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North Reading 

 

Greenwood Nursing and Rehab is proud to serve North Reading. The area was first settled in 1651 when the town of Reading received a special land grant north of the Ipswich River. It was officially incorporated as the separate town of North Reading in 1853. North Reading borders Andover, North Andover, Middleton, Lynnfield, Reading, and Wilmington.

 

Original grants of large farmsteads along the river during the mid-17th century brought six families to the settlement before 1680. The economy of the town in the 17th and 18th century was based on subsistence farming with limited hop production. There was a sawmill on Lob's Pond by 1694 and grist and saw mills at the village center by 1794. Some small scale boot and shoe making was underway by 1820, and by 1850 small sheds or shops to make shoes were attached to almost every house in town. These shops produced cheap footwear that was sold south to clothe slaves, and the Civil War destroyed the town's industry. The principal products of the town in the early 20th century were milk, apples and fruits.

 

The North Reading Board of Selectmen has five members who are elected to serve three-year overlapping terms. As specified in the Town Charter and the Massachusetts General Laws, they are the chief elected officers of the town. The board may enact rules and regulations in a variety of areas, as well as establish town policies and procedures on many issues, unless such issues are delegated by law or vote of the town meeting to another officer or board. The board appoints a Town Administrator who supervises and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of town government departments.

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