Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,299 at the 2000 census.

Athol is a scenic community located between the picturesque Tully Mountains to the north and the Quabbin Reservoir to the south. The Town of Athol is part of Worcester County, and is located in the North Quabbin region of north central Massachusetts. It is bordered on the southwest by New Salem, on the west by Orange, on the north by Royalston, on the east by Phillipston, and on the southeast by Petersham. Athol lies north of Worcester and west of Boston. AtholTs support a population of 11,299. The population density...

Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,299 at the 2000 census.

Athol is a scenic community located between the picturesque Tully Mountains to the north and the Quabbin Reservoir to the south. The Town of Athol is part of Worcester County, and is located in the North Quabbin region of north central Massachusetts. It is bordered on the southwest by New Salem, on the west by Orange, on the north by Royalston, on the east by Phillipston, and on the southeast by Petersham. Athol lies north of Worcester and west of Boston. AtholTs support a population of 11,299. The population density is 349 persons per square mile.

The soil of Athol is rough and stony, and the terrain is wooded and hilly, with elevations ranging from 500 at the edge of Millers River to at the top of Pratt Hill near the Bearsden Forest. The Millers River is AtholTs most significant waterway and flows through the downtown area from northeast to west, towards the Connecticut River.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Athol, please see the article Athol (CDP), Massachusetts.

History

Athol was first settled in 1735 and was officially incorporated in 1762. The Pan Am Railways (formerly Guilford, Boston and Maine Corporation, nee Fitchburg Railroad) main line follows the east-west course of the Millers River through the center of town.