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Massachusetts Town Profiles to find information on all of the
cities and towns in Massachusetts.
Needham, MA - Norfolk County
Official Town Website
School
Information
The Town of Needham is located on rocky uplands within a loop of the
Charles River, almost isolated from the surrounding countryside.
Though the area was used for some grazing by Dedham residents and
some land grants were made, the river served as an effective barrier
and the town was slow to develop. Early settlers relied primarily on
agriculture and grazing plus some winter lumbering with orchards and
tanneries as supplements. Saw mills and grist mills were opened by a
number of settlers along the Charles through the 18th century.
Extension of the railroad and land speculation encouraged
settlement, and the town saw the growth of industrial employment and
production at the same time during the mid-19th century. Needham
manufacturers made knit goods, underwear, hats, shoes and silk,
although attempts to cultivate silk worms were short-lived. Land
speculation, housing development and knitted underwear continued to
be the foundation of Needham's economy into the 20th century, with
the famous William Carter Corporation prominent in the children's
knitwear industry. The construction of Route 128 in 1931 opened
portions of the town to development as part of the hi-tech highway
in the post-World War II electronic industrial boom. Modern Needham
remains a pleasant heavily suburban community with good access to
Boston for commuters and a significant number of local job slots.
Newton,
MA - Middlesex County
Official
Town Website
School
Information
Newton, known as the Garden City, is located six miles west of
Boston. It lies within the so-called Boston Basin, a tiny structure
of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Originally a part of Cambridge,
Newton was settled in 1630 and incorporated in 1688 with the first
settlement in Newton Corner. The Boston and Worcester Railroads
established depots at what later became Newtonville and Auburndale
in 1834. Newton is bounded on three sides by the Charles River and
is a diverse community comprised of 14 villages, each with a unique
character. The villages of Newton - listed alphabetically - are:
Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Four Corners, Newton Centre, Newton
Corner, Newton Highlands, Newton ower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, Newtonville, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Thomsonville, Waban and West
Newton. Newton is a vibrant community that is desirable as a place
to live and work due to its proximity to Boston, nearness to various
highway and public transportation systems, attractive neighborhoods
and high property values, well-run municipal government, and a
strong, nationally-recognized school system. Newton has well
maintained parks, bicycle and fitness trails, golf courses, a public
pool and lake. From July through October there is an outdoor
Farmer's Market. Newton has a new, state-of-the-art, award-winning
Library, and is home to the Jackson Homestead Museum, one of 712
nationally-accredited museums (out of 6,200 museums country-wide).
Among the myriad arts and cultural organizations and activities,
Newton has a Symphony Orchestra, resident theatre groups and an Arts
in the Parks Program. Newton has been designated 1 of 3 cities
nationwide to participate in a pilot tree bank, planting 6,800
seedlings. Newton has an extensive Institutional Network (I-Net)
communications system which connects 63 municipal and institutional
buildings, including all public schools. Newton was the recipient of
the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Heinz Foundation awards for being
the first city in the Commonwealth to administer a mandatory
curbside recycling program. 90% of residents recycle, reducing
incinerated tonnage by 33%.
Brookline, MA - Norfolk County
Official Town Website
School Information
Brookline is a jewel of a suburb. Cheek to jowl with Boston - it has
managed to maintain its own identity - a unique mixture of busy
streets and rolling countryside, upscale shops and village pubs,
gracious apartment buildings and large estates, and home for legions
of academic and scientific professionals, who work at the nearby
medical centers in Boston. Brookline has staunchly refused to be
absorbed by Boston, which surrounds it like a horseshoe. A community
of 6.6 square miles and almost 55,000 people. Brookline has kept its
town meeting form of government since 1705, when this "Muddy River"
farmland of Boston became incorporated and named for the brooks that
formed its boundaries. Among its many unusual resources, Brookline
has its own working farm (with farm stand), the oldest country club
in the nation, a town golf course, the home in which John F. Kennedy
was born, a magnificent park on a hillside overlooking Boston with a
wonderful open air skating rink and marvelous transportation museum,
and numerous neighborhood parks and playgrounds scattered throughout
the Town. Its major retail centers, like Coolidge Corner and
Brookline Village, are bustling pedestrian-oriented shopping areas
with a variety of shops - antique stores, coffee shops, bookstores,
fresh fruit and vegetable markets, delicatessens and restaurants.
Along with offering both a city atmosphere and a feeling of being in
the country, there is a wonderful mix of people in Brookline:
elderly, minorities, immigrants from many lands, young families and
college students. It is said that the student body at Brookline High
School -- a nationally renowned institution -- includes students
from more than 50 different countries. Although predominantly
residential, Brookline is anxious to attract new commercial
development, and in just the last two years, the Town has amended
its zoning to encourage new growth along its major thoroughfares.
Wellesley, MA - Norfolk
County
Official Town Website
School
Information
The Town of Wellesley is a predominantly residential community,
located approximately 13 miles west of Boston. Its geographic
location and its visual characteristics make it a highly desirable
suburb for people who work in Boston. Wellesley although a
residential community, is also an employment center, having several
attractive office parks located primarily on its eastern border. The
town is also a college community, having within its boundaries
Wellesley College and Babson College, two private educational
institutions, as well as Massachusetts Bay Community College.
Wellesley is equidistant from the north shore and south shore
recreational facilities with access provided by Route 128/Route 95,
a circumferential highway which skirts its eastern border. It is a
gateway access to the western part of the state through access to
the Massachusetts turnpike located just over Wellesley's northern
border. The town derives approximately 85% of its tax revenue from a
residential tax base with 15% derived from non-residential uses.
Wellesley has been a leader in environmental issues and the town's
attractiveness is ample evidence of that philosophy.
West
Roxbury, MA
School Information
Originally part of the town of Roxbury, West Roxbury formed its own
government in 1851 and was annexed by Boston in 1874. Bordered by
Roslindale and Hyde Park, West Roxbury’s main thoroughfare is Centre
Street, lined with local restaurants and commercial establishments.
Today, the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets and mostly single
family homes give it a suburban feel in an urban setting. Life in
the neighborhood centers around political and civic activism as well
as local parishes and youth athletic leagues.
Roslindale, MA
School Information
Roslindale, sometimes referred to as "Rosinopoulos" by residents for
its large Greek population, began as a classic street car suburb.
Today, one of the most unique characteristics of the area is the
sheer number of people from all races, backgrounds and countries who
call Roslindale home. Roslindale Square, the heart of the
neighborhood, is the subject of a National Trust for Historic
Preservation Main Street award. It is considered to be an example of
the value of historic and aesthetic preservation in economic
revitalization.
Dedham,
MA - Norfolk County
Official Town Website
School
Information
Dedham is an historic suburban industrial town on the principal
southern corridor of metropolitan Boston, and is the site of the
earliest surviving framed house in New England, the handsome 1737
Fairbanks House. The 10.7 square mile community received its grant
as a town from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, placing it
among the oldest communities in the state. Its colonial agricultural
economy was expanded by industry only after the town, in 1639, built
one of the earliest water power canals connecting the Charles River
with a tributary of the Neponset River and creating sufficient water
power for grist and fulling mills. The character and future of the
community changed drastically when it became the county seat for
Norfolk County and the court house was built in 1796. As local
historians pointed out, this brought in lawyers and officials,
trained, educated and ambitious men who changed the face of the
community by investing in and supporting industrial development.
Woolen mills were developed in Dedham and innovations such as power
broadlooms were introduced. By 1830 there were two woolen mills, two
cotton mills, four sawmills and five factories staffed by Irish and
German immigrants who made up 27% of the Dedham population.
Everything from pianos to furniture was made in Dedham, including
famous Dedham crackleware pottery. The town shows a rich and diverse
architectural face to the world, with its monumental granite court
house of Greek Revival design, its Victorian prison, its limestone
Neoclassical Registry of Deeds, Romanesque Revival public library
and Renaissance and Georgian Revival schools. In addition, Dedham
has a remarkably well preserved town center, with many handsome,
historic houses of which the community is very proud.
Jamaica
Plain, MA
Official Town Website
School Information
Yes, Jamaica Plain is a part of the City of Boston; no, it is not
its own town. Diversity is the strength of “JP,” to which it is
lovingly referred by residents. Every ethnicity, socio-economic
stratum, and sexual orientation is well represented in this
neighborhood sandwiched primarily between Roxbury and Brookline
(Brookline is its own town). The rich diversity in JP has created a
strong character of social awareness and tolerance among neighbors
and residents.
Westwood,
MA - Norfolk County
Official Town Website
School
Information
Westwood is an established community of 13,000 located 12 miles
southwest of Boston. Situated at the junction of Routes 95/128 and
93, Westwood provides an excellent location for its residents and
its businesses. Westwood provides the further convenience of having
two commuter rail lines, full MBTA bus service an Routes 1, 1A and
109 traversing the Town. Westwood is recognized for the quality of
its schools. Students consistently score in the top percentiles on
national tests, and the overwhelming majority of students graduating
from the High School go on to higher education. The Town also
encourages and maintains many recreational areas and facilities,
including numerous conservation areas, playgrounds, ballfields and
an indoor pool facility. The Town has two libraries, a senior center
and numerous community-sponsored events for the Town's residents.
Westwood currently has 75 retail and over 130 commercial/industrial
businesses located within the Town. Westwood's town services are
excellent, with water from the Dedham-Westwood Water District, sewer
service from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, electricity
from Boston Edison and natural gas from Algonquin Gas.
Watertown, MA - Middlesex
County
Official Town Website
School
Information
Founded in 1630, Watertown was the first inland settlement in
Massachusetts and initially encompassed the present communities of
Weston, Waltham and large sections of Lincoln, Belmont, and
Cambridge --thus becoming one of the largest American settlements of
its time. Settled by Englishmen who had set sail on the Arbella, and
were led by Sir Richard Saltonstall, Watertown quickly grew to be an
important center for trade, commerce, and industry. Over the years
this community has played an important role in Massachusetts
history, once serving as the temporary seat of government during the
Revolutionary War. It was here that Paul Revere, who once resided in
Watertown, printed the first paper money for the Province of
Massachusetts. At the Old Bemis Mills located here canvas sails were
woven for the U.S.S. Constitution. Manufacturing industries included
that of the renowned Stanley Steamers as well as the old black
Crawford Stoves. And just around the bend of Mt.Auburn Street
outside Watertown Square the Mugar family opened what was to be the
first of many stores in the famous Star Market chain. Today
Watertown is rich in ethnic diversity and culture, boasts a high
level of citizen involvement and many amenities such as shopping
malls, swimming pools, country and tennis clubs, skating rinks,
eleven fine parks and public transportation providing easy access to
Boston and surrounding communities. Watertown is within twenty
minutes travel to all major highways in eastern Massachusetts,
including the Massachusetts Turnpike, Routes 128, 95, 93, 2, 16 and
20. In addition, it is serviced by rail lines and commuter bus
lines, and has easy access to Logan International Airport in Boston.
Canton,
MA - Norfolk County
Official
Town Website
School
Information
The Town of Canton is a primarily residential community conveniently
situated 18 miles southwest of Boston. The town enjoys a prime
location with easy and direct access to the state's major highways
including Routes 128, I-95 and 24, and is served by major commuter
and passenger rail. The town has a rich and varied industrial
heritage, serving as the location of Paul Revere's copper rolling
mills in post-Colonial times, and as the site of rubber, chemical
and woolen manufacturing in more recent days. Present commercial and
industrial enterprises play a key role in the town's fiscal
stability and are considered a major asset of the community. The
prime commercial area is well located so as to allow direct highway
access without affecting the community's small town charm. Canton
provides a high level of municipal services to its residents,
including an excellent library, school system and recreation
programs. Many of the town's lakes, ponds and wetlands have been
protected and preserved for present enjoyment and future
generations. Among the protected areas are the Eleanor Cabot Bradley
Reservation, an 82 acre estate that blends open fields, woodlands
and gardens in the shadow of Great Blue Hill, and Pequitside Farm, a
town-owned 38 acre conservation and recreation area which offers
hiking, picnicking and cross country skiing. Residents feel that the
natural beauty of these areas combined with the numerous town
sponsored spring and summer recreation programs make a very special
statement of what Canton is like.
Dover,
MA - Norfolk County
Official Town Website
School
Information
The Town of Dover is an affluent suburban community set between the
western and southwestern axis of metropolitan Boston expansion.
Incorporated in 1784, Dover relied on agriculture and grazing as the
basis for its colonial economy although the ruggedness of its
terrain plus the relative lack of water power limited its early
growth. The damming of the Charles River in the late 18th century
provided some power and allowed the development of mills which made
nails and rolled iron, but the future of the community was not
industrial. By the late 19th century, Dover was a firmly suburban
community some of whose residents had assembled large country
estates. Wealthy Bostonians created at least 18 estates between 1901
and 1914 alone, some of them as large as 300-400 acres. Modern Dover
is a residential community still retaining much semi-rural character
although there has been some development and subdividing of estate
lands.
Norwood,
MA - Norfolk County
Official
Town Website
School
Information
The earliest European settlers of what eventually became the Town of
Norwood arrived from Dedham in the late 17th century. The attraction
was the swift moving Neponset River in present day South Norwood
near the East Walpole line. The Neponset River was to become the
driving force for the Town's development throughout the next two
centuries. Known officially as the second parish of Dedham, most
inhabitants referred to their village by its Indian name, Tiot. The
population grew through the 18th century, and names such as Tiot,
Morse Village, and Ellis distinguished the various population
centers within South Dedham. On February 13, 1872 Norwood became a
town of Norfolk County when the Act of Incorporation was approved by
the General Court. At that time, 1,825 people, almost exclusively
Anglo/Saxon Protestant, lived within its area of 10.48 square miles.
Spurred by its status as a separate town, Norwood was launched into
a growth pattern. Between the years 1872 and 1922, industry replaced
agriculture as the economic base of the community. Many of Norwood's
industries were world-famous for their products. Several of these
old industries have since dissolved or moved out but others have
survived and prospered. Attracted by the rise of new industry,
various foreign-born people moved into the Town and the population
increased to over 12,600. The influx and assimilation of immigrants
has placed Norwood among the most culturally diverse towns of its
size and type in New England. Economic and physical expansion
culminated in the "Town Manager" for of government in 1914 as a more
effective way to administer the growing town. Industrial development
continued in Norwood through the mid-20th century. After World War
II a gradual shift to high tech occurred in Norwood. Major
corporations have found Norwood's proximity to Boston and access to
major east coast population centers to be attractive for business.
The Town is now considered one of the more important manufacturing,
suburban-residential, and wholesale and retail trade centers south
of Boston.
Natick,
MA - Middlesex County
Official Town Website
School
Information
The Town of Natick is a suburban industrial center located on the
upper basin of the Charles and Concord Rivers with an extensive
complex of ponds. The town was from earliest Colonial days a prime
target for development, possessing as it did good agricultural land,
fish runs and water power. Established in 1650 on the Charles River,
Natick had the first and the largest Indian praying town in the
colonies, one that became a model for all other attempts to
inculcate European standards into Indians. John Eliot, the great
missionary, secured a charter of 6,000 acres for the Indians and
converted them to Christianity. Unfortunately, Natick's Indian
population was forcibly resettled on Deer Island during the King
Philip's war and essentially never returned. In Colonial days,
Natick was an agricultural community with some orchards and some
lumbering. Grist and sawmills were established and Indian ownership
and control gave way to white dominance between 1676 and 1776. Local
tradition claims that several loads of Natick men shipped out to the
California gold rush in 1849 and 1850, returning with enough capital
to start independent businesses in the town. The shoe industry
dominated the community by the early 19th century, with the first
shoe sole manufacturer established in 1827 and shoes shipped to the
southern and western markets by 1830. The town's products, including
baseballs manufactured in Natick, were shipped to Boston on the
Boston and Worcester Railroad. The town saw rapid growth including
an Irish, English, Nova Scotian, Italian and Armenian immigrant
population which came to take jobs in the shoe plants and by the
1880's, Natick was the third largest shoe production community in
the country. In modern times, Natick has become an industrial
Boston-oriented suburban community with heavy strip development on
Route 9.
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