BRAINTREE / Thayer Academy neighborhood
A dream location for commuters and shoppers

By MAUREEN MCCARTHY
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 14.4 square miles

POPULATION
2000: 33,828
2006: 33,400

Density: 2,438 res./square mile
Median age: 42
Median household income: $69,910

FINANCES
Tax rate: $8.14 res./$18.92 comm.
Town budget: $100 million
Average water bill: $992/year

HOUSING
Median home price
2006: $369,000
2007: $355,000 (288 sales)
Median condo price
2006: $290,000
2007: $275,000 (159 sales)

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 5,165
Number of teachers: 383
H.S. grads to 4-year college: 71%
H.S. grads to 2-year college: 14%
Median SAT score (2006): 1552

Harry and Lucille Brett bought their first home in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester. Longing for a slice of suburbia, the family of-six moved south to Braintree’s Thayer Academy neighborhood in 1974 and never looked back.

“It was a very welcoming town and neighborhood,” Harry Brett said about his move to Academy Street. “We always felt comfortable here.”

In search of a larger yard and an area accessible to Boston, the Bretts found the place they have called home for more than three decades.

“It was convenient and easy to get in and out of Boston,” Brett said. “It is the easiest point of origin to get on the (southeast) expressway. It is a 15-minute walk to Five Corners, South Braintree Square, Braintree Square and to the T.”

This sought-after neighborhood is just minutes off Exit 17 on Route 3 south and includes Washington and Tremont streets, stretching north to Brow, Weston and Hollingsworth avenues. South Shore Plaza, local eateries and banking are just minutes away.

Dan Lauria, owner of Lauria Real Estate in Braintree, said the neighborhood around the private Thayer Academy is a commuter’s dream.

“It is a very desirable area because of its proximity to the T,” Lauria said. “The bus travels along Washington Street and you can get onto all the major routes in about five minutes.”

Home styles include contemporary, traditional, Victorians and capes and have an average 10,000-square-foot lot, Lauria said. The neighborhood is within walking distance to Hollis Elementary School and Thayer Academy, both on Washington Street.

In 2008, 1,300- to 2,000-square-feet homes sold for $303,000 to $530,000 and offered.

An updated, 1,700-square-foot cape on Academy Street is on the market for $449,900. Two streets over, a 1,300-square-foot home on Weston Avenue is for sale for $399,900.

Homes sell quickly in the neighborhood – even during challenging times, Lauria said. “When something comes on the market, if priced correctly, it shouldn’t last long, even in today’s market.”

Harry Brett said if he and his wife ever decide to move, they will stay in the neighborhood. “If I were to move, I would go one house up or down the street or around the corner,” he said with a chuckle. “I am very happy here.”

Thayer Academy was named in honor of the father of West Point, Gen. Sylvanus Thayer, who was born in Braintree. He made his will in 1871 to provide that his estate would be used for “the erection of an academy in which young persons of the male sex (or both male and female if my trustees deem it expedient) shall be educated.”

The school opened in 1877 with 30 students. Today, it has 680 students in grades 6 through 12.

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