Boxford
Miles from Boston 25
Population 8,177 (2005)
Median house price $620,000
Tax rate $10.46
Average single-family property tax $7,059 (State average, $3,799)
Transportation Routes 97, 133, Interstate 95.
MCAS Boxford high schoolers attend the Masconomet Regional High School where 10th-graders ranked 67th in English and 57th in math among 280 systems, according to a Globe analysis of 2006 results. Sixth-graders ranked 24th out of 305 systems in English and 23d in math. Third-graders ranked 23d out of 298 systems in reading and 23d in math.
Census facts Median family income is $119,491 compared to the national rate of $50,046; 63 percent held a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 24 percent nationally.
Website www.town.boxford.ma.us
BOXFORD -- Written more than a century ago, author Sidney Perley's history of this Essex County town remains an accurate portrayal in some parts.
"As a whole, [Boxford] is pleasant to live in, healthy, and the many natural beauties . . . give a continual glow of pleasure to the heart," he wrote in 1880.
Boxford has resolutely resisted urbanization by maintaining a 2-acre minimum lot size; just 7 percent of land is assessed as commercial. And to preserve the rural look of the town, nearly every street is officially considered a scenic road and town rules require homeowners to seek approval before they can dislodge a rock wall or a tree.
Settled by Europeans in the mid-1600s, Boxford was basically farming country for centuries, during which its population waxed and waned. The arrival of Interstate 95 helped turn it into a rural bedroom community. It has more than 1,000 acres of open space -- preserved with the help of residents by the Boxford Trails Association with the Boxford Open Land Trust. Green space includes Boxford State Forest, and residents also have access to Stiles Pond, a 60-acre freshwater pond.
On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 82 single-family homes, ranging from $259,000 for a two-bed, one-bath, 616-square-foot home to $3.6 million for a five-bed, 4 1/2 -bath, 6,500-square-foot home on 6 acres. Median price of a single-family home through March was $620,000, according to Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.
JOHN RICHARDSON ELLEMENT 
