Living in Massachusetts Towns and Cities Acton, Massachusetts Part 1

Acton, Massachusetts is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, which is about 21 miles west-northwest of Boston. There are four village centers in Acton, they are:

Acton, Massachusetts is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, which is about 21 miles west-northwest of Boston. There are four village centers in Acton, they are:

• Acton Center, which is the civic center of the town and the site of the town hall, the main public library, a children's playground, a church, a 64-acre arboretum and conservation area and the former post office. The new post office and the police station are located about one-half mile away in opposite directions along Main Street. The rest of Acton Center is generally residential.
• West Acton is a commercial area of town that also serves as a shopping area for the nearby town of Boxborough.
• South Acton is the most industrial area of town. In this section of town there is still a mill that was once run by the Faulkner family. It is now used for selling grain and feed.
• East Acton was once a small commercial area, but now is a residential area with a small commercial base that focuses mostly on the commuter traffic on Route 2A.
• North Acton is primarily a residential area with many commercial complexes and condominium buildings. Nara Park, the North Acton Recreation Area, contains a small swimming pond, an open air auditorium, playing fields, and hiking trails.

Water

The Acton Water District is a community public water supply delivering drinking water to the majority of the residents from eleven wells located within the town of Acton. The District's system consists of 106 miles of water main, four storage tanks, and a variety of treatment facilities to assist in the production of finished water.

Garbage

The town of Acton does not provide curbside trash pickup services. Private companies contract with individual homeowners or condominium complexes for garbage pick-up services. They have a public transfer station for trash and recycling.

Sewers

Approximately 80% of homes and businesses in Acton, Massachusetts use private on-site sewage systems (septic tanks). Higher density areas like the condominiums and apartment buildings, which are about 10% of the town, use private sewers that go to small-scale private treatment plants.

In 2001, Acton completed its first public sewer system primarily in South Acton. There are plans to expand the sewer system.

Conservation lands include:

• Acton Arboretum A park in the center of Acton of woods, meadows, swamp, ponds, old apple orchards, a bog, an herb garden, a wildflower garden, a butterfly garden and a rhododendron garden.
• Great Hill 185 acres behind the School Street fire station that includes barbecue grills, picnic tables, a jungle gym, skating pond and two sets of playing fields.
• Nashoba Brook, Spring Hill, Camp Acton Three adjoining conservation areas with trails, planned hiking path that will encircle Boston, staring in Ipswich and ending in Duxbury, a Bruce Freeman Bike Trail that runs through the Nashaboa Brook portion. Camp Acton also contains seven campsites and the site of a 19th century pencil factory.

Continued in Part 2



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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved

Written by Connie Limon For more information about the history of, living, working and visiting Massachusetts, visit http://smalldogs2.com/VisitingMassachusetts For a variety of FREE reprint articles and a special section of articles on U.S. History and the Kennedy Family, visit http://www.camelotarticles.com