 |
|
|
|
Quickly Find In The Tabs Below:
|
Detailed pages on related topics: Wellesley colleges • Wellesley travel • Wellesley mortgages and property.
Wellesley is located in eastern Massachusetts in Norfolk County. It's recognized as part of the Greater Boston area. Wellesley is home to the prestigious Wellesley College.
During the 1630's a small group of settlers purchased land from two Indian Chiefs named Nehoiden and Maugus. The settlement became known as Dedham. Approximately 75 years later a portion of Dedham was established as a town named Needham. The western portion took the name West Needham and was a farming community during the majority of the 18th and 19th centuries. The railroad was brought to the area in the 1830's and its arrival dramatically changed the town.
Businessmen from Boston frequented the town and brought their modern type of life to the area. In 1881 the residents of West Needham were successful in convincing the Massachusetts legislature to change the name of their town to Wellesley. In 1914 Wellesley became the first town in the country to create zoning laws. In the 1920's Wellesley was considered to be one of the primary suburbs of the city of Boston and became a major shopping area. The town prospered during the 20th century.
The MBTA provides rail service for Wellesley, including transportation to Boston. Wellesley is served by the Logan International Airport.
The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens is comprised of the Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses, The Alexandra Botanic Gardens and the Walter Hunnewell Arboretum. The arboretum features more than 500 species of plants, a topiary garden and a collection of greenhouses which feature over 1000 plant species.
The Elm Bank Reservation was formerly the estate of Benjamin Pierce Cheney who founded American Express. The Massachusetts Historical Society is located at the reservation. Other noteworthy attractions in the area include:
Wellesley is home to Wellesley College, Babson College and Massachusetts Bay Community College. Wellesley College is a liberal arts college for women and was established in 1875. Wellesley College is considered to be one of the prominent liberal arts colleges in the country. The beautiful campus of Wellesley college is situated on 500 acres of land. The campus features Lake Waban, woodlands and meadows. The college is well known for the numerous former students who have obtained high positions in prominent corporations.
Wellesley strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Massachusetts):
| Category | Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
| Median Family Income (vs. Peers) | Top 1% |  |
| College Educated Adults (vs. Peers) | Top 1% | |
| Well-Paid Single Women (vs. Peers) | Top 1% | |
| Well-Paid Single Men (vs. Peers) | Top 2% | |
| Low Property Crime (vs. Peers) | Top 2% | |
| Low Violent Crime (vs. Peers) | Top 3% | |
| People in Middle Class or Better (vs. Peers) | Top 4% | |
| Walking and Biking to Work (vs. Peers) | Top 8% | |
| Public Transportation Use (vs. Peers) | Top 10% | |
| Low Rate of Poverty (vs. Peers) | Top 14% | |
Comparing Wellesley to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Massachusetts (State):
Ratings range from 
(lowest) to 
(highest).
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Female Share of the Population | | |
| Well-Paid Single Women | | |
| Well-Paid Single Men | | |
| Age of the Population |  |  |
| Senior Citizens |  | |
| Children Under 5 Years Old | |  |
| Racial Diversity |  | |
| Male Share of the Population | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Portion of People Married | | |
| Average Household Size | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults | | |
| Median Family Income | | |
| People in Middle Class or Better | | |
| People Above Poverty | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Working at Home | | |
| Walking and Biking to Work | | |
| Public Transportation Use | | |
| Short Commute Times |  | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal and Vacation Housing | |  |
| People Living Alone | | |
| Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals |  | |
| Affordability of Property Taxes | | |
| Housing Recently Built | | |
| Affordability of Rents | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Low Property Crime | | |
| Low Violent Crime | | |
Detailed pages on related topics: Wellesley colleges • Wellesley travel • Wellesley mortgages and property.
 | Wellesley Colleges Wellesley colleges and trade schools. |
 | Wellesley Hotels & Travel Wellesley hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
 | Wellesley Mortgage Wellesley property, mortgage, and real estate. |
|
A few minutes of your time could make $20 for the American Red Cross. |
Read about and discuss Wellesley and other places in Massachusetts
We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.
Select a photo to view (Source):
President's House Oakwoods between 1902 and 1920
Shakespeare House between 1900 and 1920
Lake Waban (Wellesley College) c1908 (est.)
Are you an official in the Wellesley government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.
Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Wellesley. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.
Copyright © 2004-2008, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
