North Shore (Massachusetts)

The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important historical, cultural, and economic region of Massachusetts. It contains the cities of Salem, known world-wide as the site of the Salem Witch Trials; and Gloucester, site of Sebastian Junger's 1997 creative nonfiction book The Perfect Storm and its 2000 film adaptation. Beverly was home to author John Updike until his death. The region also prominently figures in the works of H. P. Lovecraft, notably The Shadow over Innsmouth, as well as those of many New England poets, from T.S. Eliot to Robert Lowell.

Definition

The North Shore has no fixed definition as a region, but is generally considered the wealthiest collection of towns north of Boston beginning in the Marblehead area and continuing north to Newburyport. It may include only those communities between Boston and Cape Ann, as defined by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (whose purview does not go beyond Greater Boston); or the larger part of Essex County, including parts of the Merrimack Valley, as defined by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, which defines regions in terms of watershed, refers to the North Shore as the coastal region of Massachusetts north of Boston stretching from Salisbury to Revere, including the inland city of Amesbury.

Coastal

North Shore of Massachusetts could be taken to mean the entire coast of Massachusetts from New Hampshire to Boston (listed in order, North-to-South):

Salisbury Newburyport Newbury Rowley Ipswich Essex

Rockport Gloucester Manchester-by-the-Sea Beverly Danvers Salem

Marblehead Swampscott Nahant Lynn Revere

Economic

Fishing boats in the harbor of Rockport, Massachusetts.

The Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council's North Shore Task Force, a regional planning agency, defines the North Shore as also encompassing Cape Ann and several inland communities. When combined with the North Shore Chamber of Commerce's definition of the region, the North Shore comprises the following cities and towns:

Amesbury Andover Beverly Boxford Burlington Danvers Essex Georgetown Gloucester Groveland

Hamilton Haverhill Ipswich Lawrence Lynn Lynnfield Manchester Marblehead Merrimac Methuen

Middleton Nahant Newbury Newburyport North Andover North Reading Peabody Reading Revere Rockport

Rowley Salem Salisbury Saugus Stoneham Swampscott Topsfield Wakefield Wenham West Newbury Woburn

Cultural

The North Shore has historically been viewed as the "Gold Coast" of the Bay State because it is a wealthy, exclusive collection of towns and fishing villages. In 1893, the New York Times described the region as a notable summer destination for the socialites, politicians, and businessmen of New York and New England, dotted with hotels, cottages, and burgeoning gentlemen's clubs. Salem, known worldwide as the location of the Salem Witch Trials; the working-class fishing city of Gloucester; and the region's many beaches make it a popular tourist destination. Popular events in the area include Polo matches at the prominent Myopia Hunt Club and sailing races out of the Boston Yacht Club. In addition to visiting the many public and private beaches that line the coast, recreational and social activities are based in the area's many golf and yacht clubs including Eastern Yacht Club, Boston Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club, Newburyport Yacht Club, American Yacht Club, Essex County Club, Myopia Hunt Cub and Ipswich Country Club. While Manchester-Essex, Hamilton-Wenham and Marblehead are known for having some of the state's best public schools; private education is prominent among residents of the North Shore. Some of the nation's finest schools including Phillips Andover Academy, The Pingree School, Governor Dummer Academy and St. John's Preparatory School are located in this exclusive enclave of communities. As with many wealthy communities in Massachusetts, there is a predominant WASP demographic, however several communities maintain notable Catholic and Jewish populations.

History

The North Shore communities have varied and rich histories: Gloucester was America's first fishing community; Salem was the location of the infamous Witch Trials as well as one of the largest centers of shipping and sixth largest city in early America. The hysteria that led to the Witch Trials began in the part of Salem that is now present-day Danvers. Lynn was once the center of the American shoe industry. Saugus is home to the first integrated ironworks in North America. Peabody had the largest concentration of leather tanneries in the world; and Beverly and Marblehead often dispute over which town was the birthplace of the American Navy. Newburyport was well known for producing clipper ships and for a brief time in history was the richest city in the Union; it is also the birthplace of the United States Coast Guard. Newburyport maintains the largest collection of Federal period commercial and residential architecture in the nation.

Sites of interest

Market Square in downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts.

• The Peabody Essex Museum - a museum with large collections of maritime artifacts and Asian art.
• The Salem Witch Museum
• The Saugus Iron Works
• The Swampscott Fish House - the oldest active fish house in the country.
• The Salem Seaport
• Newburyport's historic district maintains the nation's largest collection of Federal period architecture
• Historic Gloucester and Rockport Seaports
• Historic Downtown Salem
• North Shore Navigators collegiate-league baseball team
• The North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, New England's largest regional theater
• The Cabot Street Cinema Theatre in Beverly is home to Le Grand David, the world's longest-running resident stage magic show.

See also

• South Shore
• Greater Boston
• Merrimack Valley