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Westwood, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westwood, Massachusetts | |
 |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| 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 (2000) | |
| - Total | 14,117 |
| - Density | 1,286.7/sq mi (496.8/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.
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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 of 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. It is one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its list of the Best Streets in the Boston area.
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.
Westwood is located in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:
- the town of Needham to its north
- the town of Dedham to its east
- the town of Canton to its southeast
- the town of Norwood to its south
- the town of Walpole to its southwest
- the town of Dover to its west
As of the Census2 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.
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 town is governed by a board of selectmen, which has three members who serve overlapping three-year terms. Tony Antonellis, Patrick Ahearn, and Nancy Hyde currently are Westwood's selectmen. Ahearn was recently re-elected on April 24th (the date of the annual town election). Antonellis's term will be up in 2008, and Hyde's in 2009.
Westwood has five public elementary schools (Deerfield, Downey, Paul R. Hanlon (originally Pine Hill), Martha Jones, and William E. Sheehan), 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.
Westwood is home to Xaverian Brothers High School, a Catholic, prep school for boys
- 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 on 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.
- Dicky Barrett, lead singer of the former ska-core band, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Jon Finn, award-winning guitarist, rock musician
- John Harrington, former CEO of the Boston Red Sox
- Pietro Pezzati, portrait painter
- Robert Steele, Revolutionary War drum major; buried in the Old Westwood Cemetery
- Kenny Florian, mixed martial artist with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, best known for his appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
- Tim Fox, former Pro Bowl defensive back who played on the New England Patriots.
- Johannes Zhou, chairman of the Phelex Foundation and former CFO of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange.
