as high crime of rape, robbery and assault, and teen pregnancy, drug abuse and dropping out of high school. This has been a vicious circle of inadequate civic left unchecked since the 1950s.

Income levels of households are far below the state average of $ 50,000 and teen pregnancy rates among the highest in the state. Athol, Massachusetts shares the symptoms of many mill towns of die. Athol's economy is almost totally dependent on the LS Starrett Co., whose main office remains in the city of pure historical significance.

Notable residents include:

 • Jimmy Barrett, baseball player

 • Cheney, Ellen Johnson, educator, advocate for the jails separate women

 • Lysander Spooner, early American anarchist, abolitionist, writer, anarchist,

 • Leroy S. Starrett, inventor and entrepreneur

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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

Canoeing the upper Cle Elum River