HISTORY:
The earliest European settlers were Robert Barker and Dolor Davis, who settled in the vicinity of Herring Brook in 1650. Up until that time, the Wampanoag and the Massachuset were the only residents, fishing and farming along the rivers; they called the area Mattakeesett, which means "place of much fish," because of the annual springtime run of herring in the local rivers. The land was part of the Major's Purchase, a large tract of lands bought from Josias Wampatuck of the Massachusetts by a group of English investors. The area was once a part of Duxbury, before incorporating as a separate town in 1712, and was ultimately named for the town of Pembroke, Wales, the name of Brookfield being rejected because it was already in use by the town in Worcester county that still bears this name. Pembroke has traditionally been an agricultural and industrial community, but since WorldWar II has become primarily a residential community providing housing for persons working in the greater Boston metropolitan area. 

DEMOGRAPHICS:
Pembroke is an attractive suburban community located in the South Shore area of southeastern Massachusetts.  The Town is located 26 miles south of Boston, 16 miles north of Plymouth and 14 miles east of Brockton.  The Town’s current population is 18,549 (2007 Census) up from a level of 14,544 in 1990.  Pembroke contains 23.48 square miles (21.85 square miles of land area) and the population density is currently 836 persons per square mile.  The population density has increased from 666 persons per square mile in 1990.   As of the census of 2000, there were 16,927 people, 5,750 households, and 4,553 families residing in the town. The population density was 774.9 people per square mile (299.2/km²). Statistically, the town's population and population density is slightly smaller than average, just below both averages. There were 5,897 housing units at an average density of 270.0/sq mi (104.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.89% White, 0.50% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population. There were 5,750 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.31.  In the town the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.  The median income for a household in the town was $65,050, and the median income for a family was $74,985. Males had a median income of $50,778 versus $36,581 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,066. About 3.7% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

TRANSPORTATION:
Pembroke is located off Route 3, a major highway connecting to Boston via Interstate 93 to the north, to the Route 128/Interstate 95 beltway around the western suburbs of Boston, and Plymouth and Cape Cod to the south.  Other regional highways include Routes 14, 53, 27, 139 and 44.  These highways provide connections to adjoining communities as well as Boston, Quincy, Brockton, Plymouth and Taunton and Providence.  The Town is also accessible to MBTA Commuter Rail service in nearby Hanson, Halifax, and Kingston, and the MBTA Red Line in Braintree and Quincy.

GOVERNEMENT:
On the state level, Pembroke is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Sixth Plymouth district, which includes the towns of Duxbury, Hanson and portions of Halifax. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and a small portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.  Pembroke is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen. Pembroke operates its own police and fire departments, with four stations located in the town center, Bryantville, North Pembroke and at Brimstone Corner. The town has its own emergency services; South Shore Hospital in Weymouth and Jordan Hospital in Plymouth are the nearest hospitals; the Pembroke hospital serves psychiatric patients in the area. There are post offices at the town center, Bryantville and North Pembroke. The Pembroke Public Library is located at the town center, and is a part of the SAILS library network. There are also two small private libraries, which are open to the public: the Lydia Drake Library near Brimstone Corner and the Cobb Library in Bryantville.

EDUCATION:
Pembroke was formerly a part of the Silver Lake Regional School District, along with Kingston, Halifax and Plympton. It separated from the other towns to re-establish its own school district for its growing population. The town has three elementary schools (Bryantville, Hobomock and North Pembroke), which serve students from kindergarten through sixth grades (North Pembroke also serves pre-kindergarten classes). The Pembroke Community Middle School, located in the former Silver Lake Regional Junior High School on Route 27, serves seventh and eighth grade students. Pembroke High School is located in the former Silver Lake Regional High School [Pembroke Campus], later known as the Silver Lake Regional Junior High School building on Learning Lane, and serves students from ninth through twelfth grade. Pembroke's athletics teams are known as the Titans (complete with a logo reminiscent of the Tennessee Titans logo), and their colors are blue and white. They compete in the Patriot League, where the teams have already garnered six championships since 2004. Pembroke has established a Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with previously mentioned Silver Lake Regional High School. The town is also supportive to many arts programs, including The Pembroke Imperials Drum & Bugle Corps.  The town has no contract with any vocational schools; there are, however private schools in the surrounding communities. The nearest college is Massasoit Community College, with Bridgewater State College near as well.