Moving to Duxbury: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Duxbury means moving to a South Shore harbor town founded by Pilgrim colonists in 1628 -- a real, affluent residential identity paired with honest, disclosed housing-cost and coastal-storm facts.
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Learn moreA real, documented Pilgrim-era founding
Duxbury was settled around 1628 by Pilgrim colonists including Myles Standish, William Brewster, and John Alden, and incorporated in 1637 as the second town in Plymouth Colony -- a real founding identity distinct from, though connected to, neighboring Plymouth's own larger Pilgrim-tourism identity (base record).
A real shipbuilding-into-affluent-harbor-town history
Duxbury's 19th-century shipbuilding industry (at least 180 vessels across roughly 20 shipyards) gave way to a real, disclosed transition into an affluent summer-home and, later, year-round residential harbor-town identity -- now one of Massachusetts's most desirable, picturesque communities (base record).
Very high home values, with a comparatively moderate tax rate
Duxbury's $1,131,969 average 2026 home value runs well above Massachusetts and national medians, though its effective property tax rate (a real, disclosed 1.01%-1.14% range) runs at or below the Massachusetts statewide median (base record; see cost-of-living-housing topic).
Real, documented nor'easter and seawall risk at Duxbury Beach
A 2023 town-commissioned engineering study documents Duxbury's real susceptibility to prolonged nor'easter flooding, and recent storms have broken open sections of Duxbury Beach's roughly 65-year-old seawall, flooding some areas and damaging nearby homes (base record).
Key takeaways
- Duxbury's real Pilgrim-era founding (1628 settlement, 1637 incorporation) anchors a documented, distinct South Shore history.
- Duxbury's shipbuilding heritage gave way to its current, real identity as an affluent, picturesque residential harbor town.
- Duxbury's home values run very high, though its effective property tax rate runs comparatively moderate for Massachusetts.
- Duxbury carries real, documented nor'easter storm-surge and aging-seawall risk specific to Duxbury Beach.
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