Waban is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Geography and history Waban is bordered by the Charles River and Route 9 to the south, and Route 16 to the west. Waban was once a heavily forested area which developed as an agricultural village in the 19th century. By the 1860s, it was known for its orchards, farms and nurseries. The Cochituate Aqueduct, now partly converted to a walking trail, was built in 1846-48 and ran through the village. Development in Waban accelerated after 1886 with the opening of the rail station by the Boston & Albany Railroad as part of the Highland Branch extending to Riverside. Waban is now served by the MBTA Green D Line. Origin of name The village of Waban was named for Waban, who is thought to be one of the first members of the Massachusett tribe converted to Christianity in 1646. Although he may have lived closer to Nonantum, a hill two miles away, this area alongside the Charles River did provide hunting and fishing grounds. To explain why the village took on this name in 1886, Dr. Lawrence Strong, in his history of the town, later wrote:My father, William Chamberlain Strong, was very active in securing the right-of-way for the Boston and Albany Railroad at the time the Newton Circuit Road was built. The location of a station here marked a potential village, and a name was required. My father had previously lived on Nonantum Hill in Brighton, where Waban, the Chief of the Indian tribe Nonantum, had his wigwam, and where Eliot, the Apostle to the Indians, preached. A memorial marks this spot today. So the name "Waban" for the new village easily suggested itself to my father. I am told Waban, or Wabanoki, means "east" in the Indian tongue. The spelling of the name cannot be held to coincide with its pronunciation. I believe the pronunciation is correct and the correct spelling would be either Wauban or more probably Waughban. Education and health care Waban has two elementary schools, Angier, named after Albert E. Angier (1897-1918), who was killed fighting in World War I, and Zervas, (formerly the Beethoven School) named for Dr. Frank Zervas, a school principal. The original Waban School opened in 1900, was renamed the Angier School in 1921, and was replaced by a state-of-the-art schoolhouse in 2016. The