WHITMAN / Northwest area
Neighborhood has feel of a hidden enclave

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 6.98 sq. mi.

POPULATION
2000: 13,882
2007: 14,072

Density: 2,100 res./square mile
Median age: 35
Median household income: $61,806

FINANCES
Tax rate: $10.74
Town budget: $27.8 million
Average water-sewer bill: $460-$500/year

HOUSING
Median home price (# sales)
2007: $301,825 (86)
2008: $250,000 (9 through March)
Median condo price
2007: $278,000 (23)
2008: $236,000 (3 through March)

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): 1466

Mary Doherty and her family were living in Weymouth the first time her husband suggested they look for a new home in Whitman.

"Whitman?" she remembers saying. "Don't they have cows roaming around in the streets there?"

That was more than 30 years ago. Doherty didn't find any barnyard animals roaming the neighborhood when she arrived but, she said, the area has remained a great blend of city and country living.

The northwest area of Whitman that includes Arthur Street, Belmont Street, High Street and O'Brien Avenue is just off Route 27. Whitman Center is less than a mile away from the neighborhood, but it still feels like a hidden enclave, residents said.

Doherty's house and many others in the neighborhood were built in the early 1900s. Some of the Dutch colonials and capes have stone foundations. Other, including the ranches and split-levels, were built in the 1970s.

The streets are wide and houses have small yards in front and back. An elementary and middle school are both within walking distance.

"You don't even need a car to live here," Doherty said. "I always walk to the store or the center and I love it. It's always been a safe neighborhood where people know each other."

With her children grown and gone, Doherty remembers how busy the neighborhood was when they were growing up. "The people across the street had six kids, and in that house they had eight. It was great. Many of these homes now belong to empty-nesters that will probably downsize at some point soon," she said.

Mark Huska has lived in his house on High Street since 1974 and raised three daughters there. The lifelong Whitman resident said little has changed since he was a boy and lived with his parents near the town center.

"I had just gotten out of the service when we bought this house and the population was about 11,000," Huska said. Now, Whitman's population is closer to 15,000. "It's a small town with only so much space to build on. One of these days when I decide to sell this house I plan to stay in town," he added.

Huska bought his three-bedroom house on a six-acre L-shaped parcel for $29,000 more than 30 years ago. "We started out here as the young pups of the neighborhood and now we're the old coots," he said with a laugh.

Huska said at some point he will most likely sell off a couple of house lots (which are residentially zoned) but plans to save three for his daughters. "I'd like to see them all stay here. It's a good place to grow up, the schools are good, and the town offers parks, a pool and plenty of youth sports programs," he said.

There are a few houses for sale along Belmont Street. One, a white split-level ranch with about a half acre of land is listed with David Wedge of Weichert Realtors/Briarwood Realty in Easton.

"This house is one of several built in the early 70's. The owner, now a widower, wants out and the house is priced to sell at $259,900," Wedge said.

"That house is a good price for the neighborhood and for the town actually. A lot of people think of that neighborhood as a hidden secret. It's quiet and sort of tucked away and yet it's close to everything you could want or need," he added.