PEMBROKE /Harvard St., Yale Road and Dartmouth Circle
Pembroke's Ivy League neighborhood

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot LedgerArea: 23.47 square miles

POPULATION
2000: 16,927
2006: 18,179

Density: 832 res./square mile
Median age: 38
Median household income: $75,153

FINANCES
Tax rate: $10.41
Town budget: $49.9 million
Avg. water bill: $450/year

HOUSING
Median home price
2006: $344,000
2007: $309,875 (through Dec.)
Median condo price
2006: $312,641
2007: $292,000 (through Dec.)

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 3,353
Number of teachers: 203
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 67%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 17%
Median SAT score (2006): 1513

The people who live on Harvard Street, Yale Road and Dartmouth Circle are unsure why the roads in their neighborhood are named after Ivy League schools. They just know they like it.

The neighborhood, which also includes academic-sounding Dean Drive, is on the Duxbury line near Chandler Pond. Most houses were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and architectural styles include ranches, split-level ranches, gambrels and colonials.

Gail Webb moved into her cape on Harvard Street four years ago. Her house was the first one she looked at, and she said she knew right away it was where she wanted to live.

“I’m right on the pond, and I can sit on my deck and watch kids and dads ice skating and playing hockey. Across the pond on the Duxbury side, they seem to do a lot of ice fishing. It’s the perfect spot for me, and the area is rich with wildlife like birds, swans, geese and ducks,” she said.

When Webb first moved into her house, neighbors welcomed her with gifts of wine, a candle and a plant. “My neighbors across the street have become friends, and we care for each other’s pets when one of us goes out of town. It’s the kind of neighborhood where people look out for each other,” Webb said.

Her neighbors, Chris and Theresa Zacker, have lived nine years in their three-bedroom ranch home built in 1961. They feel that moving from Braintree was the best thing they ever did.

“We bought it for under $200,000, and it would most likely sell for over $300,000 now,” Chris Zacker said.

He said his neighbors all have 1-acre lots which makes the neighborhood private. “A couple of years ago, one of our neighbors razed a ranch house and built a colonial in its place. I think that tells you that they wanted to stay in this neighborhood,” he said.

Like Webb, Zacker said he likes the pond . “It’s great for hockey games in winter, and there are a lot of canoes in summer. It really adds something to the neighborhood,” he said. In addition, he said he often catches glimpses of deer, turkeys and coyote.

The area is just a few of miles from Route 3. Osbourne’s Country Store in Duxbury is just a short drive away and there is new public playground on nearby Birch Street. Residents can also catch the commuter train at the Kingston station and be in Boston in less than an hour.

Marie Nagus of Compass Realty in Hanover said the area is highly desirable.

A well-maintained ranch with in-ground pool on Dean Street is currently listed at $354,900. Two years ago, a ranch on Yale Street sold for $295,000.