Needham, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Needham, Massachusetts
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Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Massachusetts |
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| County |  Norfolk |
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| Settled | 1680 | ||
| Incorporated | 1711 | ||
| Named for | Needham Market | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 32.7 km2 (12.6 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.2 km2 (0.1 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 49 m (162 ft) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 32,091 | ||
| • Density | 981.4/km2 (2,546.9/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) | ||
| ZIP Code |
02492 and 02494
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| Area code(s) | 781 | ||
| FIPS code | 25-44105 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0618325 | ||
| Website | www.needhamma.gov | ||
Needham ( NEED-əm) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College.
Contents
History
Early settlement
Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a tract of land measuring 4 miles (6.4 km) by 5 miles (8.0 km) from Chief Nehoiden for the sum of 10 pounds, 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land, and 40 shillings worth of corn. It was officially incorporated in 1711. Originally part of the Dedham Grant, Needham split from Dedham and was named after the town of Needham Market in Suffolk, England, a neighbor of the English town of Dedham. By the 1770s settlers in the western part of the town who had to travel a long distance to the meeting house on what is now Central Avenue sought to form a second parish in the town. Opposition to this desire created conflict, and in 1774 a mysterious fire destroyed the extant meeting house. Some time afterwards the West Parish was formed.
Growth and industry
In 1857 the City of Boston began a project to fill in the Back Bay with landfill by filling the tidewater flats of the Charles River. The fill to reclaim the bay from the water was obtained from Needham, Massachusetts from the area of present-day Route 128. The firm of Goss and Munson, railroad contractors, built 6 miles (9.7 km) of railroad from Needham and their 35-car trains made 16 trips a day to Back Bay. The filling of present-day Back Bay was completed by 1882; filling reached Kenmore Square in 1890, and finished in the Fens in 1900. The project was the largest of a number of land reclamation projects, beginning in 1820, which, over the course of time, more than doubled the size of the original Boston peninsula.
In 1865, William Carter established a knitting mill company in Needham Heights that would eventually become a major manufacturer and leading brand of children's apparel in the United States. The site of Mill #1 currently houses the Avery Manor assisted living center, while Mill #2 stood along the shores of Rosemary Lake. By the 1960s, the company owned seven mills in Massachusetts and the south. The Carter family sold the business in 1990, after which Carter's, Inc. moved its headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia.[1]
In the late 1860s William Emerson Baker moved to Needham. A notably wealthy man due to his having improved the mechanical sewing machine, Baker assembled a parcel of land exceeding 800 acres (3.2 km2) and named it Ridge Hill Farm. He built two man made lakes on his property, including Sabrina lake near present-day Locust Lane. Baker turned part of his property into an amusement park with exotic animals, subterranean tunnels, trick floors and mirrors. In 1888 he built a sizable hotel, near the intersection of present-day Whitman Road and Charles River Street, called the Hotel Wellesley which had a capacity of over 300 guests. The hotel burned to the ground on December 19, 1891.
In 1891, George Walker, Boston owner of a lithograph company, and Gustavos Gordon, scientist, formed Walker-Gordon Laboratories to develop processes for the prevention of contamination of milk and to answer the call by enlightened physicians for better babies' milk formulas. This plant was located in the Charles River Village section of Needham with another large facility in New Jersey. The scientific dairy production facilities of the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm were widely advertised and utilized modern advancements in the handling of milk products.
Incorporation of Wellesley
In 1881 the West Parish was separately incorporated as the town of Wellesley. The following year, Needham and Wellesley high schools began playing an annual football game on Thanksgiving, now the second-longest running high school football rivalry in the United States (and longest such contest on Thanksgiving). Also the longest running public high school rivalry. In 2013 Wellesley broke a 3-year Thanksgiving game losing streak to the Needham Rockets, defeating them 22-6. The Wellesley Raiders now hold a 60-57-9 advantage in the historic rivalry.[2]
With the loss of the West Parish to Wellesley, the town lost its town hall and plans to build a new one began in 1902 with the selection of a building committee. The cornerstone was laid by the Grand Lodge of Masons on September 2, 1902 and the building was dedicated on December 22, 1903. The total cost for the hall was $57,500 including furnishings. Because it was located on the town common, the cost did not include land as none was purchased. In 2011, the town hall was extensively refurbished and expanded. In the process, the second-floor meeting hall was restored to its original function and beauty.
Recent history
Needham's population grew by over 50 percent during the 1930s.
In 2005, Needham became the first city in the United States to raise the age to legally buy tobacco products to 21.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.9 km²), of which 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) is water.
Needham's area is roughly in the shape of an acute, northward-pointing triangle. The Charles River forms nearly all of the southern and northeastern boundaries, the town line with Wellesley forming the third, northwestern one. In addition to Wellesley on the northwest, Needham borders Newton and the West Roxbury section of Boston on the northeast, and Dover, Westwood, and Dedham on the south. The majority of Cutler Park is in Needham and is located along the Charles River and the border with Newton and West Roxbury. Needham is elevated at sea level, but is a very hilly town.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 1,944 | — |
| 1860 | 2,658 | +36.7% |
| 1870 | 3,607 | +35.7% |
| 1880 | 5,252 | +45.6% |
| 1890 | 3,035 | −42.2% |
| 1900 | 4,016 | +32.3% |
| 1910 | 5,026 | +25.1% |
| 1920 | 7,012 | +39.5% |
| 1930 | 10,845 | +54.7% |
| 1940 | 12,445 | +14.8% |
| 1950 | 16,313 | +31.1% |
| 1960 | 25,793 | +58.1% |
| 1970 | 29,748 | +15.3% |
| 1980 | 27,901 | −6.2% |
| 1990 | 27,557 | −1.2% |
| 2000 | 28,911 | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 28,886 | −0.1% |
| 2020 | 32,091 | +11.1% |
| * = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data. |
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As of the census of 2020, there were 32,091 people, 10,801 households, and 8,480 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,546.9 people per square mile (885.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 82.6% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.
There were 10,801 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 21.5% were non-families. Of all households 23.4% were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the town, the population was laid out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $116,867, and the median income for a family was $144,042. Males had a median income of $76,459 versus $47,092 for females. The per capita income for the town was $56,776. About 1.6% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The I-95/Route 128 circumferential highway that circles Boston passes through Needham, with three exits providing access to the town. Massachusetts Route 135 also passes through the town.
Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with four stops in Needham on its Needham Line: Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction and Hersey.
Economy
Needham is primarily a bedroom community and commuter suburban district located outside of Boston.
The northern side of town beyond the I-95/Route 128 beltway, however, was developed for light industry shortly after World War II. Many restaurants and food companies are based in Needham. More recently, Needham has begun to attract high technology and internet firms, such as PTC and TripAdvisor, to this part of town.
Education
The Town of Needham operates one high school, Needham High School, which underwent a $62-million renovation that was completed in 2009; two middle schools: William F. Pollard Middle School, for seventh and eighth grade, and High Rock School, for sixth grade only; and five elementary schools for grades K–5: John Eliot Elementary School, Sunita L. Williams Elementary School, William Mitchell Elementary School, Newman Elementary School, and Broadmeadow Elementary School. Needham recently finished building the newest elementary school, Sunita L. Williams Elementary School, to replace the aging Hillside Elementary School. The newest school opened in the fall of 2019.
Needham is also home to Catholic schools such as St. Joseph's Elementary School, and Monsignor Haddad Middle School, as well as St. Sebastian's School, a Catholic school for boys in grades 7–12. St. Sebastian's is part of the rigorous Independent School League.
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is also located in Needham.
Notable people
Academics
- Ananda Coomaraswamy, art historian, philosopher, and Indologist
- Nelson Goodman, philosopher
- Thomas Huckle Weller, a Nobel Prize-winning virologist
Actors
- Edwin McDonough, actor
- Harold Russell, actor
- Sarah Saltzberg, actress/singer and star of Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- Arnold Stang, actor
- Tom Virtue, actor
Artists
- Edmund H. Garrett, prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator
- Pietro Pezzati, portrait artist
- Michael John Straub, artist
- Walter E. Ware, architect
- N.C. Wyeth, artist
Business
- Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com
Music
- Niia Bertino, Columbia recording artist featured on Wyclef Jean's "Sweetest Girl" single
- John Boecklin, drummer/guitarist/songwriter for the metal band Devildriver
- Robert Freeman, pianist, musicologist, and longtime director of the Eastman School of Music
- Mia Matsumiya, violinist of the avant-rock band Kayo Dot
- Joey McIntyre, singer-songwriter and actor
- Marissa Nadler, singer
- Tiger Okoshi, jazz trumpet player
- Richard Patrick, founder of industrial band Filter and former member of Nine Inch Nails
Sports
- Edward T. Barry, ice hockey player and coach
- Dave Cadigan, offensive lineman in the NFL
- Mike Condon, goaltender in the NHL, was born in Needham
- Robbie Ftorek, NHL coach and star player in both the NHL an WHA
- Pete Gaudet (born 1942), college basketball coach
- Mike Grier, retired player of the NHL
- Noah Hanifin, defenseman with the Calgary Flames and NHL All-Star
- Steven Hauschka, Buffalo Bills kicker
- Eric Johnson, New Orleans Saints tight end
- Mike Lalor, former defenseman and Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens
- Kristine Lilly, former US women's soccer player
- Frank Malzone, former third baseman for the Boston Red Sox
- Rachel Mayer, US Olympic figure skater
- Mike Milbury, sportscaster and former member of the Boston Bruins
- Tom O'Regan, former forward for the Boston University Terriers and the Pittsburgh Penguins
- Aly Raisman, US women's artistic gymnast and six-time Olympic medalist
- Karl Ravech, ESPN Baseball Tonight anchor
- Derek Sanderson, former Boston Bruins player
- Milt Schmidt, ice hockey player and manager for the Boston Bruins
Television
- Marsha Bemko, executive producer of Antiques Roadshow
- Lee Eisenberg, writer for The Office
- Steve Hely, writer of American Dad!
- Allison Jones, who cast The Office and The Good Place
- Ben Karlin, executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
- Scott Rosenberg, screenwriter
Literature
- Janet Tashjian, the author of The Gospel According to Larry and the My Life as a Book series
Other
- Khassan Baiev, a Chechen surgeon who treated Russian soldiers and Chechen rebels, most notably Shamil Basayev and Salman Raduyev
- James S. Gracey, commandant of the Coast Guard
- Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, a reformist member of the Iranian Parliament who teaches women's studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston
- Jen Kirkman, stand-up comedian, television writer, and actress
- Chester Nimitz, Jr., a retired United States Navy rear admiral and World War II submarine hero
- Sunita Williams, NASA astronaut
- William G. Young, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts judge
See also
In Spanish: Needham (Massachusetts) para niños
