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Mansfield MA Real Estate and Town Profile
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Mansfield, Massachusetts is located in Southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by North Attleborough on the west,
Attleboro on the southwest, Norton on the south, Easton on the east, Sharon on
the northeast, and Foxborough on the north. Mansfield is 14 miles southwest of
Brockton; 26 miles south of Boston; 19 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode
Island; and 192 miles from New York City. Principal highways are State Routes 106 and 140. I-95 passes through the
town and forms an interchange with I-495 at the border between Mansfield
and Foxborough. Commuter rail service is available to Back Bay Station (travel time:25-38
min.) and South Station, Boston. The MBTA parking facility at Mansfield
Station has 775 spaces. Conrail offers freight service to Mansfield and
operates a Flexi-Flo terminal and a Paper Connection distribution center in
the town. Contact number: (617) 783-6222
The Town of Mansfield is an industrial railroad town in Bristol County. In
its earliest days, the town was the unsettled frontier of Taunton, used for
hunting, fishing and some livestock grazing. The earliest permanent
settlement took place in the 1680's. During the Colonial era, the town's
economy was based on a mixture of agriculture and ironworking.
The first grist mill was established in 1695 and the first iron forge in
1735, to work bog iron found in the area. In the early 19th century a
small industrial base was established with several tack factories, cotton
mills, machine foundries and straw hat manufacturers. Local officials made
a conscious effort to diversify the businesses in town. It appeared that
Mansfield's commercial destiny was decided when the railroads arrived in
Mansfield in the 1830's and the town was established as a refueling and
freight transfer point.
However, later in the 19th century, the town suffered from the de-emphasis
of rail freight, and the town fathers were actively engaged in attempting
to draw new industry to town. The Mansfield Board of Trade was formed in
1892 and was instrumental in getting industry to set up in town. Among the
companies they brought in were jewelry firms which had been settled in
Attleboro. Immigrants from Italy, Ireland, England and Canada moved to
Mansfield to fill the manufacturing and farming jobs in the town, which was
site of experimental gladioli farms. The construction of Routes 24 and 495
and the development of a joint Mansfield/Foxborough industrial park brought
new commercial life to the town.
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Map of Mansfield
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Some information gathered on Mansfield, MA is courtesy of Commonwealth Communities at Mass.gov
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