Peabody, Massachusetts

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Peabody, Massachusetts
Official seal of Peabody, Massachusetts
Seal
Nickname: The Leather City
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°31′40″N 70°55′45″W / 42.52778, -70.92917
Government
 - Type Mayor-council city
 - Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti
Area
 - Total 43.7 km² (16.9 sq mi)
 - Land 42.5 km² (16.4 sq mi)
 - Water 1.2 km² (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation 5 m (17 ft)
Population (2000)
 - Total 48,129
 - Density 1,133.4/km² (2,935.5/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01960
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-52490
GNIS feature ID 0614307
Website: www.peabody-ma.gov

Peabody (pronunciation IPA: /ˈpiːbədi/) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,129. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.

Contents

[edit] History

First known as the Northfields, "the Farms", and Brooksby, the area was settled about 1626 within Salem, which had itself been founded in 1626 and incorporated in 1629. In 1752,the area was set off from Salem and incorporated as part of Danvers, and then usually referred to as "the South Parish", which was associated with the church located in the center (now Peabody Square). In 1855, the community broke away from Danvers to become the town of South Danvers, incorporated that May 18. The name was changed on April 30, 1868 to Peabody after George Peabody, a noted philanthropist. It would be incorporated as a city in 1916.

Giles Corey, the only person pressed to death by stones in the Salem witch hysteria of 1692, had his farm and was buried here beside his wife next to Crystal Lake.

On the morning of Oct. 28, 1915, 21 young girls lost their lives in a tragic fire at the St. John's School on Chestnut Street in the Downtown area. The 21 girls who were trapped were later found, after the fire subsided, huddled together, burned beyond recognition, on the other side of the entrance - just steps away from survival. All the teachers escaped with their lives. The students' deaths were privately mourned in Peabody and rarely mentioned as many tried to forget the tragedy.[1]

Beginning as a farming community, the town's streams attracted mills which operated by water power. In particular, Peabody was a major center of New England's leather industry, and tanneries remained a linchpin of the city's economy into the second half of the 20th Century. The tanneries have since closed, but the city remains known locally as the Leather City or Tanner City, and its high school sports teams are nicknamed the Tanners.

The loss of the tanneries was a 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, it joined automobile revolution, hosting the pioneer brass era company, Corwin, maker of the oddly-named Gas-au-lec.[1] The Northshore Mall, originally The Northshore Shopping Center, is one of the region's largest malls, opened in 1958, and is now the city's largest taxpayer. Centennial Park[2], an industrial park in the center of the city, has attracted several medical and technology companies.

Meanwhile, West Peabody, which was mostly farmland as recently as the 1980s, has been developed into an affluent residential district. Peabody is a City rich in History and proudly maintains the Historic Brooksby Farm [3].

Brooksby Farm, managed by the City of Peabody, is a 275 acre working farm and conservation area. Visitors can pick apples, strawberries and raspberries at the orchards, visit the petting zoo, browse the farm stand, hike or cross-country ski on the many trails on the property. Not far from two hectic malls, Brooksby Farm is an island of serenity, where footpaths and trails wind around ancient houses, a reconstructed fire station from the mid-1800s, red barns and 65 acres of working orchards. Bring a sled or rent cross-country skis and snowshoes and examine rare evergreens of the Woodland Garden.

City Hall in 1912

Peabody Square in c. 1906

Peabody Institute Library in c. 1912

[edit] Geography

Peabody is located at 42°32′3″N, 70°57′41″W (42.534045, -70.961465).[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.9 square miles (43.7 km²), of which, 16.4 square miles (42.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (2.85%) is water. Peabody is drained by the Danvers River.

[edit] Peabody Veterans Memorial High School

Peabody Veterans Memorial High School is a public high school located in Peabody, Massachusetts. The team mascot of the school is the Tanners, the Peabody Tanners. As of April 2008, there are 1,898 students enrolled in the school, and 146 teachers. The student to teacher ratio is 13.0 to 1. PVMHS offers grades 9-12 and is a very diverse school.

The school offers many clubs and after school organizations which include: Animae Club, Art Club, Chess Club, Computer Science Club, Greek Club, Marching Band and Color Guard, Diversity Council, Math Team, Media Communications Club, National Honor Society, META (Yearbook), Peer Mediation, Outdoor Adventure Club, Frisbee Club, Ski Club, Renaissance Club, Stage One, and Student Council.

Peabody High is well-known for its sports as well. It was part of the Greater Boston League up until this year when it moved to the Northeastern Conference (NEC). The Varsity Sports offered by PVMHS are offered in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. They include Cross Country (B/G), Basketball (B/G), Baseball, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Lacrosse (B/G), Football, Ice Hockey (B/G), Outdoor Track (B/G), Golf, Indoor Track (B/G), Softball, Soccer (B/G), Swim/Dive (Co-ed), Tennis (B/G), Volleyball, and Cheerleading.

[edit] Demographics

Ship Rock in c. 1906
Ship Rock in c. 1906

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 48,129 people, 18,581 households, and 12,988 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,935.5 people per square mile (1,133.1/km²). There were 18,898 housing units at an average density of 1,152.6/sq mi (444.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.92% White, 0.97% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.83% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.43% of the population. 20.7% were of Italian, 20.0% Irish, 8.4% Portuguese, 6.1% English, 5.4% American and 5.2% Greek ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 18,581 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.

A. C. Lawrence Co. in c. 1910
A. C. Lawrence Co. in c. 1910

In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,829, and the median income for a family was $65,483. Males had a median income of $44,192 versus $32,152 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,827. About 3.7% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Major highways

The City of Peabody is located 18 miles north of Boston at the intersection of Route 128, U.S. Route 1, and I-95. It is also on Route 114, which connects Danvers to Salem

[edit] Major employers

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.158.
  2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links


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