ResalesBridgewater, Massachusetts: An Appealing Town
Centrally located at Routes 24 and 495, the town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts provides easy access to Boston, Cape Cod, and Providence, Rhode Island. A far-from-the-madding-crowd lifestyle, coupled with affordable housing, is beginning to attract attention from weary city dwellers and retirees. New growth is starting in this area where the population had remained relatively unchanged since the early 1990s.
"Bridgewater is a very appealing town," says Realtor David P. Young, "Bridgewater is a very appealing town with its affordable housing and a good school system with its location close enough to Boston for a reasonable commute via highways and a commuter rail system.
"The medium age in Bridgewater is 33.6 years which indicates where young families sought to have a wholesome, stimulating environment to raise children," explains Young. "Retirees looking for suitable town services and scaled-down living to suit their empty nest lifestyle also relocate to Bridgewater. There are many recreational activities available for all ages, such as local baseball and soccer fields, skating park, town teen center, free Sunday night concerts in the summer, basketball courts, a senior center, and many holiday festivities and parades for families to enjoy."
"The town has Bridgewater State College which is one of the oldest institutions of higher education dedicated to teacher preparation in the United States," boasts Young. "Bridgewater State is a comprehensive public college offering majors in arts, and sciences, management, and aviation science and educational disciplines.The college employs 262 full-time faculty members of which 81 percent have doctorates. The back-to-basics approach to life, walking or bicycling to work, is visible in Bridgewater. In regards to local store loyalty, many residents do most of their shopping in Bridgewater."
"The town of East Bridgewater was incorporated in 1823," notes Young. "It started as an agriculture community. During the 20th century residential development along railroad lines stimulated industrial growth and the town became the site of shoe manufacturing and textile mills. The town is experiencing growth in population with a growth of over 23 percent since 1990. Many families are moving in because it is considered by many residents as a lovely place to live and raise a family. The key reason is the stable school system with housing cost is lower compared to other neighboring towns. The town is experiencing significant increases in sub-division housing construction. With its increase in population that the school department has to juggle larger classes with a smaller budget. Deciding to how to spend the money for students always is a difficult task, but the population boom has made it harder. The town is blessed to have many civic employees,and professional business people who volunteer there time to serve the community. Many residents moved to East Bridgewater because it was better safer place with country quiet surroundings."
"The town of West Bridgewater was incorporated in 1822," says Young. "It"s rural in character, and retains many working farms, although the town has experienced an increase in commercial growth.The town"s growth has remained virtually the same since 1990. The age population above 65 has increased 4.0 percent the last decade while the school age children shows a steady decline. West Bridgewater is still a small town - a big extended family. The town attracts seniors because it has easy access to everything, and it"s a quiet community."
Says Realtor Debra J. Cahill, "The stock market is fluctuating but the real estate market seems stable and the sellers" market trend is softening a bit. Homes seem to be staying on the market a little longer (than the 2 days to 1 week we"ve had for the past few months), and that"s good for everyone. A healthy market allows a period of time for adequate buyers to preview properties before feeling the need to jump. Sellers feel better served when their home does not sell within hours to the first buyer that views it. Everyone feels they"ve had time to do their homework and they"re getting a good value. That"s a win-win situation."
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