Westwood, Massachusetts
—  Town  —
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°12′50″N 71°13′30″W / 42.21389°N 71.225°W / 42.21389; -71.225
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Norfolk
Settled	1640
Incorporated	1897
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
Area
- Total	11.1 sq mi (28.8 km2)
- Land	11.0 sq mi (28.4 km2)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	220 ft (67 m)
Population (2007)
- Total	14,010
- Density	1,273.6/sq mi (493.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02090
Area code(s)	339 / 781
FIPS code	25-78690
GNIS feature ID	0618333
Website	http://www.townhall.westwood.ma.us/

Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,117 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Adjacent towns 3 Demographics 4 Government 5 Education 5.1 Public Schools 5.2 Private schools 6 Houses Of Worship 7 Transportation 8 Trivia 9 Notable Residents Past and Present 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

Westwood was first settled in 1640 and was part of the town of Dedham (it was originally called 'West Dedham') until it was officially incorporated in 1897. It was the last town to split from the original town of Dedham. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its list of the Best Streets in the Boston area.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.1 square miles (28.8 km²), of which, 11.0 square miles (28.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (1.35%) is water.

[edit] Adjacent towns

Westwood is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:

• the town of Needham to the north
• the town of Dedham to the east
• the town of Canton to the southeast
• the town of Norwood to the south
• the town of Walpole to the southwest
• the town of Dover to the west

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 14,117 people, 5,122 households and 3,867 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,286.7 people per square mile (496.9/km²). There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of 478.6/sq mi (184.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.98% White, 0.50% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.

There were 5,122 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $87,394, and the median income for a family was $103,242. Males had a median income of $71,801 versus $46,194 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,553. About 1.3% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The town of Westwood operates under a home rule charter. This means that the town is given a degree of autonomy in regards to internal affairs. The charter mandates a board of selectmen, open town meeting, and executive secretary form of government. Selectmen and other town officials are elected through an open town meeting or formal election; but the board of selectmen appoints secretaries on its own who manage public safety, recreation, and other services. The board calls for an open town meeting (usually yearly) to consider issues beyond the scope of its governance. In many cases the issue is discussed formally among residents and town officials before general voting takes place. The board of selectmen has three members who serve overlapping three-year terms. Patrick Ahearn, Nancy Hyde, and Phil Shapiro are currently Westwood's selectmen. On April 28, 2009, Hyde ran unopposed, and was elected to her third consecutive three-year term. Ahearn's term will be up in 2010, Shapiro's in 2011, and Hyde's in 2012.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public Schools

Westwood has five public elementary schools:

• Deerfield
• Downey
• Paul R. Hanlon (originally Pine Hill)
• Martha Jones
• William E. Sheehan (originally Pond Plain)

Westwood has one public middle school (Edmund W. Thurston), and one public high school (Westwood High School).

A new Westwood High School was recently constructed at a cost of $45M, and the old school, built in 1957, was demolished. The gymnasium and swimming facility from the old school were refurbished and are now part of the new high school campus. The school facilities also include a new multi-use artificial turf field (named after former Westwood High School principal and teacher Charles Flahive) with a synthetic track, both of which are open to the public.

[edit] Private schools

Westwood is home to Xaverian Brothers High School, a Catholic prep school for boys.

[edit] Houses Of Worship

• First Baptist Church of Westwood. 808 High Street, Westwood, MA. (Association: American Baptist)
• First Parish of Westwood United Church. 340 Clapboardtree Street, Westwood, MA. (Association: United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association). See also
• Temple Beth David. 7 Clapboardtree Street, Westwood, MA. (Association: Union for Reform Judaism)
• St. Denis Parish. 157 Washington Street, Westwood, MA. (Association: Catholic Archdiocese of Boston)
• St. John's Episcopal Church. 95 Deerfield Avenue, Westwood, MA (Association: Episcopal Archdiocese of Eastern Massachusetts)
• St. Margaret Mary Parish. 845 High Street, Westood, MA (Association: Catholic Archdiocese of Boston)
• St. Timothy Catholic Church. 650 Nichols Street, Norwood, MA (Association: Catholic Archdiocese of Boston)

Westwood has an active Interfaith Council.

[edit] Transportation

• Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with the Route 128 station on its Providence/Stoughton Line, and the Islington station on its Franklin Line
• Amtrak trains to Providence, New Haven, New York City and Washington DC also stop at the Route 128 station.

[edit] Trivia

• The remains of a cave sit along Route 109, that King Philip and his men hid inside during King Philip's War. The massive rock that once contained the cave was known as the Oven's Mouth. It was blown up along with most of the cave in the 1950s in order to straighten out Route 109.
• Maj. Robert Steele, the Continental Army drummer boy during the Battle of Bunker Hill, is buried in the old Westwood Cemetery off Route 109.
• Westwood is home of the oldest animal pound in the United States.
• Westwood was a dry town until 2005. Restaurants can now apply for liquor licenses.
• Westwood is home to the Hale Reservation, an area of open space donated by Robert Sever Hale. Hale Reservation spans over 1200 acres in Westwood and Dover, MA.

[edit] Notable Residents Past and Present

• Dicky Barrett - lead singer of the ska-core band, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
• Jon Finn - award-winning guitarist, rock musician
• Kenny Florian - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter
• John Harrington - former CEO of the Boston Red Sox
• Peter S. Pezzati - portrait painter
• Robert Steele (Drum Major) - drummer boy for the Continental Army during the Battle of Bunker Hill of the Revolutionary War, is buried in the Old Westwood Cemetery.
• Matt Hasselbeck - quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Town of Westwood
• Westwood Press
• Westwood Public Schools
• The Daily News Transcript A newspaper that covers Westwood.

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