Norfolk is a suburban town on the periphery of metropolitan Boston, located on an upper valley of the Charles River.

[2] As further settlement occurred in the late 17th and 18th centuries, agriculture and cattle grazing were joined by lumbering and planting of orchards.

Small villages formed around sawmills and gristmills including City Mills (1680), Mann Pond/Highland Lake (after 1691), and Pondville (after 1730).

The Norfolk County Railroad opened in 1849, with North Wrentham station near the village center.

[2] The town saw a rapid increase in population after 1925 when a hospital and a state prison were built in Norfolk on the Walpole line.

The Town of Norfolk instituted a Department of Public Works in 2004 which consolidated much of its infrastructure and is now responsible for eight divisions.

These Divisions are Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, Solid Waste, Highways, Trees, Vehicle Maintenance and Grounds which are all managed by a Director.

The Norfolk Airpark (FAA airport code 32M) had one 2,700-foot (820 m) north–south runway and is about 2 miles (3 km) west of the town center.

A seven house cul-de-sac known as Tailwind Cir now exists where the hangars used to stand while the remaining airport property is now conservation land known as Leland Wild.

The Norfolk MBTA commuter rail station is in Zone 5 and is located in the town's center at 9 Rockwood Road.

The town's fire department and emergency medical services, located in the center of town on Main Street, was staffed full-time with 24h/7d coverage for the first time in April 2001, and since 2004 provides Advanced Life Support services.

A regional communications center within the Public Safety Building will support the dispatch requirements of Norfolk and three surrounding towns: Wrentham, Plainville, and Franklin.