About Dover, Massachusetts

Dover is located in Norfolk County, about 15 miles from downtown Boston. It is bordered by Medfield, Needham, Natick, Sherborn, Walpole and Westwood. As a predominantly residential town, it provides a quiet rural setting with many scenic roads. There are miles of trails and woods for walking, cross-country skiing, birding, and horseback riding, as well as access to the Charles River.

Farming was once the principal industry of Dover when it was first settled in 1635. Other industries, including lumbering for the shipbuilding industry, a grist mill, a nail factory, and an iron rolling business, were also developed. Little remains of Dover’s industrial heritage. However, the remains of the Dover Union Iron Mill in Noanet Woodlands were reconstructed and serve as a monument to the ingenuity of the Town’s forebears in using water power to drive the machinery to create iron bars. While farming is largely absent today, Dover’s farming heritage is still evident in the rural quality of the town. Scenery common to farming communities in New England (such as open pasture land; stands of white pine, birch, oak, and maple; old stone walls dividing properties; and farm houses and barns) is still evident today. This heritage and country atmosphere is highly valued by the citizens of Dover.

Public education is highly valued by the community as shown by the consistent ranking at the top for schools in the state and the nation. Not only was Dover-Sherborn High School ranked 7th in Academic Performance by Boston Magazine, but US News and World Report named Dover-Sherborn High School a Gold Medal School, ranking them 65th in the nation.

Find out more on Dover’s website at www.doverma.org