Ware, MA

3 Apartments for Rent

Not throwing you a curve here, it's true -- major league baseball player Candy Cummings, credited with inventing the curveball, was born right here in Ware, Massachusetts.

Located in Hampshire County, MA, with a population of 9,872 as of the 2010 census, Ware is a part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. It's 35 minutes from the busy streets of Springfield.

Moving to Ware

Don't "be-ware" moving to Ware. You can easily find a home for rent in Ware, MA, including a 2 bedroom apartment, rental houses, or any other number of options. This town in Western Massachusetts has a lot of history, which means it also has a lot of historic houses. It's a pleasant community in an area near several inland bodies of water, such as the Ware River Reservoir.

What You Need with You on Your Search

What you want with you when you move to Ware is winter gear for those lovely but cold snow filled Decembers that are bound to come your way. Summers are generally mild, and spring brings plenty of flowers. Then there's the fall foliage. Speaking of which, you may want to bring a good camera here, too.

For your future landlord: bring the usual requirements -- ID, work and rental information, and proof of employment. You may need tax returns or bank statements, too.

When to Look for Homes Here

You can look for homes and a rental apt any time of year. Vacancy rates are a little higher in the center of town, so you will have an easier time finding a rental there than in the Gibbs Crossing area, where there are fewer available properties at any given time. Look in the "Ware River News" for rental listings, as well as online.

Neighborhoods in Ware

On the edge of Ware River Reservoir and Glenville Park, this pretty suburban community is right off Route 9.

Ware Town Center: Suburban by population density, the center of town offers a wealth of small to medium sized single family homes and apartment buildings. Owners and renters alike share space in buildings, many of which are quite historic and built well before 1939. Others were constructed between 1940 and 1969.

Gibbs Crossing / Ware Center: Quabbin Reservoir is located on the edge of this rural neighborhood, where the main properties are medium to small single family homes and the occasional small apartment complex. Unlike the town center, there are very few vacancies here, so you will want to look carefully to spot a rental. Most properties here were built from 1970 to 1999, but there are also older more historic properties built before 1940. There's a lot of history in this town.

Living in Ware

Ware's extensive history began in 1717, when it was first settled, although the Quaboag Native American Tribe fished along the rivers here long before that time. Named after the English town of Ware, this town grew up around a meeting house and became a small center for commerce and manufacturing. Grist and sawmills were built along the Ware River, which runs through town. Textile mills were the main industry, with the Otis company a major employer. When business faltered, the town residents purchased the mills and made them their own -- a part of Ware Industries Inc. Ware called itself "The Town that Can't be Licked."

Winsor Dam and Spillway joins the Ware River, the Swift River, Quabbin and Ware River Reservoirs as the 5.6 miles of major waterways in the town's 34 square miles of land. There are two "islands" in Quabbin Reservoir -- Little Quabbin Hill and Mount Lizzie.

The town is hilly and has no Interstate highway exits, lending it a bucolic feeling, although I-90 is only 8.5 miles away.

Like wildlife? Then check out the Herman Covey-Swift River Wildlife Management Area just outside of town.

You'll need a car if you move here, as there is no public transit. A commercial rail line, the Massachusetts Central Railroad, and private general aviation airstrip are located here; the closest international airport is Bradley International in Connecticut.

The town is proud of its long history. So it should come as no surprise that the Ware Historical Society, which holds weekly meetings and has produced a book on the community, offers tours and an annual pot luck in June, as well as a solemn observance of Memorial Day.