Norwood is a town and
census-designated placeA census-designated place is a type of place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
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...
. As of the 2000 census, the population was 28,587. The community was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is on the
Neponset RiverThe Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium...
http://www.neponset.org/ which runs all the way to
Boston HarborBoston Harbor is a natural harbor located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
from Foxborough.
History
The Town of Norwood, which was officially formed in 1872, was until that time part of
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...
, known as the "mother of towns," as fourteen of the present communities of eastern
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...
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.
The town shares its name with a town in the borough
CroydonCroydon is a major commercial centre in Greater London and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
,
South LondonSouth London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:...
,
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...
.
Geography
Norwood is located at (42.185974, -71.201661).
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 10.6
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (27.3 km²), of which, 10.5 square miles (27.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.
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 28,587 people, 11,623 households, and 7,380 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 2,727.0 people per square mile (1,053.2/km²). There were 11,945 housing units at an average density of 1,139.5/sq mi (440.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.51% White, 2.31% 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...
, 0.09% Native American, 5.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.77% 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 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population. 34.7% were of
IrishThe Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians The Irish...
, 14.8% Italian, 5.4%
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 5.0%
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 11,623 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% 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, 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 (these figures had risen to $66,743 and $80,292 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,597 versus $34,312 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 $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.
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 schools in the town (Balch, Callahan, Cleveland, Oldham, Prescott). The high school's mascot is a mustang; its colors are blue, white, and gold. Sports include
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...
,
cheerleadingCheerleading is a sport that uses organized routines that range from 1 minute to 3 minutes made from elements of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games and matches and/or compete at cheerleading competitions. Cheerleaders draw...
,
gymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, balance and grace. Artistic gymnastics is the best known and most popular of the gymnastics sports governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique...
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
, soccer,
field hockeyField hockey is a team sport in which a team of players attempt to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking the ball with hockey sticks into the opposing team's goal. Its official name is simply hockey, and this is the common name for it in many countries...
, track and field,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
,
ice hockeyIce Hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced and physical sport...
,
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
,
wrestlingScholastic wrestling is the style of amateur wrestling practiced at the high school and middle school level in the United States. The wrestling style is essentially collegiate wrestling, with some slight modifications...
,
lacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin that is played using a small solid rubber ball and a long-handled racquet called a crosse or lacrosse stick. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose netting that is designed to hold the lacrosse ball...
, and cross-country. NHS also offers various music programs which include a
string orchestraA string orchestra is understood as an orchestra composed solely of certain instruments of the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the violoncello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, wind ensemble,
marching bandA marching band is, in the broadest terms, a group of performers that consist of instrumental musicians and sometimes dance teams / color guard who generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds,...
,
jazz bandA jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music usually without a conductor. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section...
, various choruses, and a
madrigal choirA madrigal is a type of secular vocal music composition, written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Throughout most of its history it was polyphonic and unaccompanied by instruments, with the number of voices varying from two to eight, but most frequently three to six...
. 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 specialized training programs. The campus is located at 1 Upland Road, less than a mile from the Boston Providence Pike.
ITT Technical Institute is a private school system offering technology-oriented programs at this Norwood school. ITT Tech offers career-focused degree programs available at this location.
http://www.itt-tech.edu/campus/school.cfm?lloc_num=52
The Fine Mortuary College in Norwood includes a one-room museum featuring antique embalming tables and centuries-old wooden coffins
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 Ernie Boch, famous in the Boston area for his ads urging people to "Come on down!"
Norwood is the home office of semiconductor company
Analog Devices, Inc.Analog Devices, Inc. , is an American multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion and signal conditioning technology. Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers representing a wide variety of electronic equipment types, including industrial and medical equipment, wireless...
(website)
Norwood is the world headquarters of Mystic Scenic Studios and Mystic Millwork
(website)
Norwood is also home to Caritas Christi Healthcare System
http://www.caritasnorwood.org/home/default.asp
Architecture
Norwood's town square is dominated by its town hall, the Norwood Memorial Municipal Building. It includes a 51-bell
carillonA carillon is a musical instrument that is usually housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
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.
Art
Norwood was the long-time home of photographer and publisher Fred Holland Day. As a photographer, Day at one point rivalled
StieglitzAlfred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form...
in influence. The publishing firm of Copeland and Day was the American publisher of
Oscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest "celebrities" of his day...
's
Salome with illustrations by
Aubrey BeardsleyAubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His emphasis of the erotic element is present in many of his drawings, but nowhere as boldly as in his illustrations for Lysistrata which were done for a privately printed edition at a time when he was totally out of favor with polite...
. The Day House is now a museum and the headquarters of the Norwood Historical Society. F. Holland Day Historic House Museum located at 93 Day St.
Transportation
- U.S. 1
In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, U.S. Route 1 is a major north-south state highway through Boston. The portion of US 1 south of Boston is also known as the Boston-Providence Turnpike, and portions north of the city are known as the Northeast Expressway and the Newburyport Turnpike.-Route...
is a major artery through Norwood.
- Three MBTA Commuter Rail
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company Co. serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. MBCR is joint partnership of three transportation companies including: Veolia Transportation, Bombardier and Alternate Concepts, Inc...
stations on the Forge Park-495 line or Franklin LineThe Franklin Line of MBTA Commuter Rail travels in a northeasterly direction toward Boston, Massachusetts from Franklin, Massachusetts. Its stops include : Forge Park/495, Dean College/Franklin, Norfolk, Walpole, Plimptonville, Windsor Gardens, Norwood Central, Norwood Depot, Islington, Dedham...
, with daily service.
- Norwood Memorial Airport
Norwood Memorial Airport is a public-use airport located two miles east of the central business district of Norwood, a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is owned by the Town of Norwood...
- Interstate 95
Interstate 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...
- MBTA bus route 34E
Notable residents
- Richie Hebner
Richard Joseph "The Gravedigger" Hebner is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who had an 18-year career from 1968 to 1985. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, all of the National League, and the Detroit Tigers of the American...
, former major league baseball player, arguably Norwood's most famous son http://www.ultimatemets.com/profile.php?PlayerCode=0293.
- Don Reddick, author of Dawson City Seven and Killing Frank McGee.
- Keith Adams (VII)
Keith A. Adams is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, former NFL Linebacker.
- Alfred Fincher
Alfred William Fincher is an American football linebacker for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, pro-football player for the Washington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington, D.C. area. The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Virginia, a community...
http://www.nfl.com/players/alfredfincher/profile?id=FIN184731
- Dicky Barrett
Richard Michael Barrett , better known as Dicky Barrett, is the frontman of skacore band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, named the 11th most successful Boston-area band of all-time, and the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live...
, lead singer of The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American third wave ska band from Boston, Massachusetts.Formed in 1983, the Bosstones are credited with the creation of the ska-core genre, a form of music that mixes elements of third wave ska and hardcore punk...
http://community.myfoxboston.com/blogs/Gene_Lavanchy
- Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola is a American musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston-based hard rock band Godsmack since the mid-1990s...
, guitar player for hard rock band GodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band comprises founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
http://www.godsmack.com/
- Jeremy "JD" Sheehan, founder of JD Drum Studio and drummer for the band JD and the Wrecking Crew
- Peter Laviolette
Peter Laviolette Jr. is an American former National Hockey League defenseman and former head coach. From 2003-2008, he was the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, which he led to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2005-06 season.As a player, Laviolette spent the majority of his 10-year career...
, former Head Coach of the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. Coached Team USA in the 2006 Olympics in Italy.
- Skip Lockwood
Claude Edward Lockwood Jr. was a pitcher for the Seattle Pilots , Milwaukee Brewers , California Angels , New York Mets and Boston Red Sox .-Third base:...
, former major league baseball playerhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lockwsk01.shtml
- Mike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
, former Green Bay Packers Head Coach, Head Coach for Texas A&M Aggies
- Allen Doyle
Allen Michael Doyle is an American golfer who currently plays on the Champions Tour.Doyle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and raised in the Boston suburb of Norwood, Massachusetts. He attended Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Norwich University in Vermont...
, golf Champions Tour Star, 11-time winner on tour http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/72/67/
- Jon Purnell
Jon Robert Purnell is a former United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan.Ambassador Purnell is a native of Norwood, Massachusetts. He graduated from Norwood High School in 1966. He continued his education at Brown University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in European History in 1970...
, United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Purnell
- Joe Hulbig
Joseph Allan Hulbig is a former professional ice hockey forward. He played left wing. He was selected in the first round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, 13th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers...
, former NHL player, Boston and Edmonton http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10679
- Tom Shillue, a comedian who has appeared on Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a TV series featured on Comedy Central. Each episode features a 30-minute stand-up comedy set by a different comedian. The show first debuted on December 1 1998.-DVDs:...
and The OnionThe Onion is an American "news satire" organization. It features satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news as well as an entertainment newspaper and website known as The A.V. Club...
videos.
- Marty Callahan, former major league baseball player http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/callama01.shtml
- Billy Travers, former major league baseball player http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/travebi01.shtml
- Charlie Bowles, former major league baseball playerhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bowlech01.shtml
- Ray Martin, former major league baseball player http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/martira01.shtml
- Allen Ripley, former major league baseball player http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ripleal01.shtml
- Mike Smith, former major league baseball player http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithmi06.shtml
- Paul and Joe DeGeorge, members of Harry and the Potters
Harry and the Potters are an indie rock band formed in Norwood, Massachusetts, in 2002 by brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge. The band was inspired by the J.K. Rowling book series Harry Potter...
, a pioneering Wizard Rock band
- Peter Brown(hockey), member of the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1974/74118.html
- Glen Pine
Glen William Pine is an American musician and songwriter. He is most known for his role in The Slackers where he plays the trombone and sings. Pine joined the Slackers before the release of The Question on which he contributed with the song Mountainside. Glen was an original member of Boston based...
, member of ska band The SlackersThe Slackers are a New York City band, formed in Brooklyn in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz...
- Brendan Powell Smith, best known as author of The Brick Testament
The Brick Testament is a project created by Brendan Powell Smith in which Bible stories are illustrated in parody using still photographs of dioramas constructed entirely out of Lego bricks. The project began as a website in October 2001 that featured six stories from the book of Genesis. There...
- John Rogers, former Massachusetts House Majority Leader
- Bill Travers, MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and California Angels
External links