Rockland, Massachusetts

Rockland is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,489 at the 2010 census. As of December 31, 2009, there were 11,809 registered voters in the community.HistoryRockland was settled by European settlers, as a northeastern region of neighboring Abington in 1673. The town separated and incorporated as Rockland on March 9, 1874. It is named for the town's rocky nature, which was better suited for mills and industry than for farming. During King Philip's War, the town was the site of an encampment during his raids on the town of Scituate. During the twentieth century, the town was the site of a portion of the landing strips of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station. The airstrip closed in 1996 as a part of the fourth round of closures under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.In recent years, a growing number of artists have moved into the community, attracted by former factory buildings as a place to work and meet.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.1sqmi, of which 10.0sqmi is land and 0.1sqmi, or 0.79%, is water. Rockland ranks 307th out of 351 communities in the Commonwealth. Rockland is bordered by Weymouth to the northwest, Hingham to the northeast, Norwell to the northeast, Hanover to the east, Hanson to the south, Whitman to the southwest, and Abington to the west. Rockland is 8mi northeast of Brockton and south of Boston.