Carver MA Homes & Real Estate
Included below are homes for sale and real estate in Carver, MA. Scroll to the bottom to check them out.
Named after John Carver, the first governor of the Plymouth colony, Carver, MA covers almost forty square miles amidst an area affectionately called “Cranberry Country.” It was originally part of Plympton but split off and incorporated in 1790. It is part of Plymouth County and is represented as part of the Second Plymouth district. Major roadways that run through it are Route 44, Route 1 and Route 58. Its border towns include Plympton, Kingston, Plymouth, Wareham and Middleborough. In 2019, the population was 11,767. Carver has been slow to industrial and commercial developments compared to areas nearby and straddles the line between rural and suburban. Carver is parcelled up into North, South and East Carvers. East Carver, also known as Wenham, and South Carver, once called Furnace Village, have a lot of farmland and bogs. North Carver has the Lakenham Historic District and a small business area just off Route 44. Carver Center was once called South Meadows. Though the area is still quite rural, this is where many businesses are concentrated, as well as the police and fire departments, the library, the town hall, post office, and Shurtleff Park. This Main Street is pedestrian-friendly with sidewalks on both sides of the road.
Carver is home to what was America’s first divided highway, presented to the public by William Savery in 1861. Savery Avenue now runs parallel to Route 58 and borders the Savery Historic District Park. The path is lined with hundred-year-old moss covered pines and makes for a lovely walk or bike ride.
Early industries in Carver focused on agriculture, iron ore, sheep shearing and lumber. As ore became less in-demand over time, Carver found a new way to use its swamp lands. It is said that in 1900, after only about thirty years in the cranberry farming business, Carver raised one fifth of all cranberries grown in the US. The population grew following this, attracting new immigrants from Cape Verde and Finland to work the bogs.
Today, Carver is still rich with cranberry bogs and farms, some of which you can visit. Fresh Meadows Farms and Flax Pond Farms both allow visitors for tours and cranberry purchasing. Flax Pond Farms can produce 150 to 200 barrels per acre (100 acres) of fruit for Ocean Spray Cranberries a year. They also sell trees and wreaths at Christmas time. Web of Life Organic Farm brings their goods and produce to nearby Plymouth and Hingham farmer’s markets. You might also visit the Farmers Market at Shurtleff Park across from Town Hall in the summer, rain or shine, to enjoy quality goods and music. You’d find fresh fruits and vegetables, farm fresh eggs, baked goods, jams & jellies, plants, soaps and crafts. There is an annual Cranberry Festival on Columbus Day weekend where guests can enjoy vendors, food, and entertainment, and learn about the harvest. Also, something fun to look into is Carver Old Home Day, held by the non-profit Carver Old Home Day Association, Inc. and funded by the town, is a day for coming together and celebrating the town’s history. Local businesses sponsor the community event which started in 1901.
In addition to the many bogs used for cranberry farming, Carver has tons of ponds, reservoirs, rivers and brooks throughout. Two small beaches in town are located on John’s Pond and Sampson’s Pond. Swimming, fishing and kayaking are allowed, but a sticker is required for parking at both.
Carver is home to two major tourist attractions: Edaville Family Theme Park and King Richard’s Faire. The railroad-themed Edaville is made up of three sections: Cran Central, Thomas Land and Dino Land. It has lots of train rides, carnival rides, arcade games, life-sized moving dinosaurs, gift shops and dining. They also host special events for Halloween and Christmastime. The eight-mile railroad was originally built by Ellis Atwood, who employed many year-round workers at his cranberry bogs there. Eventually it began to attract tourists and the rest is history.
King Richard’s Faire is New England’s longest-running Renaissance Festival, running for nearly forty years. It takes over eighty acres of Savery Historic District land and welcomes guests in September and October. It features themed shows and performers, exotic animals, artisan stalls, games, food and drink, live jousting and more. Guests often return every year to travel back to Medieval times.
With all its open space, Carver is a great place to own a horse or foster a love of riding. Places like Rising Star Stables, Legacy Stables, Hidden Acres Equestrian Center and Old Bear Farm offer boarding, training, riding lessons, and some horse shows or birthday parties.
Myles Standish State Forest takes up much of the southeast corner of town. The remaining 75% or so of the forest is in Plymouth. You can fish in the ponds there, enjoy biking, hiking and equestrian trails, or reserve one of 400 campground sites if you plan to stay. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Campground at Cranberry Acres has five different types of campsites, a pool, mini golf, indoor and outdoor games, a dog park, and beaching and kayaking at Ben’s Pond.
Carver has Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal churches.
Carver’s food pantry is run by a non-profit organization called Shane Gives Thanks which was started in 2014 by a seven-year-old with a dream to help feed his community.
The Carver Public Library is a member of the SAILS network and offers movie nights, books sales and storytimes for children. A collection of local historic documents, photographs and artifacts is located in The Carver Room, inside the library and open to the public.
Carver has two public schools: the Elementary School for pre-kindergarten students through fifth grade, and the Middle-High School for students grades six through twelve. The Old Colony YMCA offers before and after school childcare. The high school competes in the South Shore League of the MA Interscholastic Athletic Association and is known for its wrestling and girls basketball programs. Their teams are called the Crusaders. Carver Pathways is a new program intended to guide high school students through college and career preparation by giving special attention to one of eight fields of their particular interest. The school has a strong sense of community and compassionate teachers. Residents may also have their children attend Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in nearby Rochester, Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole or Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton.
Carver, being a community with many single-family homes, does not have many options for renters. A vast majority of people own their homes, and many retirees live in Carver, making it quite stable and established. In addition to the classic single-family site-built homes, there are a number of mobile and modular home neighborhoods, many of them specifically for seniors.
The GATRA bus transports senior and disabled residents from the Council on Aging to grocery stores and medical appointments as well as other special trips. The town Council on Aging provides lots of support services from wellness checks to meals to entertainment activities.
There’s something special about bog views, and Carver boasts many, especially on Plymouth Street, Purchase Street, Pond Street, Old Main Street and of course, Cranberry Road. Many homes in the Town Center area were built between 1970 and 1999, but the town has its share of older homes from the 1940s and before scattered about, including Colonial era houses.
Although Carver has the charm of a slow-paced town, downtown Plymouth is nearby, and Boston and the Cape are both within an hour’s drive, making a more lively scene within reach. There are nearby commuter rail stations in Halifax, Middleboro, and Plymouth. There are T (subway) stations in Braintree and Quincy. Plymouth & Brockton operates a bus from Boston South Buses to Park & Ride Lot, Ex 5 Info. Ctr hourly and the journey takes 55 min. Peter Pan Bus Lines also services this route once daily. Alternatively, MBTA operates a train from South Station to Kingston every 2 hours and the journey takes 59 min. If you’re a fan of old-school New England topography, a suburban and rural mix, and an everyone-knows-everyone type of community, look no further.
If you would like more information on any of these Carver real estate listings, just click on a property to access the full details. From there, you can request more information or schedule a tour. And we'd be happy to provide you with disclosures, past sales history, dates and prices of properties which have recently sold nearby, and more, so just let us know how we can help!
And, for your convenience, feel free to register for a free account to receive email alerts whenever new Carver listings come on the market that match your specific criteria.