Located 18 miles to the southwest of Boston, Canton is the kind of town where you can live in a secluded, tree-speckled side street near a pond and still be five minutes from the city center. Even by Greater Boston standards, this is a place where lush trees are a common sight. Homes for sale in Canton, MA outnumber those for rent in the charming suburb, and every corner of the city is positively dripping with small-town charm.
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An Overview of Canton, MA
Located 18 miles to the southwest of Boston, Canton is the kind of town where you can live in a secluded, tree-speckled side street near a pond and still be five minutes from the city center. Even by Greater Boston standards, this is a place where lush trees are a common sight. Homes for sale in Canton, MA outnumber those for rent in the charming suburb, and every corner of the city is positively dripping with small-town charm.
Homes for Sale in Canton, MA Neighborhoods
Nearby cities like Boston, Brookline, and Somerville have strongly defined neighborhoods, similar to miniature cities in their own right. The difference between living in Southie and Mission Hill is dramatic and pronounced. There are strong local identities marking the neighborhoods as distinct and unique. In contrast, Canton’s neighborhoods are more of an easy geographic distinction with significant overlap in most areas. Still, if you are looking at homes for sale in Canton, MA, choosing a neighborhood is the first step to finding the perfect home for you and your needs.
Canton Junction/Summer Heights
Counting the Neponset River Reservation, Brookmedow Country Club, Knollwood Memorial Park, and Mildred Morse Allen Wildlife Sanctuary within its borders, Canton Junction is a naturally beautiful neighborhood comprising the westernmost portion of Canton. I-95 access, the Canton Junction T-Stop, Dean S. Luce and JFK Elementary Schools, and Canton High School are all within the neighborhood. Canton Junction offers some of the most convenient locations of any homes for sale in Canton, MA.
Ponkapoag
With the highest appreciation rates (since 2000) of homes for sale in Canton, MA, the Ponkapoag neighborhood comprises Canton’s northern tip. With the I-93/I-95 junction in its northwestern corner, Ponkapoag offers easy access to the rest of Greater Boston. The Blue Hill Country Club, Ponkapoag Golf Corse, Milton-Hoosic Club, Hanson Elementary School, the Blue Hills Regional Technical School, Massasoit Community College Canton campus, and Ponkapoag Pond are all located here.
Builders constructed most of the homes for sale in Canton MA’s Ponkapoag neighborhood between 1940 and 1969, although there is some newer construction as well. With a vacancy, rate that usually only hovers around 3.8%, homes in this neighborhood do not go on the market that often. Statistically speaking, people who move into Ponkapoag love it so much that they rarely leave.
Town Center
Canton’s southernmost neighborhood, the Town Center, includes the Canton Center T Station, Paul Revere Heritage Site, the always-popular Forge Pond, and many other sites. The Town Center contains the Canton Center and Cobb’s Corner shopping areas, as well as a number of medical offices, banks, and other businesses. Living in the Town Center means easy access to a variety of goods and services without necessitating a lengthy drive.
The Town Center primarily offers small to medium-sized stand-alone homes similar to most of the homes for sale in Canton, MA. This neighborhood also contains a number of apartment complexes, offering rentals and condominium purchases to prospective residents.
Reservoir Pond and Turnpike Street/New Boston Drive
From the center of Canton to its easternmost edge, Reservoir Pond largely defines the landscape of this Canton, MA neighborhood. Colloquially known as “the Rez,” many assume that this gorgeous body of water is another natural part of the New England landscape. In reality, the Rez is an artificially engineered body of water, owing its creation to a dam built in 1722. Engineers expanded it through the construction of a new dam in 1827. Its current size is roughly 300 acres. Sold to the Revere (as in Paul) Copper Company around 1832, the reservoir initially addressed downstream power needs. The pond has a long, rich history as a recreational space, with boating, fishing, swimming, and ice-skating, which are all frequent sights on the Rez.
The Turnpike Street/New Boston Drive neighborhood also contains the Pequit Brook Conservation Area, the Wampatuck Country Club, and the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. Dotting the landscape is an assortment of stand-alone homes, which are some of the most gorgeous homes for sale in Canton, MA, Pondside properties are going for shockingly affordable prices considering the going rate for waterfront property in Greater Boston.
Places of Note near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
New England and Greater Boston are rich with history, and Canton is no exception.
Blue Hill
Great Blue Hill, or Massachusett as the native Massachusett tribe called it, marks the highest point in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The centerpiece of the Blue Hills Reservation, Great Blue Hill also houses the Blue Hills Ski Area, a popular alpine skiing destination, – as well as numerous trails crisscrossing the landscape. If you want to ascend to the summit, however, you will need to leave your car behind Outside of specific situations, the top of the hill is trail accessible only.
Canton Center
Packed with old-school charm, Canton’s town center mixes brick construction and a healthy amount of trees to create a prototypical small-town city center. Be sure to swing by the Amber Road cafe for an excellent brunch experience, but be sure to get there early. They fill up fast on the weekends. For the most part, Canton’s “downtown” is peppered with banks and dentists’ offices rather than bars and nightclubs. Anyone looking for something a bit faster-paced could always catch a ride from the Canton Station MBTA center.
Cobb’s Corner
Live in Canton for any length of time, and you are bound to swing by the Cobb’s Corner shopping plaza eventually. Cobb’s Corner took its name from Cobb’s Tavern. In 1740, the proprietor built the first part of the tavern. It lies just a few blocks to the southwest of Sharon. If you are looking to make a purchase, you are probably heading to Cobb’s Corner. They have grocery stores, fast food, and the kind of upscale clothiers that one would usually find in a mall.
Historical Sites near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
The Canton Viaduct
Raised between 1834 and 1835, this blind arcade cavity wall stood longer and taller at the time of its completion than any other railway viaduct in the world. At the time of its creation, it measured 615 by 70 feet. Today, it is the last viaduct of this type still in operation, and still serves the Amtrak Northeast corridor and MBTA’s Providence/Stoughton commuter rail every day.
The Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate
In 1902, Charles A. Platt designed this estate for Dr. Arthur Tracey Cabot. Cabot’s niece, Eleanor Cabot Bradley, undertook a massive renovation of the grounds, adding a greenhouse, camellia house, and several ponds, as well as planting numerous specimen trees. Today, the estate sits on 60 acres of woods, meadows, and 3 miles of trails. The estate also hosts a non-profit museum.
Paul Revere Heritage Site
Nine acres of public land is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and protecting the legendary American Pioneer’s history, particularly his role as an innovator in the copper industry. The site is also marked as the future home of a new venture – the Paul Revere Museum of Discovery & Innovation. The planned site will celebrate the iconic patriot’s entrepreneurial spirit and his love for learning. It will further illuminate his role in making Canton the birthplace of America’s copper industry. Anyone interested in original American disruptive innovation will truly enjoy visiting this amazing place.
The Tilden House
Built in 1725, the home of Abigail and David Tilden is one of the oldest standing homes in America. It frequently hosts the Canton Historical Society.
Population
This area is home to approximately 23,000 residents. The layout of homes for sale in Canton, MA is more expansive when compared with its urban neighbors. With a population density of 1,215 people per square mile (less than 1/10th of Boston’s 13,894 per square mile), Canton enjoys plenty of elbowroom by any standard.
In other words, the homes for sale in Canton, MA spread out much farther than in Boston, or even a more densely packed city like Somerville.
Notable People and Organizations from Canton, MA
Bill Burr
Born William Frederic Burr, the actor, podcaster, and stand-up comic rose to fame playing Patrick Kuby in Breaking Bad, and since went on to create and star in the animated sitcom F is for Family on Netflix. Called the “undisputed heavyweight champ of rage-fueled humor,” Burr’s inimitable style has made him one of the most distinct voices in modern American comedy.
Dunkin’ Brand
Beginning life as Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, MA, the Dunkin’ brand’s world headquarters moved to Canton in 2004, and has thrived ever since. Boasting roughly 12,000 Dunkin’ locations across no less than 36 different countries, the Massachusetts-based chain is handily one of the largest baked goods and coffee chains in the entire world.
Paul Revere
No discussion of Canton’s history is complete without mentioning the legendary patriot, Paul Revere. While most accounts focus on his famous midnight ride, Canton’s relationship with Revere is rooted in his actions after the establishment of the United States as an independent nation.
After the Revolutionary War, Revere’s metallurgical innovations really began to prosper. Beginning with silver working, he soon opened an iron forge in the North End. This lead to a technological convergence with New England’s rise as an industrial center. His innovations culminated in the Revere Copper Company, America’s first copper mill. It opened its doors in 1801, and pioneered industrial techniques in the nascent United States. Some of Revere’s many accomplishments were covering the original dome of the Massachusetts State House, the boilers for one of Robert Fulton’s first steamboats, and numerous American warships, including the USS Constitution. The Revere Copper Company eventually changed its name to Revere Copper Products, moving its production to Rome, NY, where it continues to this day.
History of Canton, MA
On February 23, 1797, the territory that once made up northern Stoughton officially incorporated as the town of Canton. The name came from Elijah Dunbar, first president of the oldest choral society in the United States, the Stoughton Musical Society (now known as the Old Stoughton Music Society). Dunbar believed, as did others of his era, that China was on the literal opposite side of the world from North America. If that were true, China would have been the new town’s counterpart. Dunbar suggested the name, and the city has been known as Canton ever since.
Paul Revere and the Copper Trade
In 1801, along the banks of the Neponset River, a man named Paul Revere opened the fledgling United States’ first copper-rolling mill. At the age of 65, Paul Revere launched the business. The mill not only provided materials for the State House dome and New York City Hall, it also provided the underbelly of the USS Constitution.
Real Estate Data on Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
The Canton housing market is on an upswing. Appreciation of homes for sale in Canton, MA has risen 70.23% over the period from Q1 in 2000 to Q2 in 2019, rising 3.2% over the prior 12 months as of this writing. In other words, homes for sale in Canton, MA are a sound investment, as their value is only going up over time.
Right now, the homes for sale in Canton, MA range from single-bedroom condos for less than $200K in gorgeous Walnut Park to 5-bedroom, 10.5k square foot estates on four and a half acres with a private pond, coming in at a comparatively affordable $2.25M. The upper end of homes for sale in Canton, MA offers virtually unprecedented value for property in Greater Boston.
With a median sale price of $544,000, the average home costs far less than Boston’s median of $770,000. Anyone looking at homes for sale in Canton, MA is likely getting a lot more space for their dollar. Its price per square foot is roughly $307, which is less than half of Boston’s $630 per square foot.
The bottom line is that the homes for sale in Canton, MA offer massive value. Your dollar simply goes farther than it would in neighboring cities.
Transportation near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
Like many Greater Boston suburbs, Canton is primarily a driver’s city. Approximately 72% of Canton residents drive solo for their commute, with around 8% carpooling. Outside of the daily trek to and from work, Canton’s lower population density results in fewer cars on the road at any given time. Greater Boston has intensely busy streets, but Canton’s are decidedly less congested.
With Route 128, I-93, and I-95 all converging and diverging in Canton, there is plenty of freeway access to Boston and the surrounding area.
Public Transportation near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
Roughly, 14% of Canton residents rely on mass transit for their commute. The MBTA commuter rail’s Providence/Stoughton Line heads through the city and stops at Canton Center and Canton Junction T stations.
Canton Center ridership increased greatly from an average of 65 daily riders in 1983 up to 1,113 daily riders in 2013. For comparison, overall MBTA usage tripled over the same time span. The historic Canton Junction first opened in 1835, and today it serves both the Providence/Stoughton line and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.
The South Coast Rail and its Implications on Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
Today, these T stations serve as transit hubs for the city, and in the future, they will increase their relevance. MBTA’s South Coast Rail project plans to revive many Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad lines, returning passenger rail service from Boston to Massachusetts’ south coast. Connecting towns like Berkley, New Bedford, Fall River, Freetown, and Taunton, this project aims to provide rail travel between these cities for the first time since the late 1950’s. Developers are slating the project’s Phase 1 to begin in 2023, and it appears stable and on-schedule.
So what does the South Coast Rail have to do with Canton? Phase 2, which developers have scheduled to start in 2030, plans to revitalize and reconnect the Canton Center and Canton Junction lines, connecting them to this wider system. Students of Greater Boston’s real estate history know that expanded MBTA service frequently means a rapid increase in valuation for homes in the region.
While nothing is certain, if real estate trends across Greater Boston hold true, then the current crop of homes for sale in Canton, MA look to be a stellar investment for years to come.
Education near Homes for sale in Canton, MA
As of this writing, independent ranking site niche.com places Canton, MA in the top 14% of places with the best public schools in America, and ranks it in the top quarter of best places to live in America, period.
Canton, MA Public Elementary Schools
Three public elementary schools serve the town of Canton’s K-5 students. They are the Dean S. Luce School, the John F. Kennedy School, and the Lt. Peter M. Hansen School. The school system bases student assignments on address, so if a particular elementary school has caught your eye; consider focusing your search on a particular neighborhood in homes for sale in Canton, MA.
Each of the elementary schools in Canton, MA boasts a 12:1 student/teacher ratio. This compares favorably to the state average of 13:1, and the results show with happier, more engaged, and better performing students. If you are looking at a particular property, and you are not certain what elementary school district it belongs to, Canton Public Schools has a street-by-street listing to clear up any confusion.
Luce Elementary
Luce Elementary School serves students in the Town Center, as well as a bit of the Turnpike Street/New Boston Drive neighborhood. Rated an excellent 8/10 on test scores from greatschools.org, students here especially excelled in math. They placed no less than 20 percentage points ahead of the state average for each grade.
Hansen Elementary
Covering Ponkapoag and most of Turnpike Street/New Boston Drive, Lt. Peter M. Hansen Elementary covers more territory than JFK and Luce combined. Even so, its average number of students is roughly the same as the others (an average of 477 students, according to Greatschools.org). Hansen Elementary scores particularly well on Greatschools’ rankings. They achieve a rating of 9/10 in test scores and student progress, and an outstanding 8/10 overall.
JFK Elementary
Serving Canton Junction and the southwestern-most part of the Town Center neighborhood, JFK also boasts excellent test scores year after year, netting them a stellar 8/10 from Greatschools. In particular, the trend for scores in English is especially promising, with students improving from an average of 61% proficiency (still well above the 47% state average) to 72% by grade 5. This is well ahead of the state average of 49%.
Canton, MA Public Middle School
Regardless of which elementary school they attended, children in grades 6-8 in Canton attend the William H. Galvin Middle School. Located next to Hansen Elementary, Galvin Middle School continues Canton’s strong education, earning ratings of 8/10 and 7/10 in test scores and student progress. Their students not only outperform similar students across the state, but they also show more improvement from year to year than their counterparts in other schools.
Of particular interest is the school’s advanced STEM offering, with over half of the students opting to take Algebra 1 (compared to 34% for the state), and an impressive 97% of students passing it, compared to 87% statewide.
Canton, MA Public High School
As with grades 6-8, high school students in Canton only have one 9=12 public education offering in Canton High School. Fortunately, Canton High is an excellent institution, pulling in a coveted 8/10 overall rating from Greatschools, marking it as one of the best public high schools in Greater Boston. While its math and English curriculum is fantastic, with scores well above the already high state average, its science program is of particular note. With 92% proficiency compared to the state average of 53%, Canton High sets itself apart.
With a 97% graduation rate (compared to the state average of 88%), and an average SAT score of 1142 (38 points ahead of the state average), Canton High does a fantastic job preparing its graduates for success. 87% of those graduates (17 percentage points ahead of the state average) go on to pursue college or vocational programs. With Greatschools awarding the school 9/10 marks in both test scores and student progress, Canton High is an unquestionably excellent public high school by any metric.
Canton is also home to Blue Hills regional Technical High School, which serves students from Avon, Braintree, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton, Norwood, Randloph, and Canton. Founded in 1963, Blue Hills Tech offers sections on traditional topics such as auto body and repair, metal fabrication, and culinary arts, as well as modern additions such as criminal justice, design and visual communications, and computer information systems. It also has a robust athletics department with 13 sports programs. Its football team has twice played in the MIAA Division IV State Championships.
Private Schools near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
The Northampton-based Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, formerly known as the Clarke School for the Deaf, runs its Boston campus out of Canton. Since 1995, the Canton branch has offered mainstreaming, early intervention, and other speech and language services to children ranging from newborns to age five. These programs prepare them to seamlessly integrate into traditional public and private schools by focusing on lip-reading and oral communication over sign language. The oldest, largest, and most respected school of its kind in the United States offers families from all over Central and Eastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island, access to Clarke’s world-class support.
If you are looking for a more traditional private school in Canton, MA, St. John the Evangelist has served the community since 1883, offering private education for students from preschool through the eighth grade.
College Education near Homes for Sale in Canton, MA
In addition to the multiple excellent universities, that the greater Boston metropolitan area is famous for, Canton itself is home to Massasoit Community College’s 18-acre Canton campus. With an extensive library, classrooms and labs, and plenty of free parking for students, it presents a great, affordable, and accessible option for Canton residents seeking an Associate’s Degree or looking to transfer to a 4-year university down the line.
Additionally, students are not limited to local facilities. The college operates a shuttle bus between the Canton campus and its 100-acre Brockton campus where students can access the Fine Arts building, two theaters, radio and T.V. studios, and field house.
Daily Life in Canton, MA
Work, school, errands, and all the chores and stresses of modern life wear us down. To live in Canton, MA, is to come home to a place that contrasts with the break-neck pace of city life and offers a relaxed, scenic place to rest, recover, and just live your life.
So should you move to Canton? Are the homes for sale in Canton, MA, right for you? If you are looking for a refuge from the stop-and-go traffic of city life where you can take in the evening in the shade of tree-lined communities with plenty of room to breathe, Canton, MA is definitely going to be your speed.
