Weston, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...

, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261.

Weston is the wealthiest suburb in the Boston area and has the highest per capita income in Massachusetts. Weston is among the 100 most affluent towns with 1,000 or more households in the United States. Weston also has the number one public school system in Massachusetts, according to Boston Magazine (2009). It has the lowest crime rate among Metro-west Boston suburbs. It was a dry town from 1838 until 2008. Incorporated in 1713, the town is located on a rugged upland plateau.
The public education services of the town are well regarded, especially Weston High School; in 2007 it was ranked 60th best public high school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, earning a Gold Medal.

History

The Town of Weston was originally established as the West Precinct of Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...

 in 1698, the town was separately incorporated as the town of Weston in 1713.

Weston is located on a rugged upland plateau. Early settlers discovered that the amount of useful agricultural land was limited as was the waterpower potential in the town. But colonists moving in from Watertown in the mid-17th century established scattered farms in Weston, and by 1679, a sawmill, several taverns, some doctors, and according to the historians, "probably some lawyers," had settled in Weston.

By the 18th century, residents were profiting by the traffic on the Boston Post Road
Boston Post Road Historic District (Weston, Massachusetts)
Boston Post Road Historic District is a historic district along both sides of the Boston Post Road from Plain Road to Stony Brook in Weston, Massachusetts.The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983....

. Taverns of great historic importance were established on the Road. The Golden Ball Tavern, built in 1750, and the Josiah Smith Tavern, built in 1757, still exist in the town. Unfortunately, commercial stagnation followed the loss of business after the opening of the Worcester Turnpike in 1810 drew commercial traffic from the Boston Post Road. Townspeople turned to boot and shoe making, and the manufacturing of cotton and woolen mill machinery. By 1870, substantial country estates were being built in Weston by Bostonians, establishing a prosperous residential character for the town. Farming continued to be a significant support for the local economy, and an organ factory opened in 1886 which employed some residents. The Weston Aqueduct and Reservoir
Weston Reservoir
The Weston Reservoir is part of the greater Boston’s water supply maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.Until the 1960s, the Weston Reservoir was one of two distribution reservoirs close to Boston, receiving water from the Wachusett Reservoir via the Weston Aqueduct , which in...

 were built in 1903 and the Hultman Aqueduct followed in 1938 to bring Quabbin Reservoir water into Boston. In exchange, Boston residents continued to build homes in Weston, many of them architect designed.

Some famous architects such as McKim
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....

 and Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...

 designed luxurious houses in the town, which witnessed a rapid increase in population from 1920 to 1935, and then again after World War II. The Boston oriented suburbanization has continued as a major factor in the town's development. Residents are very proud of the town's school system and the handsome homes in quiet, well-kept neighborhoods, but tend to brush off the town's reputation as one of the most affluent communities in the state. Weston has carefully retained significant amounts of open space and maintains over 60 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, playgrounds, ball fields, golf courses and cross-country skiing areas.

Weston was also the home of the Hastings Hook organ company until a fire destroyed the factory in the early 1900s . After the fire broke out the fire department responded however the water source (Stony Brook) was just on the other side of the railroad tracks. As the firemen were fighting the fire a train came along and cut all the hoses leaving the firemen without water and having to scurry to replace the cut hoses. Unfortunately for the factory this required more time and the fire consumed the wooden factory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 17.3 square miles (44.8 km²), of which, 17 square miles (44 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (1.85%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 11,469 people, 3,718 households, and 2,992 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 674.0 people per square mile (260.2/km²). There were 3,825 housing units at an average density of 224.8 per square mile (86.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.26% White, 1.18% African American, 0.05% Native American, 6.82% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.

There were 3,718 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $153,918 and the median income for a family was $200,000+, figures that had risen to $189,041 and over $230,000 by 2007. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,534 for females. The per capita income for the town was $79,640. About 2.1% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Weston was ranked as having the 97th most expensive zip code in a Forbes survey in 2010.

Politics

In 2008, Weston supported Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 60% to Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 38%.

Weston has historically been a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 leaning community; however, it has trended strongly Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 on the federal level in recent years. It has regularly supported Republican candidates for state level offices. Weston supported Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, as well as George H.W. Bush in 1988, against homestate Governor Mike Dukakis for president of the United States. Since the 1992 election of Democrat Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 as president it has voted for the Democratic nominee in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Weston is located entirely within Massachusetts's 7th congressional district
Massachusetts's 7th congressional district
Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in eastern Massachusetts, including several suburbs north and west of Boston. It is currently represented by Edward J...

 and is presently represented by Democrat Ed Markey
Ed Markey
Edward John "Ed" Markey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1976. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Boston's northern and western suburbs, such as Medford and Framingham. Markey is the Dean of both the Massachusetts and New England House delegations...

 in the House of Representatives.

In the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts Class I United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013...

 Weston voted 53% for Republican Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...

 and 46% for Democrat Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....

. Republican Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...

 went on to win the election and is presently the junior senator from Massachusetts, replacing Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...

 after his death.

Education

  • Weston High School
    Weston High School, Massachusetts
    Weston High School is a high school in Weston, Massachusetts, United States, a suburb 12 miles west of Boston. The school is located at 444 Wellesley Street in Weston. In 2009-2010 it had 711 students. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...

  • Weston Middle School
    Weston Middle School
    Weston Middle School is a middle school in Weston, Massachusetts. It houses grades 6-8, and shares a campus and sports facilities with the Weston High School. Its mascot is the Weston Wild cat.-External links:*...

  • Woodland School
  • Country School
    Country School
    Country School is a elementary school in Weston, Massachusetts for grades K-3. It also houses Weston Windows, Weston's preschool. The current principal is Christine Price....

  • Field School
  • The Cambridge School of Weston
    The Cambridge School of Weston
    The Cambridge School of Weston, also known as CSW, is a private, coeducational high school in Weston, Massachusetts. Currently the school has approximately 330 students, 25% of whom are boarding. The Head of School is Jane Moulding...

  • Regis College
    Regis College
    Regis College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts and sciences college located in Weston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women’s college in 1927, Regis became co-educational in 2007.-History:...

  • The Rivers School
  • The Rivers School Conservatory
  • Meadowbrook Private Day School
  • The Gifford School
  • Tremont School

Transportation

Weston is served by three MBTA commuter rail stations - Silver Hill
Silver Hill (MBTA station)
Silver Hill Station is a small train station located off Merriam Street in Weston, Massachusetts. It is on the Fitchburg Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, from North Station in Boston. Silver Hill has very limited service, with two inbound trains and three outbound trains on weekdays only...

, Kendall Green
Kendal Green (MBTA station)
Kendal Green is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Fitchburg Line in Weston, Massachusetts. It has 2 tracks with 1 platform on the outbound side. Inbound passengers board via an asphalt patch that crosses the outbound tracks from the platform...

, and Hastings
Hastings (MBTA station)
Hastings is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Fitchburg Line, 13.72 miles from North Station in downtown Boston. Service is limited, with only five inbound trains and six outbound trains on weekdays, and no weekend trains....

 - all on the Fitchburg Line. All are small, limited-service stops.

Notable people

  • Steve Belkin
    Steve Belkin
    Steve Belkin is the founder of Trans National Group, travel and other services, especially to affinity groups. He graduated from Cornell University. He has served on the Board of Trustees, and was named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. He is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and lives in...

    , owner of the Atlanta Hawks
    Atlanta Hawks
    The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

     and Thrashers
    Atlanta Thrashers
    The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...

  • Frederic C. Dumaine, Jr.
    Frederic C. Dumaine, Jr.
    Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine, Jr. was an American business executive who served as the president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad from 1951–1954, Avis Rent a Car System from 1957–1962, and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad from 1967-1968...

    , American business executive and Chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party
    Massachusetts Republican Party
    The Massachusetts Republican Party is the Massachusetts branch of the United States Republican Party. Governance of the party takes the form of a State Committee which, in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, consists of one man and one woman from each of the 40 Senate Districts...

     from 1963-1965.
  • Sarah Fuller
    Sarah Fuller
    Sarah Fuller was anAmerican educator.She was born in Weston, Massachusetts to Harvey and Celynda Fuller, and was educated at Allan English and Classical School, located in West Newton. After graduating in 1855, she taught in Newton and Boston. In 1869, she trained at the Clarke School for the...

    , author and educator who taught Helen Keller
    Helen Keller
    Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....

  • Jeremy Jacobs
    Jeremy Jacobs
    Jeremy Maurice Jacobs, Sr. perhaps best known as the owner of the Boston Bruins, is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North Companies...

    , owner of the Boston Bruins
    Boston Bruins
    The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

  • Steve Pagliuca, managing director of Bain Capital
    Bain Capital
    Bain Capital LLC is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. Originally conceived as an early-stage, growth-oriented investment fund, Bain Capital today manages approximately $65 billion in assets, and its strategies include private...

    , co-owner of the Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

  • Ellen Richstone, former CEO of Sonus Networks
    Sonus Networks
    Sonus Networks, Inc. is a technology and telecommunications equipment company that provides voice infrastructure solutions for wireless and wireline service providers.-Corporate history:Sonus Networks was founded in 1997....

     and current high executive of Luminus
  • Joe Shortsleeve, WBZ-TV chief correspondent


Sports Figures
  • David Ortiz
    David Ortiz
    David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...

    , Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     DH
    Designated hitter
    In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

    /1B
    First baseman
    First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

  • M.L. Carr, former Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

     player and head coach
  • John Havlicek
    John Havlicek
    John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....

    , former Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

     player
  • Cedric Maxwell
    Cedric Maxwell
    Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...

    , former Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

     player and current radio announcer
  • Bobby Orr
    Bobby Orr
    Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...

    , player for Boston Bruins
    Boston Bruins
    The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

  • Jerry Remy
    Jerry Remy
    Gerald Peter "Rem Dawg" Remy is a Major League Baseball broadcaster and former Major League Baseball second baseman. Remy grew up in Somerset, Massachusetts.-Playing career:...

    , former Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     player and current TV announcer
  • Kevin Youkilis
    Kevin Youkilis
    Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...

    , Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     player

Points of interest

  • The Case Estates
  • Blessed John XXIII National Seminary
  • Land's Sake Farm
  • State Police
    State police
    State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...

     Troop E-1 Barracks
  • Golden Ball Tavern
  • Regis College
    Regis College
    Regis College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts and sciences college located in Weston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women’s college in 1927, Regis became co-educational in 2007.-History:...

    , site of the Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History
    Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History
    The Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History, also commonly known as the Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum, is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation of diversity through the medium of postage stamps and postal history....

  • Weston Friendly Society of the Performing Arts, Massachusetts' second oldest community theater company
  • The Leo J. Martin Golf Course

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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