Needham, MA Real Estate
Craig Hammer is a member of the Newton - Needham chamber of commerce.
Geography
Needham's area is roughly in the shape of an acute, northward-pointing triangle. The Charles River 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 Newton and the West Roxbury section of Boston on the northeast, and Dover, Westwood, and Dedham on the south.
History
Needham was first settled in 1680 and officially incorporated in 1711. Originally part of the Dedham Grant, Needham split from Dedham and was named after the village of Needham Market in Suffolk, England, a neighbor of the English town of Dedham. 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 parish 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.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 28,911 people, 10,612 households, and 7,778 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 94.82% White, 0.70% Black or African American, 0.03% Native American, 3.54% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
The median income for a household in the town was $88,079, and the median income for a family was $107,570. Males had a median income of $76,459 versus $47,092 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,549. 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.
Education
Needham has a public school system. There are five elementary schools (Broadmeadow, Eliot, Hillside, Mitchell, and Newman, a converted junior high school), one middle school (William Pollard Middle School), and one high school (Needham High School) which is now under renovation. Both wings of the new school have been completed, with the historical facade under renovation, and a new Gymnasium under construction
Transportation
Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with three stops in Needham on its Needham Line.