Wellesley ma
Wellesley is a town in the state of Massachusetts, U.S.A. Its situated in the Norfolk County of Massachusetts. The area we now know as Wellesley ma was initially part of a town called Dedham in Massachusetts. But when Needham (a town which was originally part of the Dedham grant) split from Dedham, Wellesley went on to become a part of Needham and was referred to as West Needham
The Wellesley College (a college for women with a lakeside campus) was established in the year 1875 by Henry Durant, one of the many businessmen attracted to the town. He named the college to actually honor his next-door neighbor, Horatio Hollis Hunnewell - a rich businessman and town benefactor whose mansion was named Wellesley (in honor of his wife whose maiden name was Welles).
The pace of life in the town began to speed up by 1880. All of a sudden, it felt like the modern life was arriving from all directions. There was the first newspaper, the first bank, the first telephone, and even new churches and homes were being built. But most importantly, the sense of individuality that West Needham had always felt started to affirm itself. So under the guidance of men like Durant and Hunnewell (joining together with town politician Joseph Fiske), the towns residents organized themselves and tried to achieve separation from Needham.
As a result, there was intrigue and frenzy all around and emotions were running high. Even an intense and
heated meeting took place at the town hall (which later went on to become the Wellesley ma Country Club) regarding this matter. But the people of Wellesley finally succeeded. On April 6, 1881, the Massachusetts legislature named West Needham as the town of Wellesley ma (as a tribute to its benefactor, Hunnewell).
Geography:
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town consists of a total area of approximately 27.2 km. While around 26.4 km of it is land, 0.8 km of it is said to be water.
Wellesley is bordered by other towns on all sides, such as Newton on its east, Weston on its north, Needham and Dover on its south, and Natick on its west.
The town is informally divided into several areas and neighborhoods, such as Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Farms, Wellesley Fells and Wellesley ma Lower Falls, just to name a few.
Economy:
Even though Wellesley is not really the wealthiest town in the state (after all, it is behind neighboring towns of Weston, Sudbury and Brookline), its considered one of the most well-off and prestigious suburbs of the city of Boston. Thats mainly due to the fact that it is home to the Wellesley College, and also that some of the town's richest neighborhoods are prominently situated on its edges.
Education:
Wellesley is home to many elementary schools, such as Fiske, Upham, Sprague, Schofield, Hunnewell, Hardy and Bates. The middle school and high school are just simply referred to as the Wellesley middle school and the Wellesley high school. Theres also the Dana Hall School, which is a preparatory school only for girls.
As far as higher education is concerned, Wellesley is not only home to the Wellesley College, but is even home to the Babson College and also the main campus of Massachusetts Bay Community College. But even though the Babson College is considered to be in Wellesley ma, its officially in the area Babson Park and even has its own ZIP code - 02457.
Prominent Residents:
Wellesley was, and still is, referred to as home by many famous people. Some of them are:
* Sylvia Plath - poet
* Jane Curtin - comedian
* Billy Squire - rock musician
* Katherine Lee Bates - writer
* Curt Gowdy - sports commentator
* Dee Brown - former Boston Celtics player
* Jason Fiorillo - well-known patent attorney
* Carl Everett - former Boston Red Sox player
* Bill Mueller - former Boston Red Sox player
General Facts:
Wellesley high school and the neighboring Needham high school (in the town of Needham) have the longest running Thanksgiving football game rivalry in the country.
According to a magazine named Boston Magazine and its annual Best Places To Live list, Wellesley ranks first in the U.S in the percentage of adults who hold at least one college degree.
The famous chef Ming Tsai, who also hosts the East Meets West show on the Food Network channel, owns a restaurant in Wellesley called Blue Ginger. Its located in the heart of Wellesley Square.
Wellesley has a reputation of having a large WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) and Irish-American population. While this was true at one point, the town's demographics have changed significantly over the past 15 years.
The Cottage Street and its nearby alleys were designated by the town as the Historic District. Most of the houses in this district were built around the 1860s and qualify as protected buildings that are certified by the town's historic commission.
Other Articles
