Avon, Massachusetts

Avon, Massachusetts
Town
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Norfolk
Settled	1700
Incorporated	1888
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
• Town    Administrator	Michael W. McCue
• Board of    Selectmen	Francis A. Hegarty, Chair Wayne M. Phillips Steven P. Rose
Area
• Total	4.6 sq mi (11.8 km2)
• Land	4.4 sq mi (11.3 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation	219 ft (67 m)
Population  (2007)
• Total	4,303
• Density	978.0/sq mi (380.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02322
Area code	508 / 774
FIPS code	25-02935
GNIS feature ID	0618314
Website	www.avonmass.org

Avon is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,443 at the 2000 census.

History

Avon was first settled in 1700. It was originally known as East Stoughton, and was a part of Stoughton on the founding of that town. However, many people in East Stoughton did not approve of how the section of town was treated, and voted to separate and form their own town. Avon, which was named for the River Avon in England, was officially incorporated in 1888. The town's seal includes a bust of William Shakespeare, who was from Stratford-upon-Avon, England. (The city of Brockton had originally considered the name for itself as well.)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (4.16%) is water. Avon is bordered by the City of Brockton on the south, Stoughton on the west, Randolph on the northeast, and Holbrook on the east. Avon is 17 miles south of Boston; 27 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Island; and 211 miles from New York City.

Demographics

At the 2000 censusTemplate:GR, there were 4,443 people, 1,705 households and 1,220 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,014.7 per square mile (391.7/km²). There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of 397.4 per square mile (153.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.45% White, 3.74% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 1,705 households of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13.

Age distribution was 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median household income was $50,305, and the median family income was $60,625. Males had a median income of $41,582 versus $32,837 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,410. About 4.3% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Avon is governed by a three person Board of Selectmen who appoint a Town Administrator to carry out the day to day executive functions of the Board. The legislative side of the Town is governed by an Open Town Meeting.

Transportation

The town is served by the Brockton Area Transit Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which provide convenient public transit service to Brockton and Boston.

Notable residents

• Mike Mottau, ice hockey player, Hobey Baker Award Winner, Boston College 2001, currently playing on the New Jersey Devils
• Matt Henderson, lead guitarist of the pop punk band Beyond City Lights.
• Alex Hutchinson, Author of seven books including three novels that take place in Avon.

References

Mike Mottau, ice hockey player, Hobey Baker Award Winner, Boston College 2001, currently playing on the New Jersey Devils

External links

Wicked Local Avon

• [1]
• Avon Municipal Web Site