Peabody, Massachusetts

Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial history.

History

The area was long inhabited by Native American people known as the Naumkeag.

The area was settled as part of Salem in 1626 by a small group of English colonists from Cape Ann led by Roger Conant. It was subsequently referred to as the Northfields, Salem Farms, and Brooksby. Several area residents were accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century, three of whom were executed (John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Martha Corey).

In 1752, the area was set off from Salem, and incorporated as a district of Danvers. It was referred to as "the South Parish", associated with a church located in present-day Peabody Square. In 1855, the community broke away from Danvers, and was incorporated as the independent town of South Danvers. The name was changed to Peabody on April 30, 1868, in honor of George Peabody, noted philanthropist born in present-day Peabody, widely regarded as the "father of modern philanthropy". It was granted city status in 1916. The western, less densely populated area of town is often separately, yet unofficially, referred to as West Peabody.

Peabody started off as a farming community, but its rivers and streams attracted mills which operated by water power. During the 18th-century, Peabody's Central Street corridor was a hub of pottery manufacturing, especially redware. In particular, Peabody was a major center of New England's leather industry, which attracted immigrants from all around the world.

By 1915, one-third of the population had been born outside the United States. In addition to becoming home to large Irish and Russian populations, Peabody developed a large community of laborers hailing from the Ottoman Empire, mostly Turkish and Kurdish speakers from the region of Harput, now known as Elazığ.

The tanneries that lined Peabody's "Ottoman Street" remained a linchpin of the city's economy into the second half of the 20th century. The tanneries have since closed or been relocated elsewhere, but the city remains known locally as the Leather City or Tanner City. The mascot of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School is named the Tanners.

The loss of the tanneries was a huge 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, Peabody joined the automobile revolution, hosting the pioneer Brass Era company, Corwin Manufacturing.

The Northshore Mall, originally known as the Northshore Shopping Center, is one of the region's largest shopping malls. The mall opened in September 1958 as an outdoor shopping center, and was built on farm land originally owned by Elias Hasket Derby, one of America's first millionaires. Centennial Park, an industrial park in the center of the city, has attracted several medical and technology companies. West Peabody, which was mostly farm land until the 1950s, has been developed into a middle-to-upper class residential area. Brooksby Farm, a working farm and conservation area has been one of the city's most popular destinations for decades.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.46%, is water. The northwestern border of Peabody lies along the Ipswich River, with brooks feeding it, and the Waters River, a tributary of the Danvers River, drains the northeastern part of town. Several other ponds and a portion of Suntaug Lake lie within town. The largest protected portion of the city is the Brooksby Farm, whose land includes the Nathaniel Felton Houses.

The city is wedge-shaped, with the city center located in the wider northeastern end. The neighborhood of South Peabody lies south of it, and the more suburban neighborhood of West Peabody, where the high school is located, lies to the west of the city center, separated by the highways and the Proctor neighborhood. Peabody's center is from the center of Salem, northeast of Boston, west-southwest of Gloucester, and southeast of Lawrence. Peabody is also bordered by Middleton to the northwest, Danvers to the north, Salem to the east, Lynn to the south and Lynnfield to the southwest.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Peabody had a population of 54,481. The median age was 47.0 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 22,315 households in Peabody, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.5% were married-couple households, 16.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 43,124 || 79.2%

| Black or African American || 1,964 || 3.6%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 106 || 0.2%

| Asian || 1,336 || 2.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 13 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 3,409 || 6.3%

| Two or more races || 4,529 || 8.3%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 5,414 || 9.9%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, Local minutemen met in the tavern's yard before the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Brooksby Farm, a city-owned farm and conservation area.
George Peabody House Museum, dedicated to George Peabody.
North Shore Children's Museum, a city-owned museum.
Peabody's Black Box Theater.
Peabody Institute Library, a public library established in 1852 following a bequest from philanthropist and Peabody resident George Peabody.
Tillie's Farm, a city-owned farm in South Peabody.
Washington Street Historic District, a 19th-century residential neighborhood where many civic and business leaders of the time period built homes.

Parks and recreation

thumb|Independence Greenway

Salem Country Club is a privately owned country club and golf course, which hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2001 and 2017, and the U.S. Women's Open in 1954 and 1984.

Independence Greenway is a rail-trail that is part of the Border to Boston trail.

Crystal Lake is a 21-acre conservation area and is part of the Ipswich River watershed.

Spring Pond is a lake that abuts Peabody, Lynn, and Salem.

Government

thumb|upright|City Hall in 1912

Peabody is represented in the state legislature by officials elected from the following districts:

Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Essex district
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 12th Essex district
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 13th Essex district

Education

Public schools

Public education is administered by Peabody Public Schools. Schools include:

Brown Elementary School
Burke Elementary
Carroll Elementary School
Center Elementary School
Higgins Middle School
McCarthy Elementary
South Elementary
Veterans Memorial High School
Welch Elementary
West Elementary

Christian schools

Bishop Fenwick High School, a Catholic private high school.
Covenant Christian Academy, a Christian and classical preparatory school.
St. John the Baptist School, a private Catholic school.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways in Peabody include:

Interstate 95
Massachusetts Route 128
Massachusetts Route 129
U.S. Route 1
Massachusetts Route 114

Several lines of the MBTA bus service pass through town. The Springfield Terminal rail line passes through town, with one line passing from Lynnfield towards Danvers, and another, mostly abandoned, line passing from Middleton to Salem. The nearest commuter rail service is in Salem, along the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, with service to Boston's North Station. The nearest airport is the Beverly Municipal Airport, and the nearest national and international air service is located at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Utilities

The municipally owned Peabody Municipal Light Plant provides electricity to the city. Natural gas service in Peabody is provided by National Grid. Cable television in Peabody is provided by Comcast and the City in June 2019 issued a second cable TV license to RCN.

== Notable people ==

Jeff Allison, former professional baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins from 2003 to 2011
Daniel Ankeles, Maine state senator
Matt Antonelli, former second basemen for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball
Samantha Arsenault, Olympic swimming gold medalist
Garcelle Beauvais, actress and author
Frederick Berry, disability rights advocate, state senator from 1983 to 2013, majority leader of the Massachusetts State Senate from 2003 to 2013
Matt Bloom, professional wrestler
Nathaniel Bowditch, early American astronomer, mathematician, and navigator
Patrick Francis Bresnahan, United States Navy veteran, Medal of Honor
Emma Southwick Brinton, American Civil War army nurse, traveler, and foreign correspondent
Kimberly S. Budd, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Bobby Carpenter, NHL player in the 1980s and 1990s
Giles Corey, victim of the Salem witch trials
Martha Corey, victim of the Salem witch trials
Chick Davies, Major League Baseball player
Brad Delp, lead singer of the band Boston
Jerry DeLucca, former professional football player in New England Patriots
Mary Upton Ferrin, American suffragette and women's rights advocate
Bob Franke, singer-songwriter
Gary Gulman, comedian
Hrishikesh Hirway, musician, producer, host of Song Exploder, and vocalist of The One AM Radio
Daniel P. King, congressman from 1843 to 1850
Christina Kirkman, teen actress, comedian, and circus performer
Joe Klein, author, journalist (worked for The Peabody Times in the 1970s)
Steve Lomasney, former Major League Baseball player
David A. Lowy, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Heather MacLean, competitive runner; competed at 2020 Summer Olympics
Nicholas Mavroules, mayor from 1967 to 1978, congressman 1979 to 1993
Ryan Montbleau, professional musician
Jonathan Mover, professional drummer
George Peabody, merchant, philanthropist, and namesake of the city
Marc Predka, rapper known as Tha Trademarc
John Proctor, victim of the Salem witch trials
Patricia Goldman-Rakic, pioneering neuroscientist and professor
Ruth Shoer Rappaport, scientist and vaccine researcher
Charles Rosa, MMA fighter
Pauline Sperry, mathematician
John J. Studzinski, Investment banker and philanthropist
John Tudor, Major League Baseball pitcher from 1979 to 1990
Francis Robbins Upton, physicist and mathematician
Dan Vassallo, marathon runner, 3-time Olympic Trials qualifier
Rochelle Walensky, physician-scientist, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2021 to 2023
Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001
Nancy Werlin, book author