Norwood Shows Strongly In State Planning Board Report-This Day In Norwood History-August 7, 1947

Local Population Triples 1900 Figure; Town Now Has 8130 Registered Voters

The State Planning Board has just published a table showing essential facts regarding each of the 100 cases and towns in the vicinity of Boston which form the Massachusetts Bay Region. The data given includes the forty-year record to 1940 of the Federal population census, together with population density, assessed valuation of hf S and buildings, valuation per capita, and tax rate. In addition, totals of all the items are given for the Metropolitan District Commission of 43 cities and towns, the Federal Census District of 83, and the Massachusetts Bay Region of 100 cities and towns. The table is particularly convenient for comparison with current data in marking the changes from prewar conditions.

The figures of the State Planning Board run from 1900 to 1940, in 10-year periods. There are five items in the Board’s list which are not on record at the Municipal Building from 1940 to date But the balance of the items covering 1940 to 1945. which are the most valuable, have been obtained from town officials and the added on the Norwood breakdown printed below. They present an excellent and interesting picture of the town’s growth during greatest period of expansion, and of what happened in Norwood during the recent war era.

Norwood’s growth in population, from 1900 to 1945 has been steady, with no period showing a decrease; There are today in this town 11.028 more people than when it was a little hamlet of 5.480 population. The present (1945) population figure is 16,508.

NO GHOST TOWN

Consider too, what might be called the “New Charter Decade”: from 1920 to 1930 when big business and civic spirit mushroomed our population from 12.627 to 15.049, or an increase of 2,422 people in 10 years. In the succeeding 15 years 1930 to 19451 the growth has only been 1.459 Norwoodites.

Water plays a very small part in Norwood’s geography. There are 10 7 square miles of land and twelve one-hundredths percent of water. Verily, a dry town.

Perhaps this is a good thing Because the density of persons in a square mile land area has risen from .523 of a person in 1900 to 1.576 of a person in 1945.

No one can call Norwood a “ghost town” The increase in the ‘ value of its land and buildings since the beginning of the 20th century.

But it has not been without one setback.

In 1900 the valuation of the town’s land and buildings was set at $3,584,000. This year, 47 years later, they are valued at $23,655 750 or an increase of $20,071,750. But in the era of the Great Slump and the financial depression the valuation sunk from (19301 S23.263.000 to S22,049.000 as of 1940.

On the other hand, during the “New Charter Decade” from 1920 to 1930 the valuation rose from S14.489.000 to $23,263,000.

The land and building valuation per square mile of land area and the valuation per capita naturally followed the total valuations. The latter was $54 in 1900 and was $I,433 in 1945.

The scenario of Norwood’s tax history for the past 47 years is full of human interest which is suggested in the Planning Board survey. The 1900 tax rate is shown as $18 per thousand. In 1908 the rate was $25.60 per thousand, which was quite a jump. In fact, it was the highest in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, regardless of population and Norwood’s was only about 5,480. The taxpayers became alarmed, as well they might, and a probing committee was elected to find out what was in the wood pile. They found plenty. Part of their report read “The situation has become acute and the town is confronted with the problem of how, under our existing taxation laws, it can assess all taxpayers to the full value of their property and still keep them as residents of the town ” Which is a lawyer’s way of saying that the committee had discovered that a considerable group of wealthy and well-to-do citizens had been, for years, keeping taxable property hidden and undeclared.

NORWOOD HIGHLIGHTS

The town eventually elected a committee of 15 with George F Willett as chairman and this committee finally rounded up enough of this undeclared property to enable the Board of Assessors to reduce, by revaluation of property, the 1908 rate of $25.60 to $8.50 in 1909. In 1910 it rose to $9.20 and has been going up steadily ever since to today’s rate of S37 00. It increased $3.60 during the war.

The total breakdown of the Norwood section of the Planning Board survey follows.

Year Incorporated 1872.

Population- (1900) 5.480, (1910) 8.014; (1920) 12.627; ( 1930) 15.049, ( 1940) 15,383; ( 1945) 16.508

Area in Sq Miles- Land, 10.17, Water, 12, Total 10.59

Density of Persons in Sq Mile Land Area- (1900) 523 (1910) 765. (1920) 1.206, ( 1930) 1,437; (1940) 1 469; (1945) 1.576.

Valuation of Land and Buildings-(1900) $3,584,000. (1910) $8,418,000. (1920) $14,489,000. (1930) $23.263.000, (1940) $22,049,000, (1947) $23,655,750.

Valuation per Sq. Mile of Land Area: (1900) $342 ( 1910) S804 ( 1920) $1,384, (19301 S2.222, (1940) $2,106, (1945) S2.259

Valuation per Capita in Dollars ( 1900) $654. ( 1910) $1,050. (19201 $1,147: ( 1930) SI,546; (1940) $1,433. (1945) $1,433

Tax Rote (1900) $18;(1910) $9.20; (1920) $18 (1930) $29, (1940) $33.40, (1947) $37

Gross Valuation: (1940) $26,969.000.

Tax Exempt- (1940) $4,920,000.

Percent Exempt. (1940) 18.24. Tax Levy: (1940) $736,437.

1940 Tax Levy per Capita $47.87.

Registered voters as of June 16, 1947, totaled 8,130.

(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)