What’s with All the ‘W’ Towns in Massachusetts?
From Watertown to Wenham to Winchester to Whately and Worthington, we've got a healthy showing of the only three-syllable letter.
Illustration by Dale Stephanos
Welcome to “The Salty Cod,” a monthly column in which humorist Steve Calechman grapples with uniquely New England dilemmas.
Dear Salty Cod: What’s with all the W towns?
You mean 46 out of 351—13 percent of the state—seems a bit much? Maybe, but from Watertown to Wenham to Winchester to Whately and Worthington (yeah, didn’t know those last two, either. Out by Springfield), we’ve got a healthy showing of the only three-syllable letter, and it’s one of the few things that unites New England. All the states have W in, at minimum, the top three, even Connecticut. (Congrats on finally deciding to join us, although we’re still wary of you.)
Most of the names come from English places or people, which is not a surprise, but it’s not like there are gobs of W towns across the pond. So we’re left to wonder why we got all precious and named so many kids with the same letter, setting off debates in olde taverns and meeting houses—some genteel, others occasionally testy—across still anonymous towns. “Ware is fine, but Wareham, that would be absolutely grand…Williamsburg, Williamstown, people will figure it out…Hey Wellesley, we’re gonna be Wellfleet, and you can suck it.”
Maybe that’s wishful thinking. The simpler reason for all the W towns may lie in the use of “west.” It’s easy to think that slapping it on the front of anything would pump up the numbers, and you wouldn’t be wrong—15 towns went that way, from West Brookfield to Westminster. It’s by far the most popular directional word, and why wouldn’t it be?
Every town around Boston is already, by default, east, and there’s no thrill or challenge in going that way unless it’s a Friday afternoon on Route 3 in the summer. We’re also a narrow state; up and down makes little sense, not to mention that we’re already north as well. Making something more north just makes it more cold.
But we’re long, so when someone says, “Scooch over,” the only way to go is to the left. Plus, it’s the most desirable direction. It comes with the allure of open plains and finding gold in your backyard. It’s where time moves backward, so there’s always the chance of a new beginning. It’s also wild and rugged, just like us, whether we’re building a stone wall or walking a doodle. So yeah, West Tisbury, floating in the Atlantic on Martha’s Vineyard, sounds awesomely wicked.
Got a question for the Salty Cod? Send it to editor@bostonmagazine.com.
This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2025 issue with the headline: “What’s With All the W Towns?”
