Needham, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Needham is a town in Norfolk County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census
.
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.
In 1857 the City of Boston
began a project to fill in the Back Bay with landfill by filling the tidewater flats of the Charles River
. The fill to reclaim the bay from the water was obtained from Needham
Massachusetts from the area of present day Route 128. The firm of Goss and Munson, railroad contractors, built 6 miles of railroad from Needham and their 35-car trains made 16 trips a day to Back Bay. The filling of present-day Back Bay was completed by 1882; filling reached Kenmore Square
in 1890, and finished in the Fens
in 1900. The project was the largest of a number of land reclamation
projects, beginning in 1820, which, over the course of time, more than doubled the size of the original Boston peninsula
. It is frequently observed that this would have been impossible under modern environmental regulations
.
In the late 1860s William Emerson Baker moved to Needham. A notably wealthy man due to his having improved the mechanical sewing machine
, Baker assembled a parcel of land exceeding 800 acres (3.2 km²) and named it Ridge Hill Farm.http://www.boston.com/yourtown/needham/articles/2010/04/08/little_remains_of_19th_century_eccentrics_wondrous_estate_in_needham He built two man made lakes on his property, including Sabrina lake near present day Locust Lane. Baker turned part of his property into an amusement park with exotic animals, subterranean tunnels, trick floors and mirrors. In 1888 he built a sizable hotel, near the intersection of present day Whitman Road and Charles River Street, called the Hotel Wellesley which had a capacity of over 300 guests. The hotel burned to the ground on 19 December 1891.
In 1881 the West Parish was separately incorporated as the town of Wellesley
. The following year, Needham and Wellesley high schools began playing an annual football
game on Thanksgiving
, now the second-longest running high school football rivalry in the United States
(and longest such contest on Thanksgiving).
With the loss of the West Parish to Wellesley, the town lost its town hall and plans to build a new one began in 1902 with the selection of a building committee. The cornerstone was laid by the Grand Lodge of Masons on 2 September 1902 and the building was dedicated on 22 December 1903. The total cost for the hall was $57,500 including furnishings. Because it was located on the town common, the cost did not include land as none was purchased. In 2011, the town hall was extensively refurbished and expanded. In the process, the second-floor meeting hall was restored to its original function and beauty.
Needham's population grew by over 50 percent during the 1920s.
, the town has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.9 km²), of which 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water.
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. The majority of Cutler Park
is in Needham and is located along the Charles River and the border with Newton and West Roxbury.
of 2010, there were 28,886 people, 10,341 households, and 7,792 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,292.7 people per square mile (885.2/km²). There were 10,846 housing units at an average density of 860.1 per square mile (332.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.3% White, 1.4% Black or African American
, 0.2% Native American, 7.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races
, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.
There were 10,341 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples
living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present and 26.7% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $116,867, and the median income for a family was $144,042. Males had a median income of $76,459 versus $47,092 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $56,776. 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.
The northern side of town beyond the I-95
/Route 128 beltway, however, was developed for light industry shortly after World War II
. Some of this industry remains: Needham has been home to a Coca Cola bottling plant since 1986. Trader Joe's
also operates a packing plant in Needham. More recently, Needham has begun to attract high technology and Internet firms, such as Parametric Technology Corporation
, to this part of town.
, which underwent a $62-million renovation that was completed in 2009, one middle school, William F. Pollard Middle School, for seventh and eighth grade, High Rock School, for sixth grade only, and five elementary schools for grades K-5, which are John Eliot Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, Mitchell Elementary School, Newman Elementary School and Broadmeadow Elementary School. Needham is also home to private schools such as St. Joseph's Elementary School, St. Sebastian's School, and Monsignor Haddad Middle School.
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
is located in Needham.
/Route 128 circumferential highway
that circles Boston passes through Needham, with three exits providing access to the town. Massachusetts Route 135 also passes through the town.
Commuter rail
service from Boston's South Station
is provided by the MBTA with four stops in Needham on its Needham Line
Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction and Hersey.
In addition to the Boston Globe (and its Your Town Needham website) and Boston Herald
newspapers, there are two local weekly newspapers, Needham Times (published by Community Newspaper Company
) and Needham Hometown Weekly (published by Hometown Publications, LLC), and a website owned by AOL called Needham Patch.
The studios of television stations WCVB (5 Boston, ABC
) and WUNI
(27 Worcester
, Univision
) are located in Needham, as are the transmitters of WCVB, WBZ-TV
(4 Boston, CBS
), WGBH-TV
(2 Boston, PBS
), WGBX-TV
(44 Boston, PBS
), WFXT
(25 Boston, Fox
), WSBK
(38 Boston, independent), WLVI (56 Cambridge
, CW
), and WYDN
(48 Worcester
, Daystar Television).
The Public-access television
cable TV channel, "The Needham Channel" provides local news, such as town meeting information, school announcements, and local high school sports, in addition to eclectic resident produced and sponsored programming. Some examples of these programs include The Real Sports Report, On the Contrary, Healthy Cooking, Needham Channel News, and Inside Talk.
Radio station WEEI
(850 Boston) transmits from a three-tower site south of the town dump
. Needham has one radio station, 1120 WBNW located at 144 Gould Street, which includes broadcasts such as financial and economy talk shows during the week and high school sports talk on the weekend.
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
.
History
Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a tract of land measuring 4 miles (6.4 km) by 5 miles (8 km) from Chief Nehoiden for the sum of 10 pounds, 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land, and 40 shillings worth of corn. It was officially incorporated in 1711. Originally part of the Dedham Grant, Needham split from DedhamDedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
and was named after the village of Needham Market
Needham Market
Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a neighbor of the English town of Dedham
Dedham, Essex
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk...
. 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
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
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.
In 1857 the City of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
began a project to fill in the Back Bay with landfill by filling the tidewater flats of the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
. The fill to reclaim the bay from the water was obtained from Needham
Needham
Needham is a surname, and may refer to:* Ben Needham, British infant missing since 1991* Col Needham, co-founder of the Internet Movie Database* David Needham, English football player* Ernest Needham , English football player...
Massachusetts from the area of present day Route 128. The firm of Goss and Munson, railroad contractors, built 6 miles of railroad from Needham and their 35-car trains made 16 trips a day to Back Bay. The filling of present-day Back Bay was completed by 1882; filling reached Kenmore Square
Kenmore Square
Kenmore Square is a square in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, consisting of the intersection of several main avenues as well as several other cross streets, and Kenmore Station, an MBTA subway stop. Kenmore Square is close to or abuts Boston University, Fenway Park, and Lansdowne Street, a...
in 1890, and finished in the Fens
Back Bay Fens
The Back Bay Fens, most commonly called simply The Fens, is a parkland and urban wild in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace park system, the Fens gives its name to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, and thereby to...
in 1900. The project was the largest of a number of land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
projects, beginning in 1820, which, over the course of time, more than doubled the size of the original Boston peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The peninsula, originally a mere in area, more than doubled in size due to land reclamation efforts, a feature of the history of Boston throughout the 19th century....
. It is frequently observed that this would have been impossible under modern environmental regulations
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
.
In the late 1860s William Emerson Baker moved to Needham. A notably wealthy man due to his having improved the mechanical sewing machine
Sewing machine
A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies...
, Baker assembled a parcel of land exceeding 800 acres (3.2 km²) and named it Ridge Hill Farm.http://www.boston.com/yourtown/needham/articles/2010/04/08/little_remains_of_19th_century_eccentrics_wondrous_estate_in_needham He built two man made lakes on his property, including Sabrina lake near present day Locust Lane. Baker turned part of his property into an amusement park with exotic animals, subterranean tunnels, trick floors and mirrors. In 1888 he built a sizable hotel, near the intersection of present day Whitman Road and Charles River Street, called the Hotel Wellesley which had a capacity of over 300 guests. The hotel burned to the ground on 19 December 1891.
In 1881 the West Parish was separately incorporated as the town of Wellesley
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
. The following year, Needham and Wellesley high schools began playing an annual football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
, now the second-longest running high school football rivalry in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(and longest such contest on Thanksgiving).
With the loss of the West Parish to Wellesley, the town lost its town hall and plans to build a new one began in 1902 with the selection of a building committee. The cornerstone was laid by the Grand Lodge of Masons on 2 September 1902 and the building was dedicated on 22 December 1903. The total cost for the hall was $57,500 including furnishings. Because it was located on the town common, the cost did not include land as none was purchased. In 2011, the town hall was extensively refurbished and expanded. In the process, the second-floor meeting hall was restored to its original function and beauty.
Needham's population grew by over 50 percent during the 1920s.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.9 km²), of which 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water.
Needham's area is roughly in the shape of an acute, northward-pointing triangle. The Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
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
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
and the West Roxbury
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
section of Boston on the northeast, and Dover
Dover, Massachusetts
Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
, Westwood
Westwood, Massachusetts
Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,618 at the 2010 census. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its...
, and Dedham
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
on the south. The majority of Cutler Park
Cutler Park
Cutler Park is a park in Needham, Massachusetts that runs between Route 128/I-95 and the Charles River. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation .-Description:...
is in Needham and is located along the Charles River and the border with Newton and West Roxbury.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 28,886 people, 10,341 households, and 7,792 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,292.7 people per square mile (885.2/km²). There were 10,846 housing units at an average density of 860.1 per square mile (332.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.3% White, 1.4% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.2% Native American, 7.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.
There were 10,341 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present and 26.7% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $116,867, and the median income for a family was $144,042. Males had a median income of $76,459 versus $47,092 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $56,776. 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.
Government
Needham uses the old style Town government with a representative Town Meeting. Also, the populace of Needham elects a Board of Selectmen, which is essentially the executive branch of the town government.Economy
Needham is primarily a bedroom community and commuter suburb of Boston.The northern side of town beyond the I-95
Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128 beltway, however, was developed for light industry shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some of this industry remains: Needham has been home to a Coca Cola bottling plant since 1986. Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
also operates a packing plant in Needham. More recently, Needham has begun to attract high technology and Internet firms, such as Parametric Technology Corporation
Parametric Technology Corporation
Parametric Technology Corporation is a U.S.-based company that develops, markets and supports software for product development. Its main products are for CAD/CAM, engineering calculations, and product lifecycle management. Its customers include companies in manufacturing, publishing, services,...
, to this part of town.
Education
The Town of Needham operates one high school, Needham High SchoolNeedham High School
Needham High School is a public high school in Needham, Massachusetts, USA, educating grades 9 through 12. Its principal is Dr. Johnathan Pizzi, who was previously the Assistant Academic Superintendent in the Boston Public Schools System. Its two assistant principals are Mr. Jonathan Bourn and Ms...
, which underwent a $62-million renovation that was completed in 2009, one middle school, William F. Pollard Middle School, for seventh and eighth grade, High Rock School, for sixth grade only, and five elementary schools for grades K-5, which are John Eliot Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, Mitchell Elementary School, Newman Elementary School and Broadmeadow Elementary School. Needham is also home to private schools such as St. Joseph's Elementary School, St. Sebastian's School, and Monsignor Haddad Middle School.
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is a private undergraduate engineering college located in Needham, Massachusetts , adjacent to the Babson College campus. Olin College is noted in the engineering community for its youth, small size, project-based curriculum, and large endowment funded...
is located in Needham.
Transportation
The I-95Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
/Route 128 circumferential highway
Circumferential Highway
Circumferential Highway may refer to one of the following beltways/orbital roads/ring roads:- Canada :* Nova Scotia Highway 111, known as the Dartmouth Circumferential Highway-Philippines:...
that circles Boston passes through Needham, with three exits providing access to the town. Massachusetts Route 135 also passes through the town.
Commuter rail
Regional rail
Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
service from Boston's South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
is provided by the MBTA with four stops in Needham on its Needham Line
Needham Line
The Needham Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the Boston neighborhoods ofRoxbury,Jamaica Plain,Roslindale,West Roxbury, and the town ofNeedham....
Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction and Hersey.
Media
Needham is part of the Boston media market.In addition to the Boston Globe (and its Your Town Needham website) and Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
newspapers, there are two local weekly newspapers, Needham Times (published by Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
) and Needham Hometown Weekly (published by Hometown Publications, LLC), and a website owned by AOL called Needham Patch.
The studios of television stations WCVB (5 Boston, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) and WUNI
WUNI
WUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...
(27 Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
) are located in Needham, as are the transmitters of WCVB, WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
(4 Boston, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
), WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
(2 Boston, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
), WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV
WGBX-TV is a public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a sister station to PBS member station WGBH-TV, airing PBS programming not aired by WGBH as well as additional supplemental programming. Reruns of the previous night's programming either from WGBH-TV or from WGBX-TV...
(44 Boston, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
), WFXT
WFXT
WFXT is a television station owned and operated by the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Boston, Massachusetts. The station's studio and office facility is in Dedham, Massachusetts, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts...
(25 Boston, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
), WSBK
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
(38 Boston, independent), WLVI (56 Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
), and WYDN
WYDN
WYDN is a television station in the Boston market. The station, which is licenced to the nearby city of Worcester, is an owned-and-operated station of Daystar.- History :...
(48 Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Daystar Television).
The Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channel, "The Needham Channel" provides local news, such as town meeting information, school announcements, and local high school sports, in addition to eclectic resident produced and sponsored programming. Some examples of these programs include The Real Sports Report, On the Contrary, Healthy Cooking, Needham Channel News, and Inside Talk.
Radio station WEEI
WEEI
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
(850 Boston) transmits from a three-tower site south of the town dump
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
. Needham has one radio station, 1120 WBNW located at 144 Gould Street, which includes broadcasts such as financial and economy talk shows during the week and high school sports talk on the weekend.
Academics
- Ananda CoomaraswamyAnanda CoomaraswamyAnanda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West...
, art historian, philosopher, and Indologist, died in Needham - Nelson GoodmanNelson GoodmanHenry Nelson Goodman was an American philosopher, known for his work on counterfactuals, mereology, the problem of induction, irrealism and aesthetics.-Career:...
, philosopher, died in Needham - Thomas Huckle WellerThomas Huckle WellerThomas Huckle Weller was an American virologist. He, John Franklin Enders and Frederick Chapman Robbins were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954 for showing how to cultivate poliomyelitis viruses in a test tube, using tissue from a monkey.Weller was born and grew up in Ann...
, virologist, Nobel Prize winner, died in Needham
Actors
- Harold RussellHarold RussellHarold John Russell was a Canadian-American World War II veteran who became one of only two non-professional actors to win an Academy Award for acting...
, actor, lived in Needham - Sarah SaltzbergSarah SaltzbergSarah Saltzberg is an American actress and singer. She most recently starred in and produced the improv and sketch comedy show Don't Quit Your Night Job at the Ha! Comedy Club in New York. Also she recently appeared in the movie City Island as the Casting Director...
, actress/singer, star of Broadway'sBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
, is originally from Needham - Zach Weinstein, Actor and Ambassador to The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation , grew up in Needham.
Artists
- Edmund H. GarrettEdmund H. GarrettEdmund Henry Garrett was an American illustrator, bookplate-maker, and author—as well as a highly respected painter—renowned for his illustrations of the legends of King Arthur.-Biography:Garrett was born in Albany, New York on October 19, 1853...
, prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator - Pietro PezzatiPietro PezzatiPietro Pezzati or Peter Pezzati may refer to:*Pietro Pezzati , Italian mural painter*Peter S. Pezzati aka Pietro Pezzati , American portrait painter...
, portrait artist, lived in Needham for about thirty years - Michael John StraubMichael John StraubMichael John Straub was an artist and printmaker. Originally from Clifton Park, New York 1979-1989 and Amherst, New Hampshire 1971-1979, a 1989 graduate of Shenendehowa High School, he studied at and earned a Bachelor's degree from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Born...
, artist, was born in Needham - N.C. Wyeth, artist, was born in Needham
Business
- Charlie BakerCharles D. Baker, Jr.Charles Duane "Charlie" Baker, Jr. , is an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a cabinet official under two Massachusetts governors, spent ten years as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial...
, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and 2010 candidate for Governor of MassachusettsGovernor of MassachusettsThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
was raised in Needham on Coolidge Avenue. - William Carter, founder of Carters children's wearCarter's, Inc.Carter's, Inc. , also known as the William Carter Company, is a major American manufacturer of children's apparel. It was founded in 1865 by William Carter. Previously, the company also made underwear for adults...
. Born 1830, Alfreton, Derbyshire, England, emigrated to America in 1856. Settled in Needham Heights, where Carters first factory was built. Died 1918. - The Jacobs brothers, creators of the Life Is Good clothing company, grew up in Needham
- Jeff TaylorJeff TaylorJeff Taylor is a founder of the online jobs site Monster.com. He is a graduate of the program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In August 2005, he left Monster to found a new venture called Eons.com, a social networking website for people over age 50. In 2008, Taylor started...
, founder of Monster.comMonster.comMonster.com is one of the largest employment websites in the world, owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Monster is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrics...
, attended Needham High School
Music
- Niia Bertino, ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
recording artist featured on Wyclef Jean'sWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
Sweetest GirlSweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)"Sweetest Girl " is the lead single from American rapper Wyclef Jean's sixth studio album, Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. The song features vocals from Niia and Akon, as well as rapper Lil Wayne...
single, grew up in Needham - Donald Yetter GardnerDonald Yetter GardnerDonald Yetter Gardner wrote the classic Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."...
, writer of the song All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front TeethAll I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" is a novelty Christmas song written in 1944 by Donald Yetter Gardner while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York...
, lived the end of his life in Needham - Joey McIntyre, singer-songwriter and actor, was born in Needham
- Marissa NadlerMarissa NadlerMarissa Nadler is an American dream-folk singer-songwriter and fine artist based in Boston.-Early life:Marissa Nadler was exposed to art at a young age through her mother Pamela, an abstract painter, and her older brother Stuart, a guitarist and writer...
, singer, grew up in Needham - John Boecklin, drummer/guitarist/songwriter for the metal band Devildriver, grew up in Needham
- Mia Matsumiya, violinist of the avant-rock band Kayo DotKayo DotKayo Dot is an American avant-rock/experimental music group that was formed in 2003 by Toby Driver. They released their debut album Choirs of the Eye on John Zorn's Tzadik Records label that year. Tzadik's descriptive label on that album reads: "Kayo Dot powerfully integrates elements of modern...
, grew up in Needham - Richard PatrickRichard PatrickRichard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails....
, Founder of industrial band Filter and former member of Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
was born in Needham - Tiger OkoshiTiger OkoshiToru "Tiger" Okoshi is an American jazz fusion trumpeter. He was born in the Year of the Tiger on March 21 1950, just outside of Osaka , Japan. As a child he was, in fact, devoted to painting as he loves today...
, jazz trumpet musician, currently resides in Needham.
Sports
- Edward T. BarryEdward T. BarryEdward Thomas Barry, known as Ed Barry or Eddie Barry, was an American professional ice hockey player. Barry also played for the Boston Olympics of the Eastern Hockey League and the Boston Bruins, and later became the coach at Boston State College...
, ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player and coach, lives in Needham - Dave CadiganDave CadiganDavid Patrick Cadigan is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League.-High school career:Cadigan prepped at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California....
, offensive lineman in the NFL, was born in Needham - Robbie FtorekRobbie FtorekRobert Brian Ftorek is a former NHL player and coach. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991...
, NHL coach, was born and raised in Needham. He attended Needham High School. - Eric Johnson, New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
tight end, was born and raised in Needham and played football, basketball, and volleyball for Needham High School - Frank MalzoneFrank MalzoneFrank James Malzone is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger who played for the Boston Red Sox and California Angels ....
, former third baseman for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, lives in Needham. - Rachel MayerRachel MayerRachel L. Mayer is an American ice dancer. With partner Peter Breen, she represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics where they placed 15th.-Biography:...
, US Olympic figure skater - Mike MilburyMike MilburyMichael Milbury is an American sportscaster currently working as an ice hockey analyst for the New England Sports Network , Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL on NBC. He played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League , all of them as a defenseman for the Boston Bruins...
, former player of Boston Bruins and now Sportscaster, lives in Needham - Karl RavechKarl RavechKarl Ravech is an American journalist who currently works as the primary Baseball Tonight host for ESPN.-Education and career:Ravech was born in Needham, Massachusetts. He attended and graduated from Needham High School...
, ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Baseball Tonight anchor, was born and raised in Needham and attended Needham High School - Tom O'ReganTom O'ReganThomas Patrick O'Regan is a retired professional ice hockey forward.-Career:O'Regan played 61 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL in the mid 1980s...
, former forward for the Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
Terriers and the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
currently resides in Needham - Derek SandersonDerek SandersonDerek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....
, former player of Boston Bruins lives in Needham - Cole Steiger, long-time English Premier League goalkeeper, called by many the greatest player in the history of the sport, grew up in Needham
- Kristine LillyKristine LillyKristine Marie Lilly Heavey is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 24 years...
, former U.S women's soccer player currently lives in needham - Alexandra RaismanAlexandra RaismanAlexandra Raisman is an American artistic gymnast who is a three-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team. Raisman trains at Brestyan's Gymnastics with Alicia Sacramone and has similar skills and physique...
, U.S women's artistic gymnast currently lives in Needham and attends Needham High School
Television
- Marsha BemkoMarsha BemkoMarsha Bemko is the executive producer of seven-time Emmy Award-nominated PBS series Antiques Roadshow.-Biography:Prior to joining Roadshow as a senior producer in 1999, Bemko worked on a variety of public affairs programs for PBS...
, executive producer of "Antiques Roadshow," is a lifelong resident of Needham - John Discepolo, Weekend News Anchor at KOMO 4 in Seattle, WA
- Lee EisenbergLee EisenbergLee Eisenberg is a film and television writer. He usually works with Gene Stupnitsky.-Life and career:In television, he wrote for the NBC comedy series The Office from seasons 2 to 6, and served as a co-executive producer and directed two episodes with Stupnitsky, "Michael Scott Paper Company" and...
, writer for The Office was born in Needham - Steve HelySteve HelySteve Hely is an American writer.Hely has written for the television shows Late Show with David Letterman ; Last Call with Carson Daly, where he also served as an associate producer; American Dad; and 30 Rock...
, writer of American Dad!American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, is a native of Needham - Ben KarlinBen KarlinBen Karlin is an American television producer. He is an eight time Emmy-winning American writer and executive producer best known for his work in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. He is one of three co-creators of The Colbert Report along with Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart...
, executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon StewartThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
and The Colbert Report, grew up in Needham - Scott RosenbergScott RosenbergScott Rosenberg is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer.- Biography :Born in Needham, Massachusetts in 1963, Rosenberg received a Bachelor's Degree from Boston University. He earned his MFA from UCLA...
, screenwriter, was born and raised in Needham - Adam Saltzberg, Casting Staff, Beauty and the Geek & Producer,"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" Was born in Needham
- John SlatteryJohn SlatteryJohn M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble....
, actor on Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, went to high school at Saint Sebastian's School in Needham
Literature
- Janet TashjianJanet TashjianJanet Tashjian is an American author who writes books targeted at young adults. She is married and has a son.-Works:* 1997: Tru Confessions...
, the author of The Gospel According to LarryThe Gospel According to LarryThe Gospel According to Larry is a "coming of age" political, romantic teen novel by Janet Tashjian that explores anti-consumerism. The introduction of the book is written from a point of view that makes it seem as though Josh Swensen is real and Janet Tashjian is simply the one who edited and...
, lives with her family in Needham
Other
- Khassan BaievKhassan BaievDr. Khassan Baiev is a Chechen-American trauma surgeon who upheld the Hippocratic oath to treat thousands of civilians and combatants on both sides of the First and Second Chechen Wars, including Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters....
, a ChechenChechen peopleChechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
surgeon who treated RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
soldiers and Chechen rebels, most notably Shamil BasayevShamil BasayevShamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
and Salman RaduyevSalman RaduyevSalman Raduyev was a Chechen separatist warlord considered to be one of the most radical and notorious Chechen rebel commanders of the period between 1994 and 1999...
, author of The Oath: A surgeon under fire, lives in Needham - Peter DeFazioPeter DeFazioPeter Anthony DeFazio is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Eugene, Springfield, Roseburg and part of Corvallis. As Oregon's most senior member of Congress, he is the dean of Oregon's House of Representatives delegation...
, a United States Congressman from OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, was born in Needham - James S. GraceyJames S. GraceyJames Steele Gracey is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 17th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1982 to 1986....
, Commandant of the Coast GuardCommandant of the Coast GuardThe Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The Commandant is normally the only four-star Admiral in the Coast Guard and is appointed for a four-year term by the President of the United States upon confirmation by the United...
, lived in Needham and attended the high school - Jen KirkmanJen KirkmanJennifer "Jen" Kirkman is an American stand-up comedian, television writer and actress, best known for her appearances on E!'s late-night talk show Chelsea Lately and the web series Drunk History...
, stand-up comedian, television writer and actress, grew up in Needham - Sunita WilliamsSunita WilliamsSunita Williams is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15...
, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
AstronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, considers Needham to be her home - Chester Nimitz, Jr., a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral, World War II submarine hero, and son of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, lived in a retirement home in Needham with his wife, Joan, until their deaths in January 2002