The Town of Natick was first settled in 1651 and incorporated in 1781. It is close to the center of the Metrowest area of Massachusetts. Natick is part of the Greater Boston region and is roughly 15 miles west of the City of Boston, but is considered part of the suburbs. Throughout the years, Natick developed into an industrial Boston-based suburban community with large strip development on Rt. 9. Six percent of Natick is actually water, which includes Lake Cochituate and Dug Pond. The Natick Collection is the biggest mall in all of New England and features classy restaurants and over 200 retail stores. Natick’s living costs are 27.32% higher than the average in the United States. As far as Natick real estate, the median home price as of July 13, 2009, was $439,900. The median age in Natick is 38.2 years old compared to 36.5 in the rest of Massachusetts.
Natick was the first and the biggest Indian praying town in all of the colonies and became a model for other towns to attempt to instill European standards into the Indians. Natick, from its earliest Colonial times, was an ideal location for the development of land as it contained suitable agricultural land, water power, and fish runs. John Eliot, who was a famous missionary, received a charter of 6000 acres to give to the Indians and converted them to Christianity. Unfortunately, as a result of King Philip’s War, the Indians had to forcibly move to Deer Island and basically never came back to the area.
In Colonial times, Natick was agriculturally based with some lumbering and orchards. As sawmills and grist were developed, Indian ownership changed over to white control between the years of 1676 and 1776. By the early nineteenth century, the shoe industry was the largest industry in Natick with the first shoe sole manufacturer being created in 1827. Shoes were sold to the western and southern markets by 1830. Natick’s goods were brought to Boston on the Worcester and Boston Railroad. It is claimed that numerous men from Natick took advantage of the gold rush taking place in California in 1849 and 1850 and brought back enough funds to start up numerous businesses within the area.
As the jobs in shoe plants increased, Natick saw a rapid increase in its immigrant population including the Irish, English, Nova Scotians, Italians and Armenians. By the 1880‘s, Natick had developed into the third largest producer of shoes in the country. In recent years, Natick became an industrial Boston-based suburban community with extensive strip development on Rt. 9.
Location
Natick is in eastern Massachusetts and has Framingham on the west, Wellesley and Dover on the east, Weston and Wayland to the north, and Sherborn and Dover to its south. It is located 15 miles west of the city of Boston, 25 miles to the east of Worcester, 35 miles north of Providence, and roughly 201 miles away from New York City.
Total Area: 16.1 sq. miles
Land Area: 15.1 sq. miles
Population: 31,975 (2007 census)
Density: 2,117.5 per sq. mile
Climate (Framingham Station)
Normal temperature in January…..24.7°F
Normal temperature in July……..72.9°F
Normal annual precipitation…….44.9″
Municipal Offices
Main Number: (508) 651-7230
Form of Government
Board of Selectmen
Town Administrator
Representative Town Meeting
Year Incorporated
As a town: 1781
Registered Voters (2006)
Total Registered 20,235
Democrats 7,162
Republicans 2,669
Unenrolled Voters 10,310
Natick is located in the Greater Boston Area, which contains high quality railway, air, and highway access. Rt. 128 and Rt. 495 split the area into inner and outer zones, which are connected by many spokes giving direct access to the airport, port, and additional facilities located in Boston such as Logan Airport.
Major Highways
The highways that are used in Natick are the Mass Turnpike (Interstate Rt. 90), Rt. 9, Rt. 16, Rt. 27, and Rt. 135.
Rail
Natick offers commuter service to Back Bay Station and South Station in Boston, which has a travel time of roughly 33 to 36 minutes (for Back Bay Station). The is no MBTA parking at this location. Commuter service is also offered from West Natick with a travel time of 38 to 41 minutes. There are 163 MBTA spaces at this location. There is also a Conrail freight rail line that runs through Natick.
Bus
The Town of Natick is also a member of the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ), which offers “The Ride.” The Ride is a paratransit service for the disabled and elderly. An additional provider of service within Natick and parts of Framingham such as Shoppers World is The Natick Neighborhood Bus.
Other
Besides Logan Airport, there is also a Reliever facility at the Norwood Memorial Airport, which is readily accessible.
Recreation
Cochituate State Park
The Natick Collection (for shopping)
William L. Chase Arena
Sassamon Trace Golf Course
Natick Community Organic Farm
Longfellow Sports Club
Many more!
Museums
Natick Historical Society and Museum
58 Eliot Street
(617) 235-6015
Hospitals in Natick
Metrowest Leonard Morse Campus
Hospitals and medical centers near Natick:
Charles River Hospital (Wellesley, MA)
Metrowest Medical Center (Framingham, MA)
Deaconess-Glover Hospital Corp (Needham, MA)
Long Term Care
Brittany Convalescent Home
Riverbend Convalescent Center
Mary Ann Morse Nursing Home, Inc
Rest Homes
Allen House Retirement Residence
Nims Rest Home