Wayland, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 First Parish in Wayland | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°21′45″N71°21′41″W / 42.36250°N 71.36139°W /42.36250; -71.36139[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1638 |
| Incorporated | 1780 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| • Town Manager | Michael McCall |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.9 sq mi (41.2 km2) |
| • Land | 15.2 sq mi (39.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.66 sq mi (1.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,943 |
| • Density | 917/sq mi (354/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 01778 |
| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-73790 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618243 |
| Website | http://www.wayland.ma.us/ |
Wayland is a town inMiddlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboringSudbury (incorporated 1639). At the2020 United States census, the population was 13,943.[2] It contains the census-designated place ofCochituate.
Wayland was the first settlement ofSudbury Plantation in 1638. The residents of what is now Sudbury split away in 1722 and formed into the western parish, while residents of what is now Wayland formed into the eastern parish. Prior to theAmerican Revolution Sudbury had one of the largestmilitias in Massachusetts, numbering about 400. During theBattles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, approximately 302 members of the Sudbury militia, including 115 from the eastern parish, marched to Concord.
The Town of East Sudbury split away from the western parish and was formally incorporated on April 10, 1780. "The higher average wealth level of the residents on the eastern side of the river and on Pelham Island caused the east side of Town to have a higher total assessment than the west side... the east-siders paid more than half of Town taxes even though more than half of the Town population (and the associated costs for Town services) was on the west side."[3]
On March 11, 1835, members of town meeting voted to rename East Sudbury "Wayland" in honor of Dr.Francis Wayland, who was atemperance advocate,abolitionist, then president ofBrown University, and a friend of local Judge Edward Mellen. Both Wayland and Mellen were strong advocates of public libraries, and donated money to fund the establishment of a public library for the town.[4] When questions arose about the legality of taxing residents to establish a library, Representative Reverend John Burt Wight brought the question to the state legislature, which led to an 1851 Massachusetts state law enabling the establishment of free public libraries. This makes the Wayland Public library arguably the first free public library in the state and the second public library in the country.[5] The current library building was built in 1900.
Famous residents of Wayland in the mid-19th century include abolitionist Rev.Edmund Sears, the minister of the First Parish Church, who wrote the 1849 poem and song "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" and abolitionist, author, andsuffragistLydia Maria Child.
TheSudbury Valley Trustees were founded in 1953 by seven men from Wayland.
In 1954, during theRed Scare, elementary school teacher Anne Hale was fired in a 2–1 vote by the Wayland School Committee. She had been a member of the Communist Party from 1938 to 1950 and the committee members who voted to fire her stated her lack of "perception, understanding, and judgment necessary in one who is to be entrusted with the responsibility for teaching the children of the Town."[6]
In 2010,Boston Duck Tours was asked to help transport flood victims in Wayland. Torrential rains had left the Pelham Island area of Wayland isolated and the Ducks were brought in to ferry people in and out of their neighborhood until the waters receded.[7]
TheWayland display server protocol is named after the town.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41 km2), of which 15.2 square miles (39 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), or 4.21%, is water. Wayland borders Lincoln, Sudbury, Weston, Framingham, Natick, and narrowly touches Concord.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,115 | — |
| 1860 | 1,188 | +6.5% |
| 1870 | 1,240 | +4.4% |
| 1880 | 1,962 | +58.2% |
| 1890 | 2,060 | +5.0% |
| 1900 | 2,303 | +11.8% |
| 1910 | 2,206 | −4.2% |
| 1920 | 1,935 | −12.3% |
| 1930 | 2,937 | +51.8% |
| 1940 | 3,505 | +19.3% |
| 1950 | 4,407 | +25.7% |
| 1960 | 10,444 | +137.0% |
| 1970 | 13,461 | +28.9% |
| 1980 | 12,170 | −9.6% |
| 1990 | 11,874 | −2.4% |
| 2000 | 13,100 | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 13,444 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 13,943 | +3.7% |
| 2022* | 13,664 | −2.0% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] | ||
As of thecensus[20] of 2010, there were 13,444 people, 4,808 households, and 3,676 families residing in the town. The population density was 859.9 inhabitants per square mile (332.0/km2). There were 5,021 housing units at an average density of 310.8 per square mile (120.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 87.2%White, 0.9%African American, 0.0%Native American, 9.9%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.4% fromother races, and 1.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
As of 2000, there were 4,625 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.5% weremarried couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $121,036, and the median income for a family was $204,033.47. Males had a median income of $136,344 versus $60,875 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $75,144. About 2.1% of families and 2.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
The town is part of theMassachusetts Senate's Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district.
The Town of Wayland operates six public schools:
There is one private school in Wayland: Veritas Christian Academy (K–8).
Municipalities and communities ofMiddlesex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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