Editing Rockland, Massachusetts (section)

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|10.1|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|10.0|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}}, or 0.79%, is water.  Rockland ranks 307th out of 351 communities in the Commonwealth.  Rockland is bordered by [[Weymouth, Massachusetts|Weymouth]] to the northwest, [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]] to the northeast, [[Norwell, Massachusetts|Norwell]] to the northeast, [[Hanover, Massachusetts|Hanover]] to the east, [[Hanson, Massachusetts|Hanson]] to the south, [[Whitman, Massachusetts|Whitman]] to the southwest, and [[Abington, Massachusetts|Abington]] to the west.  Rockland is {{convert|8|mi|0}} northeast of [[Brockton, Massachusetts|Brockton]] and {{convert|22|mi}} south of [[Boston]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Rockland, as its name suggests, is dominated by rocky lands.  There are several ponds throughout the town, including [[Accord Pond]] at the junction with Hingham and Norwell, and [[Studleys Pond]] (known to local residents as Reeds Pond) just south of Rockland Center, can be seen along Market Street.  There are several brooks throughout town, one of which is sourced at the Abington-Rockland Reservoir near the northwest corner of town.  Beech Hill lies at the south of town, and Wyman Fields lies to the north of it.  There are several parks throughout the town, as well as a small town forest just south of the Naval Air Station.<ref>{{cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://dawoodgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d9ff1268f2f34a829589caabe14aa263|access-date=November 11, 2021|website=dawoodgis.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref>

A short stretch (2/3 of a mile long) of [[Massachusetts Route 3]] crosses the northeast corner of town,  granting access to [[Massachusetts Route 228|Route 228]], which terminates just south of the highway.  [[Massachusetts Route 123|Route 123]] and [[Massachusetts Route 139|Route 139]] pass from west to east just south of the center of town, running coextensively for roughly 2/3 of a mile.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

A spur of the Old Colony rail line formerly ran through the town; that line is now abandoned.  The Old Colony Line does, however, pass through neighboring Weymouth, Abington and Whitman, as part of the Kingston-Route 3 line of the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA's]] commuter rail.  There are stops in South Weymouth (alongside the Naval Air Station) and Abington (just south of Route 123), not far from the town line.  There is no commercial air service in town; nearby national and international flights are available at [[Logan International Airport]] in Boston, or [[T. F. Green Airport]] in [[Rhode Island]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Closest airport to Rockland, MA, United States|url=https://www.closestairportto.com/city/united-states/rockland_ma/|access-date=November 11, 2021|website=Closest Airport to|language=en}}</ref>