Essex County, Massachusetts

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Essex County, Massachusetts
Map
Map of Massachusetts highlighting Essex County
Location in the state of Massachusetts
Map of the U.S. highlighting Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded 1643
Seat None (formerly Salem and Lawrence)
County government was abolished in 1999
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
829 sq mi (2,146 km²)
501 sq mi (1,297 km²)
328 sq mi (849 km²), 39.57%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density
723,419
1,444/sq mi (558/km²)

Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence[1].

Contents

[edit] History

Printed in 1812, this political cartoon illustrates the electoral districts drawn by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the incumbent Democratic-Republican party candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists, from which the term gerrymander is derived. The cartoon depicts the bizarre shape of a district in Essex County as a dragon.
Printed in 1812, this political cartoon illustrates the electoral districts drawn by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the incumbent Democratic-Republican party candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists, from which the term gerrymander is derived. The cartoon depicts the bizarre shape of a district in Essex County as a dragon.

The county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires". Essex initially contained Salem, Lynn, Wenham, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Gloucester, and Andover.[2]

Essex County is famous as the area that Elbridge Gerry districted into a salamander-like shape in 1812 that gave rise to the word gerrymandering.

[edit] Law and government

Like an increasing number of Massachusetts counties, Essex County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff (currently Frank Cousins) and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region, but there is no county council, commissioner, or county employees. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. See also: League of Women Voters page on Massachusetts counties.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 829 square miles (2,146 km²), of which, 501 square miles (1,297 km²) of it is land and 328 square miles (849 km²) of it (39.57%) is water. Essex County is adjacent to Rockingham County, New Hampshire (north), the Atlantic Ocean (east), Suffolk County (south), and Middlesex County (west). All county land is incorporated into Towns or Cities.

Essex County includes the North Shore, Cape Ann, and much of the Merrimack Valley.

[edit] Adjacent Counties

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 723,419 people, 275,419 households, and 185,081 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,445 people per square mile (558/km²). There were 287,144 housing units at an average density of 574 per square mile (221/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.44% White, 2.60% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.20% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. 11.04% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.4% were of Irish, 15.1% Italian, 9.9% English, 5.6% French and 5.0% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 80.8% spoke English, 10.2% Spanish, 1.4% French, 1.2% Italian and 1.0% Portuguese as their first language.

There were 275,419 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.80% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,576, and the median income for a family was $63,746. Males had a median income of $44,569 versus $32,369 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,358. About 6.60% of families and 8.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

In 2006, Essex County received the dubious honor of being named number one on Forbes Magazine's list of most overpriced places to live in the U.S. The magazine cited high living costs and expensive real estate as the major reasons Essex County was picked over cities with higher mean real estate values (San Diego, New York, Honolulu.)

[edit] Cities, towns, and villages*

*Villages are census division, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.

[edit] Politics

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2004 40.5% 135,114 58.2% 194,068
2000 35.4% 110,010 57.5% 178,400
1996 30.6% 89,120 58.7% 171,021
1992 31.7% 102,212 43.6% 140,593
1988 48.6% 148,614 49.7% 151,816
1984 54.8% 162,152 44.8% 132,353
1980 43.8% 130,252 39.0% 116,173
1976 41.6% 125,538 55.0% 165,710
1972 46.5% 138,040 53.0% 157,324
1968 35.4% 99,721 61.0% 171,901
1964 25.3% 71,653 73.4% 210,135
1960 42.9% 126,599 56.9% 167,875

[edit] Education

Essex County is home to several libraries and schools, both public and private.

[edit] Libraries

[edit] Secondary education

[edit] Higher education

[edit] Essex National Heritage Area

See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts

On November 12, 1996, Essex National Heritage Area was authorized. The heritage area is Essex County, a 500-square-mile (1,300 km2) area between the Atlantic Coast and the Merrimack Valley. It includes thousands of historic sites and districts that illuminate colonial settlement, the development of the shoe and textile industries, and the growth and decline of the maritime industries — including fishing, privateering, and the China trade.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Essex County References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ Davis, William T. Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, p. 44. The Boston History Company, 1895.
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ The National Parks: Index 2001-2003, Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, p. 104.

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 42°38′N 70°52′W / 42.64, -70.87

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_County,_Massachusetts"
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