Beverly, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Post office in 1919 | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Patri Simillima Proles(Latin) was"May we be as our children" | |
 Location inEssex County and the state ofMassachusetts. | |
  Beverly, Massachusetts Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°33′30″N70°52′48″W / 42.55833°N 70.88000°W /42.55833; -70.88000 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Essex |
| Settled | 1626 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1668 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1894 |
| Named after | Beverley, England |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council city |
| • Mayor | Michael P. Cahill |
| • City Council |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 22.59 sq mi (58.50 km2) |
| • Land | 15.09 sq mi (39.08 km2) |
| • Water | 7.50 sq mi (19.42 km2) |
| Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 42,670 |
| • Density | 2,828/sq mi (1,091.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 01915 (Beverly) 01965 (Prides Crossing) |
| Area code | 978/351 |
| FIPS code | 25-05595 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0614200[2] |
| Website | www |
Beverly is a city inEssex County, Massachusetts, United States, and a suburb ofBoston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the2020 United States census.[3] A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the MassachusettsNorth Shore, Beverly includes Ryal Side, North Beverly, Centerville, Cove, Montserrat,Beverly Farms andPrides Crossing. Beverly is a rival ofMarblehead for the title of "birthplace of theU.S. Navy".[4]
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Native Americans inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years before theEuropean colonization of the Americas. At the time of European contact in the early 1600s, the area that would become Beverly was between an importantNaumkeag settlement in present-daySalem andAgawam settlements onCape Ann,[5] with probable indigenous settlement sites at the mouth of the Bass River.[6] During the early contact period,virgin soil epidemics ravaged native populations, reducing the indigenous population within the present boundaries of Beverly from an estimated 200 to less than 50 if there were any survivors.[6]
English colonists, underRoger Conant's leadership, first colonized the area in 1626 as part of theMassachusetts Bay Colony. Initially part of Salem, Beverly would be set off and officially incorporated in 1668, when it was named afterBeverley, thecounty town of theEast Riding of Yorkshire, England.[7][8][9] Surviving from the settlement's early history is theJohn Balch House, built, according todendrochronological testing performed in 2006, about 1679.[10]
The colonists did not initially seek permission from indigenous inhabitants to settle in Beverly; however, whenCharles II revoked colonial charters to establish theDominion of New England in 1684, Beverly joined a number of Massachusetts municipalities in seeking out heirs to localsachems and paying themex post facto in order to establish a right to the land. So it was that in 1686, the town selectmen agreed to pay six pounds, six shillings, and eight pence to three grandchildren ofChief Masconomet, lastsachem of the Agawam. They did not pay this sum until 1700.[5]
The first ship commissioned for theContinental Army (as theContinental Navy did not yet exist), was the armed schoonerUSSHannah under the command of CaptainNicholson Broughton. It was outfitted atGlover's Wharf and first sailed from Beverly Harbor on September 5, 1775. For this reason, Beverly calls itself the "Birthplace of America's Navy".Marblehead makes a similar claim, in part, because Broughton was from there and belonged to theMarblehead Regiment. However, the officialhistory of the United States Navy and the navalhistory of Rhode Island contradict this.Hannah can be found on the patch of the city's police department.
Beverly has also been called the "birthplace of the AmericanIndustrial Revolution," as it was the site of the firstcotton mill in America (1787)[11][12] and largest cotton mill of its time. The town is the home of one of the country's firstSunday schools, which was built in 1810. Beverly was incorporated as a city in 1894.
In 1902, theUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation built a quarter-mile (400 m) stretch of factory buildings in Beverly. The stretch was an early landmark example ofreinforced concrete construction, devised by concrete pioneerErnest L. Ransome. In 1906 it went into production. Closed in 1987, the complex was bought by Cummings Properties in 1996, and developed into a campus of hi-tech companies, salons, restaurants, medical offices, and more.Parker Brothers, makers ofMonopoly and other games, was headquartered in Beverly, acquired byHasbro, and eventually ceased operations in Beverly. In 2012, the Dunham Road property was acquired by Cummings Properties and named Dunham Ridge.
PresidentWilliam Howard Taft rented a house for thesummer White House from Mrs. Maria Evans in Beverly. In the summers of 1909 and 1910, he lived in a house located at what is now the site of the Italian Garden in Lynch Park, the city's principal public park, and in 1911 and 1912 he rented a different house a mile (1600 m) away, "Parramatta", from Mrs. Robert Peabody.[13]Beverly Hills, California, was named in 1907 after Beverly Farms in Beverly because Taft vacationed there.[14]
In 1984, thedeadliest arson fire in Massachusetts history occurred at the Elliott Chambers, a rooming house located on the corner of Rantoul and Elliott Streets in downtown Beverly. 15 people died as a result of the fire.[15]
Beverly has a formerNike missile site on L. P. Henderson Road, immediately east of theBeverly Municipal Airport. This site was in operation from March 1957 until August 1959, when the Army handed it over to theNational Guard. It is currently used byMassachusetts US&R Task Force 1 and is under the scrutiny of many environmental organizations, due to concerns about pollutedgroundwater, which could be potentially hazardous to the nearbyWenham Lake water supply.
In April 2013, Bill Scanlon, Beverly's longest-serving mayor, announced that he would not be running for re-election in November. Scanlon first won election to the mayor's seat in 1993 and held the office through 2013 (with the exception of a single term by Tom Crean from 2002 to 2003).[16] In 2013,Michael Cahill beat Wes Slate to become Beverly's 34th mayor.
In December 2021, Mayor Cahill received one of two top honors from the Mayors Climate Protection Awards recognizing mayors for their climate work. The award focused on two Beverly efforts: the conversion of its vehicle fleet to electric and its Green Schools Program, which involves making buildings more energy efficient. Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll also received an honorable mention for her work on Resilient Together, a Beverly-Salem collaboration to address climate change. Whether it involves vehicle electrification or the greening of city buildings, the coastal city of Beverly has made climate work a central focus to protect its future.[17]
Beverly is home toThe Cabot, one of only approximately 250 similar movie palaces left out of an estimated 20,000 theaters built in the 1920s. For its first 40 years, it served as a center of community life for downtown Beverly. In 1944, the venue was leased to movie chain giant E.M. Loew's, which eventually purchased it in 1962, and renamed it the Cabot Cinema. In 1976 it was purchased byLe Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Company. For 37 years, The Cabot hosted Le Grand David's long-running magic show that made seven White House appearances and won recognition in the Guinness Book of Records and TIME, Smithsonian and National Geographic World magazines. After Le Grand David's retirement in 2012, the venue was sold in 2014 and reopened as a nonprofit performing arts center.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km2), of which 15.1 square miles (39.1 km2) is land and 7.5 square miles (19.4 km2), or 33.19%, is water.[18] Beverly is located on theNorth Shore, the name given to communities north of Boston alongMassachusetts Bay. There are many smaller coves, as well as two islands, the Great and Little Misery Islands, which are part of the city. From Woodbury Point westward lies Beverly Harbor, which lies at the mouth of the Danvers River. The Bass River empties into the Danvers River from within the city. Several other small streams lie within the city as well. A large portion of Wenham Lake, as well as several other lakes and ponds lie within the city. The city has its own city forest and reservation land as well.
Much of the western half of the city is relatively urbanized, while the eastern part of the city (roughly from Woodbury Point east) is more rural. Beverly is home to several parks, five beaches, the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club (est. 1910) and two yacht clubs, Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly Harbor and Bass Haven Yacht Club along the Bass River.
Besides Massachusetts Bay to the south, Beverly is bordered byManchester-by-the-Sea to the east,Wenham to the north,Danvers to the west andSalem to the south. Beverly and Salem are separated by the Danvers River and Beverly Harbor, with three bridges, theVeterans Memorial Bridge (former location of the historic Essex Bridge), the MBTA railroad bridge, and the Kernwood Bridge, connecting the two cities. Beverly's city center lies 2 miles (3 km) north of Salem's, and is 14 miles (23 km) west-southwest ofGloucester and 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Boston.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Beverly has anoceanic climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps, bordering on thehumid continental climate type, abbreviated "Dfb". Accordingly, the city experiences moderately cold and snowy winters (though temperature and precipitation can vary greatly) along with warm to hot and humid summers. A sea breeze will often keep much of the southern part of the city cooler in the summer. Beverly is prone to thunderstorms and tropical rainstorms in the summer andnor'easters that can bring heavy rain and/or in the winter, fall, and spring. Generally, however, precipitation is relatively even throughout the year, with a slight increase around the spring and the fall. The hottest temperature recorded in Beverly was 98 °F (36.7 °C) on July 4, 2002, July 25, 2022, and June 24, 2025, while the coldest temperature recorded was −13 °F (−25.0 °C) on February 4, 2023.[19]
| Climate data for Beverly, Massachusetts COOP (June 1996–2020 normals, extremes 1996–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) | 73 (23) | 89 (32) | 93 (34) | 92 (33) | 98 (37) | 98 (37) | 97 (36) | 96 (36) | 83 (28) | 81 (27) | 76 (24) | 98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.7 (14.8) | 58.5 (14.7) | 66.3 (19.1) | 77.4 (25.2) | 86.0 (30.0) | 88.7 (31.5) | 91.6 (33.1) | 88.7 (31.5) | 87.6 (30.9) | 77.3 (25.2) | 69.3 (20.7) | 60.2 (15.7) | 93.6 (34.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.6 (2.6) | 38.6 (3.7) | 45.4 (7.4) | 56.6 (13.7) | 66.2 (19.0) | 74.7 (23.7) | 80.1 (26.7) | 78.9 (26.1) | 71.8 (22.1) | 60.8 (16.0) | 51.3 (10.7) | 42.1 (5.6) | 58.6 (14.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 28.3 (−2.1) | 35.3 (1.8) | 45.1 (7.3) | 54.9 (12.7) | 64.2 (17.9) | 70.0 (21.1) | 68.6 (20.3) | 61.5 (16.4) | 50.5 (10.3) | 41.4 (5.2) | 32.9 (0.5) | 48.3 (9.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.8 (−7.9) | 18.0 (−7.8) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 33.5 (0.8) | 43.7 (6.5) | 53.8 (12.1) | 59.9 (15.5) | 58.4 (14.7) | 51.3 (10.7) | 40.3 (4.6) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 38.1 (3.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.5 (−18.1) | 3.3 (−15.9) | 10.1 (−12.2) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 32.7 (0.4) | 43.9 (6.6) | 51.9 (11.1) | 48.9 (9.4) | 38.5 (3.6) | 28.4 (−2.0) | 19.8 (−6.8) | 9.7 (−12.4) | −2.0 (−18.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −10 (−23) | −13 (−25) | −2 (−19) | 16 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 38 (3) | 43 (6) | 44 (7) | 33 (1) | 19 (−7) | 11 (−12) | −3 (−19) | −13 (−25) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.74 (95) | 3.61 (92) | 4.64 (118) | 4.20 (107) | 3.47 (88) | 3.99 (101) | 3.43 (87) | 3.36 (85) | 3.82 (97) | 4.99 (127) | 3.98 (101) | 4.79 (122) | 48.02 (1,220) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 16.0 (41) | 16.4 (42) | 7.6 (19) | 1.4 (3.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.9 (2.3) | 8.8 (22) | 51.4 (130.66) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 8.1 (21) | 10.0 (25) | 7.7 (20) | 1.5 (3.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.3 (0.76) | 4.1 (10) | 13.1 (33) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.3 | 9.5 | 11.0 | 11.7 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 10.4 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 11.0 | 10.7 | 11.4 | 128.2 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.4 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 15.5 |
| Source: NOAA[20][19] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 3,290 | — |
| 1800 | 3,881 | +18.0% |
| 1810 | 4,608 | +18.7% |
| 1820 | 4,283 | −7.1% |
| 1830 | 4,073 | −4.9% |
| 1840 | 4,689 | +15.1% |
| 1850 | 5,376 | +14.7% |
| 1860 | 6,154 | +14.5% |
| 1870 | 6,507 | +5.7% |
| 1880 | 8,456 | +30.0% |
| 1890 | 10,821 | +28.0% |
| 1900 | 13,884 | +28.3% |
| 1910 | 18,650 | +34.3% |
| 1920 | 22,561 | +21.0% |
| 1930 | 25,086 | +11.2% |
| 1940 | 25,537 | +1.8% |
| 1950 | 28,884 | +13.1% |
| 1960 | 36,108 | +25.0% |
| 1970 | 38,348 | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 37,655 | −1.8% |
| 1990 | 38,195 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 39,862 | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 39,502 | −0.9% |
| 2020 | 42,670 | +8.0% |
| 2024 | 43,223 | +1.3% |
Source:United States census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Source: U.S. Decennial Census[34] | ||
As of the census of 2020, there were 42,670 people and 16,568 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 82.3%White, 4.0%African American, 0.1%Native American, 9.3%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, and 3.1% from two or more races. 5.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 16,158 households in the city. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.02.
19.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 81.0% were over the age of 18. 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males.
The median household income was $84,354. The per capita income for the city was $47,494.[35]
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third parties | Total Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 68.31%16,703 | 29.47%7,205 | 2.22%542 | 24,450 | 38.85% |
| 2016 | 60.95%13,185 | 31.92%6,904 | 7.13%1,543 | 21,632 | 29.04% |
| 2012 | 58.13%12,158 | 39.82%8,328 | 2.06%430 | 20,916 | 18.31% |
| 2008 | 60.08%12,247 | 38.17%7,780 | 1.75%356 | 20,383 | 21.92% |
| 2004 | 58.82%11,543 | 39.70%7,791 | 1.48%291 | 19,625 | 19.12% |
| 2000 | 57.58%10,803 | 34.86%6,540 | 7.56%1,419 | 18,762 | 22.72% |
| 1996 | 59.08%10,296 | 30.33%5,286 | 10.59%1,846 | 17,428 | 28.75% |
| 1992 | 43.27%8,507 | 31.40%6,174 | 25.33%4,979 | 19,660 | 11.87% |
| 1988 | 50.35%9,397 | 47.71%8,903 | 1.94%362 | 18,662 | 2.65% |
| 1984 | 43.06%7,791 | 56.68%10,256 | 0.27%48 | 18,095 | 13.62% |
| 1980 | 34.69%6,360 | 43.70%8,012 | 21.61%3,962 | 18,334 | 9.01% |
| 1976 | 49.33%9,399 | 47.38%9,027 | 3.29%627 | 19,053 | 1.95% |
| 1972 | 50.70%9,163 | 48.90%8,837 | 0.40%72 | 18,072 | 1.80% |
| 1968 | 55.14%9,194 | 41.84%6,976 | 3.02%503 | 16,673 | 13.30% |
| 1964 | 71.25%12,079 | 28.46%4,824 | 0.29%49 | 16,952 | 42.80% |
| 1960 | 45.94%8,286 | 53.93%9,728 | 0.13%24 | 18,038 | 7.99% |
| 1956 | 29.77%4,680 | 70.04%11,009 | 0.18%29 | 15,718 | 40.27% |
| 1952 | 31.70%5,052 | 68.05%10,845 | 0.25%40 | 15,937 | 36.35% |
| 1948 | 40.48%5,390 | 58.40%7,775 | 1.12%149 | 13,314 | 17.91% |
| 1944 | 38.15%4,741 | 61.70%7,667 | 0.15%19 | 12,427 | 23.55% |
| 1940 | 36.32%4,698 | 63.37%8,196 | 0.31%40 | 12,934 | 27.04% |
The city has five K–4 elementary schools: Ayers Ryal Side, Centerville, Cove, Hannah, and North Beverly. The city's sole middle school is Beverly Middle School, which finished construction in 2018. Beverly Middle School serves residents in grades 5–8.
Beverly High School is a grade 9–12 public high school located in Beverly. It was founded in 1858, and currently enrolls over 1300 students. In September 2011, construction was completed on a new academic building, which is now in use by students and faculty.
Prior to the current state of Beverly's schools, Briscoe served as a middle and high school. Constructed in 1923, the historic building lies near downtown Beverly. Its use for high school students from 1923 to 1964 came to an end when it was transformed to the towns Junior High School, serving grades 6–8. There, it lasted until 2017 when the newly built Beverly Middle School took in the students.
Beverly is home to several K–12 private schools, includingNew England Academy,Landmark School, Harborlight-Stoneridge Montessori School, Kindercare Learning Center, Beverly School for the Deaf, Saints Academy, the Bright Horizons School, The Waring School, Glen Urquhart School, Shore Country Day, Mrs. Alexander's School, and several others.
In addition,Northshore Academy offers K–12 alternative public education services. Many schools exist on campus, including schools for those struggling with learning disabilities, substance addiction, and a school for people with more severe mental and physical disabilities such asDown syndrome and paralysis
The city is home toEndicott College, which offers 23 bachelor programs, 27 concentrations, and 27 minors. Master programs are offered in business, education, nursing, computer science, and political science. Beverly is also home ofMontserrat College of Art, a private four-year visual arts college.
Route 128, the chiefcircumferential highway of the Boston area, crosses Beverly from east to west and connects the city toInterstate 95 andU.S. Route 1 in Peabody.Route 1A passes through Beverly from south to north, along main streets in downtown Beverly. The city is also the terminus of four different state routes:Route 22, which heads northeast from Route 1A;Route 62, which heads west from Route 127;Route 97, which parts with Route 1A northwest of downtown before heading north; andRoute 127 which heads east from Route 22.
Beverly is the site of the split between the separate lines of theNewburyport/Rockport Line of theMBTA Commuter Rail, which provides service to Boston'sNorth Station. South of the junction liesBeverly Depot near downtown, which is accessible along both lines. Along the Newburyport portion of the line is theNorth Beverly stop, just south of the Wenham town line. Along the Rockport portion of the line are two working stops,Montserrat andBeverly Farms, as well as thePrides Crossing station to which service is indefinitely suspended. Additionally,MBTA bus Route 451 serves the city, with service to downtown Beverly and Salem from the North Beverly station. A local bus route called the Beverly Shoppers Shuttle serves downtown and western Beverly, and is contracted through theCape Ann Transportation Authority. Beverly is home toBeverly Municipal Airport, though parts of the airfield itself lie within Danvers, as well as a very small portion of the north runway in Wenham.Logan International Airport provides the nearest national and international regularly scheduled air service.
The Hall-Whitaker Bridge which spans the Bass River on Bridge Street was closed to vehicular traffic by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in June 2023. A permanent replacement is expected in 2027.[37]
Municipalities and communities ofEssex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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42°33′29″N70°52′48″W / 42.558°N 70.880°W /42.558; -70.880
