Needham is a town in
Norfolk CountyNorfolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 650,308. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the 48th highest income county in the United States with a per capita income of $32,484...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,911 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The population as of August 10, 2008 is 31,834.
History
Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a tract of land measuring by from Chief Nehoiden for the sum of 10 pounds, of land, and 40 shillings worth of corn. It was officially incorporated in 1711. Originally part of the Dedham Grant, Needham split from
DedhamDedham /ˈdɛdəm/ is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,464 at the 2000 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border...
and was named after the village of
Needham MarketNeedham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...
in
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a neighbor of
the English town of DedhamDedham is a village within the Borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk.-Geography:...
. 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
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
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.
In 1857 the City of
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
began a project to fill in the Back Bay with landfill by filling the tidewater flats of the
Charles RiverThe Charles River is a river in Massachusetts, USA. It travels through 22 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, from Hopkinton to Boston on the Atlantic Ocean.-Route:...
. The fill to reclaim the bay from the water was obtained from
NeedhamNeedham is a surname, and may refer to:* A. E. Needham, Oxford zoologist and author of "The Uniqueness of Biological Materials * Col Needham, co-founder of the Internet Movie Database* David Needham, English football player...
Massachusetts from the area of present day Route 128. The firm of Goss and Munson, railroad contractors, built 6 miles 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 SquareKenmore Square is a square in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, consisting of the intersection of several main avenues, as well as several other cross streets, and Kenmore Station, an MBTA subway stop. Kenmore Square is close to or abuts Boston University, Fenway Park, and Lansdowne Street, a...
in 1890, and finished in the
FensThe Back Bay Fens, most commonly called simply The Fens, is a parkland and urban wild in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace park system, the Fens gives its name to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, which in turn...
in 1900. The project was the largest of a number of
land reclamationLand reclamation is either of two distinct practices. One involves creating new land from sea or riverbeds, the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state have made it unusable, though its the former definition for which the phrase is most widely used.-Creating new land:-For...
projects, beginning in 1820, which, over the course of time, more than doubled the size of the original
Boston peninsulaShawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The peninsula, originally a mere in area, is most remarkable for having more than doubled in size due to land reclamation efforts throughout the 19th century....
. It is frequently observed that this would have been impossible under modern environmental regulations.
In the late 1860s William Emerson Baker moved to Needham. A notably wealthy man due to his having improved the mechanical
sewing machineA sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric or other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...
, Baker assembled a parcel of land exceeding 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 19 December, 1891.
In 1881 the West Parish was separately incorporated as the town of
WellesleyWellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,613 at the 2000 census. It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College. The Hunnewell Arboretum abuts the Wellesley campus, and the Elm Bank Horticulture Center is also located in...
. The following year, Needham and Wellesley high schools began playing an annual
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
game on
ThanksgivingThanksgiving may refer to:*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the second Monday in October.*Thanksgiving...
, now the second-longest running high school football rivalry in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(and longest such contest on Thanksgiving).
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 2 September, 1902 and the building was dedicated on 22 December, 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.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the town has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.9 km²), of which 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water.
Needham's area is roughly in the shape of an acute, northward-pointing triangle. The
Charles RiverThe Charles River is a river in Massachusetts, USA. It travels through 22 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, from Hopkinton to Boston on the Atlantic Ocean.-Route:...
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
NewtonNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2000 census, the population of Newton was 83,829, making it the tenth largest city in the state.-Villages:...
and the
West RoxburyWest Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Hyde Park, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and the neighboring city of Newton. Founded in 1630 , West Roxbury, Massachusetts was originally part of the town of Roxbury and was mainly used as farmland. West Roxbury seceded from Roxbury in 1851, and was...
section of Boston on the northeast, and
DoverDover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,558 at the 2000 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
,
WestwoodWestwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,117 at the 2000 census.- History :Westwood was first settled in 1640 and was part of the town of Dedham until it was officially incorporated in 1897. It was the last town to split from the original town of...
, and
DedhamDedham /ˈdɛdəm/ is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,464 at the 2000 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border...
on the south. The majority of
Cutler ParkCutler Park is a park in Needham, Massachusetts that runs between Route 128/I-95 and the Charles River. It contains trails suitable for a variety of activities including walking, hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, and cross country skiing...
is in Needham and is located along the Charles River and the border with Newton and West Roxbury.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 28,911 people, 10,612 households, and 7,778 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,292.7 people per square mile (885.2/km²). There were 10,846 housing units at an average density of 860.1/sq mi (332.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.82% White, 0.70% Black or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.03% Native American, 3.54% Asian, 0.25% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 10,612 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present and 26.7% were non-families. 23.4% of all households 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 3.15.
In the town the population was spread 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 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 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 incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
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.
Government
Needham uses the old style Town government with a representative Town Meeting. Also, the populace of Needham elects a Board of Selectmen, which is essentially the executive branch of the town government.
Economy
Needham is primarily a bedroom community and commuter suburb of Boston.
The northern side of town beyond the
I-95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128 beltway, however, was developed for light industry shortly after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some of this industry remains: Needham has been home to a Coca Cola bottling plant since 1986.
Trader Joe'sTrader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's has a total of 331 stores. Most of its stores are located in Southern California, but the company has locations in 24 other states and Washington, D.C...
also operates a packing plant in Needham. More recently, Needham has begun to attract high technology and Internet firms to this part of town.
Education
The Town of Needham operates one high school, one middle school, and six elementary schools. Needham is also home to private schools.
Franklin W. Olin College of EngineeringThe Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is a private undergraduate engineering college located in Needham, Massachusetts , adjacent to the Babson College campus. Olin College is noted in the engineering community for its youth, small size, project-based curriculum, and large endowment funded...
is located in Needham.
Transportation
The
I-95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128
circumferential highwayCircumferential Highway may refer to one of the following beltways/orbital roads/ring roads:- Canada :* Nova Scotia Highway 111, known as the Dartmouth Circumferential Highway-Philippines:...
that circles Boston passes through Needham, with three exits providing access to the town. Massachusetts Route 135 also passes through the town.
Commuter railSuburban commuter railroad or commuter railway a passenger rail transport service between a city center, and outer suburbs and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis. Trains operate following a schedule, at speeds varying from 50 to...
service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with four stops in Needham on its
Needham LineThe Needham Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the Boston neighborhoods ofRoxbury,Jamaica Plain,Roslindale,West Roxbury, and the town ofNeedham....
.
Media
Needham is part of the Boston media market.
In addition to the
Boston Globe and
Boston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the USA...
newspapers, there are two local weekly newspapers,
Needham Times is published by
Community Newspaper CompanyCommunity Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain --...
and
Needham Hometown Weekly is published by Hometown Publications, LLC.
The studios of television stations WCVB (5/20 Boston,
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
) and
WUNIWUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...
(27/29
WorcesterWorcester is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Having a population of 172,648 in the 2000 census, Worcester is ranked the second or third largest city in New England. It is the county seat of Worcester County....
,
UnivisionUnivision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest Latin American audience, largely due to repurposed telenovelas and other Mexican programs produced by Grupo Televisa...
) are located in Needham, as are the transmitters of WCVB,
WBZ-TVWBZ-TV is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, broadcasting mainly a high-definition digital signal on channel 30...
(4/30 Boston,
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
),
WGBH-TVWGBH is a non-commercial television and radio broadcast service located in Boston, Massachusetts. WGBH is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service, and has produced many programs for the network, including nearly a third of PBS's national primetime programming...
(2/19 Boston, PBS),
WGBX-TVWGBX-TV is a public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a sister station to PBS member station WGBH-TV, airing PBS programming not aired by WGBH as well as additional supplemental programming. Reruns of the previous night's programming either from WGBH-TV or from WGBX-TV...
(44/43 Boston, PBS),
WFXTWFXT is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Boston, Massachusetts. The station's studio and office facility is in Dedham, Massachusetts, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts. WFXT is one of six Boston television...
(25/31 Boston,
FoxThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
),
WSBKWSBK-TV is an independent television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
(38/39 Boston, independent), and WLVI (56/41
CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
,
CWThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
).
The cable access channel, "The Needham Channel" provides local news, such as town meeting information, school announcements, and local high school sports, in addition to eclectic resident produced and sponsored programming.
Radio station
WEEIWEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
(850 Boston) transmits from a three-tower site south of the town
dumpA landfill, also known as a dump , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
. Needham has no expressly local radio station, in terms of content.
Academics
- Ananda Coomaraswamy
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Sri Lankan philosopher...
, art historian, philosopher, and Indologist, died in Needham
- Nelson Goodman
Henry Nelson Goodman was an American philosopher, known for his work on counterfactuals, mereology, the problem of induction, irrealism and aesthetics.-Career:...
, philosopher, died in Needham
- Thomas Huckle Weller
Thomas Huckle Weller was an American virologist. He, John Franklin Enders and Frederick Chapman Robbins were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for showing how to cultivate poliomyelitis viruses in a test tube, using tissue from a monkey.Weller was born and grew up in Ann...
, virologist, Nobel Prize winner, died in Needham
Actors
- Harold Russell
Harold John Russell was a Canadian-American World War II veteran who became one of only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award for acting...
, actor, lived in Needham
- Sarah Saltzberg
Sarah Saltzberg is an American actress and singer. She most recently starred in and produced the improv and sketch comedy show Don't Quit Your Night Job at the Ha! Comedy Club in New York....
, actress/singer, star of Broadway'sBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by Rachel Sheinkin. The show centers around a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School...
, is originally from Needham
- Mike O'Toole
Michael Phelan "Mike" O'Toole is an American videographer, video editor, video artist, raconteur, spoken word artist, writer, and cable access television and film actor....
, actor/independent media personality and videographer, grew up in Needham.
Artists
- Edmund H. Garrett
Edmund Henry Garrett was an American illustrator, bookplate-maker, and author -- as well as a highly-respected painter -- renown for his illustrations of the legends of King Arthur.-Biography:...
, prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator
- Pietro Pezzati
Pietro Pezzati may refer to:*Pietro Pezzati *Peter S. Pezzati...
, portrait artist, lived in Needham for about thirty years
- Michael John Straub
Michael John Straub was an artist and printmaker. Originally from Clifton Park, New York 1979-1989 and Amherst, New Hampshire 1971-1979, he studied at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Born September 23, 1970 in Needham, Massachusetts...
, artist, was born in Needham
- N.C. Wyeth, artist, was born in Needham
- Laura Carrol, known legend
Business
- Charlie Baker
Charles D. "Charlie" Baker, Jr. is an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a cabinet official under two Massachusetts governors, spent ten years as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and is a Republican candidate in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.Raised in...
, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and 2010 candidate for Governor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
was raised in Needham
- William Carter, founder of Carters children's wear. Born 1830, Alfreton, Derbyshire, England, emigrated to America in 1856. Settled in Needham Heights, where Carters first factory was built. Died 1918.
- The Jacobs brothers, creators of the Life Is Good clothing company, grew up in Needham
- Pete Kistler, founder of Brand-Yourself.com, was born in Needham and attended Newman Elementary School and Needham High School
- Jeff Taylor
Jeff Taylor is a founder of the online jobs site Monster.com. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In August 2005, he left Monster to found a new venture called Eons.com, a social networking website for people over age 50...
, founder of Monster.comMonster.com is an employment website owned by Monster Worldwide. Monster is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrics . It was created in 1999 by the merger of The Monster Board and Online Career Center , which were two of the first and...
, attended Needham High School
Music
- Niia Bertino, Columbia
Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
recording artist featured on Wyclef Jean'sWyclef Neluset Jean is a multiplatinum Haitian-American musician, actor, producer and former-member of the hip hop trio The Fugees...
Sweetest Girl"Sweetest Girl " is the lead single off Wyclef Jean's sixth solo album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. It features Wyclef using the Auto-Tune effect, as well as featuring singers Niia and Akon, as well as multiple Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne...
single, grew up in Needham
- Donald Yetter Gardner
Donald Yetter Gardner wrote the classic Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."...
, writer of the song All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" is a novelty Christmas song written in 1944 by Kraig Hohf & Nicole Mago while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York...
, lived the end of his life in Needham
- Joey McIntyre, singer-songwriter and actor, was born in Needham
- Marissa Nadler
Marissa Nadler is an American dream-folk and fine artist based in Boston. She grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. She studied painting at Rhode Island School of Design but song-writing became her favored artistic outlet...
, singer, grew up in Needham
- John Boecklin, drummer/guitarist/songwriter for the metal band Devildriver, grew up in Needham
- Mia Matsumiya, violinist of the avant-rock band Kayo Dot
Kayo Dot is an American avant garde group that was formed in 2003 by Toby Driver. They released their debut album Choirs of the Eye on John Zorn's Tzadik Records label that year....
, grew up in Needham
- Richard Patrick
Richard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
, Founder of industrial band Filter and former member of Nine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
was born in Needham
Sports
- Dave Cadigan
David Patrick Cadigan is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League.-High school career:Cadigan prepped at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California....
, offensive lineman in the NFL, was born in Needham
- Robbie Ftorek
Robert Brian Ftorek is a former NHL player and coach. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991...
, NHL coach, was born and raised in Needham. He attended Needham High School.
- Eric Johnson
Eric Maxwell Johnson is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Yale....
, New Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints play in the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
tight end, was born and raised in Needham and played football, basketball, and volleyball for Needham High School
- Frank Malzone
Frank James Malzone is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox and California Angels ....
, former third baseman for the Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. The "Red Sox" name originates from the iconic uniform feature....
, lives in Needham.
- Rachel Mayer
Rachel L. Mayer is an American ice dancer. With partner Peter Breen, she represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics where they placed 15th.-Biography:...
, US Olympic figure skater
- Karl Ravech
Karl Ravech , was born and raised in Needham, Massachusetts.-Education and career:He attended and graduated from Needham High School. A graduate of Ithaca College in 1987, he previously was affiliated with local stations WHTM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and WBNG in Binghamton, New York...
, ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
Baseball Tonight anchor, was born and raised in Needham and attended Needham High School
- Mike Tannenbaum
Mike Tannenbaum is the General Manager of the New York Jets. At the age of 37, Mike is one of the youngest general managers in the NFL.-Biography:...
, General Manager NFL New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
, grew up in Needham
- Mike Milbury
Michael James Milbury is an American sportscaster. He is a former defenseman for the Boston Bruins...
, former player of Boston Bruins and now Sportscaster, lives in Needham
Television
- Marsha Bemko
Marsha Bemko is the executive producer of seven-time Emmy Award-nominated PBS series Antiques Roadshow.Prior to joining Roadshow as a senior producer in 1999, Bemko worked on a variety of public affairs programs for PBS...
, executive producer of "Antiques Roadshow," is a lifelong resident of Needham
- Lee Eisenberg
Lee Eisenberg is a film and television writer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky.He has written for television programs The Office on NBC, for which he is credited....
, writer for The Office was born in Needham
- Steve Hely
-Education:Hely attended the Roxbury Latin School, where he was an avid cross-country runner, an actor, and editor of the literary magazine. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, writer of American Dad!American Dad! is a satirical American animated series owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions and produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television....
, is a native of Needham
- Ben Karlin
Ben Karlin is an American television producer.He is an eight time Emmy-winning American writer and executive producer best known for his work in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. He is one of three co-creators of The Colbert Report . Karlin left Comedy Central in December 2006...
, executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon StewartThe Daily Show, known in its current incarnation as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn...
and The Colbert ReportThe Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States and on both The Comedy Network and CTV in Canada...
, grew up in Needham
- Scott Rosenberg
Scott Rosenberg is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer.- Career :Born in Needham, Massachusetts in 1963, Rosenberg received a Bachelors Degree from Boston University. He earned his MFA from UCLA...
, screenwriter, was born and raised in Needham
- Will Burke, writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, grew up in Needham and attended St. Sebastian's School
Literature
- Elizabeth de la Vega
Elizabeth de la Vega is the author of U.S. v. Bush. She is a native of Needham, Massachusetts, who has migrated west through Michigan and Minnesota and now lives in northern California. A federal prosecutor for twenty-one years, she was an assistant U.S. attorney in Minneapolis, as well as a member...
, author of U.S. VS. Bush
- Janet Tashjian
Janet Tashjian is an American author who writes books targeted at young adults. She is married and has a son.-Works:* Tru Confessions {which was adapted for a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie of the same name starring Shia LaBeouf}* Marty Frye, Private Eye* Multiple Choice* The Gospel According...
, the author of The Gospel According to LarryThe Gospel According to Larry is a political, romantic teen novel by Janet Tashjian that explores anti-materialism. A sequel, Vote For Larry, was published on May 1, 2004, and a third novel, Larry and the Meaning of Life, which launched on September 16, 2008.-Plot summary:The Gospel According to...
, lives with her family in Needham
Other
- Khassan Baiev
Dr. Khassan Baiev is a Chechen-American trauma surgeon who upheld the Hippocratic oath to treat thousands of civilians and combatants on both sides of the Chechen Wars, including Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters....
, a ChechenChechen may refer to:*Chechen people, an ethnic group*Chechen language*Related to Chechnya*Related to Chechen Republic of Ichkeria...
surgeon who treated RussianThe Russian people are an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
soldiers and Chechen rebels, most notably Shamil BasayevShamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen separatist movement....
and Salman RaduyevSalman Raduyev was a Chechen separatist warlord considered to be one of the most radical and notorious Chechen rebel commanders of the period between 1994 and 1999...
, author of The Oath: A surgeon under fire, lives in Needham
- Peter DeFazio
Peter Anthony DeFazio is an American politician. He serves as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Oregon, representing the since 1987. The district includes Eugene, Springfield and part of Corvallis. DeFazio is Oregon's most senior member of Congress, which makes him the dean of Oregon's House...
, a United States Congressman from OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, was born in Needham
- James S. Gracey
James Steele Gracey served as the seventeenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1982 to 1986.Gracey was born in Newton, Massachusetts and is the son of Ernest J. Gracey and Edna S. Gracey. Following graduation from high school in Needham, Massachusetts, he accepted an appointment to...
, Commandant of the Coast GuardThe Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. He is the only four-star Admiral of the Coast Guard, and is appointed for a four year term by the President of the United States upon confirmation by the United States Senate...
, lived in Needham and attended the high school
- Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. She holds the record of the longest spaceflight for female space travelers...
, NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
AstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, considers Needham to be her home
External links