Norfolk County, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norfolk County
County
Images, from top down, left to right: Former residence of John Adams in Quincy; Trail in the Blue Hills Reservation; MBTA station in Brookline; Green Hall at Wellesley College
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  Antiquity, Perseverance, History, Industry
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
Founded	1793
Named for	Norfolk
Seat	Dedham
Largest city	Quincy
Area
• Total	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Land	396 sq mi (1,030 km2)
• Water	48 sq mi (120 km2)  11%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	725,981
• Estimate  (2023)	727,473
• Density	1,635.1/sq mi (631.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th

Norfolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 2020, about 725,981 people lived there. Its main town, or county seat, is Dedham. Norfolk County is special because its county seat, Dedham, is a town, not a city. It is the second most populated county in the U.S. with a town as its seat.

The county got its name from the English county of Norfolk. Two towns, Cohasset and Brookline, are "exclaves." This means they are part of Norfolk County but are separated from the main part of the county. Norfolk County is also part of the larger Boston area. It is known as the wealthiest county in Massachusetts.

History of Norfolk County

Norfolk County was officially created on March 26, 1793. This happened after Governor John Hancock signed a new law. Most of the towns that became part of Norfolk County were originally from Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Some towns like Dorchester and Roxbury were first in Norfolk County. But as the city of Boston grew and took over these towns, they became part of Suffolk County again. This left Brookline separated from the rest of Norfolk County. Also, Hingham and Hull were supposed to be in Norfolk County. However, they asked to stay in Suffolk County. Later, in 1803, they moved to Plymouth County, Massachusetts. This made Cohasset an "exclave" too.

Norfolk County is famous for being the birthplace of four U.S. Presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush. Because of this, it's often called the "County of Presidents."

Jails in Norfolk County

After the county was formed, officials decided to build a jail. The first jail was built in 1795 next to a place called Gay's Tavern.

This first jail was replaced by a new one in 1817. The new jail was a two-story stone building. Over time, it was changed and made bigger. In 1992, a new and modern jail, the Norfolk County Correctional Center, was opened. This new center is located in Dedham and has space for 502 people.

Courthouses in Norfolk County

When Norfolk County was new, the courts first met in Dedham's meetinghouse. It was so cold there in the winter that they sometimes had to move to a warmer place like the Woodward Tavern.

A new courthouse was finished in 1795. However, it was soon found to be too small. So, a famous architect named Charles Bulfinch was hired to add a tower. Paul Revere even made a bell for the building!

Later, county leaders decided they needed an even newer, bigger courthouse. Land was bought for this new building in 1825. The new courthouse was designed by Solomon Willard and opened in 1827. It was a large granite building with tall pillars. The bell made by Paul Revere was moved to this new building.

Even though it looked nice, the new courthouse wasn't very comfortable inside. It didn't have good heating or water.

Registry of Deeds Building

The Registry of Deeds is where important property documents are kept. It was first located in the home of the first registrar, Eliphalet Pond. Later, it moved to the first Norfolk County Courthouse.

As the county grew, more space was needed for these important records. So, a new building was built just for the Registry of Deeds in 1905. This building is made of Indiana limestone and granite.

Geography of Norfolk County

Norfolk County covers about 444 square miles. About 396 square miles are land, and 48 square miles (11%) are water. It is the third-smallest county in Massachusetts by total area.

As mentioned, Norfolk County is not all connected. The towns of Brookline and Cohasset are part of the county but are separated from the main area. This happened because some towns that were originally part of Norfolk County later joined other counties or Boston.

Neighboring Counties

• Middlesex County (to the northwest)
• Suffolk County (to the north)
• Plymouth County (to the southeast)
• Bristol County (to the south)
• Providence County, Rhode Island (to the southwest)
• Worcester County (to the west)

Special Protected Areas

Norfolk County is home to several important national protected areas:

• Adams National Historical Park
• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part of it)
• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site

Main Roads and Highways

Population and People

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, there were 670,850 people living in Norfolk County. The county had about 257,914 households. The population density was about 1,693 people per square mile.

Most people in the county (82.3%) were white. About 8.6% were Asian, and 5.7% were black or African American. People of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population.

Many people in Norfolk County have Irish (31.8%), Italian (15.5%), or English (11.0%) backgrounds. Other common backgrounds include German, French, and Chinese.

About 32.2% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average age of people in the county was 40.7 years old. The median income for a household was about $81,027. This means half the households earned more than this, and half earned less.

Communities in Norfolk County

Map of Norfolk County, with Dedham highlighted

Cities

• Braintree
• Franklin
• Quincy (This is the largest city in the county)
• Randolph
• Weymouth

Towns

Some towns that were once part of Norfolk County, like West Roxbury, Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Hingham, and Hull, later became part of Boston or Plymouth County.

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are identified for census purposes but are not officially incorporated towns or cities.

Education in Norfolk County

Quincy High School in Quincy, around the 1930s

Norfolk County has many school districts. Here are some of them:

K-12 School Districts

These districts offer schooling from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

High School Districts

These districts focus on high school education.

• Dover-Sherborn School District
• King Philip School District

Elementary School Districts

These districts focus on elementary school education.

• Dover School District
• Norfolk School District
• Plainville School District
• Wrentham School District

Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, seen in 2012

Regional Vocational High Schools

These schools offer special training for jobs and trades.

• Blue Hills Regional Technical
• Norfolk County Agricultural
• Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical

Images for kids

• 

  The official flag of Norfolk County, Massachusetts.

• 

  The official seal of Norfolk County, Massachusetts.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Norfolk (Massachusetts) para niños