What is it like to live in Dartmouth?
"Dartmouth is a beautiful place between the beaches and parks, and it's kind of a quaint town," said Brian Baptiste, who coaches basketball at UMass Dartmouth.
It’s hard for Brian Baptiste to go to Dartmouth without being recognized. The veteran basketball coach knows that comes with the job, however, considering he is the most recognizable face of the athletic department for the town’s branch of the University of Massachusetts system. Baptiste has helped mold many young men through his sport, and he has become a major community figure in the process.
“Dartmouth is a beautiful place between the beaches and parks, and it’s kind of a quaint town,’’ Baptiste said. “Being a college coach, you get to know a lot of people in the community, which is great.’’
Located on Buzzards Bay, this town of more than 34,000 is at least partially defined by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, which opened as Southeastern Massachusetts University in 1969.
Baptiste arrived on campus in 1983, and during his tenure, the Corsairs have racked up nearly 600 wins. He lived in Dartmouth until last year, when he downsized and returned to his native New Bedford after 34 years in town, during which he saw his four daughters graduate from Dartmouth High School. The community has been supportive of the Corsairs, and the coach has had many local kids on his team over the years. The team runs basketball camps in town and will often do volunteer work, such as feeding the homeless.
The coach knows what his biggest success has been.
“The biggest impact I’ve made has been on my players,’’ Baptiste said. “My former players will come back to Dartmouth and watch games, and I’ll introduce them to our current players. They’ll talk about their jobs and what they do now. When they come back, it’s the biggest compliment I can get.’’
BY THE NUMBERS
6,999
The number of undergraduates currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s main campus, according to its website. Those students represent 37 states and 38 countries.
$100m
The estimated wealth accrued by Hetty Green, a woman nicknamed “The Witch of Wall Street’’ during the Gilded Age and whom the Guinness Book of World Records dubbed the “world’s greatest miser.’’ Upon Green’s death in 1916, her son, Edward Howland Robinson Green, built a sprawling mansion on Round Hill with some of her fortune.
3
The number of scoops of ice cream that go into each frappe at Salvadors Ice Cream. This walk-up stand is shaped like a giant milk bottle with a big cow sculpture on top.
4/3/1893
The date on which Dartmouth adopted its official town seal. It features a silver buck’s head against a blue shield (the design of the arms of Lord Dartmouth) with the Latin phrase “Utile Dulci,’’ meaning “service through kindness and peaceful means.’’
PROS & CONS
Pro
Great beaches
Dartmouth sits on prime Atlantic Ocean real estate and has many scenic beaches. Round Hill Beach is open exclusively to residents and is staffed with lifeguards during the peak season. Apponagansett Park, in addition to its scenic beach, has basketball and volleyball courts, a picnic area, and a playground, all of which are open to the general public.
Con
It’s a college town most of the year
If you’re looking for the peace and tranquility of a classic New England community, keep in mind that Dartmouth’s population swells each fall when students return to UMass, and noise levels have been known to tick up a few notches with that influx of youthful energy.
Jon Mael is a freelance writer based in Sharon. He can be reached at [email protected]. Subscribe to our free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.
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