Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Walpole Town, as the Census refers to it, is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) south of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and 30 miles (48 km) north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population of Walpole was 26,383 at the 2020 census. Walpole was first settled in 1659 and was considered a part of Dedham until officially incorporated in 1724. The town was named after Sir Robert Walpole, de facto first prime minister of Great Britain. It also encompasses the entirely distinct entity of Walpole (CDP), with its much smaller area of 2.9 square miles.