Peabody, Massachusetts | |
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 Peabody City Hall in 2021 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: Tanner City, The Leather City[1] | |
 Location inEssex County and the state ofMassachusetts | |
  Peabody Location in the United States Show map of Massachusetts Peabody Peabody (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:42°31′40″N70°55′45″W / 42.52778°N 70.92917°W /42.52778; -70.92917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Essex |
| Settled | 1626 |
| Incorporated | 1855 (town) |
| Incorporated | 1916 (city) |
| Named after | George Peabody |
| Seat | Peabody City Hall |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council city |
| • Mayor | Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.81 sq mi (43.54 km2) |
| • Land | 16.24 sq mi (42.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0.58 sq mi (1.49 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 54,481 |
| • Density | 3,355.4/sq mi (1,295.54/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 01960–01961 (Peabody) 01940 (Lynnfield) |
| Area code | 351/978 |
| FIPS code | 25-52490 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0614307 |
| Website | www |
Peabody (/ˈpiːbədi/) is a city inEssex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the2020 United States census. Peabody is located in theNorth Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its richindustrial history.
The area was long inhabited byNative American people known as theNaumkeag.[3][4][5]
The area was settled as part ofSalem in 1626 by a small group ofEnglish colonists fromCape Ann led byRoger Conant. It was subsequently referred to as the Northfields, Salem Farms, and Brooksby.[6] Several area residents were accused of witchcraft during theSalem witch trials of the late 17th century, three of whom were executed (John Proctor,Giles Corey, andMartha Corey).[7]
In 1752, the area was set off fromSalem, and incorporated as a district ofDanvers. It was referred to as "the South Parish", associated with a church located in present-day Peabody Square. In 1855, the community broke away fromDanvers, and was incorporated as the independent town of South Danvers. The name was changed to Peabody on April 30, 1868, in honor ofGeorge Peabody, notedphilanthropist born in present-day Peabody, widely regarded as the "father of modern philanthropy". It was grantedcity status in 1916. The western, less densely populated area of town is often separately, yet unofficially, referred to as West Peabody.
Peabody started off as afarming community, but its rivers and streams attracted mills which operated bywater power. During the 18th-century, Peabody's Central Street corridor was a hub of pottery manufacturing, especiallyredware.[8] In particular, Peabody was a major center ofNew England'sleather industry, which attracted immigrants from all around the world.
By 1915, one-third of the population had been born outside the United States.[9] In addition to becoming home to largeIrish andRussian populations, Peabody developed a large community of laborers hailing from theOttoman Empire, mostly Turkish and Kurdish speakers from the region ofHarput, now known as Elazığ.[9] The population was situated primarily on Walnut Street, where they filledboarding houses and coffee houses to such an extent that it became known as "Ottoman Street," and, morepejoratively and less accurately, "Peabody's Barbary Coast", as the United States was at war with the Ottoman Empire duringWorld War I.[9] One visitor even noted that signs in town were written in both English andOttoman Turkish.[9]
On the morning of October 28, 1915, twenty-one young children were killed in theSt. Johns School fire in the downtown area on Chestnut Street. Their bodies were found after the fire subsided, huddled together and burnt beyond recognition, near the entrance just steps away from survival. As a result, Peabody became the first city in the United States to establish a law that all entrances or exits inpublic buildings be push-open,rather than by handle or knob.[10][11]
Thetanneries that lined Peabody's "Ottoman Street" remained a linchpin of the city's economy into the second half of the 20th century. The tanneries have since closed or been relocated elsewhere, but the city remains known locally as the Leather City or Tanner City. The mascot ofPeabody Veterans Memorial High School is named the Tanners.
The loss of the tanneries was a huge blow to Peabody's economy, but the city has made up for the erosion of its industrial base, at least in part, through other forms of economic development. Early in the 20th century, Peabody joined theautomobile revolution, hosting the pioneerBrass Era company,Corwin Manufacturing.[12]
TheNorthshore Mall, originally known as the Northshore Shopping Center, is one of the region's largestshopping malls. The mall opened in September 1958 as an outdoor shopping center, and was built onfarm land originally owned byElias Hasket Derby, one of America's first millionaires. Centennial Park,[13] anindustrial park in the center of the city, has attracted severalmedical andtechnology companies. West Peabody, which was mostly farm land until the 1950s, has been developed into a middle-to-upper classresidential area. Brooksby Farm,[14] a 275-acre (1.11 km2) working farm andconservation area has been one of the city's most popular destinations for decades.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.5 km2), of which 16.2 square miles (42.0 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), or 3.46%, is water.[15] The northwestern border of Peabody lies along theIpswich River, with brooks feeding it, and the Waters River, a tributary of the Danvers River, drains the northeastern part of town. Several other ponds and a portion of Suntaug Lake lie within town. The largest protected portion of the city is the Brooksby Farm, whose land includes theNathaniel Felton Houses.
The city is wedge-shaped, with the city center located in the wider northeastern end. The neighborhood of South Peabody lies south of it, and the more suburban neighborhood of West Peabody, where the high school is located, lies to the west of the city center, separated by the highways and the Proctor neighborhood. Peabody's center is 2 miles (3 km) from the center ofSalem, 15 miles (24 km) northeast ofBoston, 18 miles (29 km) west-southwest ofGloucester, and 18 miles (29 km) southeast ofLawrence. Peabody is also bordered byMiddleton to the northwest,Danvers to the north, Salem to the east,Lynn to the south andLynnfield to the southwest.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 6,549 | — |
| 1870 | 7,343 | +12.1% |
| 1880 | 9,028 | +22.9% |
| 1890 | 10,158 | +12.5% |
| 1900 | 11,523 | +13.4% |
| 1910 | 15,721 | +36.4% |
| 1920 | 19,552 | +24.4% |
| 1930 | 21,345 | +9.2% |
| 1940 | 21,711 | +1.7% |
| 1950 | 22,645 | +4.3% |
| 1960 | 32,202 | +42.2% |
| 1970 | 48,080 | +49.3% |
| 1980 | 45,976 | −4.4% |
| 1990 | 47,039 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 48,129 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 51,251 | +6.5% |
| 2020 | 54,481 | +6.3% |
| 2022* | 53,896 | −1.1% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Source: U.S. Decennial Census[25] | ||
As of the census of 2010,[15] there were 51,251 people living in the city and a total of 22,220 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 2.4% African American, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race (1.3%Puerto Rican, 0.3%Mexican, 0.1%Cuban, and 4.5% other Hispanic or Latino), 1.9% Asian, 3.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.
The city has had a very largeGreek population ever since the early 20th century. Ever since the mid-20th century, thePortuguese population has been very present, especially from theAzores. In the 21st century,Brazilians came in large swathes.
There were 21,313 households, of which 26.8% included children under the age of 18, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. Of all households, 31.4% were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28, and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 20, 22.5% from 20 to 39, 29.8% from 40 to 59, and 26.5% who were 60 years of age or older. The median age of people in Peabody was 44.6. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $65,515, and the median income for a family was $80,471. Males had a median income of $55,352 versus $44,167 for females. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Salem Country Club is a privately owned country club and golf course, which hosted theU.S. Senior Open in 2001 and 2017, and theU.S. Women's Open in 1954 and 1984.
Independence Greenway is a 5.25 miles (8.45 km) rail-trail that is part of the Border to Boston trail.[31]
Crystal Lake is a 21-acre conservation area and is part of theIpswich River watershed.[32]
Spring Pond is a lake that abuts Peabody, Lynn, and Salem.
Peabody is represented in thestate legislature by officials elected from the following districts:
Public education is administered byPeabody Public Schools. Schools include:[35]
Highways in Peabody include:
Several lines of theMBTA bus service pass through town. TheSpringfield Terminal rail line passes through town, with one line passing from Lynnfield towards Danvers, and another, mostly abandoned, line passing from Middleton to Salem. The nearest commuter rail service is in Salem, along theNewburyport/Rockport Line of theMBTA Commuter Rail, with service to Boston'sNorth Station. The nearest airport is theBeverly Municipal Airport, and the nearest national and international air service is located at Boston'sLogan International Airport.
The municipally ownedPeabody Municipal Light Plant provides electricity to the city. Natural gas service in Peabody is provided byNational Grid. Cable television in Peabody is provided byComcast and the City in June 2019 issued a second cable TV license to RCN.[36][37]
Municipalities and communities ofEssex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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