Auburndale is one of the thirteen

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

within the city of

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

in Middlesex County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of

interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

s 90 and 95. It is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90). Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages ( West Newton,

Waban Waban ( – ) was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American of the Nipmuc group and was thought to be the first Native American convert to Christianity in Massachusetts. Early life and first contact with the English Little is known ...

, and

Newton Lower Falls Newton Lower Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The commercial area extends across the Charles River into Wellesley, where it is known as Wellesley Lower Falls, whe ...

) as well as the city of Waltham and the Charles River. Auburndale is the home of Williams and Burr elementary schools, as well as

Lasell College Lasell University (LU) is a private university in Newton, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1851 as a women's seminary. It became a college in 1932, a four-year institution in 1989, coeducational in 1997, and a university proper in ...

. Auburndale Square is the location of the Plummer Memorial Library, which is run by the Auburndale Community Library and no longer affiliated with the Newton Free Library, the Turtle Lane Playhouse, and many small businesses.

History

The first major settler in the area was William Robinson, who built a house in 1678 on what is now Freeman Street. The oldest house in Auburndale stands at 473 Auburn Street and was built in 1730 by William Robinson. Auburndale, once billed as ''Auburndale-on-the-Charles'', was the home of

Norumbega Park Norumbega Park was a recreation area and amusement park located in "Auburndale, Massachusetts, Auburndale-on-the-Charles" near Boston, Massachusetts. The associated Totem Pole Ballroom became a well-known dancing and entertainment venue for big ...

, which closed in 1963. The park included rides, a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

, and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

. The nationally famous

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

venue Totem Pole Ballroom was associated with Norumbega Park and closed in 1964.Norumbega Park
Norumbega Park. Retrieved on April 9, 2011. The area now contains over 80 acres of conservation land, as well as access to the Charles River.

Transportation

Auburndale is divided into two parts by the

Massachusetts Turnpike The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially the "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a controlled-access toll road that runs concurrently with Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It the longest Interstate Highway in Massachu ...

, which connects it to neighboring villages of Newton and downtown

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. The village is located adjacent to the intersection of

s 90 and 95. A number of public transportation options connect Auburndale to neighboring communities. The

MBTA Green Line The Green Line is a light rail system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. It is the oldest MBTA subway line, and with tunnel sections dating from 1897, the oldest subway ...

's D Branch

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

line serves Auburndale at

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

and Riverside stations, the latter being the line's terminus. Both stations have bus connections; Woodland station is served by MWRTA bus routes 1 and 8, while Riverside connects to

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

bus route

558 __NOTOC__ Year 558 ( DLVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 558 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe ...

. The

MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It ...

Framingham/Worcester Line The Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system runs west from Boston, Massachusetts, to Worcester, Massachusetts, through the MetroWest region, serving 18 station stops in Boston, Newton, Wellesley, Natick, Framingham, Ashland, ...

serves the village at Auburndale station, adjacent to the Massachusetts Turnpike.

MBTA bus The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...

routes

505 Year 505 ( DV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodorus and Sabinianus (or, less frequently, year 1258 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 505 for t ...

and

, which offer express service to downtown

, both stop at the station.

National Register historic sites

Nineteen places in Auburndale are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, as follows

Local Historic District

Established in 2005, the Auburndale Historic District includes approximately 275 properties and encompasses two National Register Districts.

Places of worship

*Corpus Christi and St. Bernard's Parish, 41 Ash Street. * Episcopal Parish of the Messiah, 1900 Commonwealth Avenue. *Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street. *

United Parish of Auburndale United Parish of Auburndale, formerly the Auburndale Congregational Church, is a historic church at 64 Hancock Street in the Auburndale village of Newton, Massachusetts. Built in 1857 for an 1850 congregation and repeatedly enlarged, it is a p ...

, 64 Hancock Street.

Points of interest

*Auburndale Cove Park & Playground, West Pine Street. *Norumbega Park Conservation Area. *Turtle Lane Playhouse, 283 Melrose StreetTurtle Lane Playhouse
Turtlelane.org. Retrieved on April 9, 2011. *Woodland Golf Club *Charles River Canoe and Kayak Company

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Newton, Massachusetts Villages in Massachusetts