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Wellesley, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Wellesley Town Hall | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Wellesley inNorfolk County, Massachusetts | |
  Wellesley Location in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°17′47″N71°17′35″W / 42.29639°N 71.29306°W /42.29639; -71.29306 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Massachusetts |
| County | Norfolk |
| Settled | 1660 |
| Incorporated | 1881 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Representative town meeting |
| • Select Board | List of Select Board members
|
| Area | |
• Total | 10.49 sq mi (27.2 km2) |
| • Land | 10.18 sq mi (26.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.31 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 141 ft (43 m) |
| Population (2020)[3] | |
• Total | 29,550 |
| • Density | 2,902.75/sq mi (1,120.76/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes |
|
| Area code | 339/781 |
| FIPS code | 25-74175 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618332 |
| Website | wellesleyma |
Wellesley (/ˈwɛlzli/) is atown inNorfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part ofGreater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the2020 census.[3]Wellesley College,Babson College, and a campus ofMassachusetts Bay Community College are located in the town.
Wellesley was settled in the 1600s as part ofDedham, Massachusetts. It was subsequently a part ofNeedham, Massachusetts called West Needham, Massachusetts. On October 23, 1880, West Needham residents voted to secede from Needham, and the town of Wellesley was later christened by the Massachusetts legislature on April 6, 1881. The town was named after the estate "Wellesley" of local benefactorHoratio Hollis Hunnewell.[4][5]
Wellesley's population grew by over 80 percent around the 1920s.[6]
Wellesley is located in eastern Massachusetts. It is bordered on the east byNewton, on the north byWeston, on the south byNeedham andDover and on the west byNatick. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.49 square miles (27.2 km2), of which 10.18 square miles (26.4 km2) is land and 0.32 square miles (0.83 km2) is water.[2]
Wellesley has awarm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb under theKöppen climate classification system), with highhumidity andprecipitation year-round.
| Climate data for Wellesley, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) | 67 (19) | 74 (23) | 82 (28) | 91 (33) | 95 (35) | 100 (38) | 97 (36) | 97 (36) | 87 (31) | 77 (25) | 66 (19) | 100 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.6 (0.9) | 34.7 (1.5) | 43.4 (6.3) | 54.9 (12.7) | 66.4 (19.1) | 74.7 (23.7) | 80 (27) | 78 (26) | 70.9 (21.6) | 60.5 (15.8) | 48.9 (9.4) | 37.4 (3.0) | 57.0 (13.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26 (−3) | 26 (−3) | 33 (1) | 42 (6) | 53 (12) | 62 (17) | 68 (20) | 66 (19) | 60 (16) | 50 (10) | 39 (4) | 30 (−1) | 46 (8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.3 (−7.6) | 18.8 (−7.3) | 27 (−3) | 36.5 (2.5) | 46.4 (8.0) | 55.4 (13.0) | 61.5 (16.4) | 60.3 (15.7) | 53.4 (11.9) | 43.4 (6.3) | 33.7 (0.9) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 39.8 (4.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) | −21 (−29) | −5 (−21) | 6 (−14) | 27 (−3) | 31 (−1) | 44 (7) | 32 (0) | 28 (−2) | 20 (−7) | 5 (−15) | −19 (−28) | −21 (−29) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.2 (110) | 3.9 (99) | 4.6 (120) | 4.1 (100) | 3.7 (94) | 3.6 (91) | 3.7 (94) | 4.1 (100) | 4 (100) | 4 (100) | 4.4 (110) | 4.4 (110) | 48.7 (1,228) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 16.1 (41) | 16 (41) | 12 (30) | 3.1 (7.9) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 2.7 (6.9) | 11.7 (30) | 62 (157.81) |
| Average precipitation days | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 135 |
| Source 1:Climate Summary for Dedham, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Monthly- All Data for Dedham, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 3,600 | — |
| 1900 | 5,072 | +40.9% |
| 1910 | 5,413 | +6.7% |
| 1920 | 6,224 | +15.0% |
| 1930 | 11,439 | +83.8% |
| 1940 | 15,127 | +32.2% |
| 1950 | 20,549 | +35.8% |
| 1960 | 26,071 | +26.9% |
| 1970 | 28,051 | +7.6% |
| 1980 | 27,209 | −3.0% |
| 1990 | 26,615 | −2.2% |
| 2000 | 26,613 | −0.0% |
| 2010 | 27,982 | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 29,550 | +5.6% |
| 2024* | 31,242 | +5.7% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[11][3][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] | ||
The Census Bureau has also defined the town as acensus-designated place with an area exactly equivalent to the town.[2]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 26,613 people, 8,594 households, and 6,540 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,614.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,009.3/km2). There were 8,861 housing units at an average density of 870.4 per square mile (336.1/km2). According to a 2007 Census Bureau estimate, the racial makeup of the town was 84.6%White, 10.0%Asian, 2.2%Black, 0.01%Native American, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.4% fromother races, and 1.7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.4% of the population.[2]
There were 8,594 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% weremarried couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.14.[2]
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.1 males.[2]
The median income for a household was $159,167, and the median income for a family was $186,518. Theper capita income in the town was $72,046.[19] About 2.4% of families and 3.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.[2]
Wellesley is home to the headquarters of many local, national and global businesses includingBenchmark Senior Living, Blank Label Apparel,Eagle Investment Systems, EPG Incorporated, GrandBanks Capital,Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Livingston and Haynes PC, andSun Life Financial U.S.
According to Wellesley's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[20] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Life Financial | 1,209 |
| 2 | Wellesley College | 1,172 |
| 3 | Babson College | 961 |
| 4 | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | 434 |
| 5 | Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates | 351 |
| 6 | Massachusetts Bay Community College | 287 |
| 7 | Dana Hall School | 269 |
| 8 | Whole Foods | 241 |
| 9 | Wellesley Country Club | 227 |
| 10 | Roche Bros. | 222 |
The town designated Cottage Street and its nearby alleys as the historic district in its zoning plan. Most houses in this district were built around the 1860s and qualify as protected buildings certified by the town's historic commission.[21]
The town's historic 19th-century inn was demolished to make way for condominiums and mixed-use development in 2006.[22] The Wellesley Country Club clubhouse, which is the building where the town was founded, was demolished in 2008, and a new clubhouse was built.[4] The town's pre-World War II high school building was torn down and replaced with a brand new high school finished in 2012.[23] The entire 1960s-style Linden Street strip-mall has been replaced by "Linden Square"—a shopping district that includes a flagship Roche Bros. supermarket, restaurants, cafes, clothing stores, along with a mixture of national chains and local shops.[24]
Wellesley opened its new Free Library building in 2003, which is part of theMinuteman Library Network. Due to the structure of budget override votes and perhaps the size of the new main branch of the library, the two branch libraries—one in Wellesley Hills, which was purpose-built to be a branch library in the 1920s, another in Wellesley Fells—closed in the summer of 2006. The branch libraries reopened in September 2008.[25] The main library branch near Wellesley Square underwent a major interior renovation in 2021.[26]
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The town was governed through anopen town meeting after it was incorporated. In 1933, citizens approved a ballot question to adopt arepresentative town meeting government, dividing the town into four precincts with 60 representatives each. The new form of government came into effect in 1934.[27] In 2016, citizens rejected a ballot question to adopt a Selectmen-Manager government.[28]
The town is part of theMassachusetts Senate's Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district.
In 2010 Wellesley's Sustainable Energy Committee (SEC) was formed by Town Meeting. The committee's primary objective was a 10% town-wide reduction in Wellesley'scarbon footprint and 20% reduction in carbon footprint for all municipal departments by the end of 2013. In 2014 Town Meeting voted to support a new goal of 25% reduction by 2020 using 2007 as the base year. The committee is responsible for Wellesley's adoption of the Massachusetts Stretch Building Code approved by Town Meeting effective January 2012.[29]
The school system also contains a middle school and seven elementary schools (Bates, Upham, Schofield, Fiske, Hardy, Hunnewell, and Sprague). Wellesley includes a primary and secondary school which are Wellesley Middle School (also known as Wellesley Junior High) andWellesley High School, respectively; and are the home of the Raiders.[citation needed]
The town contains a private elementary school, Tenacre Country Day School, one private Catholic elementary school (St. John the Evangelist) and a preparatory school for girls,Dana Hall School. Also, the WellesleyA Better Chance outfit started in the early 1970s brings promising young women from underserved areas into town to attend Wellesley High School and live nearby.[30]
Wellesley also contains the main campus of three colleges:Wellesley College, a women's liberal arts college,Massachusetts Bay Community College, a two-year public college, andBabson, a business college.
In 2024, Upham was officially closed following the rebuilds of Hunnewell and Hardy.
Events of significance to members of the Wellesley community are recorded in two local news publications:The Wellesley Townsman[31] has been published since 1906, andThe Swellesley Report since 2005. Both are available online and digitized copies of the paper-basedTownsman are available from the Wellesley Free Library.
Wellesley has had rail service to Boston since 1833. Rail service is currently provided through Wellesley's participation in theMBTA, which offers a total of 17 weekdaysCommuter Rail trains inbound towardsBoston and outbound towardsFramingham andWorcester. Wellesley's stations are (east to west)Wellesley Farms,Wellesley Hills, andWellesley Square. The Wellesley Farms station is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.MWRTA bus service also runs along Walnut Street, Cedar Street, and Route 9.
The highwaysInterstate 95/Massachusetts Route 128,Massachusetts Route 9,Massachusetts route 16 (as Washington Street) andMassachusetts route 135 run through Wellesley.
Wellesley is serviced by theWellesley Municipal Light Plant.The three colleges voluntarily pay a premium to purchase electricity generated by wind power.
In 2012, Wellesley was designated a Green Power Community by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[32]
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Municipalities and communities ofNorfolk County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
