Georgetown, Massachusetts | |
---|---|
Spire of the First Congregational Church in Georgetown | |
Nickname(s): New Rowley (former official name) | |
![]() Location in Essex County and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. | |
Coordinates: 42°43′30″N70°59′30″W / 42.72500°N 70.99167°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Massachusetts |
County | Essex |
Settled | 1639 |
Incorporated | 1838 |
Government | |
• Type | Open town meeting |
Area | |
• Total | 13.2 sq mi (34.1 km2) |
• Land | 12.9 sq mi (33.3 km2) |
• Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,470 |
• Density | 640/sq mi (250/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
ZIP Code | 01833 |
Area code | 351/978 |
FIPS code | 25-25625 |
GNIS feature ID | 0619445 |
Website | www |
Georgetown is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,470 at the 2020 census. [1] It was incorporated in 1838 from part of Rowley.
Georgetown was originally settled in 1639 as a part of the town of Rowley by the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers. The town at the time stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Merrimack River, south of Newbury and north of Ipswich. Several farmers, finding suitable meadowlands in the western half of the settlement, began settling along the Penn Brook by the middle of the seventeenth century, creating Rowley's West Parish. Though not directly involved in King Philip's War, the village nonetheless did become a victim of Indian raids. The village, which became known as New Rowley, grew for many years, with small mills and eventually a shoe company opening up in the town. By 1838, the town was sufficiently large enough for its own incorporation, and was renamed Georgetown. Small industry continued, and today the town is mostly residential in nature, a distant suburb of Boston's North Shore. [2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.1 km2), of which 12.9 square miles (33.3 km2) is land and 0.31 square miles (0.8 km2), or 2.20%, is water. [3] Georgetown is located on the edge of the hills and coastal plain of northeastern Massachusetts. It has many streams and brooks, as well as two major ponds, Rock Pond and Pentucket Pond. The town has several areas of protected land, including the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest to the south, the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area to the north, the Lufkins Brook Area to the west, and a small portion of the Boxford State Forest in the southwest.
Georgetown is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Lawrence, 11 miles (18 km) south-southwest of Newburyport, and 28 miles (45 km) north of Boston, north of the center of Essex County. It is about 30 minutes north of Boston. It is bordered by Groveland to the northwest, Newbury to the northeast, Rowley to the southeast, and Boxford to the southwest. Interstate 95 crosses through the eastern half of town, with one exit within the town, at Route 133. Route 133 crosses from east to west through town, with Route 97 crossing from northwest to south. Both state routes share a short stretch of road near the town center. The town has no mass transit; the nearest rail service can be found along the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail in Rowley. The nearest air service is at Logan International Airport.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1850 | 2,052 | — |
1860 | 2,075 | +1.1% |
1870 | 2,088 | +0.6% |
1880 | 2,231 | +6.8% |
1890 | 2,117 | −5.1% |
1900 | 1,663 | −21.4% |
1910 | 1,621 | −2.5% |
1920 | 1,478 | −8.8% |
1930 | 1,853 | +25.4% |
1940 | 1,803 | −2.7% |
1950 | 2,411 | +33.7% |
1960 | 3,755 | +55.7% |
1970 | 5,290 | +40.9% |
1980 | 5,687 | +7.5% |
1990 | 6,384 | +12.3% |
2000 | 7,377 | +15.6% |
2010 | 8,183 | +10.9% |
2020 | 8,470 | +3.5% |
2022* | 8,408 | −0.7% |
* = population estimate. Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] |
As of the census [15] of 2010, there were 8,183 people, 2,937 households, and 2,290 families residing in the town. The population density was 619.9 inhabitants per square mile (239.3/km2). There were 3,044 housing units at an average density of 230.6 per square mile (89.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 2,937 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married families, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. Of all households, 17.8% were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
According to the 2010 census the median income for a household in the town was $108,137, and in 2008 the median income for a family was $79,649. Males had a median income of $58,806 versus $36,108 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,846. About 2.7% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Georgetown employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and a town administrator. The current board of selectmen consist of Amy Smith (Chair), Douglas Dawes, Daryle J. LaMonica, Rachel Bancroft, and Robert Hoover (Clerk). [16] Georgetown has its own police department, two fire stations (Central Station in downtown and Erie Station in the Northern sector of town), a post office, library, electric department and highway department. The nearest hospitals to the town are in Haverhill, Newburyport and Beverly.
On the state level, Georgetown is under the jurisdiction of the Central District Court of Essex County, located in Haverhill. It is patrolled by the Newbury barracks of Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police. In state government, Georgetown is part of the Second and Eighteenth Essex Districts in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and is part of the First Essex and Middlesex District in the Massachusetts Senate. On the national level, Georgetown is in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, and has been represented since 2015 by Seth Moulton (D). In the United States Senate, Massachusetts's senior senator, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren (D), and its junior senator, elected in 2013, is Edward Markey (D).
Georgetown, unlike its neighboring municipalities, has its own municipal school district, and is not part of a regional school association or district. Georgetown has three schools:
Georgetown High School's colors are royal blue and white, and its team name is the Royals, with a mounted knight as its mascot. They compete in the Small School division of the Cape Ann League, and have a Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with Manchester-Essex Regional High School. In addition to GHS, high school students may also attend Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill, which serves as the eastern Merrimack Valley's vocational school. Private schools are also located throughout the area, the nearest being The Governor's Academy in Newbury.
Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. 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 area. The largest city in Essex County is Lynn. The county was named after the English county of Essex. It has two traditional county seats: 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.
Groveland is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is thirty-four miles north of Boston. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 6,752. The town is divided into two precincts, Groveland and South Groveland.
Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially zoned land.
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles (27 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census.
Merrimac is a small town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the southeastern border of New Hampshire, approximately 34 miles (55 km) northeast of Boston and 10 miles (16 km) west of the Atlantic Ocean. It was incorporated on April 11, 1876. It is situated along the north bank of the Merrimack River in the Merrimack Valley. The population was 6,723 at the 2020 census. Historically a mill town, it has long since become a largely residential community. It is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area.
Methuen is a 23-square-mile city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The city is bordered by Haverhill to the northeast, North Andover to the southeast, Lawrence and Andover to the south, Dracut to the west, Pelham, New Hampshire to the northwest, and Salem, New Hampshire to the north. Methuen is located 17 miles (27 km) southwest from Newburyport, 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of Boston and 25 miles (40 km) south-southeast of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Middleton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,779 at the 2020 census.
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,716 at the 2020 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town, Plum Island and Byfield. Each village is a precinct with its own voting district, various town offices, and business center.
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mooring, winter storage, and maintenance of recreational boats, motor and sail, still contribute a large part of the city's income. A Coast Guard station oversees boating activity, especially in the sometimes dangerous tidal currents of the Merrimack River.
Wenham is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census.
West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 census.
Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was first settled in 1665 and incorporated in 1812, and is governed under the open town meeting system. It is located 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Worcester and 29 miles (47 km) west of Boston. The population was 3,158 at the 2020 census.
Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000.
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the 2020 United States Census. A former farming and mill town, Amesbury is today largely residential. It is one of the two northernmost towns in Massachusetts.
Boxford is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town's population was 8,203 in 2020.
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A residential community with a vibrant tourism industry, the town is famous for its clams, celebrated annually at the Ipswich Chowderfest, and for Crane Beach, a barrier beach near the Crane estate. Ipswich was incorporated as a town in 1634.
Rowley is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,161 at the 2020 census.
Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire border. It is home to the new Salisbury Beach Boardwalk, full of souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, arcades and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 9,236 at the 2020 census. Parts of town comprise the census-designated place of Salisbury.
Bradford is a village and former town, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Eastern Bradford is the current town of Groveland, while western Bradford was annexed by the city of Haverhill, and today consists of the part of Haverhill on the south bank of the Merrimack River. While its separate existence from Haverhill has been largely obscured, the names of many locations in the area still bear the Bradford name.
Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann, as well as part of Middlesex County. It is represented by Seth Moulton, who has represented the district since January 2015. The shape of the district went through minor changes effective from the elections of 2012 after Massachusetts congressional redistricting to reflect the 2010 census. The towns of Tewksbury and Billerica were added, along with a small portion of the town of Andover.