Updated on Apr 13, 2021
Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000.
Lynnfield initially consisted of two distinct villages with a single governing body. Lynnfield Center comprises mostly an agricultural population, while South Lynnfield boasted a mixed culture. Together, the two towns evolved into one of the most prosperous suburbs in the North Shore region of Massachusetts.
The town of Lynnfield was first settled in 1638 and was made a district separate from Lynn in 1782. It was later officially incorporated in 1814. Historically, Lynnfield functioned as two separate villages connected by one governing body: in Lynnfield Center resided a mostly agricultural population, while South Lynnfield was a crossroad situated amongst neighboring larger towns. During this time, the town had two inns, a granite rock quarry, a small carbonated beverage bottler, and various eating institutions.
The stagecoach line north from Boston to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, known locally as the "Newburyport Turnpike", ran through South Lynnfield. Later this roadway became U.S. Route 1, the route which brought many people north to the small town during the post-World War Two population surge. Lynnfield had attractions such as horse shows and ballroom dancing. Lynnfield has since become a modern, chiefly residential suburb of Boston.
Along with the communities of Chelsea, Lynn, Salem, Marblehead, Danvers, Middleton, Andover, Methuen, Haverhill, Amesbury and Salisbury, Lynnfield was a part of "The Gerry-mander" so described by the Boston Gazette on March 26, 1812.
Lynnfield Center retained limited commuter rail service, via the Boston & Maine Railroad, into the late 1950s/early 1960s with a small railroad boarding platform located not far from the current Town Hall offices.
When, in the 1960s, the United States Post Office implemented the Zone Improvement Program with 5-digit numerical codes, Lynnfield was assigned two ZIP codes, 01940 and 01944, for the Lynnfield Center and the South Lynnfield post offices, respectively. Later, 01944 was reassigned to Manchester (now Manchester-by-the-Sea) South Lynnfield currently shares Zip Code 01940 with Lynnfield Center.
Lynnfield is located at (42.527895, −71.028348). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.58%, is water. The Ipswich River forms the northern border of the town, and several brooks cross through town. Several lakes and ponds dot the town, including Suntaug Lake, Reedy Meadow, Pillings Pond, and Walden Pond (a less famous cousin of the one in Concord). A portion of the Lynn Woods Reservation is located in the southeast corner of town, and in the northwest part of town lies part of Camp Curtis Guild, a Massachusetts National Guard base which also contains lands in the neighboring towns. The highest part of town lies on Middleton Hill in the northern part of town.
Lynnfield lies along the western border of Essex County, and is bordered by the Middlesex County towns of Wakefield to the southwest, Reading to the west, and North Reading to the north and northwest. Within Essex County, the town is bordered by Peabody to the northeast, Lynn to the southeast, and Saugus to the south. The town commons lies west of Salem, north of Boston, and south of Lawrence.
Interstate 95 and Route 128 pass concurrently through town twice, becoming separate just over the Peabody line. U.S. Route 1 and Massachusetts Route 129 also enter the town concurrently, separating in the southeast corner of town, at the Lynnfield Tunnel, a local traffic landmark. There are no other state or national routes passing through town. The Springfield Terminal railroad passes through town, but is no longer in service. There is no commuter rail service within town the nearest service can be found on the Haverhill/Reading Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail just west of town in Wakefield. The nearest airport is Beverly Municipal Airport to the east the nearest national and international air service can be found at Boston's Logan International Airport.
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,596 people, 4,179 households, and 3,267 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,143 people per square mile (439.5/km). There were 4,354 housing units at an average density of 429.2 per square mile (162.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 94.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 3.3% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1%
More about LYNNFIELD under "Town Info"
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