FRAMINGHAM, a town of Middlesex county, Massachu setts, 21m. W. by S. of Boston; served by the Boston and Albany and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railways. The popu lation was 17,033 in 1920, and 22,210 in 1930 by the Federal census. The town occupies 27 sq.m. of level ground, dotted with lakes and ponds, includes three villages, and has the largest unlimited town meeting in the country. It is the seat of the State arsenal and of a State normal school (the oldest in the country), opened in Lexington in 1839 and moved to Framingham in 1852. In South Framingham is the State reformatory for women. The manufac tures are numerous and varied, including straw hats, boots and shoes, rubber goods, patent medicines, boilers, shipping tags, stoves, heating apparatus, automobiles and paper specialties. The aggregate output in 1925 was valued at $25,432,793, and was esti mated at $32,000,000 for 1928. Framingham was settled about 1640 and incorporated in 1700. It was named after the English home (Framlingham) of Governor Danforth, who at one time owned the land. The old Boston-to-Worcester turnpike ran through the village of Framingham Center, and in i834 the Boston and Worcester railway was laid through South Framingham, which then became the most important village of the town.