Attleboro, Massachusetts

Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Taunton, the same distance to Providence, Rhode Island, 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Fall River and 39 miles (63 km) south of Boston. It was once known as “The Jewelry Capital of the World” because of its many jewelry manufacturers, many of which continue to operate there.

In 1634, English settlers first arrived in the territory that is now Attleboro. Like many towns in Massachusetts, it was named for a British town. It is rumored that George Washington once passed through “Attleborough” (as it was then known), staying near the Woodcock Garrison House at the Hatch Tavern, where he exchanged shoe buckles with a revolutionary soldier named Israel Hatch.

Attleboro’s borders form an irregular polygon that resembles a truncated triangle pointing west. It is bordered by North Attleborough to the north, Mansfield and Norton to the east, Rehoboth and Seekonk, Massachusetts and Pawtucket, Rhode Island to the south and Cumberland, Rhode Island to the west. It includes the areas known as Briggs Corner, Dodgeville, East Junction, Hebronville, and South Attleboro. The Ten Mile River, fed by the Bungay River and by several brooks, runs through the center of Attleboro. The highest point in Attleboro is 249-foot (76 m) Oak Hill, located in the southern part of the city north of Oak Hill Avenue.