SHARON /Sharon Woods
Tranquil, safe and convenient to everything

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 24.18 square miles

POPULATION
2000: 17,408
2006: 17,555

Density: 753 res./square mile
Median age: 42
Median household income: $105,146

FINANCES
Tax rate: $14.16
Town budget: $56 million

HOUSING
Median home price (# sales)
2007: $435,000 (186)
2008: $345,000 (10 through January)
Median condo price
2007: $432,000 (20)
2008: 0

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 3,464

Number of teachers: 253
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 89%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 5%
Median SAT score (2006): 1671

The houses at Sharon Woods are high-end designs with striking facades. Despite the fanciness of their surroundings, the residents are down to earth and friendly.

Twenty years ago, the area was to become an industrial park but plans changed. Instead, a housing development was built that extends into a part of Sharon known as Barefoot Hill. The neighborhood’s streets, including Foundry Road, Furnace Street, Triphammer Road and Firebrick Road, are lined with large houses with generous, manicured front lawns. Contemporary street lights add a sophisticated touch. Trees and flowering shrubs are mature and give the homes a finished look.

Mandy Cheung, 22, was born in Hong Kong but moved to Triphammer Road when she was a little girl. She hopes to to one day buy the house from her parents.

“My parents had this house built. They looked at Cannon Forge first but then decided to build here. Part of the reason we moved to Sharon was for the school system, which was great. Even after all this time the neighborhood is still a place where you can be outside in the middle of the night and not be afraid. It’s safe and quiet, and I love it here,” Cheung said.

The neighborhood is just a 2-minute drive from Route 95, making for a relatively direct commute to Boston or Providence.

Ellen Weinberg moved from Canada into her Foundry Road house 11 years ago.

“The neighborhood is a nice mix of people and everyone is very friendly and they know each other, Shaw’s is right down the street, the commuter train is a short drive away and this section of town is on town water and sewer,” Weinberg said.

Houses in the area range in price from the high $400,000s to more than $600,000.

“Sharon also has a nice lake (Massapoag) with a sandy beach that we go to in summer, so the town really has it all,” Weinberg said.

Janice Avratin, a real estate broker from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, describes the area as “a highly desirable section of Sharon that’s always in demand. People are always looking to buy in that area. It’s a family-oriented neighborhood with some beautiful, big homes and you can’t beat the location.”

A four-bedroom house with an in-ground pool on Firebrick Road is on the market for $649,000.

“There really isn’t anything bad you can say about the neighborhood,” said Kerry Gilroy.

Gilory spends her days in Sharon Woods caring for the children of Niviedi and Vijay Chandrasekavan, who have lived here for two years. “ I would love to live in a neighborhood like this one. It’s great for taking walks and the schools are more like private schools than public,” she said.

It’s common to see residents walking dogs, power walking or riding bikes. Sharon Center is just a few minutes away by car.