CARVER /South Carver near Myles Standish State Forest
‘A nice, quite lifestyle’ with wildlife everywhere
By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger
Area: 39.8 sq. mi.
POPULATION
2000: 11,163
2006: 11,281
Density: 301 res./square mile
Median age: 39
Median household income: 61,782
FINANCES
Tax rate: $11.02 residential/ $17.65 commercial
Town budget: $30 million
HOUSING
Median home price (# sales)
2007: $306,500 (90)
2008: $265,000 (11 through Feb.)
Median condo price
2007: $269,150 (18)
2008: $253,663 (3 through Feb.)
SCHOOLS
Number of students: 1,995
Number of teachers: 146
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 57%
Median SAT score (2006): 1517
The South Carver neighborhood next to Myles Standish State Forest is known as cranberry country, but it also is known for the historically-minded names of its streets.
The streets off Myles Standish Drive are all named for Pilgrims, including Priscilla Mullens Way, Bradford Boulevard, John Alden Court and Brewster Avenue.
The area is also a natural for animal lovers, having two horse farms, including Lee High Farm, an equestrian center owned and operated by Duane and Stephanie Merchant. Plus, it borders Miles Standish State Park which is full of riding trails.
“This is a nice, quiet lifestyle, and we really enjoy living here,” said Stephanie Merchant, a Somerville native.
Andrea Blackwell lives on Priscilla Mullens Way. “We see all sorts of animals here that live in the forest. I see turkeys and deer and there’s a red-tailed hawk that we see regularly. The woman in the house down the street has therapeutic horses that she uses to help children,” she said.
Blackwell moved into the neighborhood informally known as “Settlers’ Green” in 1997. The mother of two young children said she knows many other stay-at-home moms in the neighborhood (whom she says are in the “same boat” as her) and likes that kids of all ages have someone to play with. “It’s a very friendly neighborhood, and we have an Easter egg hunt, Santa comes here at Christmas time, and we have a block party in summer. ,” she said.
Pricilla Mullens Way abuts cranberry bogs. The subdivision began as a few modular homes in 1994. Wayne and Maryann Cotti were among the first to buy on Bradford Boulevard when the neighborhood was still just a concept. “There was a dirt road here and woods. We had to use our imagination,” Maryann Cotti said.
The Kingston couple built a three-bedroom colonial on more than an acre for $149,000.
Today the retired couple spend time maintaining their yard, a certified National Wildlife Habitat. Every inch of their property is designed and landscaped like an English garden and bird houses, feeders and baths have been strategically placed. Two Koi ponds are home to dozens of goldfish, hollowed out dead trees and fallen logs serve as homes to various kinds of animals.
“We have raccoons, fox, rabbits, deer, owls and all sorts of birds coming through here every day. In fact one raccoon learned how to climb up onto the shed roof where it opens the bird feeder and help itself,” Wayne Cotti said laughing. “It’s very relaxing being in such a quiet place surrounded by nature,” Wayne Cotti said.
An abundance of nature can be seen just about everywhere. Mike Burns heads home from a couple of hours of fishing at the pond near the bog. His reel and tackle box are empty but the teen said he often catches bass and pickerel.
“I once caught an eight-pound bass over there. I throw them back though,” he said. Burns said he’s grown up in the neighborhood and likes that it’s a safe place to live.
Brian Lauzon of Carver, a real estate broker and principal of Jade Investments and Consulting in Carver, said the average price for a home in the neighborhood is in the low $300,000s and they all have a generous parcel of land. “That section of town is a horse-lover’s paradise, and there’s a nice mix of people living there,” he said.
The area is quiet and secluded, but it is also just two miles from the Sagamore Bridge. Locals say they have to travel at least 10-15 minutes to do any kind of shopping. But Route 495 is just minutes away.
