Warren, Massachusetts

Warren, Massachusetts
Town
Historical West Warren
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°12′45″N 72°11′30″W / 42.21250°N 72.19167°W / 42.21250; -72.19167Coordinates: 42°12′45″N 72°11′30″W / 42.21250°N 72.19167°W / 42.21250; -72.19167
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester
Settled	1664
Incorporated	1742
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
Area
• Total	27.6 sq mi (71.5 km2)
• Land	27.5 sq mi (71.3 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	605 ft (184 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,135
• Density	190/sq mi (72/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01083
Area code(s)	413
FIPS code	25-73090
GNIS feature ID	0618388
Website	Town website

Warren is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,135 at the 2010 census.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Warren, please see the article Warren (CDP), Massachusetts.

Warren was first settled in 1664 and was officially incorporated on January 16, 1741 as the town of Western.

Originally a part of Quaboag Plantation, the town now known as Warren was part of Brookfield for 68 years until it was renamed Western. Warren includes land petitioned from both the Quaboag Plantation and the "Kingsfield", which included parts of Palmer and Brimfield.

On March 13, 1834, the town was renamed Warren in honor of General Joseph Warren, who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War. The need to rename the town came about due to confusion of the name "Western" with the town of Weston, Massachusetts. According to the History of Warren Massachusetts by Olney I. Darling, Western was renamed Warren due to "countless mistakes in the transmission of the mails." On January 13, 1834, a town meeting was held to discuss a name change. Shortly thereafter, the town petitioned the legislature to change the name, which was soon done, and the first town meeting under the name "Warren" was held on April 28, 1834.

Two other places named "Warren" had existed in Massachusetts prior to 1834. The first Warren, now in Rhode Island, was located on land combining parts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony. In 1636, Roger Williams, banished from Salem, fled to the Indian village of Sowams, where he was sheltered by Massasoit until he settled at Providence.