Essex County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the northeastern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. At the 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the state, and the seventy-eighth-most populous in the country. It is part of the

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

area (the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

–

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

– Newton, MA– NH Metropolitan Statistical Area). The largest city in Essex County is Lynn. The county was named after the English county of

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. It has two traditional

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

s: Salem and Lawrence. Prior to the dissolution of the county government in 1999, Salem had jurisdiction over the Southern Essex District, and Lawrence had jurisdiction over the Northern Essex District, but currently these cities do not function as seats of government. However, the county and the districts remain as administrative regions recognized by various governmental agencies, which gathered vital statistics or disposed of judicial case loads under these geographic subdivisions, and are required to keep the records based on them. The county has been designated the Essex National Heritage Area by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

History

The county was created by the General Court of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires". Named after the county in England, Essex then comprised the towns of Salem, Lynn, Wenham,

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, Rowley, Newbury,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and Andover. In 1680, Haverhill,

Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...

and

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, located north of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

, were annexed to Essex County. These communities had been part of Massachusetts' colonial-era Norfolk County (1643–1680). The remaining four towns within "Old" Norfolk County, which included

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and what is now

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, were transferred to the

Province of New Hampshire The Province of New Hampshire was an English colony and later a British province in New England. It corresponds to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was named after the Englis ...

. The Massachusetts-based settlements were then subdivided over the centuries to produce Essex County's modern composition of cities and towns. Essex County is where

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry ( ; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death i ...

(who was born and raised in Marblehead) created a legislative district in 1812 that gave rise to the word ''

gerrymandering Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...

''. Due to a confluence of floods, hurricanes, and severe winter storms, Essex County has had more disaster declarations than most other U.S. counties, from 1964 to 2016.

Law and government

From the founding of the Republican Party until the New Deal, Essex County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Since 1936, it has trended Democratic, with

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

in 1952 and 1956 and

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in 1980 and 1984 being the only Republicans to carry the county since. Like several other

Massachusetts counties The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 14 counties, though eight of these fourteen county governments were abolished between 1997 and 2000. The counties in the southeastern portion of the state retain county-level local government (Barnstable, ...

, Essex County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff (currently Kevin Coppinger), district attorney (currently Paul Tucker), and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region, but there is no county council, commissioner, or county employees. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services.

Geography

Essex County is roughly diamond-shaped and occupies the northeastern corner of the state of Massachusetts. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (41%) is water. Essex County is adjacent to

Rockingham County, New Hampshire Rockingham County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 314,176, making it New Hampshire's second-most populous county. The county seat is Brentwood. Rockingham County is part of the Boston ...

to the north, the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

(specifically the

Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America. It is bounded by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and by Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northea ...

and

Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its northern and sout ...

) to the east, Suffolk County to the south, Middlesex County to the west and a very small portion of

Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Hillsborough County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 422,937, almost one-third the population of the entire state. Its c ...

to the far north west in Methuen. All county land is incorporated into towns or cities. Essex County includes the North Shore, Cape Ann, and the lower portions of the Merrimack Valley. Adjacent Counties • Middlesex County (west) • Suffolk County (south) •

(northwest) •

(north)

Transportation

These routes pass through Essex County: * , in Methuen and Andover * , about twenty-five miles between Lynnfield through Salisbury * , from Andover to Salisbury through Lawrence and Haverhill * , between I-95 and Route 1A, close to the coast * , along the coast * , in Beverly and Essex * , in Methuen and Andover * , in Peabody and Danvers * , from Middleton to Beverly * , from Methuen to Beverly * , in Saugus * , from Saugus to Beverly * , in Haverhill * , from Methuen to Salisbury through Lawrence and Haverhill * , from Methuen to Newburyport through Haverhill * , from Lawrence to Marblehead through Middleton * , from Andover to Haverhill * , from Beverly to Gloucester * , at the tip of Cape Ann * , Lynnfield through Cape Ann * , from Lynnfield to Marblehead * , in Lynn * , from Andover to Gloucester * , in Amesbury * , in Methuen * , in Salisbury The Lawrence Municipal Airport and Beverly Municipal Airport are regional airports within the county; the nearest commercial airports are Logan Airport in Boston and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, NH. The MBTA commuter rail has two lines operating in Essex County: the Haverhill Line and the Newburyport Line, both of which go toward Boston. Close to Boston, MBTA buses also exist. The MVRTA is a bus company that connects cities within the Merrimack Valley portion of Essex County.

National protected areas

Because of Essex County's rich history, which includes 17th century colonial history, maritime history spanning its existence, and leadership in the expansions of the textile industry in the 19th century, the entire county has been designated the Essex National Heritage Area by the

. The following areas of national significance have also been preserved: * Parker River National Wildlife Refuge *

Salem Maritime National Historic Site The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Historic Site consisting of 12 historic structures, one replica tall-ship, and about 9 acres (36,000 m2) of land along the waterfront of Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts, United Stat ...

* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site * Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 743,159 people, 285,956 households, and 188,005 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 306,754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.9% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 3.1% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 8.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.3% were Irish, 17.1% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 12.6% were English, 6.1% were German, and 3.6% were American. Of the 285,956 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 40.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $64,153 and the median income for a family was $81,173. Males had a median income of $58,258 versus $44,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,828. About 7.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over. Essex County MA population density

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Politics

Voter registration

Education

Essex County is home to numerous libraries and schools, both public and private.

School districts

School districts include: K-12: * Amesbury Public Schools * Andover Public Schools * Beverly School District * Danvers School District * Georgetown School District * Gloucester School District * Hamilton-Wenham School District * Haverhill School District * Ipswich School District * Lawrence School District * Lynn Public Schools * Lynnfield School District * Manchester Essex Regional School District * Marblehead Public Schools * Methuen School District * Newburyport School District * North Andover School District * Peabody Public Schools * Pentucket Regional School District * Rockport School District * Salem School District * Saugus Public Schools * Swampscott School District - Covers PK-12 except in Nahant, where it covers grades 7-12 only * Triton School District Secondary: * Masconomet School District Elementary: * Boxford School District * Middleton School District * Nahant School District * Topsfield School District

Secondary education

Public schools

* Amesbury High School serves

and

South Hampton, New Hampshire South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 894 at the 2020 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest. History South Hampton was one of the first to ...

* Andover High School * Beverly High School * Danvers High School * Georgetown High School * Gloucester High School * Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School * Haverhill High School * Ipswich High School * Lawrence High School * Lynn Classical High School * Lynn English High School * Lynnfield High School * Manchester Essex Regional High School * Marblehead High School * Masconomet Regional High School, serves Topsfield, Boxford and Middleton * Methuen High School * Miles River Middle School * Newburyport High School * North Andover High School * Northshore Academy * Peabody Veterans Memorial High School * Pentucket Regional High School, serves Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury * Rockport High School * Salem High School * Saugus High School * Swampscott High School, serves Swampscott and Nahant * Triton Regional High School, serves Newbury, Rowley and

* Walnut Square Elementary School, in Haverhill is known for its history and clocktower.

Technical schools

Private schools

Higher education

Libraries

* Merrimack Valley Library Consortium - Northern Essex and Middlesex County Libraries * North of Boston Library Exchange - Southern Essex and Middlesex County Libraries

Economy

Employment

As of 2015, the county had total employment of 282,412. The largest employer in the county is

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

, with over 5,000 employees.

Banking

Based on deposits in the county, the five largest banks are TD Bank, N.A., Salem Five Cents Bank, Institution for Savings,

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

, and Eastern Bank.

Essex National Heritage Area

On November 12, 1996, Essex

National Heritage Area In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some o ...

(ENHA) was authorized by Congress. The heritage area consists of all of Essex County, MA a area between the Atlantic Coast and the Merrimack Valley. The area includes 34 cities and towns; two National Historic Sites (Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site); and thousands of historic sites and districts that illuminate colonial settlement, the development of the shoe and textile industries, and the growth and decline of the maritime industries, including fishing, privateering, and the China trade. The Essex National Heritage Area is one of 49 heritage areas designated by Congress, affiliated with the National Park Service. The Essex National Heritage Commission is a non-profit organization chartered to promote tourism and cultural awareness of the area, connecting people to the places of Essex County, MA. The commission's mission is to promote and preserve the historic, cultural and natural resources of the ENHA by rallying community support around saving the character of the area. This is accomplished through the commission's projects and programs, which include Partnership Grant Program, Explorers membership program, photo safaris, and the annual September weekend event Trails & Sails,Trails & Sails
/ref> as well as other important regional partnership building projects like the Essex Heritage Scenic Byway, and the Border to Boston trail.

Communities

The towns and cities of Essex County are listed below.

Cities

* Beverly *

* Haverhill * Lawrence (traditional county seat) * Lynn * Methuen * Newburyport * Peabody * Salem (traditional county seat)

Towns

* Andover * Boxford * Danvers (Salem Village) *

* Georgetown * Groveland *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

* Lynnfield * Manchester-by-the-Sea * Marblehead * Merrimac * Middleton * Nahant * Newbury * North Andover * Rockport * Rowley *

* Saugus * Swampscott * Topsfield * Wenham * West Newbury

Census-designated places

* Andover * Boxford *

* Rockport * Rowley *

* Topsfield

Other villages

* Asbury Grove * Annisquam * Ballardvale * Beverly Farms *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

* Byfield * Clifton * Dogtown *

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

* Merrimacport * Rocks Village * Plum Island * Prides Crossing * Salem Willows

Notes

References

* * * * *Hurd, Duane Hamilton. History of Essex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many Pioneers and Prominent Men
Volume 1Volume 2
Published 1888 by J.W. Lewis and Co. * Newhall, James Robinson
''The Essex Memorial, for 1836: Embracing a Register of the County''
Published 1836. * Lewis, Alonzo and James Robinson Newhall
History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts: Including Lynnfield,Saugus, Swampscott and Nahant
Published 1865 by John L. Shorey 13 Washington St. Lynn. * Perley, Sidney
''The Essex Antiquarian''Volume 1 1897Volume 3 1899Volume 6 1902Volume 8 1904
* Various

External links

Registries

* Located in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

. * Located in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

Maps

*
US Census Bureau map
of cities, towns, Native American reservations, and census-designated places

Other sites

* Official website. * Official website. *
Essex County Sheriff's Department
{{Authority control 1643 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1999 disestablishments in Massachusetts Counties in Greater Boston Massachusetts counties Populated places disestablished in 1999 Populated places established in 1643