Westwood, Massachusetts

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.

It was originally to have been named the "Town of Nahatan:"

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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.1 square miles (29 km²), of which, 11.0 square miles (28 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (1.35%) is water.

Adjacent towns

Westwood is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:

Demographics

As of the census 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 $128,984, and the median income for a family was $157,656. Males had a median income of $71,801 versus $46,194 for females. The per capita income for the town was $71,553. 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.

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.

Public schools

Westwood has five public elementary schools:

Westwood has one public middle school named' the Thurston Middle School, named after 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.

Private schools

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

Points of interest

Houses of worship

Westwood has an active Interfaith Council.

Transportation

Trivia

Notable people