Your Guide to Buying a Home in Fairhaven, MA

Buying a Home in Fairhaven, Massachusetts

(The Fairhaven Public Library, one of several magnificent buildings commissioned by Henry Huttleston Rogers)

Fairhaven is located in Bristol County

The Town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, is another small coastal community that is steeped in American history. The southern half of the land East of the Acushnet River that was purchased from the Wampanoag Indians in 1652 by the elders of the Plymouth Colony, the area had originally been used by the Indians as a summer encampment. They had called it "Sconticut" which meant "fair haven", thus the name we know it by today. Agriculture was the primary activity of early settlers, but when most of the farms were destroyed in King Philip’s War, many of the survivors came together in small communities and refocused their efforts on shipbuilding, whaling, and other maritime activities. The discovery of oil brought about the end of the whaling industry, and Fairhaven, once the second busiest whaling port in the country, suffered economic decline along with several of its coastal neighbors. An enterprising resident, Henry Huttleston Rogers, left New England to learn the oil business and, after achieving tremendous success, he came back to Fairhaven and rebuilt his community. The Town Hall, Public Library, High School, and numerous other buildings commissioned by Rogers comprise the state’s most impressive group of public buildings.

Today, Fairhaven continues to support a major fishing industry, and agriculture remains a factor in its economy, but an expansive development of shopping malls has made Fairhaven the retail center of choice for several of it’s coastal and rural neighbors. Additionally, with the peninsula of Sconticut Neck stretching well into Buzzards Bay, along with West Island, Fairhaven has for years been a favorite vacation resort area.

About an hour’s drive South of Boston and forty-five minutes East of Providence, Fairhaven offers an abundance of ocean views and breezes, beach and waterfront areas, well established shopping malls, and easy access to major highways. The seasonal influence aside, Fairhaven enjoys a relatively stable population, so there are never too many homes on the market.

Fairhaven homes for sale typically range from $199,000 to $600,000. On the low end, Fairhaven housing can start as low as $185,000 and go up as high as $900,000. Land for sale in Fairhaven typically averages from $175,000 to $315,000 for a lot or acre. Available homes in Fairhaven include Single Family Homes, Multi Family Homes, New Construction, Waterfront Homes, Oceanview Homes, Condos, Town homes, Lots, Acreage, Modular, Pre-Fab homes, Luxury Homes, New Developments, Golf Communities, Retirement Communities, Victorian and Rentals.