Swampscott
Swampscott
Miles from Boston 13
Population 14,134 (2005)
Median house price $450,750 (January-August)
Tax rate $12.86
Single-family property tax $6,917 (state average: $3,962)
Transportation Routes 1A, 129; MBTA commuter rail and bus service
MCAS Among 293 systems, 10th-graders ranked 113 in English and 123 in math, according to a Globe analysis of 2007 results. Sixth-graders ranked 101 out of 309 systems in English and 125 in math, according to a Globe analysis of 2006 MCAS results. Third-graders ranked 67 out of 299 systems in reading and 144 in math.
Census facts Median family income is $82,795, compared to $50,046 for the country; 50 percent held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to national rate of 24 percent.
Website town.swampscott-.ma.us
SWAMPSCOTT - Harken to the writings of Moses Foster Sweetser and his description of this North Shore coastal town as it was in the late 19th Century.
"Swampscott is practically a maritime ward of Boston, a dainty summer-home . . . on the symmetrical sweep of a magnificent bay, open to the sea and the fairest views of distant shores," he wrote in "Here and There in New England."
"Nowhere are there more attractive beaches, or fairer outlooks - or sweeter ocean-air."
About the only attribute mentioned by Sweetser that doesn't apply to this town today is summer home, said Town Administrator Andrew Maylor. Market forces have pushed values into the millions of dollars along the coast, and Swampscott is now a full-time commuting suburb of Boston, he said.
Maylor said the town's location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, its seven public beaches, its solid school system, and ready supply of small, upscale restaurants are among its top attractions.
And, he said, while one side of town has the look and ambience of a classic New England coastal community, Swampscott also has its share of strip malls and shopping centers in the Vinnin Square neighborhood. The town has spent $56 million for a new high school and is currently renovating its historic Town Hall, the former home of Elihu Thompson, one of the founders of
Settled by Europeans in the early 16th century, Swampscott was incorporated in 1852.
On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 85 single-family homes, ranging from $194,900 for a three-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath, 1,094-square-foot home to $4.95 million for a five-bedroom, 7 1/2-bath 9,826-square-foot home.
Median price of a single-family home through August was $450,750, according to Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.
JOHN RICHARDSON ELLEMENT 