Sharon is a suburban residential community at the midway point between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. This typical New England community of single family homes is also a busy commercial center of retail and professional offices. Though businesses within the town offer employment opportunities, residents many commute easily elsewhere due to the access Sharon possesses. Boston is just 22 miles north. Major highway arteries Routes 1 and 27 as well as Interstate 95 connect Sharon with Boston and nearby communities. Additionally, there is commuter rail service to Downtown Boston. Sharon was first settled as the Second Precinct of Stoughton in 1740.
Afterward, in 1765, the community was incorporated as the Town of Stoughtonham and later named Sharon in 1783. During the American Revolution, local craftsmen made cannonballs for the Continental Army. There are antique homes throughout Sharon that date back to this period. The town's charm is most evident in its neat tree-lined downtown area at Post Office Square with white church spires and welcoming signs. The town library, also in this central district, houses a large collection of over 80,000 volumes and the Community Center, located in a former resort hotel, has recreational activities for youth and adults such as dance, karate, yoga, language lessons, chorus, chess, sports club, theater, and community television.
Sharon is clearly a vibrant community where its population of 18,000 residents actively participate in civic organizations and celebrations. An Interfaith Clergy Council sponsors an annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration. Other festive events in Sharon include Square Jam, the Fourth of July, Family Week, and First Night (New Year's). Among Sharon's many notable assets is the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape.
For many years, seasonal residents have appreciated the area and have built their vacation homes in Sharon, or have stayed at inns beside Lake Massapoag. Even now, the lake is a significant attraction and is the site of concerts, fireworks displays, fishing, and swimming along Memorial Beach. Additional open space exists at the 2,250-acre Massachusetts Audubon Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, and at Borderland State Park, and the Warner, Massapoag Brook, and King Philip's Rock nature trails.
In all, Sharon has 5,000 acres of protected land.Sharon has an excellent public school system that leaves its graduates well-prepared for college. Over 96 percent of its graduates go on to higher education. The School Department oversees a high school, a middle school, a regional vocational school, and three elementary schools, including an Alternative School at East Elementary School.
In February 2010, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Sharon, MA was $381,500. While this data is collected from the MLS and deemed reliable, it is not guaranteed.
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