Framingham

Framingham is a town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located within Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The town proper covers 25mi2 with an estimated population of 68,318 in 2010, making it the 14th most populous municipality in Massachusetts. Residents voted in favor of adopting a charter to transition from a representative town meeting system to a mayor–council government in April 2017, and will transition to city status on January 1, 2018.HistoryFramingham, sited on the ancient trail known as the Old Connecticut Path, was first settled when John Stone settled on the west bank of the Sudbury River in 1647. In 1660, Thomas Danforth, an official of the Bay Colony, formerly of Framlingham, Suffolk, received a grant of land at "Danforth's Farms" and began to accumulate over 15000acre. He strenuously resisted petitions for incorporation of the town, which was officially incorporated in 1700, following his death the previous year. Why the "L" was dropped from the new town's name is not known. The first church was organized in 1701, the first teacher was hired in 1706, and the first permanent schoolhouse in 1716.