From early in the settlement of Dedham, the people of the Clapboard Trees Precinct were "a wealthy, sophisticated lot, familiar with the bigwigs of provincial politics and prone to the religious liberalism that was à la mode in Boston.

"[2] Residents did not care for the politically more powerful Calvinist views of those who lived in the village of Dedham and asked to separate.

It was desirable for the old, as well as the new town, to have the question of incorporation settled, if possible, before April 5, when appropriations for the coming year were going to be made.

Therefore, in order to remove every trace of friction, however trivial, and thus expedite matters, the name was changed to Westwood.

[4]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.

The charter defines the powers of elected boards, including the select board, which serves as the executive branch of government and hires a Town Administrator responsible for day-to-day operations of town departments.

The Westwood Select Board has three members who serve overlapping three-year terms.

Marianne C. LeBlanc Cummings, Joseph E. Previtera and Robert R. Gotti are currently Westwood's Select Board members.

[14] On May 14, 1700, Lt. Joseph Colburn[a] was paid "forty shillings of the Town rate" for constructing an animal pound measuring 33' square on his land.