Massachusetts Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Rochester, Massachusetts

Population: 3,921

Located in Plymouth County

Rochester offers an exceptional location within easy traveling distance to the Boston and Providence metropolitan areas. Boston is about one hour away and Providence is about 45 minutes away.

From its early beginnings of farming and ship building in the 1700s, Rochester has evolved a diversified industrial and commercial economy with ample human and natural resources to support continued growth.

Your typical New England town, Rochester has the advantage of both rural and urban areas, plus an abundance of lakes and ponds. The town's scenic landscape has drawn buyers from both the Cape and points North.

One of Rochester's attractions is being close to coastal towns like Wareham, while still providing some distance from the high tourist areas. Wareham offers great recreational activities as well, including a promenade running alongside the 52 miles of beach. Festivals and outdoor concerts liven up the area, and Onset also boasts many eclectic stores selling everything from cranberry jams to crafts made by local residents.

For recreation, residents enjoy the great outdoors. A good game of golf can be had during any season at the Rochester Golf Course. Mary's Pond is among the town's most picturesque areas, flanked by large pines and a sandy beach, and is a popular old-fashioned watering hole. And for the skateboarding enthusiast, plans for a skate park are well underway.

At 34 square miles, Rochester is made up of woodlands and waterways, open fields and narrow roads. The country atmosphere pervading Rochester is fiercely protected by the town and residents. But the modest population increase in recent years has prompted a bit more building, and most recently, the owner of a private 600-acre parcel submitted a preliminary subdivision plan to divide the property into 185 house lots.

Additional building is merely a result of more interest in towns like Rochester, but there are several undeveloped lands in Rochester, and the town has done an admirable job of maintaining open space. Business is virtually absent from the landscape, aside from small plazas like the Plumb Corner Mall, and a few convenience stores and restaurants. There is direct highway access to Rochester, and residents find it relatively convenient to commute to jobs in neighboring towns and points north. The implementation of the commuter rail in Lakeville certainly brought more Bostonians to the local area, but Rochester has not seen such a heavy influx of newcomers as Lakeville and Freetown.

Rochester is a very desirable location, because there is an excellent school system, in a town that's close to the highways, yet off the beaten path. If this is what you are looking for, then stop your search right here in superb Rochester.