The town was named after Francis Wayland, a preacher and president of Brown University, who established the first free library in Massachusetts, in Wayland, in 1848. It is one of the home communities of those executives who manage and direct companies in the high-tech industrial belt which occupies a good deal of the territory on and between Route 128 and Route 495, as well as of those who commute to the major Boston business and commercial centers.

The town is praised by residents for its rural elegance and country charm and for its location, which makes all of the Boston area's cultural and recreational opportunities available. The school system is also a source of pride to the community, which feels that Wayland's school population receives one of the best educations the state has to offer. In modern times, Wayland has spent considerable time and effort establishing and protecting quiet, handsome neighborhoods of spacious homes.

Wayland Mass is located in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Sudbury and Framingham on the west, Natick on the south, Concord and Lincoln on the north, and Weston on the east. The Sudbury River, Snake Brook, and part of Lake Cochituate are located in Wayland. Wayland is 17 miles west of Boston; 26 miles east of Worcester; 50 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island.