COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT
Rockport
Boston Globe, 3/7/2004
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ROCKPORT — Before they bought their three-bedroom farmhouse here last summer, Daniel and Debra Thibodeau had never set foot in this charming oceanfront community at the tip of Cape Ann.
‘‘Before we started our search, we’d never even heard of Rockport and had never been up in this area,’’ recalled Debra Thibodeau. ‘‘But as soon as we drove by the ocean with our real estate agent and saw how small and quaint Rockport was, I knew this is where we wanted to live.’’ The Connecticut couple, who bought a new home for $475,000 within 1,000 feet of Pigeon Cove, came to town after Daniel took a systems analyst job in Gloucester. ‘‘For me, it fulflls a longtime dream to live close to the water,’’ said Daniel Thibodeau. The couple chose Rockport over Gloucester in large part because of the schools. ‘‘We never really considered Gloucester because its schools were not as good,’’ said Debra Thibodeau. ‘‘And we found a brand new home near the water that had all the features we wanted.’’ Rockport, which calls itself the crown jewel of the Massachusetts coastline, sees its population nearly triple in summer as tourists pack bed and breakfasts, inns, and rental homes. Rockport has three sections: South End, downtown, and Pigeon Cove. South End is the residential area just outside town center, and along the rocky coast where many inns are located. Downtown includes Bearskin Neck, Dock Square, and Main Street. Among the town’s many attractions is Halibut Point State Park on Gott Avenue, a former granite quarry just off Route 27 that hugs the coast. On a clear day, locals say, the 60-foot former fire-control tower offers views of Crane Beach in Ipswich all the way to Mount Agamenticus in Maine and the Isles of Shoals just off New Hampshire’s coast. In summer, the park is filled with bayberry, blueberry, and arrowwood -- a plant that produces clusters of small, white flowers and by late summer bears small, dark blue fruits. In winter, loons, ducks, and puf?n feed in the waters. Sea Rocks, an adjacent property, is another park where tourists can hike along the rocky ledges and take in the coastal views. Whale watching tours depart from Tuna Wharf. Public beaches include Front Beach just off Main Street, and Back Beach near Pigeon Cove on Beach Street. There are a variety of shops, art galleries, and restaurants that line Bearskin Neck, a narrow roadway that leads to a rocky cove. And Rockport, of course, is home to a former lobster shack on Bradley Wharf at the entrance to Rockport Harbor that has become internationally known as Motif #1, thanks to the countless photographs and paintings depicting its red, buoy-laden facade. -- THOMAS GRILLOSales sampler 153 Birch Rd. One-family Colonial, built in 1915, 1,300 square feet, 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, on 4,050-squarefoot lot. $325,000 47A High St. One-family bungalow, built in 1925, 996 square feet, 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 11/2 baths, on 6,380-square-foot lot. $212,500 9 Landmark Lane. Two family, built in 1959, 1,693 square feet, 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 12,050-square-foot lot. $455,000 83A Phillips Ave. One-family ranch, built in 1964, 1,312 square feet, 5 rooms, 3 bedrooms,2 1/2 baths, on 12,245-square-foot lot. $725,000 30 Pigeon Hill St. One family, built in 1940, 1,077square feet, 4 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 9,400-square-foot lot. $359,000 1073 South St. Two-family, built in 1925, 2,638 square feet, 10 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 4,420 square foot lot. $500,000 THOMAS GRILLO [an error occurred while processing this directive]
