Give Me 100 Reasons to Live in Westwood

Here are a few reasons I thought of...please add to the list...

1. Small friendly elementary schools with strong parent involvement
2. Numerous preschools with dedicated staff; I've had personal experience with MMO and St. John’s, but I have heard good things about others.
3. Small but strong and active civic clubs like Rotary.
4. Westwood Young Women’s Club – active in fundraising every year and instrumental in building new playground in Islington a few years ago.
5. Variety of neighborhoods—something for everyone…
6. The Maze neighborhood – parents and kids everywhere; walk to high school and middle school.
7. Islington – village feel; walk to commuter rail. Parker/Webster/Cobleigh neighborhoods convenient to everything.
8. Downey district – short drive to 128 commuter rail (15 minutes to Boston)
9. Two commuter rail options for Boston: Islington and Route 128.
10. Dedham Square, Legacy Place a short drive away.
11. Hale Reservation – camping, hiking, membership beach
12. Lowell Woods – acres of hiking and exploring
13. Better property tax/home value when compared to neighboring towns – lower home prices than communities to north, higher value services and perceived better schools than south/east.
14. Easy access to Route 128/I-95.
15. Small town where you can know your neighbors, but part of metro Boston area for jobs, education opportunities, etc.
16. Almost no crime. A town where you can leave your doors unlocked. (although I am sure police would not recommend this.)
17. Two libraries.
18. Good mix of long-time and newer residents…a welcoming community.
19. Bubbling Brook Ice Cream
20. Community-service oriented police – individual officers who go out of their way to be involved in the community and support/educate residents.
21. Trash pickup is provided (some towns only have a dump you must drive to).
22. Two post offices.
23. Chiara Bistro – a classy upscale restaurant that competes with anything in Boston.
24. Islington Pizza – when you need that steak bomb for lunch or take out pizza for dinner.
25. Vello’s and Café Diva “anchor” the town with local café options…or there’s always Starbucks.
26. Wildlife: I’ve seen 4 deer in my backyard at a time…and crossed paths with a coyote once while running.
27. Roche Bros supports the community with donations and support for countless projects organized by civic organizations in town.
28. Recreation Department puts on many low-cost activities for kids, especially during vacation periods.
29. If you don’t want to join a health club, you can join the High School Fitness Center and/or pool.
30. Welcoming neighbors lend a hand when needed.
31. Open Town Meeting
32. People are relatively “laid back” compared to more “competitive” towns, but quietly committed to quality of life and education.
33. Strong, quality school system makes public education the choice of majority of residents including many who could afford more expensive options.
34. Town events—fireworks, Fireman’s Foam, Christmas Carols at Town Hall—are small, neighborly events that look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting…it’s the real deal, folks.
35. Small town Fire Department delivers big city results and stays current with needs of the town.
36. Dozens of volunteer boards and commissions involve residents in solving problems and making the town better.