Peabody, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peabody, Massachusetts | |
| Nickname: "The Leather City" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Essex County |
| Settled | 1626 |
| Incorporated | 1868 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-council city |
| - Mayor | Michael J. Bonfanti |
| Area | |
| - City | 16.9 sq mi (43.7 km²) |
| - Land | 16.4 sq mi (42.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 17 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 48,129 |
| - Density | 2,935.5/sq mi (1,133.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01960 |
| Area code(s) | 351 / 978 |
| Website: http://www.peabody-ma.gov/ | |
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,129. Peabody is located on the North Shore.
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[edit] History
First called Brooksby Village, the area was settled about 1633 within Salem, which had been founded in 1626 and incorporated in 1629. In 1752, Brooksby was set off from Salem and incorporated as part of Danvers. Then in 1855, the community broke away from Danvers to become the town of South Danvers. The name was changed in 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. Albert DeSalvo, known to the world as "The Boston Strangler" is also buried in Peabody at Puritan Lawn Cemetery.
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. The Northshore Mall, one of the region's largest malls, opened in 1958, and is now the city's largest taxpayer. Centennial Park, 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.
 City Hall in 1912 |
 Peabody Square in c. 1906 |
 Peabody Institute Library in c. 1912 |
[edit] Geography
Peabody is located at (42.534045, -70.961465).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.7 km² (16.9 mi²). 42.5 km² (16.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.85%) is water. Peabody is drained by the Danvers River.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 48,129 people, 18,581 households, and 12,988 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,133.1/km² (2,935.5/mi²). There were 18,898 housing units at an average density of 444.9/km² (1,152.6/mi²). 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.
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.
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] Notable residents
- Matthew Bloom, professional wrestler
- Giles Corey, witch hysteria victim
- Gideon Foster, Revolutionary War general
- Gary Gulman, comedian
- Nicholas Mavroules, congressman
- George Peabody, merchant & philanthropist
- Joseph MacIntyre, Street Writer
- John Proctor, witch hysteria victim
- Jack Welch, industrialist
- Peter A. Torigian, Peabody's longest serving Mayor
- Jeff Allison, 1st round baseball draft pick by the Florida Marlins turned drug addict
- Michael Bonfanti, current mayor
- Tony Paleta, world renown chef - known for ziti bake
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- City of Peabody
- Peabody Historical Society
- Peabody Institute Library
- Ship Rock Trail
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
