Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,558 at the 2000 census. Located about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires 1-acre (4,000 m) or larger. As recently as the early 1960s, 75% of its annual town budget was allocated to snow removal, as only a mile and a half of the town's roads are state highway. The nickname of Dover is the town of friendship. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Dover, please see the article Dover (CDP), Massachusetts.