HANSON /West Washington Street, Pennsylvania Avenue
An old-fashioned, friendly neighborhood
By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger
Area: 15.67 square miles
POPULATION
2000: 9,495
2006: 10,206
Density: 651 res./square mile
Median age: 38
Median household income: 72,815
FINANCES
Tax rate (2007): $9.38
Town budget: $17.8 million
Average water bill: $320/year
HOUSING
Median home price (# sales)
2007: $333,000 (75)
2008: $290,450 (26 through April)
Median condo price
2007: $249,950 (18)
2008: $304,900 (3 through April)
SCHOOLS
Number of students: 4,372
Number of teachers: 273
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 54%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 27%
Median SAT score (2006): 1,466
Pepper Santalucia and his wife, Theresa Mullen Santalucia, describe their life in Hanson as a cross between “The Waltons” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
The couple and their two small children live on a family compound with siblings and parents and grandparents all in their own homes. The property, which is more than 4 acres, was once part of a thriving farm. Theresa Santalucia’s grandparents, the Mullens, bought it in the 1950s.
The Santalucias live in the 1700s house that once belonged to Theresa’s grandparents. “The town has changed and grown since I was young, but it’s still rural and has a small-town friendliness,” she said.
The family lives by a private pond on West Washington Street, close to Route 14. This part of town has quite a bit of woods and feels like the middle of nowhere, but shopping is just a short drive away and downtown Boston is less than an hour away by commuter train.
A little more than 10 years ago, an area that abuts the Mullen’s “Red Acre Farm” was transformed into a neighborhood of two cul de sacs with about a dozen colonial and cape-style homes.
Kim and Ken McCormick moved to their colonial on Pennsylvania Avenue from Pembroke just five years ago.
“This was the last available lot in the development. It’s two and a half acres and we were delighted to build here,” Kim McCormick said.
The couple and their children are part of the big family that makes up the small sub-division.
“There are plenty of kids here so ours always have someone to play with. And because it’s a cul de sac, they can ride their bikes and we don’t have to worry. In fact everyone looks out for each other here,” Ken McCormick said.
Ken McCormick said the homes that line Pennsylvania Avenue belong mostly to working-class families. “I’d say most of us here tend to be around the same age and everyone gets along,” he said.
Real estate broker Melinda McGraw of M.J. Associates in Hanson moved to town from Brockton seven years ago. She said it took her some time to get used to the friendly atmosphere. “People I didn’t even know would say ‘hi’ to me, and it felt like living in the country. My daughter recently bought a house on Pleasant Street. It’s easy for me to sell houses here because I live here and I know how nice it is,” she said.
McGraw said houses in the area tend to list in the mid-to-high $300,000s for a three- to four- bedroom house.
Later this month, the Mullen family will host its 53rd annual Christmas gathering on their property. The event, started by Mullen’s grandmother who was very involved in the 4H Club, is open to everyone in town and is generally attended by more than 100 people.
“We have a petting zoo with animals for kids, hot chocolate, a bonfire and we sing Christmas carols. It’s always been a nice little break from the holiday madness and I think people look forward to it. The Kiwanis even gets involved and Santa shows up,” Santalucia said.
