Framingham, town, Middlesex County, eastern Massachusetts, on the Sudbury River, near Boston; settled 1650, incorporated 1700. It is a commercial and manufacturing center; products include electronic equipment, paper products, and pharmaceuticals. Framingham State College (1839) is here. The town, named for Framlingham, England, grew as a textile center in the mid-19th century. Until 1990, motor-vehicle production was important to the economy. Population 65,113 (1980); 64,989 (1990); 64,994 (1996 estimate).
