SWAMPSCOTT, MA

Swampscott is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 15,111 as of the 2020 United States Census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts Bay, Swampscott is today a fairly affluent residential community and includes the village of Beach Bluff, as well as part of the neighborhood of Clifton.

History

The area around Swampscott was inhabited by indigenous people for tens of thousands of years prior to European arrival. The Naumkeag or Pawtucket, speaking an Eastern Algonquin language related to Massachusett, controlled land extending from the Charles River to the Merrimack River at the time of European exploration. Wood's New England Prospect lists "Swampscot" as a noted habitation in 1633 before extensive European settlement. According to an early twentieth century source, the name "Swampscott" is variously said to mean "at the red rock", "broken waters", or "pleasant water place".

Swampscott was first settled by Europeans in 1629, as the eastern part (Ward One) of Lynn, and was set off and officially incorporated in 1852. In 1857, a piece of the far western end of Salem, then known as the "Salem Finger", became part of Swampscott. A beach town north of Boston, measuring and abutting Salem, Marblehead and Lynn, Swampscott was an important destination for the wealthy at the beginning of the 20th century. While Revere Beach, which lies just several miles down the road, has the honor of technically being America's first public beach, Swampscott was the de facto first resort town. Lynn was the divider between the poor beach and the rich resort town.

Education

Swampscott's public school system includes three elementary schools: Hadley School, Clarke School, and Stanley School; one middle school, Swampscott Middle School; and one high school, Swampscott High School. The Machon elementary school was shut down in 2008–2009, but the property remains on the district's rolls. A new building was completed in 2007 for Swampscott High School. In 2011, Swampscott considered installing a wind turbine, with the approximate height of a 30-story building, on the property of the Swampscott Middle School but ultimately rejected the project.

Geography and transportation

Swampscott is located at (42.474409, −70.905883). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²), of which 3.0 square miles (7.9 km²) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), or 54.83%, is water. Located beside Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Swampscott lies along a mostly rocky shoreline, though there is enough clear shore for five beaches; Phillips which stretches into Preston and is by far the largest beach in town, Eisman's and Whales, Fisherman's, and a part of King's Beach, which extends into Lynn. There are several small parks, along with the small Harold King Forest in the northwest corner of town and the Tedesco Country Club which bisects part of the town. The town also has two small ponds, Foster Pond and Palmer Pond.

Swampscott is mostly suburban, with most of the clear land in the northwest corner of town. There are three villages within town, Beach Bluff to the east, Phillips Point to the south, and Phillips Beach inland between the two. The town is centered around Monument Square, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted; which is south of Salem, northeast of Boston, and southwest of Cape Ann. The town is to the nearest point in New Hampshire, in the town of Salem. Swampscott is bordered by Marblehead to the northeast, Salem to the northwest, and Lynn to the southwest. The water rights of the town extend into Massachusetts Bay, bordered by those of Marblehead and Lynn.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 13,787 people, 5,579 households, and 3,986 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,725.9 people per square mile (1,824.4/km²). There were 5,930 housing units at an average density of 1,944.5 per square mile (750.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.47% White, 0.74% Black or African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 5,719 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. Of all households 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $84,174, and the median income for a family was $92,795. Males had a median income of $56,541 versus $38,690 for females. The per capita income for the town was $45,487. The town is among some of the richest towns in the state (see List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income) and is currently ranked at 16th. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over. The median home sale price for the town in 2007 was $565,894. Home values typically range from around $400,000 to upwards of $5 million for ocean front homes. These prices are comparable to other wealthy North Shore towns such as Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea which are located nearby. In upper class oceanfront neighborhoods and neighborhoods with ocean views or views of the Boston skyline, average home prices increase to as much as $1,038,569 and average household incomes can range upwards of $150,000. Larger oceanfront properties have recently been assessed at values greater than $5 million and in some cases upwards of $10 million.

Points of interest

Swampscott was home to Marian Court College until the college's closure in 2015.

Transportation

The MBTA provides passenger rail service from Boston's North Station with the Swampscott station on its Newburyport/Rockport Line, as well as several bus lines. An abandoned 4-mile branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad originating in Swampscott serves as Marblehead rail trail.

Swampscott is located along Massachusetts Route 1A and Route 129. Both routes enter from Lynn, with Route 1A passing north of the town center towards Salem, and Route 129 following the coast for a half mile before going inland north of Phillips Point and returning to the coast before heading into Marblehead. There is no highway within town, which lies well south of Massachusetts Route 128 and Interstate 95. The town is served by numerous MBTA bus routes which lead into the surrounding towns.

The nearest air service can be reached at Beverly Municipal Airport, and the nearest national and international air service can be found at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Notable people