For people thinking about a move

Living in Sherborn

Homes on large lots with real privacy, and a small-town feel just 18 miles from Boston and within driving distance of popular New England destinations, from the Cape to the mountains.

Sherborn is small: about 4,800 people spread across 16 square miles, and it has deliberately held on to its rural character.

Residential zoning is built around one, two, and three-acre districts, and more than half the town is open space. Working farms still line the main roads.

For shopping, medical facilities, the commuter rail, and a wider choice of restaurants, residents generally head to Natick, Framingham, Wellesley, or nearby towns. That means most errands require a car. In return, Sherborn offers woods, fields, stone walls, working farms, and considerably more space and privacy than most Boston suburbs. For a meal close to home, Sherborn does have a few local places to eat.

Aerial view of Farm Pond surrounded by woods, with an open field in the foreground and the Boston skyline on the far horizon — Farm Pond and the woods around it, with the Boston skyline on the horizon.

Homes in Sherborn

Room for every style

Most homes are single-family houses on large lots.

Antique homes and farmhouses

Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses, from Federal-era homes near the town center to farmhouses with barns along the old country roads.

Colonials, capes, and newer homes

Traditional colonials and capes line the wooded side streets, alongside newer and custom-built homes set back on large lots.

Horse properties and waterfront

With its riding trails and open land, Sherborn suits equestrian properties, and a limited number of homes sit right on Farm Pond.

Condominiums and townhouses

A small number of communities offer an option with less land to maintain.

Buying or selling?Sherborn real estate agentsLocal agents who know Sherborn and can help you find the right home.

The 1858 Town House in Sherborn on a summer day — The Sherborn 1858 Town House, also known as the Sherborn Community Center.

Town life

A small town that runs on its residents

Sherborn governs itself through open Town Meeting, and much of town life depends on volunteers: boards and committees, the library, the trail association, youth sports, and the group that restored and runs the 1858 Town House.

Once a year, residents fill the Mudge Auditorium at Dover-Sherborn High School for the Annual Town Meeting. Anyone registered to vote in Sherborn can speak up and vote on the town budget and other questions on the warrant, and you’ll see plenty of neighbors and friends in the seats around you.

It is an easy place to get involved, whether you’re coaching a youth team, helping out on a town committee, or chatting with other parents at Pine Hill’s All School Meeting on Fridays.

Good to know

What is different about living here?

A few things work differently in Sherborn than in many suburbs. Most homes have a private well and septic system rather than town water and sewer, so buyers typically plan for well and septic inspections, and homeowners are responsible for maintaining their own systems. Many homes also have irrigation systems to water their lawns and gardens.

The Town does not provide curbside trash pickup. Residents can bring trash and recycling to the Transfer Station with a resident sticker or hire a private trash hauler to pick up trash on a weekly basis. The Transfer Station is also one of those places where you are likely to run into neighbors.

There is very little commercial development in town, so most errands involve a short drive to a neighboring town. The center of town has a small shopping area, which has a post office, a bank, C&L Frosty, and a wine and spirits shop. In addition, there is a local pharmacy, auto repair shop, antique shop, and several service providers, such as a dental office and physical therapy practice.

For many people who choose to live in Sherborn, that trade-off is part of the appeal.

Entrance signs for the Town of Sherborn Hap Ruane Recycling Center and Transfer Station, on a wooden fence under fall foliage — The Transfer Station, where neighbors often run into each other.

Go straight to the source

Town of Sherborn (Town Hall)

19 Washington Street, Sherborn

sherbornma.org 508-651-7850