Welcome to Foxborough

The Town of Foxborough, located at the intersections of Interstates 95 and 495, is known by its residents as "the Gem of Norfolk County." Open Town Meeting is a form of government managed by a five-member Select Board and a Town Manager. We depend on individuals to run for public office as well as willing volunteers to fill appointed positions. A call to Town Hall can provide you with information and support with most situations you need to resolve. Voter registration takes place here during office hours, Monday through Friday. Town Hall Hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., except Fridays when it closes at 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday when it closes at 7:00 p.m.

We are a member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center (SEMRECC). This excellent group will connect you to both Police and Fire Departments instantly when calling 911. The Town provides its own water, and electrical service is with National Grid. The Town does not have a trash or recycling program. A Household Hazardous Waste Collection takes place twice yearly. The Town has a composting area on East Belcher Road Street, available at no cost to residents.

Registration for kindergarten through Grade 4 takes place either at the Burrell, Igo, or Taylor Schools depending upon assignment: Grades 5-8 report to the Ahern Middle School and Grades 9-12 to the High School. Working papers are available at the High School. Many sports and music champions have graduated from Foxboro High. Private schools include SAGE, Foxborough Regional Charter School, the Montessori School, and other nursery schools.

The Board of Recreation provides an eight-week summer program at the Booth field and a year-round schedule of activities. Boyden Library, located off the Common on Bird Street, is a cultural and informational center providing lifelong recreational learning for all ages.

Charitable organizations abound within the Town and include such groups as the Newcomers, Jaycees, Lions, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, St. Alban's Lodge, Grange, and Scouts.

Council on Aging/Human Services conducts many programs including counseling in addition to activities, entertainment, and assistance to all ages. The Community Visiting Nurse Agency, Inc. provides well-child clinics, lead level screening, immunizations, etc. and blood pressure clinics. The Foxboro area is served by Caritas Norwood Hospital, Norcap Lodge, and Foxboro Health Center. Brigham & Women's in Foxborough and Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro also provide local health centers, as does the Lahey Clinic, known as the Lahey Hitchcock Clinic.

Recreation includes Youth Baseball, Midget Football, Hockomock YMCA, Legion Baseball, Soccer, and Softball (to name a few). The pink theatre at the top of the Common is the Marylin Rodman Performing Arts Center (formerly the Orpheum Theater) and provides many fun and interesting arts and culture events for all ages. There is also an Actor's Collaborative, Art Associations, Garden Clubs, the American Association of University Women, and the Cultural Council. Founders' Day is celebrated annually the second week of June and boasts a huge parade, fairgrounds, contests, food, and fireworks. "Concerts on the Common", sponsored by the Jaycees, take place during the early summer months. Conservation areas are open to public use in the Harold B. Clark Town Forest, Kersey Point on the Neponset Reservoir, Hersey Farm, Wolf Meadow, and countless other areas including the Gilbert State Forest. Normandy Farms Campgrounds, and Canoe River are private overnight camping sites. Summer swimming is available at the Mill Street Public Pool or at Sweatt Beach on Lake Pearl (open to Foxboro residents in the summer). 

Churches of many denominations including the Baha'I Faith, Congregationalist, Mormons, Evangelists, Universalists, Zionists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Adventists, and others provide schedules of worship in the Foxboro Reporter.

There are a number of eating/entertainment establishments throughout town and on Route One and Route 140. Hotels and motels are available both in town and just outside. Even though we pride ourselves in our small-town image and strong sense of community, we host Gillette Stadium which is still the home of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution Soccer Team. Concerts and other events also take place during the warm weather months at the stadium.

We invite you to visit Town Hall (40 South Street) where you will be able to pick up information on our many functions as well as our Annual Town Report. You may even want to consider serving on a committee or board, and we would truly welcome your participation in local government! 

PARTICIPATION IS THE KEY TO COMMUNITY APPRECIATION

Have a question or need information? We’re here to help!

You can reach us in the way that works best for you:

• Visit Town Hall
  40 South Street
  Stop by during regular business hours.

• Call Us
  Main line: (508) 543-1200
  Communications Office: (508) 543-1201
  You can also find direct phone numbers for each department on their page under Departments.

• Email a Department
  Department email addresses are listed on their pages under Departments.
  Not sure who to contact? Email the Communications Office at [email protected] and we’ll help direct your question.

• Contact Us Online Use the Contact Webmaster form and we’ll respond as soon as possible.

The most frequently asked question…

Is it Foxboro or Foxborough?

When the Massachusetts Legislature finally acted upon the petition of families living in this area, who were residents of Wrentham, Walpole, Stoughton, and Stoughtonham, to be set aside as a town of their own, it was decided to name the new town in honor of Charles James Fox, a British statesman who strongly supported the independence sought by the Colonies.

The new town was incorporated June 10, 1778 and it would be called Foxborough. The 'borough' signifies a free-standing entity with its own government. But almost immediately, the name of our town was shortened to "Foxboro" in common usage.

So from the beginning, we have been Foxborough on official papers and Foxboro on most everything else. But our mail was a mixed bag, and as communities grew in size and number, the United States Postal Service sought some level of consistency in an 1893 directive, asking postal patrons to use the short form for names like Foxborough, Attleborough, Middleborough, etc. The request had no official standing and did not change anything other than how most people would address their mail.

The name Foxboro became known the world over when the former Standard Gauge Company reorganized as The Foxboro Company in 1914. Conversely other entities chose the formal name of the town, such as Foxborough Savings Bank, Foxborough High School, Foxborough Fire Department, Foxborough Country Club but the local newspaper has been The Foxboro Reporter since it was founded in 1884.

When signs were erected on each end of the Common in 1928, they proudly proclaimed the community as Foxboro. During the town's Bicentennial Celebration in 1978, they were removed and replaced by signs that read, just as proudly, Foxborough. One of those signs is still in place on the easterly side of the village green.

A major change about that same time was the insistence by then Supt. of Schools Bill Glynn to have local students use the official name of our town and Foxborough became standard on all student work and school correspondence.

From the time our town was incorporated in 1778 until the present, we are a municipality with a dual identity, Foxborough and Foxboro, and we wear both names proudly. One is official (and to some, preferred), and the other more a matter of convenience, familiarity and habit, perhaps, but no less respectful.

Use of the long form of Foxborough is encouraged at Town Hall and it is reflected on the town web site but some community groups list themselves under the short form of Foxboro.

In the final analysis, much that was Foxborough remained that way as did everything named later as Foxboro but there is now a trend in some circles to opt for the original spelling which delights the purists among us.

About Jack Authelet, town historian:

John “Jack” Pendleton Authelet (1932–2023) was a lifelong Foxborough resident whose work and service left a lasting mark on the community. A 1950 graduate of Foxborough High School, Jack spent much of his life telling the stories of the town and its people through his work with The Foxboro Reporter, where he served as editor and later as a longtime contributor.

Known to many simply as “Jack,” he had a genuine love for Foxborough and its history. He served on both the Foxborough Historical Commission and the Foxborough Historical Society and authored five books that helped preserve the town’s past for future generations. His passion for local storytelling and deep personal connection to the people of Foxborough made him a familiar, beloved presence in the community.

Jack’s dedication to Foxborough extended well beyond his writing. He served as a board member and former president of the Doolittle Home, co-founded the Foxboro Discretionary Fund, and was an active member of the Union Church of South Foxboro, where he served as both a trustee and moderator.

In the words of Jeff Peterson, a fellow lifelong resident and reporter who worked with him for many years, Jack was “tremendously influential in local civic, social and fraternal activities — cultivating a belief that Foxboro is uniquely special, and that those privileged to live and work here have a responsibility to past and future generations to preserve it.”

Jack’s legacy is one of kindness, service, and deep community pride. He is remembered not only for preserving Foxborough’s history, but for being an important part of it.