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Wellesley, Massachusetts
Town in Massachusetts, United States

Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Community College are located in the town.

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History

Wellesley was settled in the 1600s as part of Dedham, Massachusetts. It was subsequently a part of Needham, 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 benefactor Horatio Hollis Hunnewell.23

Wellesley's population grew by over 80 percent around the 1920s.4

Geography

Wellesley is located in eastern Massachusetts. It is bordered on the east by Newton, on the north by Weston, on the south by Needham and Dover and on the west by Natick. According to the United 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.5

Neighborhoods

  • Wellesley Farms6
  • The Fells7
  • Wellesley Hills8 (02481)9
  • Wellesley Square10 (02482)11
  • Poets' Corner12
  • Babson Park13 (02457)14
  • Peirce Estates15
  • College Heights16
  • Wellesley Lower Falls17

Climate

Wellesley has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb under the Köppen climate classification system), with high humidity and precipitation year-round.

Climate data for Wellesley, Massachusetts
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
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)
Average precipitation 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 days12111312121211109101112135
Source 1: Climate Summary for Dedham, Massachusetts
Source 2: Monthly- All Data for Dedham, Massachusetts

Demographics

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18903,600—    
19005,072+40.9%
19105,413+6.7%
19206,224+15.0%
193011,439+83.8%
194015,127+32.2%
195020,549+35.8%
196026,071+26.9%
197028,051+7.6%
198027,209−3.0%
199026,615−2.2%
200026,613−0.0%
201027,982+5.1%
202029,550+5.6%
2024*31,242+5.7%
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.181920212223242526

The Census Bureau has also defined the town as a census-designated place with an area exactly equivalent to the town.27

As of the census 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% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.28

There were 8,594 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married 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 3.14.29

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.30

The median income for a household was $159,167, and the median income for a family was $186,518. The per capita income in the town was $72,046.31 About 2.4% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.32

Economy

Wellesley is home to the headquarters of many local, national and global businesses including Benchmark Senior Living, Blank Label Apparel, Eagle Investment Systems, EPG Incorporated, GrandBanks Capital, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Livingston and Haynes PC, and Sun Life Financial U.S.

Top employers

According to Wellesley's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,33 the top employers in the city are:

#Employer# of employees
1Sun Life Financial1,209
2Wellesley College1,172
3Babson College961
4Harvard Pilgrim Health Care434
5Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates351
6Massachusetts Bay Community College287
7Dana Hall School269
8Whole Foods241
9Wellesley Country Club227
10Roche Bros.222

Arts and culture

Historic district

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.34

Recent construction

The town's historic 19th-century inn was demolished to make way for condominiums and mixed-use development in 2006.35 The Wellesley Country Club clubhouse, which is the building where the town was founded, was demolished in 2008, and a new clubhouse was built.36 The town's pre-World War II high school building was torn down and replaced with a brand new high school finished in 2012.37 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.38

Library

Wellesley opened its new Free Library building in 2003, which is part of the Minuteman 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 2008.39 The main library branch near Wellesley Square underwent a major interior renovation in 2021.40

Government

The town was governed through an open town meeting after it was incorporated. In 1933, citizens approved a ballot question to adopt a representative town meeting government, dividing the town into four precincts with 60 representatives each. The new form of government came into effect in 1934.41 In 2016, citizens rejected a ballot question to adopt a Selectmen-Manager government.42

The town is part of the Massachusetts 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's carbon 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 2012.43

Education

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) and Wellesley High School, respectively; and are the home of the Raiders.

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 Wellesley A 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.44

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, and Babson, a business college.

In 2024, Upham was officially closed following the rebuilds of Hunnewell and Hardy.

Media

Events of significance to members of the Wellesley community are recorded in two local news publications: The Wellesley Townsman45 has been published since 1906, and The Swellesley Report since 2005. Both are available online and digitized copies of the paper-based Townsman are available from the Wellesley Free Library.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Wellesley has had rail service to Boston since 1833. Rail service is currently provided through Wellesley's participation in the MBTA, which offers a total of 17 weekdays Commuter Rail trains inbound towards Boston and outbound towards Framingham and Worcester. Wellesley's stations are (east to west) Wellesley Farms, Wellesley Hills, and Wellesley 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 highways Interstate 95/Massachusetts Route 128, Massachusetts Route 9, Massachusetts route 16 (as Washington Street) and Massachusetts route 135 run through Wellesley.

Municipal light plant

Wellesley is serviced by the Wellesley 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.46

Notable people

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Wellesley, Massachusetts. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wellesley, Massachusetts. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Wellesley".

References

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  2. Smolski, Anne-Marie (October 26, 2009). "Monument marks birthplace of Wellesley". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/town_info/history/x884488013/Monument-marks-birthplace-of-Wellesley ↩

  3. Hinchliffe, Beth. "History of Wellesley". Retrieved July 17, 2021. https://wellesleyma.gov/472/History-of-Wellesley ↩

  4. Schaeffer, K. H.; Sclar, Elliott (1980). Access for All: Transportation and Urban Growth. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-05165-4. Retrieved January 16, 2010. 0-231-05165-4 ↩

  5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. https://www.census.gov ↩

  6. Shulkin, Traci. "WELLESLEY NEIGHBORHOODS". The Traci Shulkin Group. Retrieved August 29, 2020. http://tracishulkin.com/wellesley-neighborhoods/ ↩

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  9. "Zip Code 02481, Wellesley Hills, MA". zipdatamaps.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020. https://www.zipdatamaps.com/02481 ↩

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  15. Shulkin, Traci. "WELLESLEY NEIGHBORHOODS". The Traci Shulkin Group. Retrieved August 29, 2020. http://tracishulkin.com/wellesley-neighborhoods/ ↩

  16. Shulkin, Traci. "WELLESLEY NEIGHBORHOODS". The Traci Shulkin Group. Retrieved August 29, 2020. http://tracishulkin.com/wellesley-neighborhoods/ ↩

  17. Shulkin, Traci. "WELLESLEY NEIGHBORHOODS". The Traci Shulkin Group. Retrieved August 29, 2020. http://tracishulkin.com/wellesley-neighborhoods/ ↩

  18. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020−2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 18, 2025. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html ↩

  19. "U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts: United States". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wellesleytownnorfolkcountymassachusetts,US/PST045219 ↩

  20. "TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2011. https://archive.today/20200212202839/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/P1/0400000US25.06000 ↩

  21. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision – GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2011. https://archive.today/20200212040628/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US25&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1&-ds_name=PEP_2009_EST&-_lang=en&-format=ST-9&-_sse=on ↩

  22. "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011. https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp1/cp-1-23.pdf ↩

  23. "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_maABC-01.pdf ↩

  24. "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21–10 and 21–11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf ↩

  25. "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21–5 through 21–7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1900, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf ↩

  26. "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011. http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084506no553ch2.pdf ↩

  27. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. https://www.census.gov ↩

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  29. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. https://www.census.gov ↩

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  32. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. https://www.census.gov ↩

  33. City of Wellesley CAFR https://wellesleyma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/38053/FY23-Financial-Report ↩

  34. "Historic District Commission". Town of Wellesley. Wellesleyt Historic Commission. Retrieved March 12, 2023. https://www.wellesleyma.gov/388/Historic-District-Commission ↩

  35. Lehmann, Barbara (March 29, 2006). "No rooms at the inn". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1817193862 ↩

  36. Smolski, Anne-Marie (October 26, 2009). "Monument marks birthplace of Wellesley". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/town_info/history/x884488013/Monument-marks-birthplace-of-Wellesley ↩

  37. Zak, Elana (September 4, 2009). "Wellesley High School project moving ahead". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x560173421/Wellesley-High-School-project-moving-ahead ↩

  38. Lebeaux, Rachel (March 29, 2006). "Design Review approves Linden Street plan". The Wellesley Townsman. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1817193864 ↩

  39. "Branch Libraries reopen this week". The Wellesley Townsman. September 4, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/news/x1001333809/Branch-Libraries-reopen-this-week ↩

  40. "2021 Renovation - Wellesley Free Library". October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019161723/https://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/2021-interior-renovation/ ↩

  41. 1932 Chap. 0202. An Act Establishing In The Town Of Wellesley Representative Town Government By Limited Town Meetings. Boston: Secretary of the Commonwealth. 1932. Retrieved January 26, 2024. https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/b3a2005c-4922-4270-9167-32904cc292d5 ↩

  42. Brown, Bob (March 15, 2016). "Wellesley votes No on Town Manager for now". The Swellesley Report. Retrieved January 26, 2024. https://theswellesleyreport.com/2016/03/wellesley-votes-no-on-town-manager-for-now/ ↩

  43. "Sustainable Energy Committee: Wellesley, MA". Retrieved March 3, 2021. http://www.wellesleyma.gov/397/Sustainable-Energy-Committee ↩

  44. "Wellesley a Better Chance celebrates 40 years of helping young women thrive". November 5, 2012. http://theswellesleyreport.com/2012/11/wellesley-a-better-chance-celebrates-40-years-of-helping-young-women-thrive ↩

  45. "The Wellesley Townsman". Wellesley Free Library. Retrieved March 28, 2018. https://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/research/researchwellesley-townsman-newspaper/ ↩

  46. Brown, Deborah (June 3, 2019). "Wellesley Stands Mighty with Its 36th Consecutive Tree City Designation". The Swellesley Report. Retrieved March 3, 2021. https://theswellesleyreport.com/2019/06/wellesley-stands-mighty-with-its-36th-consecutive-tree-city-designation/ ↩

  47. Bates, Katharine Lee (1922). Yellow Clover: A Book of Remembrance. New York: E.P. Dutton. pp. viii. ISBN 978-1-4255-0904-0. Retrieved January 6, 2012. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) 978-1-4255-0904-0 ↩

  48. "Ariulf Eric Hampe". https://eu.wickedlocal.com/story/wellesley-townsman/2009/06/10/ariulf-eric-hampe/40731289007/ ↩

  49. Eddie Yost at SABR Baseball Biography Project http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/27ab6dec ↩