Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a borough, and it is the second most populous county that has a county seat at a town. The county was named after the English county of the same name. Two towns, Cohasset and Brookline, are exclaves.
Norfolk County is included in the Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Norfolk County is the 24th highest-income county in the United States with a median household income of $107,361. It is the wealthiest county in Massachusetts.
| Name: | Norfolk County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 25-021 |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Founded: | 1793 |
| Named for: | Norfolk |
| Seat: | Dedham |
| Largest city: | Quincy |
| Total Area: | 444 sq mi (1,150 km²) |
| Land Area: | 396 sq mi (1,030 km²) |
| Total Population: | 725,981 |
| Population Density: | 1,833/sq mi (708/km²) |
| Time zone: | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| Summer Time Zone (DST): | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Website: | www.norfolkcounty.org |
Norfolk County location map. Where is Norfolk County?
History
Norfolk County, Massachusetts was created on March 26, 1793, by legislation signed by Governor John Hancock. Most of the towns were originally part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The towns of Dorchester and Roxbury were part of Norfolk County when it was created but, as Boston annexed each town, they became part of Suffolk County again. Hingham and Hull were originally part of the Norfolk County legislation but petitioned to remain in Suffolk county and in June 1793 their removal to Norfolk county was repealed. In 1803, they were moved into Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Norfolk County is the birthplace of four Presidents of the United States (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush), resulting in the moniker “County of Presidents.”
Sheriffs
There have been 21 sheriffs of Norfolk County.
Treasurers
Registers of Deeds
The Registry was originally housed in one of the first floor rooms of the home of Eliphalet Pond, the first registrar, at 963 Washington Street in Dedham. A sign was nailed to a tree out front informing the public of its location. It then moved to the original Norfolk County Courthouse and remained there for about three decades. When the new Norfolk County Courthouse was built in 1827, the middle office on the west side of the lower level was used by the Registry. When the population of the county grew and the number of real estate transactions increased apace, a new building was constructed for the Registry across the street at 649 High Street. The Boston firm Peabody & Stearns was hired to design the current Registry of Deeds, built in 1905. The main section of the building measures 52 feet by 186 feet, is two stories high with a copper hipped roof, and is built of Indiana limestone with details made of granite from Deer Isle, Maine.
Other
In the mid-1800s, Jonathan H. Cobb was the clerk of courts.
Norfolk County Road Map
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km) is land and 48 square miles (120 km) (11%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Massachusetts by total area. The county is not completely contiguous; the towns of Brookline and Cohasset are each part of Norfolk County but are separated from the majority of Norfolk County (and each other) by either water or other counties. At the county’s formation, Hingham and Hull were to be part of it, but joined Plymouth County instead, leaving Cohasset as the initial exclave of Norfolk County and an enclave of Plymouth County. Brookline became the second exclave of Norfolk County in 1873 when the neighboring town of West Roxbury was annexed by Boston (thus leaving Norfolk County to join Suffolk County) and Brookline refused to be annexed by Boston after the Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873.
Adjacent counties
- Middlesex County (northwest)
- Suffolk County (north)
- Plymouth County (southeast)
- Bristol County (south)
- Providence County, Rhode Island (southwest)
- Worcester County (west)
National protected areas
- Adams National Historical Park
- Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part)
- Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Major highways
- I-90
- I-93
- I-95
- I-495
- US 1
- US 20
- Route 1A
- Route 2
- Route 3
- Route 3A
- Route 9
- Route 16
- Route 18
- Route 24
- Route 27
- Route 28
- Route 37
- Route 53
- Route 58
- Route 106
- Route 109
- Route 115
- Route 121
- Route 126
- Route 128
- Route 135
- Route 138
- Route 139
- Route 140
- Route 152
- Route 228
Norfolk County Topographic Map
Norfolk County Satellite Map
Norfolk County Outline Map
