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:"
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.35%) is water.
Adjacent towns
Westwood is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by:
- the town of Needham to the north
- the town of Dedham to the east
- the town of Canton to the southeast
- the town of Norwood to the south
- the town of Walpole to the southwest
- the town of Dover to the west
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 . 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