What is it like to live in Boylston?
The town feels more Mayberry than its proximity to Boston, and its location just outside Worcester, would suggest.
When Beth Schiavone moved from a three-decker in Mission Hill to the small Central Massachusetts town of Boylston in 2001, she realized she didn’t know what day her trash would be picked up. “Whatever day you like’’ came the partial answer when she called Town Hall. How quaint and accommodating, Schiavone thought — until she heard the rest. She would have to hire a private contractor to pick up her trash, and they often let you choose your day.
Yup, she and her husband weren’t in Boston anymore. But in truth, they weren’t that far away either — at least in terms of miles. The center of town is 43.6 miles from Copley Square. Yet in many ways, the town feels more Mayberry than that distance, and its location just outside Worcester, would suggest.
There’s a “don’t blink or you’ll miss it’’ town center, with an expanse of green and a lone gazebo on the common, plus a few attractive historic buildings, including the library. The one and only business in the center of town is the eclectic Boylston Deli Cafe & Catering, where you can get breakfast all day; a wide variety of sandwiches; chicken, broccoli, and pasta tossed with herb-infused oil; or a package of Lorna Doone cookies. Books and board games are stacked on the shelves for use by customers. Embracing the now, the deli doesn’t offer paper menus but can e-mail one to you.
It’s all charming in a town where the population is just 4,431. Schiavone’s 11-year-old son, William, has about 60 students in his grade, with class sizes hovering at an enviable 20.
“By the time your kid’s in second grade, you pretty much know everybody that he’s going to go through high school with,’’ Schiavone said. “We’re very happy here.’’
BY THE NUMBERS
18.5%
Amount of land in town the Wachusett Reservoir covers. Starting in 1897, more than 4,000 acres in Boylston and surrounding towns were flooded to create it.
2014
The year that the city of Nagasaki, Japan, named a road there in memory of a Boylston native. Colonel Victor Delnore helped oversee reconstruction of that city after World War II.
1848
The year temperance leader John B. Gough built his Italianate home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, at the top of a hill
0
The number of municipal sewers in the town, which is studying whether a microsystem would help spur business development along Route 140
PROS & CONS
Pro
Recreation
Though its creation meant a loss of taxable property for the town, Wachusett Reservoir, the second-largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, is just so pretty. Passive recreation opportunities include shoreline fishing, hiking, bird-watching, and snowshoeing.
Con
Infrastructure
The lack of sewers has been a drain on development, which means the townspeople shoulder a lot of the tax burden.
Pro
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Headquarters for the Worcester County Horticultural Society, the property offers 132 stunning acres of flora and fauna, plus special programs, exhibits, classes, plant sales, Twigs cafe, and a gift shop.
Vanessa Parks is a writer in Central Massachusetts. Send comments to [email protected].
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