Editing Newton, Massachusetts (section)

===19th century===
Nineteenth-century Newton, following the [[American Civil War]], was a patchwork of villages. The northern villages of [[Auburndale, Massachusetts|Auburndale]], [[Newton Corner]], [[Newtonville, Massachusetts|Newtonville]], and [[West Newton, Massachusetts|West Newton]] were the most affluent.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Spiers |first=John H. |date=2011 |title=Landscaping the Garden City: Transportation, Utilities, and Parks in Newton, Massachusetts, 1874-1915 |url=https://ejournals.unm.edu/index.php/historicalgeography/article/download/2856/2334 |journal=Historical Geography |via=[[Wikipedia Library]]}}</ref>{{Rp|page=248}} In contrast, both [[Waban, Massachusetts|Waban]] and [[Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts|Chestnut Hill]] were sparsely populated.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=249}}

Several village-based "improvement societies" were founded by residents between 1878 and 1904. No citywide improvement society was ever founded.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=249–250}}

In 1889, [[Moses King]] published ''King's Handbook of Newton'', a descriptive guide to all of Newton's significant locations and historic structures along with anecdotes and stories from the locals at the time. The information was collected by its author and close associate of King, [[Moses Forster Sweetser]].

Newton, according to Muir, became one of North America's earliest commuter suburbs. The [[Boston and Albany Railroad|Boston and Worcester]], one of North America's earliest railroads, reached [[West Newton, Massachusetts|West Newton]] in 1834. Wealthy Bostonian businessmen took advantage of the new commuting opportunity offered by the railroad, building gracious homes on erstwhile farmland of [[West Newton, Massachusetts|West Newton]] hill and on Commonwealth Street. Muir points out that these early commuters needed sufficient wealth to employ a groom and keep horses, to drive them from their hilltop homes to the station.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}