Beverly

History

Native Americans inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years before the European colonization of the Americas. At the time of European contact in the early 1600s, the area that would become Beverly was between an important Naumkeag settlement in present-day Salem and Agawam settlements on Cape Ann, with probable indigenous settlement sites at the mouth of the Bass River. 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.

English colonists, under Roger Conant's leadership, first colonized the area in 1626 as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Initially part of Salem, Beverly would be set off and officially incorporated in 1668, when it was named after Beverley, the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Surviving from the settlement's early history is the John Balch House, built, according to dendrochronological testing performed in 2006, about 1679.

The colonists did not initially seek permission from indigenous inhabitants to settle in Beverly; however, when Charles II revoked colonial charters to establish the Dominion of New England in 1684, Beverly joined a number of Massachusetts municipalities in seeking out heirs to local sachems and paying them ex 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 of Chief Masconomet, last sachem of the Agawam. They did not pay this sum until 1700.

The first ship commissioned for the Continental Army (as the Continental Navy did not yet exist), was the armed schooner USS Hannah under the command of Captain Nicholson Broughton. It was outfitted at Glover'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 the Marblehead Regiment. However, the official history of the United States Navy and the naval history 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 American Industrial Revolution," as it was the site of the first cotton mill in America (1787) and largest cotton mill of its time. The town is the home of one of the country's first Sunday schools, which was built in 1810. Beverly was incorporated as a city in 1894.

Geography

According to the United 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. Beverly is located on the North Shore, the name given to communities north of Boston along Massachusetts 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 by Manchester-by-the-Sea to the east, Wenham to the north, Danvers to the west and Salem to the south. Beverly and Salem are separated by the Danvers River and Beverly Harbor, with three bridges, the Veterans 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 of Gloucester and 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Boston.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Beverly has an oceanic climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps, bordering on the humid 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 and nor'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.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Beverly had a population of 42,670. The median age was 40.0 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.2 males age 18 and over.

98.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 17,015 households in Beverly, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.2% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.02.

There were 17,887 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.

Income

The median household income was $84,354. The per capita income for the city was $47,494.

Economy

Major employers

Axcelis Technologies

Beverly Hospital/Lahey

Endicott College

YMCA of the North Shore

Arts and culture

Points of interest

The Beverly Cotton Manufactory site, the first cotton mill in America. The monument sits in North Beverly next to the Veterans Memorial and North Beverly fire station.

The Cabot boasted the world’s longest-running magician’s show, Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company, which ran from February 1977 through May 2012. Built in an early 20th-century movie palace style, the theater has long functioned as both a live entertainment venue and a movie theater. Purchased in 2014 by a community-led effort to save it from demolition, The Cabot reopened as a nonprofit performing arts center and today presents a year-round mix of live music, comedy, film, and community programming.

The Larcom Theatre, an historic multipurpose music and performing arts theatre in Downtown Beverly. Built in 1912, the 560-seat restored vintage theatre is known for its acoustics, and was built by the Ware brothers (architects of the Cabot Theatre).

Harry Ball Field, home of the Beverly Little League—first and oldest little league in Massachusetts

Hurd Stadium (home of the Beverly Panthers)

John Balch House (c. 1679)

John Cabot House (1781)

Exercise Conant House (1695)

John Hale House (c. 1694)

Lynch Park & Beaches, located in the city's Cove section, is a popular summer spot for swimming, kayaking, sun bathing, and picnics.

The North Shore Music Theatre, offering a program of musicals and celebrity concerts

The Odd Fellows' Hall, on the corner of Cabot and Broadway streets

Education

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, including New 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 as Down syndrome and paralysis

The city is home to Endicott 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 of Montserrat College of Art, a private four-year visual arts college.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Route 128, the chief circumferential highway of the Boston area, crosses Beverly from east to west and connects the city to Interstate 95 and U.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; and Route 127 which heads east from Route 22.

Beverly is the site of the split between the separate lines of the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, which provides service to Boston's North Station. South of the junction lies Beverly Depot near downtown, which is accessible along both lines. Along the Newburyport portion of the line is the North Beverly stop, just south of the Wenham town line. Along the Rockport portion of the line are two working stops, Montserrat and Beverly Farms, as well as the Prides 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 the Cape Ann Transportation Authority. Beverly is home to Beverly 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.