HANOVER /Whiting Village
Impeccable homes and child-friendly, too
By MAUREEN McCARTHY
The Patriot Ledger Area: 14.63 square miles
POPULATION
2000: 13,164
2007: 13,628
Density: 942 res./square mile
Median age: 39
Median household income: $85,192
FINANCES
Tax rate (2007): $10.63 residential/ $11.01 commercial
Town budget: $38 million
Avg. water bill: $400-500 yearly
HOUSING
Median home price (# sales)
2007: $465,000 (125)
2008: $385,000 (23 through March)
Median condo price
2007: $545,000 (9)
2008: $0
SCHOOLS
Number of students: 2,793
Number of teachers: 219
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 81%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 13%
Median SAT score (2006): 1,532
Beautifully manicured lawns, mature plantings and impeccable exterior structural detail are standard in the Whiting Village neighborhood of Hanover.
What started out as a 30-lot subdivision off Whiting Street in the mid-1980s has matured into one of the most sought-after areas of town.
“The children come out with the robins on the first nice day, and it is just wonderful,” resident Tara Healy said. “It is so nice to hear the kids playing in the backyard.”
Prior to moving to Hanover, Healy and her husband, Steve, owned a ranch in Hingham. With a toddler underfoot and two more children to follow, they needed a home with room to grow on a child-safe cul-de-sac. Originally, they contemplated building their dream home. That was before they visited Whiting Village in 1997.
“This house was a (relocation) and was in an established neighborhood. The landscaping was mature. … Everything was already done for us,” Healy said.
Just a few miles from Route 3 and the Abington and Hanson commuter rail stations, the Whiting Village neighborhood includes Old Schoolhouse, Village and Anderson Farm lanes and Mill Brook Way. Home styles include hip-roof, center entrance and brick front colonials.
In recent years, the neighborhood has been host to Christmas parties, Halloween parades, seasonal barbecues and a holiday Yankee swap.
Nestled between Routes 123 and 139, the neighborhood consists of about two dozen homes and is within walking distance of Hanover Middle School. It is about a mile to from Cedar Elementary School and Hanover High School.
“I think the neighborhood is absolutely lovely,” said Nancy Kleber of Coldwell Banker in Norwell. “There are a lot of children in the neighborhood in a very family-orientated community.”
Most attractive to residents, Kleber said, is the construction of a new high school on Cedar Street behind the existing high school.
The project is scheduled to begin in June and be finished in September 2011.
Currently, two homes are on the market in the neighborhood. An Old Schoolhouse Lane colonial, offering 4,200 square feet of living space, a heated pool and two-car garage is priced at $869,000.
A Village Lane colonial, located in the neighborhood’s only cul-de-sac, offers 3,500 square feet of living space, a gourmet kitchen and a two-car garage. It’s price tag: $884,000.
A four-acre lot is also for sale at $389,000.
“One of things I appreciate is the lot sizes,” Kleber said. “The homes are very substantial yet they maintain their privacy and have plenty of space between neighbors.”
In recent years, homes sales have ranged from $675,000 to just $1 million.
