COMMUNITY PROFILE
Attleboro: between 2 cities, but not a suburb
By Teri Borseti, Globe Correspondent, 1/26/2002
ATTLEBORO - A little more than 100 years ago, this was a hub of the jewelry industry. German, Irish, and Polish immigrants had founded a number of fine jewelry manufacturing companies, putting this Southeastern Massachusetts city on the map. Even today, much of Tiffany & Co.'s jewelry is made in Attleboro. And nearly everyone's class ring was made by one of the city's several jewelry manufacturers here.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Lorraine McCarthy, said that because of its proximity to interstate highways, Attleboro is being discovered by retailers, along with North Attleborough.
"A lot of service-oriented businesses are moving into spaces along Route 1," she said. "Petco, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, Home Depot, and Staples are just a few that are taking advantage of the fact that we're located in the middle of [interstate] routes 295, 495, and 95."
Attleboro has a substantial downtown that includes a variety of shops and other businesses, municipal buildings, and a YMCA. Buses run by the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority transport local people.
Sturdy Memorial Hospital (a community hospital) and many affiliated medical offices are within walking distance of downtown.
The city is also home to Capron Park Zoo, an accredited zoo that offers numerous exhibits and educational programs.
"Boston newspapers tend to ignore or forget towns beyond Route 495," said Mayor Judith Robbins. "But we're here plodding along, getting things accomplished, and growing, like everyone else."
"Families with Boston or Providence commuters like that we're between the cities, and yet we're not a suburb of either," she said. "We have the commuter train, and it's a very family-oriented place that's nice to return to at the end of the day. You can get a lot of house for your money in Attleboro."
Over the past five years, Robbins added, the city has been renovating schools and upgrading the sewer system. A $3 million fire station opened last year.
Eighty percent of Attleboro's tax base is residential real estate, the mayor said, though the city has some large employers, such as Texas Instruments and Sturdy Memorial Hospital.
McCarthy and Robbins say that Attleboro, which has sizable Haitian, Cambodian, and Portuguese communities, works to bringing its residents together. During summer, the Downtown Attleboro Association sponsors a block party every Wednesday night. Parts of downtown are closed to vehicles so people can enjoy theatrical performances and other cultural events.
"We also enlist the help of residents when we choose our Teacher of the Year and when we present the Athena Award to a local business that promotes leadership opportunities for women in Attleboro," McCarthy said.
There is a wide range of housing styles in Attleboro.
Large old Victorian, Greek Revival, and Colonial homes that were built for successful jewelry magnates in the late 1800s line downtown streets.
Multi- and single-family homes, as well as condominiums, round out the mix.
Ed Pariseau Jr., of Century 21 Ed Pariseau Realtors, said that Attleboro is still a lot more affordable than many surrounding towns. "Even just a little north in Foxboro, houses cost about $30,000 more than here," he said.
Old homes in established neighborhoods close to downtown Attleboro list for $325,000 to $525,000. Pariseau said he currently has a couple of new 3-bedroom, 2bath split-level ranch homes, with two-car garages, listed for $239,900. At a development called Brushwood Acres, 3- and 4-bedroom Colonials are listed for sale in the low to mid-$300,000s.
"We also have a very active condo market," Pariseau said. "As soon as a unit comes on the market, it's gone. The spectrum of condos includes garden units that start in the mid-$120,000s to more upscale units in the mid-$200,000s."
The city celebrates its history with the Attleboro Industrial Museum, located in the center of town, where visitors absorb the region's history and culture through a series of photographs and a new jewelry studio.
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AT A GLANCE
Incorporated: 1694 as a town, 1914 as a cityPopulation: 42,000 Area: 28.29 square miles Tax rate: $13.00 residential, $21.80 commercial Distance from Boston: 32 miles Median house price: $195,800 Schools: 5 elementary, 3 middle, 1 high school Nearest hospital: Sturdy Memorial
More information on Attleboro from Boston.com's Your Town section.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company
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