Editing Avon, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Avon, Massachusetts
|nickname = 
|motto =
|image_skyline = Avon Baptist Church, Avon MA.jpg
|image_caption = Avon Baptist Church
|image_seal = Seal of Avon, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag =
|image_map                = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Avon highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
|imagesize = 250px
|coordinates      = {{coord|42|07|50|N|71|02|30|W|dim:100000_region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = {{Flagu|United States|size=23px}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name1        = {{Flag|Massachusetts|size=23px}}
|subdivision_name2        = [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk]]
|established_title = Settled
|established_date = 1700
|established_title2 = Incorporated
|established_date2 = 1888
|established_title3 =
|established_date3 =
|government_type = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title = [[Town Administrator|Town<br>{{nbsp|3}}Administrator]]
|leader_name = Jonathan Beder
|leader_title1 = Board of<br>{{nbsp|3}}Selectmen
|leader_name1 = Eric S. Beckerman, Chair<br>Shannon M. Coffey<br>Jason L. Suzor
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 11.8
|area_total_sq_mi = 4.6
|area_land_km2 = 11.3
|area_land_sq_mi = 4.4
|area_water_km2 = 0.5
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.2
|population_as_of = 2020
|settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total = 4,777
|population_density_km2 = 422.7
|population_density_sq_mi = 1085.7
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020census">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2502102935 |title=Census - Geography Profile: Avon town, Norfolk County, Massachusetts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 29, 2021}}</ref>
|elevation_m = 67
|elevation_ft = 219
|timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset = −5
|timezone_DST = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST = −4
|website = [http://www.avon-ma.gov/ www.avon-ma.gov]
|postal_code_type = ZIP Code
|postal_code = 02322
|area_code = [[Area code 508|508]] / [[Area code 774|774]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 25-02935
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 0618314
|footnotes =
}}

'''Avon''' is a town in [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk County]], [[Massachusetts]], United States. The population was 4,777 at the 2020 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Avon_town,_Norfolk_County,_Massachusetts?g=060XX00US2502102935 |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==History==

The first settler in the land that would become Avon was Moses Curtis ({{circa|1720}}), a blacksmith from [[Braintree, Massachusetts]].<ref name=SH>[http://www.stoughtonhistory.com/avon75th.pdf Avon 75th Anniversary 1888-1963 Diamond Jubilee], accessed June 2021.</ref> With most of his surviving children living near him, by 1749 the locale was called Curtis Corners.<ref name=SH />

{{poemquote|Avon's story begins deep in the forest of the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]], in the territory of the ancient town of [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]]. In 1630 the Indian chief [[Chickatawbut|Chicataubut]], in return for a sum of money, gave the English the right to settle Dorchester, south to the top of Blue Hill. After the chief's death, his brother [[Cutshamekin|Kitchamakin]] extended the boundary line farther southward, all the way to the Plymouth Colony line. This "New Grant" as it was called, gave the town of Dorchester title over 40,000 acres, making it the largest town in [[Colonial New England|New England]].

In 1726 Dorchester's South Precinct, holding the present-day towns of Stoughton, Avon, Sharon, Canton, and Foxborough, as well as parts of Wrenthham (Plainville) and Dedham, was set aside and incorporated under the name Stoughton. Its neighbor to the east, also resting on the Plymouth Colony line, was the town of Braintree, which at the time included present-day Quincy, Holbrook, and Randolph.

The road through the southeasternmost corner of "Old Stoughton" was little more than a cart trail when Moses Curtis arrived from Braintree in 1720. Known simply as the "Old Beaten Path", it arched its back in a southwesterly direction after crossing the present-day Randolph line, and then gradually turned southeasterly as it approached the Bay Colony line, about two miles away. What attracted Curtis to this location is unknown, but it is fair to say that he had chosen one of the most isolated spots possible for settlement.

By 1720 only five houses preceded the Curtis homested in all of the present Stoughton-Avon area, and his stood virtually alone in the far southeastern corner of the "New Grant"...|''A History of Avon, Massachusetts 1720–1988'', by William F. Hanna<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hanna |first=William F. |year=1989 |title=A History of Avon, Massachusetts 1720–1988 |location=Avon, Mass. |publisher=The Avon Centennial Committee |oclc=750986399}}</ref>}}

The Third Baptist Meeting House was erected in East Stoughton on March 30, 1848.<ref name=SH />

Following a petition sent through the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] and the [[Massachusetts Senate]], the new town of Avon was separated from Stoughton and incorporated on February 21, 1888. The town was named after [[Stratford-upon-Avon|Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England]]. The town's seal features a portrait of [[William Shakespeare]], who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AVON |url=https://stoughtonhistory.com/1918avon.htm |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=stoughtonhistory.com}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|4.6|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|4.4|sqmi|km2}}  is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi|km2}}  (4.16%) is water. Avon is bordered by the City of [[Brockton, Massachusetts|Brockton]] on the south, [[Stoughton, Massachusetts|Stoughton]] on the west, [[Randolph, Massachusetts|Randolph]] on the northeast, and [[Holbrook, Massachusetts|Holbrook]] on the east. Avon is {{convert|17|mi|km}} south of Boston.

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}
{{Historical populations | type=USA | align=left | state=collapsed
 | 1890|1384
 | 1900|1741
 | 1910|2013
 | 1920|2176
 | 1930|2414
 | 1940|2335
 | 1950|2666
 | 1960|4301
 | 1970|5295
 | 1980|5026
 | 1990|4558
 | 2000|4443
 | 2010|4356
 | 2020|4777
 | 2022*|4735
 | footnote=* = population estimate.  Source: [[United States Census]] records and [[Population Estimates Program]] data.<ref name="2010_Census">{{cite web | title=TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts | publisher=United States Census Bureau | access-date=September 13, 2011 | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P1/0400000US25.06000 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212202839/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P1/0400000US25.06000 | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="2000-2009_PopulationEstimates">{{cite web|title=Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=July 12, 2011 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US25&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2009_EST&-_lang=en&-format=ST-9&-_sse=on |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106065336/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US25&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2009_EST&-_lang=en&-format=ST-9&-_sse=on |archive-date=January 6, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="1990_Census">{{cite web|title=1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts |id=1990 CP-1-23 |at=Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990 |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=July 12, 2011 |date=December 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp1/cp-1-23.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207032409/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp1/cp-1-23.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="1980_Census">{{cite web | title=1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts | id=PC80-1-A23 | at=Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980 | publisher=US Census Bureau | access-date=July 12, 2011 |date=December 1981 | url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_maABC-01.pdf| archive-url= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100805234734/http%3A//www2%2Ecensus%2Egov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_maABC%2D01%2Epdf| archive-date= August 5, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="1950_Census">{{cite journal | title=1950 Census of Population | volume=1: Number of Inhabitants | at=Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950 | publisher=Bureau of the Census | access-date=July 12, 2011 | year=1952 | url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073753/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="1920_Census">{{cite web | title=1920 Census of Population | at=Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920 | publisher=Bureau of the Census | access-date=July 12, 2011 | url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf}}</ref><ref name="1890_Census">{{cite web | title=1890 Census of the Population | at=Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890 | publisher=Department of the Interior, Census Office | access-date=July 12, 2011 | url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=November 10, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}

At the 2000 [[census]],<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> there were 4,443 people, 1,705 households and 1,220 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,014.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of {{convert|397.4|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the town was 93.45% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.74% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.27% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.92% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.77% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.86% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. Of all households 23.5% 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. Legislation is enacted in an Open [[Town Meeting]].

==Education==
The [[Avon School District (Massachusetts)|Avon School District]] serves Avon.

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

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Avon, Massachusetts}}
* [http://www.avon-ma.gov/ Avon Municipal Web Site]

{{Norfolk County, Massachusetts}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Towns in Norfolk County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Avon, Massachusetts]]