Essex

Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 census. The name Chebacco is Agawam in origin and refers to a large lake whose waters extend into neighboring Hamilton. Conomo Point, the easternmost part of the town, is named for the Sagamore or Chief of the Agawams, Masconomo, the leader of the tribe in the late 17th century. The town does not have any direct access to Ipswich Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with Essex Bay providing access through the northeast corner of town. There are several protected areas within town, including the Allyn-Cox Reservation, a portion of Crane Wildlife Refuge, the Stavros Reservation and the state Wildlife Management Area. Essex is bordered by Hamilton to the west, Manchester-by-the-Sea to the south, Gloucester to the east, and Ipswich to the north. Essex River feeds Essex Bay, along with Castle Neck River and several creeks, including Walker Creek, Hardys Creek and Soginese Creek. Though not accessible directly by a major highway, Route 128 clips the corner of Essex. The Ipswich Essex Explorer bus provides weekend service during the summer with the MBTA Commuter Rail at Crane Beach and Rockport.

History

Essex was incorporated as a town in 1819. It was previously a part of the town of Ipswich and was then called Chebacco Parish. The first European settlers arrived in 1634. The name is Agawam in origin and refers to a large lake whose waters extend into neighboring Hamilton. Conomo Point is named for the Sagamore or Chief of the Agawams, Masconomo, the leader of the tribe in the late 17th century. It is reported that a local woman, Madam Varney, assembled the town's women and construction of a meeting house was carried out by them while the men looked on. In colonial times, the existence of a. meeting house in a settlement conferred de facto autonomy, so CheBacco. Parish was denied permission to build such a structure. In 1819, the town became an independent town and incorporated as Essex. The town is now home to the University of East Anglia and the College of Arts and Sciences. It has a population of around 4,000. It also has a university, which was founded in 1776. The University of Essex is located on the edge of the River Thames and was once known as the ‘Oxford University of the Arts and Science’. The college is now the centre of the East Anglian College of Art and Design. The university’s motto is ‘The Art and Science of the Enlightenment’, which means ‘the study of the arts and science of the ages’ and is based on the French Revolution.

Geography and transportation

Essex is located 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Salem. It is bordered by Hamilton to the west, Manchester-by-the-Sea to the south, Gloucester to the east, and Ipswich to the north. There are several protected areas within town, including the Allyn-Cox Reservation, a portion of Crane Wildlife Refuge, the Stavros Reservation and the state Wildlife Management Area. The Ipswich Essex Explorer bus provides weekend service during the summer connecting with the MBTA Commuter Rail at Ipswich along the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The Rockport portion of the commuter rail line passes through neighboring Manchester-By-The-Sea and Gloucester. The town does not have any direct access to Ipswich Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with Essex Bay providing access through the northeast corner of town. The land that makes up the limits of the town is close to sea level, with a few low hills dotting the landscape. Chebacco Lake and the surrounding wetlands make up most of the southwestern part of theTown's southwestern part, including Choate Island and several islands in Essex Bay. Essex River feeds Essex Bay, along with Castle Neck River and several creeks, including Walker Creek, Hardys Creek and Soginese Creek. Route 133 passes from northwest to southeast through town, and the eastern end of Route 22 is at Route 133 in the center of town; Route 128 clips the corner of Town's northeast corner.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,267 people, 1,313 households, and 887 families residing in the town. The population density was 230.7 people per square mile (89.1/km²). There were 1,446 housing units at an average density of 39.4 persons/ km² (102.1 persons/sq mi) The racial makeup of the town was 98.50% White, 0.15% African American, 0,12% Native American,0.43% Asian, 0.,03% Pacific Islander, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03. The median income for a household in theTown was $59,554, and the median family income was $70,152. The per capita income for the Town was $31,613. 6.6% of residents and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. The town is located on the U.S.-Mexico border. It is located at the junction of the Mississippi and Louisiana rivers. It was once known as the "Sandy River Junction" due to its proximity to the Mississippi River. It has a population of about 3,200, including about 1,300 single-family homes, and about 2,000 multi-family dwellings. The Town is located near the border with the state of Louisiana.

Government

Essex is a small town in New England. The town is governed by a board of three selectmen. The Town Hall and Burnham Library are located in the center of the town. In 2002 the town hired a Town Administrator to work for the board of selectmen and oversee day-to-day operations. In recent years, the town has been involved in a number of major issues. These include the leasing of public lands and a school regionalization plan with Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Education

Essex has one public school, Essex Elementary School, that offers instruction to children from pre-kindergarten to grade 5. The town of Essex does not include a high school, and in years past has had to send its grade 9 through 12 students to neighboring districts. In 2000, the town approved a plan to create a regional school district with Manchester-by-the-Sea. Under the plan, the two towns are served by a consolidated school system, the "Manchester-Essex Schools", and a new high school. In early 2006, the voters of both Essex and Manchester by the Sea approved a new $49 million regional school project for the purpose of building a new Middle School and High School. Construction was completed in the summer of 2009, and students began attending the new middle-high school in the fall of 2009. Both projects were approved at Town Meeting and then again at the ballot box for a debt-exclusion which will permit the towns to raise funds in excess of the 2.5% property tax cap mandated by Prop.2.5. A similar $36 million plan three years earlier was defeated in Essex at the polls and approved in Manchester. This marks the first time Essex did not have to sending its students to another district to attend high school for grade 9-12. The Essex Middle School had previously functioned to educate students to grade 8. It is located in the same building as both the Manchester Essex Regional High School and the previous Manchester Middle School.

Economy

The main sources of income for the town of Essex are the shellfish industry and tourism. The fried clam recipe was reportedly invented in Essex by Chubby Woodman early in the 20th century. Essex was once a leading supplier of schooners for Gloucester and other Atlantic fishing communities. The town now claims one of the highest density of antique shops of any town in the United States. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum stands as a living testament to the wooden shipbuilding industry and the neighboring boat yard owned by generations of the Story Family still constructs and launches classic wooden ships built in the Essex tradition. Essex also competes with nearby Rockport for tourists in search of "New England charm" The town's only beach is not easily accessible by land and, as such, is not a major draw for tourists, as are the beaches of neighboring Gloucester, Ipswich and Manchester-by-the-Sea. There has also emerged an antiques trade in Essex in the last few decades, and the town is home to a large number of antiques shops, many of which are open to the public. Essex is located on the banks of the Essex River, which runs through the center of the town. It is the only town in New England to have a harbor, which was built in 18th century to handle the influx of immigrants to the area from Europe and the Middle East. Essex has a population of around 2,000 people, with the majority of its residents living in the town center.

Culture

Since 1994 the Centennial Music Festival has been held at Chebacco Lake. The festival was called off in 2009 due to Tropical Storm Danny. The 2011 festival was also cancelled due to the same storm. The music festival will be held again in 2015. It will feature bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music. It is also known as the "Centennial Festival" for its location in the middle of the lake. It was also used for the filming of the film Grown Ups, which was shot at the same location. The film was shot by the crew of the U.S. Navy's Centennial Fishing Frogboat, which is based in the area. It also featured a number of local musicians. The event was held on the same site as the original Centennial Festival, which took place in 1994. It has been cancelled again due to a hurricane in 2011. It had been scheduled to take place in 2012. The 2014 festival will take place at the site of the original festival, but was postponed due to bad weather. The 2015 festival will also be held at the location of the first festival, which takes place in 1998. It took place on the site where the original Festival took place. The first festival was held in 1994, and the second in 2007. The third and fourth festivals were held in 2008 and 2009. The fifth and sixth festivals are scheduled for 2014 and 2015. The sixth and seventh festivals will be in 2015 and 2016. The last one will be on September 14 and 16.

Religion

Essex has several churches of various Protestant Christian denominations (Unitarian Universalist, Congregational, Evangelical, Bible church) as well as a Roman Catholic parish. There are also a number of non-denominational churches in the area. The town is home to the Royal College of Music, a music school, and a music college. It is also the home of the University of Essex, a college of music and music education. It was founded in 1876. The city was once known as "Essex" and is now known as the "City of Essex" It has a population of 1.6 million. It has been the site of the World Trade Center for much of the 20th century. It also hosted the World Series of Chess in the 1950s and 1960s. It now has a museum, the Museum of Modern and Industrial Art, which was opened in 1968. The museum is located in the centre of the town and is open to visitors from all over the world. It opened its doors to the public in the 1970s and has a collection of stained glass windows and other works of art from around the world, including many of the world's greatest painters and sculptors. There is also a museum of the Roman Catholic Church in the town, which dates back to the 12th century and was built in the 16th Century. The parish church of St. Mary's is located on the edge of the city and is known for its stained-glass windows.

Conomo Point

Conomo is a summer community that is over 100 years old. There are 104 seasonal cottages and year-round homes on Conomo Point. In 1819, Essex separated from the town of Ipswich on the condition that Essex would take care of their poor. The town of Essex found four properties ideal for a Poor Farm or Alms House in 1825. The rents were increased by 25% in 1927 by vote in a town meeting. In 1951, rents wereincreased another 5%. Then in 1961, rents was raised even higher by 25%.From 1950 to 1970, the town sought to maximize its rental income, while at the same time avoiding increasing rental rates. In the mid-1970s Conomo residents began drilling private wells. In response, the Board of Health ruled that no more cottage at the Point could be converted from seasonal to year- round use after May 1982. Because the water lines to the Point had until then been turned off in October for the duration of the winter, year-long living there had not been a consideration, and Conomo point Commissioners were reluctant to grant permission to drill wells. The Point was no longer populated by only by Essex citizens by 1900. Due to the construction of the railroad in Essex in 1892, Conomo points was far more accessible to people from nearby towns. Over these years, the Town of Essex approved new lots to be leased for the sake of cottage construction. Over time, the Point's population grew to more than 1,000.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Essex, Essex County, Massachusetts = 36.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 13. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Essex = 3.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 16,481 individuals with a median age of 43.3 age the population dropped by -9.05% in Essex, Essex County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 230 residents per square mile of area (89/km²). There are average 2.43 people per household in the 533 households with an average household income of $54,418 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.00% of the available work force and has dropped -4.06% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.88%. The number of physicians in Essex per 100,000 population = 202.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Essex = 47 inches and the annual snowfall = 53.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 120. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 200. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 52, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Essex, Essex County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 61.59%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 25.0 years with median home cost = $425,110 and home appreciation of -3.47%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.64 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,225 per student. There are 13.8 students for each teacher in the school, 1043 students for each Librarian and 443 students for each Counselor. 4.13% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.02% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.91% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).