Needham is a residential town just west of Boston. Its location on rocky uplands within a loop of the Charles River isolated the community and allowed it to develop slowly as a town of farming, grazing and small water-powered mills. Until the 20th century, Needham's economic mainstay was in knitwear manufacturing. Later, after World...
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Needham is a residential town just west of Boston. Its location on rocky uplands within a loop of the Charles River isolated the community and allowed it to develop slowly as a town of farming, grazing and small water-powered mills. Until the 20th century, Needham's economic mainstay was in knitwear manufacturing. Later, after World War II, the opening of Route 128, gave the community access to the developing electronics industry along this high-tech highway and even today, residents can take advantage of this proximity to a wealth of opportunity just a short drive away.
However isolated Needham was in its early history, Needham is now part of Boston's metropolitan area and is surrounded by similar suburban communities that attract affluent and professional residents. Needham is bordered by Wellesley, West Roxbury, Newton, Dover, Dedham and Westwood. Needham is also only 10 miles southwest of Boston. Commuter rail service to North Station and South Station is available at Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction and Hersey. This town is clearly well-served by public transportation and is an ideal community for commuters to Boston.
Needham's suburban atmosphere features a variety of public open space. The Town of Needham's Park and Recreation Department oversees this space which includes Rosemary Pool, a public swimming pool built into Rosemary Lake. The department supervises the pool and provided other athletic recreation programs including tennis and youth summer activities.
This town of 27,000 residents covers about 12 square miles and is governed by a board of selectmen and by representative town meeting. The town provides a variety of municipal services and several committees see to it that Needham runs smoothly, providing police and fire protection, conservation, garbage collection, snow removal and a high quality public library. Additionally, Needham has a school district consisting of five public elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Proximity is a key appeal to Needham and this quiet residential community continues to grow in desirability.
In July 2007, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Needham, MA was $705,761. While this data is collected from the MLS and deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed.
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