Weston: a community with an emphasis on education

Weston

Population: 11,581 (2005)

Median house price: $1.06 million

Tax rate: $10.76

Average single-family property tax: $13,739 (State average, $3,799)

Transportation: Routes 20, 30, 117, 128, Interstate 95, Massachusetts Turnpike. MBTA commuter rail stops Kendal Green and Hastings.

MCAS: Among 280 systems, 10th-graders ranked third in English and fifth in math, according to a Globe analysis of 2006 results. Sixth-graders ranked 31st out of 305 systems in English and 17th in math. Third-graders ranked third out of 298 systems in reading and 18th in math.

Census facts: Median family income is $181,041 compared to a national rate of $50,046; 75 percent held a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 24 percent nationally.

Website: weston.govoffice.com

WESTON -- Town manager Donna VanderClock summarizes the qualities that this town, the wealthiest in terms of median household income in the state, offers by pointing to schools and trees.

"Weston residents place a high value on education," she wrote in an e-mail. "Schools are well supported both through taxes" and by donations to a nonprofit that funnels money into the system. Town schools routinely finish in the top 10 on MCAS scores.

She adds that "Weston is proud of its rural character and places a high value on open space." Last year, residents agreed to spend $22.5 million to buy the Case Estates from the Arnold Arboretum.

The discovery of arsenic on the estate has slowed transfer of its 62.5 acres -- some of which may be sold off to pay for the purchase -- and officials expect to add parts of the estate to 2,000 acres already preserved for hiking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing.

Settled by Europeans in the 1630s and incorporated in 1712, Weston was a farming and manufacturing community that developed into an early version of a suburban bedroom community with the arrival of railroads. When industry shifted to other towns, Weston became a town of large estates. Regis College and several private schools are located here.

On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 107 single-family homes, ranging from $509,900 for a three-bed, two-bath, 1,182-square-foot home to $10.9 million for a six-bed, 7 1/2 -bath, 20,000-square-foot home on 2.8 acres. Median price of a single-family home through April was $1.06 million, according to Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.

JOHN RICHARDSON ELLEMENT