Bellingham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,314 at the 2000 census. The town sits on the southwestern fringe of Metropolitan Boston, along the rapidly growing'outer belt'that is Interstate 495 (Massachusetts). It is formally a part of the Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area as well as the Providence metropolitan area.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bellingham, please see the article Bellingham (CDP), Massachusetts.

History
There is not much historical or archaeological evidence of established tribal communities in the land...

Bellingham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,314 at the 2000 census. The town sits on the southwestern fringe of Metropolitan Boston, along the rapidly growing'outer belt'that is Interstate 495 (Massachusetts). It is formally a part of the Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area as well as the Providence metropolitan area.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bellingham, please see the article Bellingham (CDP), Massachusetts.

History
There is not much historical or archaeological evidence of established tribal communities in the land that became Bellingham. The area of the town south of the Charles River constituted the southwestern corner of the Dedham Grant, which sprouted much of what has become Norfolk County. The land was swampy, and the town of Dedham did not believe it worthy of settlement. The area north of the river would be purchased by Edward Rawson, and due to the settlement of borders with the surrounding communities, these two areas would eventually merge. By 1713, there were enough citizens to warrant village meetings in the area. By 1718, the village petitioned for separation, and the town officially incorporated on November 27, 1719. The village was originally named'Westham'(short for'West Dedham'), but at the time of incorporation, its name was changed to Bellingham without record of the benefactor. It is unclear whether it was named for the borough of Bellingham, London in London, or if it was named for Richard Bellingham, three-time governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the seventeenth century.

The town was founded with a Pilgrim meeting house, like all the towns in the colony at the time. However, this church would dissolve before the middle of the century, replaced with a Baptist church. The town grew slowly, given the terrain and the limited resources. During the Industrial Revolution, several man-made ponds were made to support industry in land that had been swamp. Today the northern part of the town is part of the economic boom along Interstate 495 (Massachusetts), with the southern being mostly suburban.

Geography and Transportation