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North Attleborough, Massachusetts

North Attleborough, Massachusetts
Town
North Attleborough Town Hall
North Attleborough Town Hall
Official seal of North Attleborough, Massachusetts
Seal
Nickname(s): Big Red
Location in Bristol County in Massachusetts
Location in Bristol County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 41°59′00″N 71°20′00″W / 41.98333°N 71.33333°W / 41.98333; -71.33333Coordinates: 41°59′00″N 71°20′00″W / 41.98333°N 71.33333°W / 41.98333; -71.33333
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Bristol
Settled 1669
Incorporated 1887
Government
 • Type Representative town meeting
 • Board of
   Selectmen
Patrick Reynolds(Chairman)
Anne Lonzo(Vice-Chair)
Michael Lennox
John C. Rhyno
Area
 • Total 19.1 sq mi (49.3 km2)
 • Land 18.6 sq mi (48.3 km2)
 • Water 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation 200 ft (61 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 28,712
 • Density 1,456.0/sq mi (562.2/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 02760
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-46575
GNIS feature ID 0618284
Website www.north-attleboro.ma.us

North Attleborough, commonly written North Attleboro, is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2010 United States Census.

The village of North Attleborough Center is located in the town.

North Attleborough [formerly a part of Attleborough] is an industrial town on the Rhode Island border. In pre-Colonial times, it was the site of the Bay Path, a major Indian trail to Narragansett Bay, the Seekonk River and Boston. John Woodcock and family established a small settlement in North Attleborough in 1669, which subsisted on agriculture, fishing and hunting. By 1670, Woodcock had received a license to open a tavern. The settlement was attacked during King Philip's War, with two killed and one home burned, but the garrison house which Woodcock had built survived the attack. The Woodcock-Garrison house was used as sleeping quarters for George Washington on his army's march to Boston to rid the city of General Thomas Gage's troops. The Garrison house is still open for tours and is an especially popular destination for field trips by local school children.

By 1776, there were 2200 people living in North Attleborough. In about 1780, a French settler set up a forge for working brass and the industrial era arrived in Attleborough. Englishmen brought with them British machinery from Birmingham in 1794 and designed American improvements in button making which they patented. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, small grist and sawmills were built along the Ten Mile River, and subsequently established nail factories were eventually eclipsed by cotton spinning mills. The development of cotton spinning was spurred by the embargo on imports resulting from the War of 1812. Textiles and jewelry manufacturing were the staple industries of the town by 1832 but buttons were king. By 1834, it was said that North Attleboro produced more buttons than anywhere else in the United States.


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