Wayland is a small residential community in Metro-west region between Boston and Worcester. This largely undeveloped and still rural town of stately up-market homes has attracted executives from many of the high-tech firms located along the Routes 128 and 495 industrial belts. Located at the halfway point between Boston and Worcester, Wayland also proves to be an ideal place for commuters to these two cities. Besides the benefits of its central location, Wayland is also a desirable place to live because of its quiet, peaceful setting. The town has had little to no development apart from residential building. There is no industrial or commercial base in Wayland, just natural beauty and open space of forests, marshes and the banks of the Sudbury River.
Wayland, which is part Middlesex County, attracted settlers as early as 1673 when it was designated part of the Sudbury plantation. These first residents were engaged in agriculture and also in small-scale grist and saw milling, powered by local streams. None of this early industry survives. What is left in Wayland is purely a community of homes. The town was incorporated by 1780 and assumed its present name much later when it was named in honor of Francis Wayland, a preacher and president of Brown University, who established the first free library in Massachusetts, in Wayland, in 1848.
Today one of the community's greatest assets is its excellent school system. Wayland's one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools are considered among the best public schools in Massachusetts. Additionally, other high quality municipal services offered include: a public library, a water department and active beautification projects that plant flowers, trees, and ornamental grasses in public spaces such as Hookers Green, a large triangular garden located at the intersection of Route 20 and Old Connecticut Path.
Wayland's Parks and Recreation Department maintains a municipal beach along scenic Lake Cochituate which lies within Wayland. Wayland is most of all a community of quiet, affluent neighborhoods of
exceptional homes. The residents are committed to preserving Wayland's country charm and have even funded the purchase of property to maintain open space and establish a national wildlife preserve.
Homes in this pristine community reflect its desirability. Magnificent multi-million dollar homes on large parcels represent some of the finest homes in Boston's metropolitan area.