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city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States
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Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of 13 municipalities in the state to have city forms of government while retaining "town of" in their official names. It is named after Weymouth, Dorset, a coastal town in England, and is the second-oldest settlement in Massachusetts, second only to Plymouth. Weymouth is one of the more affordable towns relative to the South Shore and offers a short commute into Boston, MBTA bus and rail service, and a town beach.
At the 2020 census, Weymouth had a total population of 57,437. It also had a crime rate of 12.42 per 1,000 residents.
As of the 2010 census, there were 53,743 people, 22,435 households, and 13,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,174.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,225.6/km2). There were 22,573 housing units at an average density of 1,327.1 per square mile (512.4/km2). 64% housing units were owner-occupied and 35% of housing units were renter-occupied. The racial makeup of the city was 82.7% White, 5.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 22,028 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families, 37% of which were non-family households with residents over 65 years of age. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $68,665, and the median income for a family was $52,083. Males had a median income of $42,497 versus $35,963 for females. The per capita income for was $24,976. About 9.1% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Weymouth has the 10th highest Irish population in the United States, at 33%. As "white flight" occurred in inner-city Boston exacerbated by the start of the cross-district busing program, in the 1960s and 70s thousands of white (predominantly of Irish descent) Bostonians moved to middle/working class suburbs such as Weymouth and Quincy. The blue collar city culture of places like South Boston and Dorchester is prevalent in the neighborhoods of Weymouth. Weymouth has colloquially been referred to as "Suburban Southie" and "Southie on the South Shore" due to the high influx of South Boston residents and Irish Catholic culture in the town. This trend continues in a different way again today as some longtime South Boston residents are now being priced out due to gentrification. Many are moving out to the more affordable towns on the South Shore.
Data is from the 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Weymouth is located at 42°12′23″N 70°56′45″W / 42.20639°N 70.94583°W (42.206458, −70.945919).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 21.6 square miles (56 km2), of which 17 square miles (44 km2) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km2) (comprising 21.29%) is water.
Weymouth contains the Weymouth Back River and the Weymouth Fore River; its surroundings, formerly industrial, are now set aside as parks and natural areas, including Webb Memorial State Park. There are many streets named after people and trees.
Weymouth residents often designate which of four "districts" they live in:
Weymouth is bordered on the north by Hingham Bay and Boston Harbor. Weymouth's territory includes Grape Island, Slate Island, and Sheep Island, all part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Weymouth is bordered on the west by Quincy, Braintree, and Holbrook, on the south by Abington and Rockland and on the east by Hingham.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Weymouth has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Weymouth is home to many species of wildlife that have adapted to the town's suburban environment and parks.
Small mammals such as Red and Gray foxes, Striped Skunks, Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, Eastern Cottontail Rabbits, Groundhogs, and Eastern Gray Squirrels can be commonly found in Weymouth. Some Larger mammals, such as Coyotes and White-tailed Deer live in the more forested areas such as Great Esker Park, and occasionally wander into the suburbs.
Weymouth is also home to many species of birds. Some common backyard species are Wild Turkeys, American Robins, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Common Grackles, and Northern Cardinals to name a few. There are many other species of birds that inhabit the diverse habitats that are located in Weymouth, such as Red-tailed Hawks, Ospreys, Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Egrets, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Herons, along with various species of waterfowl, seagulls, and shorebirds. There are also two invasive bird species, those being the House Sparrow and European Starling.
The Herring Run runs through Weymouth, connecting the Back River to Whitman's Pond. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of Alewife Herring travel up the brook to spawn. The Herring Run was also a crucial resource for the early colonists of the area and the Native Massachusett People.
Weymouth is served by several MBTA bus routes as well as three MBTA Commuter Rail stations: two on the Greenbush Line at Weymouth Landing/East Braintree and East Weymouth, and one on the Kingston Line at South Weymouth. State routes that pass through Weymouth include Route 3, Route 3A, Route 18, Route 53, Route 58 and Route 139.
Weymouth was founded in 1635, from the territory known as Wessagusett which was described in 1622—just two years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. Weymouth held the distinction of having the oldest continuous town meeting form of government, for 365 years. In 1999, Weymouth residents voted to change to a city form of government. David M. Madden was elected as the city's first mayor and took office in 2000.
On July 10, 2007, Mayor David M. Madden announced he would not seek reelection. In 2008, Susan Kay was elected as the new mayor of Weymouth.
On November 3, 2015, Republican state senator Bob Hedlund was elected as the new mayor of Weymouth, succeeding long-incumbent mayor Susan M. Kay. Hedlund assumed office on January 4, 2016.
Weymouth is part of the Massachusetts Senate's Plymouth and Norfolk district.
Weymouth is one of the few places in the United States where self-service gas stations are illegal. The ban was introduced in 1977.
Weymouth High School is the only public high school in Weymouth. Prior to 2005, grades eight and nine were housed in Weymouth Junior High while grades ten, eleven, and twelve comprised the High School. This changed with the construction of a new wing on the Junior High building in South Weymouth, which subsequently became the new Weymouth High School housing grades nine through twelve. More than 2,000 students attend the high school. A brand new athletic surface was completed in 2005, giving Weymouth High School an artificial turf field and a track surface.
There are two middle schools but only one is currently in use. They are named after local women: abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman and First Lady Abigail Adams.
The Maria Weston Chapman Middle School, locally known as "The New Chapman," replaced a previous building that had housed an identically named middle school and, previously, the town's North High School. The new school opened to students in September 2022.
The previous middle school, Abigail Adams Middle School, is currently undergoing renovations with school and town officials undecided about its future uses.
There are eight primary schools and one early childhood center, five of which are named after Weymouth's Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
In June 2021, Weymouth High School was placed into a state program for schools or districts that disproportionately suspend nonwhite students or students with disabilities. Along with this, the New Maria Weston Chapman Middle School made local news on two separate occasions due to the violent behavior of students.
There is one Public Charter School which Weymouth is associated to
In addition, there are four private schools in Weymouth.
The area that is now Weymouth was settled in 1622 as Wessagusset Colony, founded by Thomas Weston, who had been the main financial backer of Plymouth Colony. The settlement was a failure, as the 60 men from London were ill-prepared for the hardships required for survival. They also may have lacked the motivation of the Pilgrims, as this colony was purely economic in motivation and the men had not brought their families.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Weymouth, Massachusetts”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.