Shrewsbury

Just 6 miles east of Worcester, Shrewsbury is a suburb with small-town character and natural amenities. In the town center, residents can listen to a story time at the local library and go to an upscale, locally owned eatery. Warm weather calls for a dip in Quinsigamond Lake, dotted with primary-colored sculling boats. The 220-foot-tall mountain at the nearby Ski Ward resort makes for the perfect wintertime day trip. “City life in Worcester, swimming and skiing are all less than 15 minutes away, but Shrewsbury isn’t any busier because of it. And you have easy access to both the Boston and Hartford turnpikes,” says Lee Josephs, a broker associate with Coldwell Banker and Shrewsbury local. Shrewsbury’s winding asphalt roads and cul-de-sacs are brimming with classic New England architecture built throughout the midcentury. Vinyl Cape Cods sit on 8,000-square-foot lots with backyards enclosed by picket fences. White hydrangeas bloom outside three-bedroom Tudor Cottages and Minimal Traditional ranch styles. All-brick Colonial Revivals often feature three to four bedrooms and driveways leading to one-car, attached garages. Buying here can cost anywhere between $450,000 and $700,000, a range slightly higher than a Worcester home’s average $400,000 selling price. “A ton of people have moved here within the last five years to get out of the city, so buying is really competitive,” says Josephs. Children here can attend Walter J. Paton Elementary and Oak Middle, both of which have A grades from Niche. Lastly, students may go to A-plus-rated Shrewsbury High School, where the Innovations Pathways program offers classes in TV production, computer science and childcare. St. John’s High School has been a private all-boys option since 1959. Locals may hear the crack of a bat or referees whistling at Maple Avenue Recreation Area, home to youth soccer fields and baseball diamonds. Wildflower meadows and towering American beech trees surround the 3 miles of nature trails at Carlstrom Memorial Forest, accessible off Gulf Street. Quinsigamond State Park is 4 miles west, and the entry fee is $8 for Massachusetts-registered cars. Beach chairs and towels dot the lake’s sandy shoreline every summer, and high school and college rowing teams compete on the 2,000-meter course every weekend from March through May. Largemouth bass, yellow perch and rainbow smelt are stocked here annually, making it a popular spot for anglers. Ski Ward is 3 miles east, and residents ski, snowboard or tube down nine slopes. Indoor activity hubs in Shrewsbury include Bowlero, where lanes are lit in shades of red and blue for the weekday unlimited bowling special. The Shrewsbury Public Library hosts numerous events, ranging from baby story times to scavenger hunts for teenagers. Artisan bread bakers and local produce farmers sell their goods under white tents at the Shrewsbury Farmers Market, held in the Senior Center parking lot every Wednesday morning from June through September. The Town Common fills with carolers and a Christmas market for the Light the Common event at the beginning of December. The town hosts several other events throughout the year, like the Easter egg hunt or the Arbor Day tree giveaway, both at nearby Dean Park. “Shrewsbury doesn’t necessarily have a downtown. It’s more of a town center area, where we have our town hall and police department,” says Josephs. “There are just a few restaurants along Main Street.” A red-brick commercial strip along Main Street houses Amici Trattoria, an intimate Italian spot with specialty pizza, pasta dishes and a wine bar. Next door, mahogany accents, white tablecloths and a granite bar top create an old-timey atmosphere at Willy’s Steakhouse and Sushi. The Boston Turnpike has a few chain establishments, like Buffalo Wild Wings, The Home Depot and a Stop & Shop for groceries. Other familiar grocery stores, like Ulta Beauty and HomeGoods, are nearby in the open-air Northborough Crossing shopping center. Worcester’s core is just 6 miles away via Interstate 290, or locals can head to one of the area’s Worcester Regional Transit Authority bus stops to reach the city center. A 40-mile drive east on the Boston Turnpike leads to its namesake city, and 68 miles southwest on the Hartford Turnpike does the same. The UMass Memorial Medical Center is the nearest hospital, and the Worcester Regional Airport is 10 miles away.

In the hilly roads of Edgemere, Lake Quinsigamond peeks out from behind Craftsman-style bungalows and Cape Cod-style houses. Life in this waterfront Shrewsbury neighborhood is all about nature. It’s where residents can dock their boats, launch kayaks into the water and find a different walking trail for every day of the week. Edgemere rests on the 4-mile-long body of water, Lake Quinsigamond, which separates Shrewsbury from nearby Worcester. Outdoor enthusiasts not only come to Edgemere for the lake, but also for the paved pondside pathways and treks through the forest that add to its natural allure. The town is 43 miles from Boston, making it a popular suburban enclave for those looking to live fuarther away from the city. Between its lake frontage, lush natural pathways and easy commuter access, Edgemere has many attributes. Some houses on the lake, like $1.1 million brick colonials and $750,000 Cape Cods, come with back and front patios and their own docks. Larger waterfront homes tend to have seven to eight bedrooms and feature open floor plans. Tall trees and big, grassy lots along with small, paved sidewalks are trademarks of the neighborhood’s landlocked areas, making the residential streets relatively walkable. Properties also include townhouses and duplexes that go for about $600,000 and 1950s ranch-style homes that run around $400,000. The smaller homes in the neighborhood often have two to three bedrooms and feature green lawns. Lots continue to open up, offering opportunities to build. Shrewsbury is known for its strong public school system. Shrewsbury Public Schools district has an overall A-plus rating from Niche, the highest possible grade. Children in Edgemere can attend Calvin Coolidge Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade. Coolidge has an A and features an active parent-teacher organization that raises funds to help pay for field trips, supplemental teaching materials and staff appreciation. Children may then go to Sherwood Middle School for grades five through six, Oak Middle School for grades seven through eight and Shrewsbury High School for grades nine through 12. Both middle schools score A grades, and the high school is rated A-plus. Public schools are within 6 miles of most residential areas. Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury is also an option for boys seeking a private, Catholic education. Lake Street Park offers a vast greenspace and walking paths through the woods. The park is usually quieter than the more popular Dean Park, which has outdoor sports facilities, a pond and picnic area. In 2020, the Shrewsbury Public Library and the town’s recreation department partnered to put a children’s StoryWalk at Lake Street Park. This project is a way to simultaneously encourage reading and walking outside, according to Library Director Priya Rathnam. “Librarians take children’s books that are heavy on pictures, laminate each page and mount them on wooden stakes around the paved pathway, so people can walk around and read a book,” says Rathnam, who has lived in Shrewsbury for about two decades. “We started this during the pandemic because people couldn’t get into the library, but it’s been so popular that we’ve continued it ever since.” This, Rathnam says, is just one example of how engaged Shrewsbury is as a community. She concludes that residents care about their local government, their senior center and their library. “There’s a mentality of giving back to the town, and people are good about that,” she says. Edgemere is mostly houses and natural beauty, but there are a few restaurants and other businesses that serve residents. The area is located directly south of Route 9, a major east-west highway that leads to both Worcester and Boston. Along Route 9, in the White City Shopping Center, fast and casual dining options such as Five Guys and Panera Bread are available. The nearby Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and Total Wine & More are accessible for groceries and other essentials. Tavern in the Square, a well-known Boston area restaurant with locations across southern New England, has a location nearby in Shrewsbury as well. Napoli Italian Deli & Catering offers subs, baked haddock and chicken marsala. Route 9 provides a straight shot into Boston, which is about 43 miles east. Route 20 runs through Edgemere and merges with Interstate 84 to take drivers down to Hartford, Connecticut. Interstates 290 and 190 are just outside the neighborhood, and 290 connects to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Worcester Regional Transit Authority has a bus line that cuts through Edgemere for a public transportation option. The closest public airport is the Worcester Regional Airport about 9 miles west, which services flights through Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines.