Norwood, Massachusetts
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| Norwood, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Norfolk County |
| Settled | 1678 |
| Incorporated | 1872 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Representative town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Town | 10.6 sq mi (27.3 km²) |
| - Land | 10.5 sq mi (27.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 146 ft (45 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 28,587 |
| - Density | 2,727.0/sq mi (1,052.9/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 02062 |
| Area code(s) | 339 / 781 |
| Website: http://www.ci.norwood.ma.us/ | |
Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA. As of the 2000 census, the population was 28,587.
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[edit] History
The Town of Norwood, which was officially formed in 1872, was until that time part of Dedham, known as the "mother of towns," as fourteen of the present communities of eastern Massachusetts lay within its original borders. Long used as a hunting ground by Indians, Norwood was first settled by Ezra Morse in 1678. He set up a sawmill in what is now South Norwood, the part of town to which the first concentration of families, almost all of whom were farmers, migrated over the next half-century.
[edit] Geography
Norwood is located at (42.185974, -71.201661).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.3 km² (10.6 mi²). 27.1 km² (10.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.66%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 28,587 people, 11,623 households, and 7,380 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,053.2/km² (2,727.0/mi²). There were 11,945 housing units at an average density of 440.1/km² (1,139.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.51% White, 2.31% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 5.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 11,623 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,421, and the median income for a family was $70,164. Males had a median income of $50,597 versus $34,312 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,720. About 2.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
As of 2005, the main public institutions of Norwood are Norwood Senior High School (NHS) and the Dr. Philip O. Coakley Middle School (formerly Norwood Junior High South). There are also five elementary schoolsin the town (Balch, Callahan, Cleveland, Oldham, Prescott). The mascot of the high school is The Mustangs; its colors are blue and gold. Sports include football, baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, track and field, tennis, ice hockey, volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse, and cross-country. NHS also offers various music programs which include a string orchestra, wind ensemble, marching band, jazz band, various choruses, and a madrigal choir. The music program has been considered to be one of the finest in the country for over forty years. In 2000, the NHS Jazz Ensemble won the national high school championship. The theater department is active and puts on several shows every year.
Built in 2005, Universal Technical Institute is the newest post-secondary education center in Norwood. It is an automotive technical school featuring the Mercedes Benz Elite MSAT and the Ford FACT specilized training programs. The campus is located at 1 Upland Road, less than a mile from the Boston Providence Pike.
The Fine Mortuary College in Norwood includes a one-room museum featuring antique embalming tables and centuries-old wooden coffins[2]
[edit] Business
A large cluster of automobile dealerships on Route 1 is known as the Norwood "Automile". The concept of having competing dealerships join together to publicize the "Automile" as an automobile shopping center was largely the work of the late Ernie Boch, famous in the Boston area for his ads urging people to "Come on down!" featuring local heroes including Kramer the Magical Donkey and Chico the llama. The chain of Boch dealerships includes what is said to be, as of March, 2005, the world's largest Honda dealership.
Norwood is the home office of semiconductor company Analog Devices, Inc. (website)
[edit] Architecture
Norwood's town square is dominated by its town hall, the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building. It includes a 51-bell carillon tower housing the Walter F. Tilton Memorial Carillon, one of nine carillons in Massachusetts and the seventh-largest in the United States. Built in 1928, the neo-gothic edifice is made of Weymouth seamed-face granite. Visitors often mistake it for a church or believe it to have been a church, but it never was; its stained-glass windows depict not saints, but local patriot Aaron Guild.
"Guild," whose name appears in local street and building names, is pronounced with a long i, like the second syllable of the word "beguiled."
Guild's significance is explained by an inscription on the Aaron Guild Memorial Stone, dedicated in 1903, which stands outside the Norwood public library. The inscription reads:
- NEAR THIS SPOT
- CAPT. AARON GUILD
- ON APRIL 19, 1775
- LEFT PLOW IN FURROW, OXEN STANDING
- AND DEPARTING FOR LEXINGTON
- ARRIVED IN TIME TO FIRE UPON
- THE RETREATING BRITISH.
Guild and his oxen are featured in the town seal.
[edit] Art
Norwood was the long-time home of photographer and publisher Fred Holland Day. As a photographer, Day at one point rivalled Stieglitz in influence. The publishing firm of Copeland and Day was the American publisher of Oscar Wilde's Salome with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. The Day House is now a museum and the headquarters of the Norwood Historical Society.
[edit] Transportation
- U.S. Route 1 is a major artery through Norwood.
- Three MBTA Commuter Rail stations on the Forge Park-495 line or Franklin Line, with daily service.
- Norwood Memorial Airport
- Interstate 95
- MBTA bus route 34E
[edit] Notable residents
- Keith Adams (VII), pro-football player for the Miami Dolphins.
- Alfred Fincher, pro-football player for the New Orleans Saints, graduate from Norwood High School[1].
- Dicky Barrett, lead singer of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, expelled from Xaverian and moved on to Norwood Senior High School[citation needed].
- Richie Hebner, former Major League Baseball player[2].[3]
- Peter Laviolette, current Head Coach of the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, was born in Norwood. He also coached Team USA in the 2006 Olympics in Italy.
- Tom Shillue, stand-up comedian who has appeared on Comedy Central, born and raised in Norwood[citation needed].
- Robbie Merrill, bassist for hard rock band Godsmack[citation needed].
- Skip Lockwood, former Major League Baseball player[3].
- Matt Hasselbeck, NFL quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks was born in Norwood 9/25/1975, his father, Don, played for the New England Patriots at the time and the family lived near the Rte 1 rotary at the time.
- Ernie Boch, car entrepreneur in Norwood, founder of the "Automile" marketing concept (v.s.), famous for his Boston accent in television ads .[4]
- Former Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike Sherman was raised in Norwood.
- Current golf Champions Tour Star Allen Doyle is a Norwood native and an 11-time winner on tour.
- Genealogist, Author and Historian David Allen Lambert was born in Norwood.
- Professional Boxer, Anthony Constantino was born and raised and still resides in Norwood.
[edit] References
- ^ Peter Schworm (2006-10-01). He was a patriot, not a redcoat: Calls growing for new, accurate town seal. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2006-10-06.: "Board chairman Jerry Kelleher said he, too, had noticed Guild's miscolored garment... He knew the red wasn't right." He said that "While the controversy has been 'mushrooming,' it's more a minor distraction than an embarrassing gaffe." Elisabeth McGregor , executive director of the Norwood Historical Society, said she found the flap ``kind of comical," and noted the seal probably includes another mistake. 'It's April 19 -- would he really be plowing already?' she questioned. 'Seems pretty early.'"
- ^ Brad Kelly (2006-01-20). DYING TO VISIT? FUNERAL INDUSTRY FASCINATION GROWS: Mortuary school in Norwood opens museum to the public. Patriot Ledger. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.; college website is http://www.fine-ne.com/
- ^ Falla, Brian (2006), "Norwood's Natural," The Norwood Bulletin, October 5, 2006, p. 2. "Hebner's ties to Norwood remain a backbone of the story," a description of the making of a two-hour documentary on Hebner
[edit] External links
- Town of Norwood
- Industrial History of Norwood, Norwood Historical Society: Historical photographs and documents
- Norwood, MA - Index of Marriages and Deaths
- UTI Campuses
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
