$320,433Average Value$224Average Price per Sq Ft17Homes For Sale
Millers River activity and community events abound in Orange
Bisected by Millers River, Orange is a western Massachusetts community offering ample outdoor activity and teeming with small-town charm. Locals canoe along the river year-round and spectate the springtime River Rat Race, which follows the 6-mile Blue Trail starting in Athol. “People come from out-of-town to watch the canoe race, and that’s true for most of our community events,” says Anthony Paoletti, a Realtor with Keller Williams and an Orange resident. “We have a solstice celebration, live music every Friday during the summer at Butterfield Park and a garlic festival; they’re all really unique.” Nature trails ascend Tully Mountain to the north, and Lake Mattawa has a public beach in the southernmost region. Mom-and-pop restaurants and retailers reside in former 19th-century factories along Main Street, and cities like Springfield and Worcester are a little over an hour away.
Orange is part of Franklin County in Western Massachusetts.
Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts.
Orange has a variety of house styles.
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Turn-of-the-century architecture, midcentury dwellings and Lake Mattawa cabins
Sidewalk-lined streets near Orange’s core brim with dwellings built throughout the late 1800s. Pastel-painted Queen Annes sit on unfenced, quarter-acre lots, and clapboard-façade Colonial Revivals often have five bedrooms. Farther from Main Street, asphalt driveways lead to carports alongside Cape Cod homes from the mid-1900s. Pine tree-shaded roads surrounding Lake Mattawa are dotted with shingle cabins and wood bungalows, backing up to small floating docks. “There’s not a lot of waterfront property, so these houses are more sought-after. They’re also usually passed down through generations of the same family,” says Paoletti, who owns a home on the lake. Buying in Orange typically costs between $200,000 and $450,000, a range similar to a Franklin County home’s average $350,000 selling price.
Most residents in Orange own their homes.
Manicured lawns are the norm in Orange.
Ranch style homes are available in Orange.
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Trek up Tully Mountain or relax on the public beach at Lake Mattawa
Though its 22 miles stretch across town, Tully Trail’s most notable route climbs the 1,163-foot-high peak up Tully Mountain. Tully Lake and its surrounding campground sit in the valley, where campers can paddleboat, swim off wooden docks and fish for largemouth bass. Every summer, camping chairs and beach towels dot the public beach at Lake Mattawa. Kayakers will find boat launches along both the northern and southern shoreline. “About 20 years ago, you could use an engine-powered boat on the lake. We even had a waterskiing competition every summer. But the city took that away to clear up the water, and it has worked,” says Paoletti. With toddler Lego workshops and adult knitting clubs, the Greek Revival-style Wheeler Memorial Library is another community hub in the area.
The median household income in Orange is $55,313.
Orange is 72 miles northwest of Boston.
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From the River Rat Race to the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Trumpets and saxophones fill the air every summer Friday night at the Butterfield Park bandstand when the Orange Community Band performs. Blue herons soar over Orange Riverfront Park, which has an entry point for the Millers River Blue Trail, stretching between Orange and Athol. Every April since 1964, spectators have gathered along the adjacent Main Street bridge to watch the over 200 canoers finish the River Rat Race here. Boats lit by string lights travel down the waterway as fire breathers and magicians perform along the shore for the Orange Solstice Riverfest. New Year's Eve is celebrated with Starry Starry Night, an event spread across downtown Orange. Jazz musicians play in Town Hall, and ice sculptures adorn Memorial Park, where locals can enjoy the fireworks show. Dubbed “the festival that stinks,” the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival includes live cooking classes, country music acts and a raw garlic-eating competition every September at the former farmland along Chestnut Hill Road.
Youth and Community Services is a non-profit agency that has been serving youth in Orange.
Pizza Factory is a beloved order at the counter chain located in Orange, MA.
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Orange Public Schools
Children here can attend prekindergarten through sixth grade at Fisher Hill School, which receives a B-minus grade from Niche, and then continue to C-plus-graded Ralph C. Mahar Regional School for seventh through 12th grade. High school students can join numerous extracurriculars like the canoe and kayak club or the fish and game club, which both meet along Millers River.
Orange’s Main Street has local grocery stores, breakfast spots and breweries
Off Main Street, Quabbin Harvest sells regionally sourced produce, and nearby Walmart Supercenter is a big-box grocery option. Locals grab hiking gear at Trail Head Outfitters, while LillyBelle offers antique furniture inside a former church. Shelves stocked with boardgames and chalkboards marked with daily pastry options line the wood walls at Corner Café, a cozy breakfast nook at the heart of town. Honest Weight is a brewery tasting room in a renovated 1890s tapioca pudding factory. Berry bushes and apple orchards sit behind the mint-colored Colonial Revival-style storefront of Home Fruit Wine. Other shopping options, like Hobby Lobby and Market Basket, are about 6 miles east of Athol, home to the nearest hospital, Athol Hospital.
Skydiving lessons at the Orange Municipal Airport and proximity to other Massachusetts metropolitans
Though it’s mainly used for charter planes and pilots in training, Orange Municipal Airport also houses Jumptown, a skydiving training facility, which has been here since 1964. The nearest commercial flights are at the Worcester Regional Airport, about 40 miles southeast via Massachusetts Route 122. An equidistant drive southwest on U.S. Route 202 leads to Springfield. The New Hampshire border is roughly 16 miles north, and Boston is about 80 miles east. A few Montachusett Regional Transit Authority bus stops are along Main Street.
Orange offers residents a sparse suburban feel.
Written By
Meghan Baker
Photography Contributed By
Matt Barrett
Video By
Mark Tilley
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
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On average, homes in Orange, MA sell after 40 days on the market compared to the national average of 50 days. The median sale price for homes in Orange, MA over the last 12 months is $319,000, up 13% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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