Danvers
Danvers
Miles from Boston: 17
Population: 25,212
Median house price: $390,500 (2005)
Tax rate: $9.90
Transportation: State routes 35, 62, 114, and 128. US Route 1. Interstate 95. Limited MBTA bus service.
MCAS: Danvers 10th-graders ranked 114th out of 278 systems in English and 126 out of 278 systems in math, according to a Boston Globe analysis of 2005 MCAS results. Third-graders ranked 86th out of 299 systems in reading. Sixth-graders ranked 177th out of 306 systems in math.
Census facts: Median family income is $70,565 compared to national rate of $50,046; 33 percent held a bachelor's degree or higher compared to US rate of 24 percent.
Website: www.danvers.govoffice.com
DANVERS -- Neighboring Salem revels in the Salem Witch trials, but this town takes a more sober view of its role in history where the 17th century witchcraft hysteria actually began.
''We don't have Elizabeth Montgomery," said Town Manager Wayne P. Marquis, referring to Salem's statue of the late actress in her role as a television witch.
Instead, Danvers has a somber memorial ''in memory of the innocents" who were executed by fearful authorities.
What one can find here, said Marquis, is a community that provides a good school system with many recently renovated buildings and a senior center that organizes trips around the world.
''It's not just young kids or families we try to cater to," he said. ''We try to cover the whole gamut."
Marquis said the town has 35 percent of its property in commercial use and has never had to override Proposition 2 1/2. The next big project, he said, is the renovation of the high school, which may cost $50 million.
Danvers shelters some 1,000 boats in its harbor. The town also boasts the 165-acre Endicott Park.
On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 101 single-family homes, ranging from $299,000 for a three-bed, 1.5-bath, 1,026-square-foot home to $1.395 million for a five-bed, 4.5-bath, 5,500-square-foot home. Median price of a single-family home in 2005 was $390,500, according to the Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.
JOHN RICHARDSON ELLEMENT
