KINGSTON /Montclair, St. Francis and Brentwood
Silence is golden in neighborhood near school

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 20.39 sq. mi.

POPULATION
2000: 11,780
2007: 12,320

Density: 665 res./sq. mi.
Median age: 39
Median household income: $61,204

FINANCES
Tax rate: $10.31
Town budget: $33.8 million
Avg. water bill: $300/yr.

HOUSING
Median home price
2006: $365,000 (154 sales)
2007: $315,000 (127)
Median condo price
2006: $275,000 (12)
2007: $228,636 (10)

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 1,150
Number of teachers (K-6): 27
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: n/a
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: n/a
Median SAT score (2006) at Silver Lake: 1524

Robbie Struble moved into the quiet neighborhood off Route 27 across from Silver Lake Regional High School 25 years ago.

Montclair Avenue, St. Francis Avenue and Brentwood Avenue are part of a neighborhood that people drive past every day on their way to the high school.

The area doesn't get a lot of attention from passers-by, and that's just the way residents like it.

The unpretentious, quiet streets are lined with capes, a few ranches and an occasional colonial. Most were built in the 1950s.

Struble lives in a cape and laughed when he admitted he paid less than $75,000 for his house. Over time, he added dormers to the house where he and his wife raised three children, the youngest of whom is a junior at the new Silver Lake High School.

His home has a long driveway and sits on a three-quarter acre lot. His son's high school friends park their cars there during the school week. "It can be pretty difficult to get out of that parking lot when school gets out so they just park here and walk," Struble said.

The former Hanover resident said he lives in the kind of neighborhood where he knows who everyone is, and everyone is friendly and gets along.

"I've watched a couple of kids who grew up buy the homes from their parents because they don't want to leave the neighborhood," he said.

Farther down St. Francis Avenue, a cape has a for sale sign in front. Meredith Hunt of Caldwell Banker in Duxbury said the two-bedroom house is perfect for first-time buyers.

"I actually sold this house to its current owners a few years ago but their family is growing and they need more room. The house is a great alternative to a condo for a first-time buyer," Hunt said.

The house is on an acre and has a new deck and a septic system built to handle a larger house. Hunt said the house was renovated less than three years ago. It is listed at $309,000.

Most of the streets in this section of Kingston end in a cul de sac, and it's not uncommon to see children playing or riding their bikes in the street.

Montclair Avenue resident Kim Raymond said she watches kids walking to school or playing outside and it reminds her of what it was like growing up there. "This was a great neighborhood where everyone always knew each other and things like trick-or-treating were really fun. We always just walked to school. Now I have a daughter of my own and we walk to the corner to get an ice cream," she said.

Raymond and her sister said they are so attached to the house in which they grew up that Raymond's sister plans to buy it when their parents move to Virginia Beach later this year.

"It's a kid-friendly neighborhood and then when they get a little older, they get to go to that new school. I'm so glad the house is staying in the family," Raymond said.

A short walk through the woods and residents have access to several different food options, including subs, pizza and ice cream, at the corner store owned by Peg Celia.

Celia said she didn't realize the neighborhood was even there until recently. "I drive by Braeburn Avenue (which leads to the neighborhood) every day to go to the bank and I've never even noticed it. I guess you only drive down there if you live there, which is kind of nice," she said.