ATHOL, MASSACHUSETTS

'Athol' is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,299 at the 2000 census. The town is also nicknamed "Rat Hole" due to a popular vandalism prank where an "R" and an "E" are added to the town signs causing "Athol" to read as "Rathole." This nickname is further reinforced by the town's appearance, actual rats from Miller's river, and a local canoe race named "The River Rat."
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Athol, please see the article Athol (CDP), Massachusetts.

Contents

History

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Government

Notable residents

References

External links

History

Athol was first settled in 1735 and was officially incorporated in 1762. The Boston & Albany RR main line (now Conrail) follows the east-west course of the Millers River through the center of town.
A history of Athol, entitled Hometown Chronicles was published in 1985. It was written by town historian Dick Chaisson.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.5 km² (33.4 mi²). 84.4 km² (32.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.46%) is water.

Economy

Athol was once a promising town full of industrial and cultural growth. It earned the nickname "Tool Town", as water power and rail service attracted mills and high-tech manufacturing, including Union Twist Drill and L.S. Starrett Co., makers of precision measuring instruments. But in the 1950’s, the Route 2 bypass and interstate highways I-495 and I-90 drove businesses and the population to other parts of Massachusetts. Being isolated at the top of the Quabbin Reservoir and in a relatively unpopulated area to begin with, Athol was hit hard.
Today Athol has a surplus of cheap housing and a shortage of employment which has had a negative impact on the community’s infrastructure leaving schools, emergency services, roads, etc. under-funded, overextended, and inadequate. This further complicates Athol’s growing social problems (high crime rate [specifically rape and assault^[1]] teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and high dropout rates) causing a vicious cycle of civic failure that has perpetuated unchecked since the 1950's.

"With some of the lowest MCAS scores in the state, household income levels well below the state median of $50,000, and teen pregnancy rates among the highest in the state, [Athol] display[s] symptoms shared by many dying mill towns."^[2]

Athol’s economy is almost entirely dependant on the L.S. Starrett Co. whose main office is kept in town purely out of historical significance.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 11,299 people, 4,487 households, and 2,970 families residing in the town. The population density was 133.9/km² (346.9/mi²). There were 4,824 housing units at an average density of 57.2/km² (148.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.33% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.96% of the population.
There were 4,487 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,475, and the median income for a family was $41,061. Males had a median income of $34,414 versus $23,156 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,845. About 8.3% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Notable residents

★ Jimmy Barrett, major league baseball player^[3]

★ Birthplace of Bishop Daniel Francis Feehan

★ Ellen Cheney Johnson, (1829-1899), educator, advocate of separate prisons for women.^[4]

★ Lysander Spooner, (1808-1887), early American libertarian, abolitionist, writer, anarchist

★ Home to inventor and businessman Leroy S. Starrett

References

1. Point-2-Homes Demographics for Athol, MA
2. UMASS Magazine: "
3. The Baseball Encyclopedia, , , , Macmillan Publishing, 1979, ISBN 0-02-578970-8
4. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,

External links

★ Athol "ToolTown" website