Newton, known as the Garden City, is located six miles west of Boston. It lies within the so-called Boston Basin, a tiny structure of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Originally a part of Cambridge, Newton was settled in 1630 and incorporated in 1688 with the first settlement in Newton Corner. The Boston and Worcester Railroads established depots at what later became Newtonville and Auburndale in 1834.
Newton is bounded on three sides by the Charles River and is a diverse community comprised of 14 villages, each with a unique character. The villages of Newton - listed alphabetically - are: Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Four Corners, Newton Centre, Newton Corner, Newton Highlands, Newton Lower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, Newtonville, Nonantum, Oak Hill, Thomsonville and Waban.
Newton is a vibrant community that is desirable as a place to live and work due to its proximity to Boston, nearness to various highway and public transportation systems, attractive neighborhoods and high property values, well-run municipal government, and a strong, nationally-recognized school system.
Newton has well maintained parks, bicycle and fitness trails, golf courses, a public pool and lake. From July through October there is an outdoor Farmer's Market. Newton has a new, state-of-the-art, award-winning Library which served 602,951 people in 1993, and is home to the Jackson Homestead Museum, one of 712 nationally-accredited museums (out of 6,200 museums country-wide). Among the myriad arts and cultural organizations and activities, Newton has a Symphony Orchestra, resident theatre groups and an Arts in the Parks Program. Newton has been designated 1 of 3 cities nationwide to participate in a pilot tree bank, planting 6,800 seedlings.
Newton has an extensive Institutional Network (I-Net) communications system which connects 63 municipal and institutional buildings, including all public schools. Newton was the recipient of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Heinz Foundation awards for being the first city in the Commonwealth to administer a mandatory curbside recycling program. 90% of residents recycle, reducing incinerated tonnage by 33% and saving $468,000 in 1993 In 1993, Newton was one of 5 cities nationwide, with a population over 50,000, to receive the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Livability Award. In 1993, there were $3.8 million worth of public works projects in process.
Newton is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate Route 495 divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston.
Major Highways
Principal highways are the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate Route 90) and State Route 9, which both run E-W across Massachusetts, and State Route 128, the inner belt around Boston. Three interchanges, two in Newton and one just over the border in Weston, make the Mass. Turnpike easily accessible.
Rail
Commuter service to Boston, is available from West Newton (travel time 15-16 min.; no parking), Newtonville (11-12 min.; no parking), and Auburndale (18-20 min.; 30 MBTA parking spaces). MBTA Green Line subway service is available from Riverside Station (43 min. to Government Center; 1,128 parking spaces) and Newton Centre (31 minutes; no MBTA parking). The Bay Colony Railroad and Conrail provide freight rail service.
Bus
Newton is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA provides fixed route service to neighboring communities, and also offers THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled. Peter Pan Bus Lines provides service to Boston, Worcester, Springfield and points beyond with local service M-F between Boston and Worcester.
Other
The Norwood Memorial Airport, a Reliever (RL) facility , is easily accessible via State Route 128. It has 2 asphalt runways 4,001'x 150' and 4,007'x 150'. Instrument approaches available: Non-precision.
