About Winchendon, MA
Celebrations, past and present
This small community has big stories to tell, and the Winchendon Historical Society helps to keep them alive through exhibits, ghost tours and themed escape rooms. Two iconic homes, the Murdock-Whitney House and the Isaac Morse House, were once inhabited by esteemed town figures ranging from manufacturers to physicians; today, they are meticulously preserved as relics of the town’s past lives. The Issac Morse House serves as a toy museum, showing examples of the town’s manufacturing history. It also hosts a retro ice cream shop called Seppie’s that serves old-fashioned banana splits.
Today, the town of Winchendon hosts numerous community events to bring neighbors together. Taste of Winchendon is an annual festival featuring raffle contests, local vendors, and live music for residents to enjoy, “They bring around 40 different food trucks as well as entertainment, and it pulls a big crowd to town,” says Michelle Peterson, Winchendon local and Realtor with Elm Grove Realty. Another much-anticipated event is the annual Fall Festival, which includes food trucks, live music, a bike rodeo and a pie-eating contest.
From the 17th century to the 1990s
Many of Winchendon’s homes are as old the mid-1750s, with most of its more contemporary development happening in the 1980s. According to the census, the population jumped by 25 percent from 1980 to 1990, compared to an average 3-to-5 percent growth in the previous decades. Before that, the largest period of growth happened between 1860 and 1870, where the population increased by nearly 30 percent. Peterson attributes that growth in part to the manufacturers in operation during the time. “These manufacturers were behind a lot of the developments in town to house workers,” she says. “This is where many of those historic homes we see today came from.”Today, single-family homes in Winchendon range from $200,000 to $500,000, with prices depending on the age and square footage of the house. Multifamily developments and empty lots for sale appeal to a range of buyers. A drive through Winchendon reveals its foursquare, split-level colonial and Cape Cod residences, nestled on grid-patterned streets with modest and prevalent sidewalks.
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Businesses line up on Central Avenue
There may only be around 10,000 residents within Winchendon, but they have an impressive array of choices for commerce. Unlike a lot of towns with that population, it has a lot of businesses and shops, which the locals appreciate,” Kavanagh says. Along Central Street, residents can walk to four different pizza places that dish up pies, pasta and wings. Christos Place serves steak and cheese in sandwich and pizza form, while Two Foxes Farm Pizza a block away offers “Tuscan Grill” offerings like a boneless strip steak as well as wood-fired pizza and sandwiches. Like any small town main street, Central also has a locally-owned hardware store, Belletes Building Material. In addition to providing lumber and tools, the shop also coordinates the We Build It Forward (WBIF) Community Outreach Program, where tradesmen and volunteers get together to handle projects for community members in need. For farm-fresh ingredients, Not Just Produced is a one-stop grocery shop serving prepared meals, baked goods, and locally sourced meat, seafood, and produce. They are also a regular vendor in the Taste of Winchendon festival.
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A central escape at Winchendon Community Park
One of the biggest appeals of the Winchendon area is the amount of green space that insulates the community. Parks and protected spaces create a buffer of natural boundaries around the town, creating a tranquility that’s appreciated by the locals. Smaller green spaces like Monument Park and Cannon Memorial Park offer mid-day retreats for downtown workers seeking a picnic setting for lunch, while Winchendon Community Park offers a disc golf course that’s still under development and a venue for events like a summer concert series, movie nights, and themed family events. At Whitney Pond, residents can fish for anything from largemouth bass to chain pickerel and trout. The North Central Pathway off of Hall Road is a 3.5-mile stretch of paved trail for walkers and cyclists to explore.
The Devils wear blue at Winchendon Public Schools
The township of Winchendon is served by the Winchendon Public Schools district. Students may attend Memorial Elementary School, rated a B-minus on Niche, or Toy Town Elementary School, which has a C rating. From there, they’ll move on to Murdock Middle, where students can participate in the Summit Learning program where they receive one-on-one counseling from mentors. The school has a C rating. Murdock High is home of the locally beloved Blue Devils football team and has a C-plus rating.
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Toy Town transportation
Winchendon is located along the New Hampshire border in northern Massachusetts. U.S. Route 202 runs through the town, connecting residents to the nearby towns of Gardner and Leominster. “It’s within commuting distance to a lot of decent-sized towns,” Kavanagh says. The largest nearby town is Worcester, 45 miles south of Winchendon. Heywood Hospital is located 9 miles south of the town and operates the smaller Winchendon Health Center in town.
Written By
Caitlin Coakley
Video By
Benjamin Rose
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Winchendon by the Numbers
10,889
Population
27
Average Days on Market
Home Trends
Median Price (12 Mo)
$401,000
Median Single Family Price
$400,500
Average Price Per Sq Ft
$239
Months Of Supply
2
Demographics and Finance
Median Household Income
$93K
Higher than National Average
$70K
% Owners
74%
Higher than National Average
63%
College Graduates
22%
Lower than National Average
34%
Average Home Value
Top Schools in Winchendon, MA
Source:
Best Public Elementary Schools
#1 Memorial
B
Niche
#2 Toy Town Elementary School
C
Niche
2
GreatSchools
Best Public Middle School
#1 Murdock Middle School
C
Niche
4
GreatSchools
Best Public High Schools
#1 Oakmont Regional High School
B-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
#2 Narragansett Regional High School
B-
Niche
5
GreatSchools
#3 Gardner High School
B-
Niche
4
GreatSchools
#4 Murdock High School
C+
Niche
3
GreatSchools
#5 Athol High School
C+
Niche
2
GreatSchools
#6 Murdock Middle High School
3
GreatSchools
Best Private School
#1 The Winchendon School
A+
Niche
Agents Specializing in this Area
Agent Spotlight
Paul HealeyI'm an expert real estate agent with Premier Realty Group, Inc. in Reading, MA and the nearby area, providing home-buyers and sellers with professional, responsive and attentive real estate services. Want an agent who'll really listen to what you want in a home? Need an agent who knows how to effectively market your home so it sells? Give me a call! I'm eager to help and would love to talk to you.
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Kurt Thompson
Kurt Thompson
RE/MAX Liberty
(351) 247-8582
98 Total Sales
4 in Winchendon
$275K - $583K Price Range
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Mela Dieujuste
Mela Dieujuste
IVerty Realty, LLC
(413) 241-7854
68 Total Sales
1 in Winchendon
$370,000 Price
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Kelly Brown
Kelly Brown
ERA Key Realty Services - Worcester
(571) 380-8998
80 Total Sales
9 in Winchendon
$135K - $520K Price Range
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Tracy LaRosa
Tracy LaRosa
Daisy Hill Real Estate and Rentals
(774) 500-3394
29 Total Sales
1 in Winchendon
$345,000 Price
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Hometown Team
Hometown Team
(978) 709-2942
98 Total Sales
1 in Winchendon
$365,000 Price
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Cory Gracie
Cory Gracie
Responds QuicklyLAER Realty Partners
(351) 208-1774
248 Total Sales
41 in Winchendon
$55K - $598K Price Range
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