Natick, MA : Town Profile

The Town of Natick was from earliest Colonial days a prime target for development, possessing as it did good agricultural land, fish runs and water power. Established in 1650 on the Charles River, Natick had the first and the largest Indian praying town in the colonies. In Colonial days, Natick was an agricultural community with some orchards and some lumbering. Local tradition claims that several loads of Natick men shipped out to the California gold rush in 1849 and 1850, returning with enough capital to start independent businesses in the town. The shoe industry dominated the community by the early 19th century. The town saw rapid growth including an Irish, English, Nova Scotian, Italian and Armenian immigrant population which came to take jobs in the shoe plants and by the 1880's, Natick was the third largest shoe production community in the country. In modern times, Natick has become an industrial Boston-oriented suburban community with heavy strip development on Route 9.