By Thomas Grillo, Globe Correspondent, 8/03/2003

If you're shopping for a home within Interstate 495 for less than $350,000, this may not be the place to start looking.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]An Affordable Housing Partnership was formed in the town several years ago, but just 28 units - less than 1 percent of Bolton's housing stock - meet state criteria for low- and moderate-income families. The town has among the fewest affordable homes in the region.

Recently, local officials conditionally approved 32-unit Sunset Ridge, which would have eight affordable homes. But the conditions include reducing the number of units, which the developers say could kill the deal. A state Housing Appeals Committee will decide the project's fate.

Only 11 of the 58 single-family homes listed on the MLS Property Information Network last week were priced under $500,000, and none were priced at less than $350,000. Even so, it easy to see why people want to live in Bolton.

The town has hundreds of acres of orchards, and some of the region's best apple-picking spots. It's full of country roads, yet is within minutes of I-495. There are nearly three dozen parcels of open space, such as Bowers Springs, that offer hiking and cross-country ski trails. In summer, Little Pond provides residents with a secluded swimming spot.

And Nashoba Regional High School ranked 17 out of 273 high schools in last year's 10th-grade MCAS tests.

Bolton's biggest annual event, the Bolton Fair, typifies its small-town atmosphere. The two-day festival in September, held on 35 acres just off Route 117, offers contests, crafts, music, rides, and games. Organizers say the heart of the event is the agricultural exhibits and the farm animals, along with some exotic creatures. There are also horse- and oxen-pulling events, a lumberjack challenge, and a fiddler's contest.

Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@hotmail.com.

This story ran in the Boston Globe on 8/03/2003.
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