Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,266 at the 2020 United States Census.

History

Westwood was first settled in 1641 and was part of the town of Dedham, originally called 'West Dedham', until it was officially incorporated in 1897. It was the last town to split from the original town of Dedham. From early in the settlement of Dedham, the people of the Clapboard Trees Precinct were "a wealthy, sophisticated lot, familiar with the bigwigs of provincial politics and prone to the religious liberalism that was à la mode in Boston." Residents did not care for the politically more powerful Calvinist views of those who lived in the village of Dedham and asked to separate. It was originally to have been named the "Town of Nahatan:"a bill to incorporate the Town of Nahatan was reported in the Senate on March 8, 1897, by Senator Charles F. Woodward, Chairman of the Committee on Towns. No opposition to the passage of the bill appeared until it reached the House, when the representative from Nahant objected to the name "Nahatan," owing to its alleged similarity to the name Nahant. It was desirable for the old, as well as the new town, to have the question of incorporation settled, if possible, before April 5, when appropriations for the coming year were going to be made. Therefore, in order to remove every trace of friction, however trivial, and thus expedite matters, the name was changed to Westwood. 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.1 sqmi, of which 11.0 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (1.35%) is water.

Adjacent towns

Westwood is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 16,266 people and 5,424 households residing in the town with an average household size of 2.94. The population density was 1,478.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 79.5% White, 2.9% African American, 0.0% Native American, 11.8% Asian, 0.0% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population. The population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 56.0% between the ages of 18 and 65, and 18.4% age 65 and over. Females were 51.6% of the population The median household income was $171,071. The per capita income for the town was $75,396. About 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

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 defines the powers of elected boards, including the select board, which serves as the executive branch of government and hires a Town Administrator responsible for day-to-day operations of town departments. The legislative branch operates through open town meeting, which meets at least once and often twice a year where all residents are entitled to speak and vote on approval of warrant articles which authorize the town budget and may create or modify town bylaws. Select Board members and other town officials are elected through an annual town election at the end of April. The select board appoints residents to various volunteer boards and committees. The Town Administrator appoints town staff who manage public safety, recreation, and other services. The Westwood Select Board has three members who serve overlapping three-year terms. Marianne C. LeBlanc Cummings, Joseph E. Previtera and Robert R. Gotti are currently Westwood's Select Board members. Cummings' term will be up in 2025, Previtera's in 2026, and Gotti’s in 2027. The town seal, designed by a descendant of Nathaniel Colburn, includes a drawing of the Town Pound. On May 14, 1700, Lt. Joseph Colburn was paid "forty shillings of the Town rate" for constructing an animal pound measuring 33' square on his land. The pound was originally made out of wood and later reconstructed with stone. By including the tree, the new town was paying homage to Dedham, which includes the Avery Oak on its seal. The tree was toppled in the 1938 New England hurricane, but a new oak was planted in its place.

Education

Public schools

Westwood currently has four public elementary schools: Westwood has one public middle school, Thurston Middle School, named after Edmund W. Thurston. Westwood High School, the only high school in Westwood, serves the Westwood area. Westwood High School was rebuilt in 2005, and the old school, built in 1957, was demolished. The gymnasium and swimming facility from the old school were refurbished and are part of the new high school campus. The school facilities also include a 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.

Private schools

Westwood is home to Xaverian Brothers High School, an all-boys Catholic prep school and the Westwood Montessori School, preschool.

Points of interest

Houses of worship

Westwood has an active Interfaith Council.

Transportation

Route 128 station, located in the far east corner of Westwood, is served by MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line service and Amtrak and service. Islington station is served by MBTA Franklin/Foxboro Line service. MBTA bus route operates through Westwood on Washington Street.

Trivia

Notable people