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.[2]
History
Lynnfield Public Library
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.
Geography and transportation
Lynnfield is located at 42°31′40″N71°1′42″W / 42.52778°N 71.02833°W / 42.52778; -71.02833 (42.527895, −71.028348).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27.1 km2), of which 9.9 square miles (25.6 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), or 5.58%, is water.[4] 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 Middleton to the north, Peabody to the northeast, Lynn to the southeast, and Saugus to the south. The town commons lies 9 miles (14 km) west of Salem, 14 miles (23 km) north of Boston, and 15 miles (24 km) south of Lawrence.
Interstate 95 and Massachusetts State Route 128 pass concurrently through town twice, becoming separate just over the Peabody line. U.S. Highway Route 1 and Massachusetts State Route 129 also enter the town concurrently, separating in the southeast corner of town at the Lynnfield Tunnel, a local traffic landmark. No other state routes pass through the town. The Springfield Terminal Railroad passes through town, but is no longer in service. There is no MBTA Commuter Rail service within Lynnfield; the nearest train station is off to the west in the neighboring town of Wakefield which serves the Haverhill Commuter Rail Line. MBTA Bus Route 436 clips the extreme southeastern corner of Lynnfield with a bus stop available at the intersection of Lynnfield Street and Lookout Terrace; the stop is located just two blocks southeast of Condon Circle (sometimes referred to as Goodwin Circle).[5] Inbound service on MBTA Bus Route 436 travels to Central Square, Lynn to connect with the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line; outbound buses provide service to the Northshore Mall in Peabody and the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers.[6] The nearest general aviation airport is Beverly Municipal Airport to the east; the nearest commercial airport for domestic and international service can be found at Boston's Logan International Airport.
As of the census of 2010,[18] there were 11,596 people, 4,179 households, and 3,267 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,143 inhabitants per square mile (441/km2). There were 4,354 housing units at an average density of 429.2 per square mile (165.7/km2). 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% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 4,179 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% a male householder with no wife present, and 21.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $136,101, and the median income for a family was $95,804, which are both well over the national averages. Males had a median income of $82,386 versus $50,589 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,916. The average household net worth is $966,273.
Government
The town is more conservative than much of the rest of Massachusetts. In the 2008 Presidential election, John McCain received 55% of the town's vote,[19] up slightly from the George W. Bush's 53% in 2004.[20] In the 2012 Presidential election, former Governor Mitt Romney received 60.9% of the town's vote.[21] However, in a reflection of Donald Trump's weakness in suburban communities across the state and nationally, the Republican presidential vote share in the town dropped to 51.5% in 2016.[22] The Republican vote share under Donald Trump dipped further in 2020 and allowed Joe Biden to win the town with 50.5% of the vote, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the town since 1996.[23]
Local government
Lynnfield uses the open town meeting model common in New England with a Board of Selectmen overseeing the operation of the town.[24]
Lynnfield Public Schools operates area public schools. Lynnfield High School is the district's public high school. The area is also served by Lynnfield Middle School, Huckleberry Hill Elementary School and Summer Street Elementary School. Our Lady of the Assumption is a private Catholic school located in the town.[25]
The public school system consistently has one of the highest standardized test scores in the state. In 2020, Lynnfield High School was ranked 11th overall and 7th in math and reading proficiency in Massachusetts by U.S. News & World Report.[26] Lynnfield High receives an overall A grade on Niche.com [27]
Market Street is based in Lynnfield and opened in 2013. The outdoor shopping plaza has over 80 stores, including restaurants and shops. An ice rink is operated during the winter.[28]
Notable people
Eddie Andelman, former sports talk show host, TV personality and founder of the Hot Dog Safari
Theodore Conrad, bank robber and fugitive who became a car dealer under the name Thomas Randele; his identity remained a secret for 52 years
John Connolly, former FBI agent, depicted in the movie The Departed
Billy Costa, host of Boston radio station Kiss 108's morning show Matty in the Morning,[29] also host of New England Cable News TV Diner and of the annual Federal Reserve Cup of Boston
David Hewes, (born in Lynnfield, Essex County, Massachusetts May 16, 1822, born into one of the "old families" of the state that trace back seven generations to the patriot Joshua Hewes.[32]- provided the golden spike marking completion of the rail and he also planned connecting the railroad company's wires to Western Union so the taps of the silver hammer driving the golden spike in Promontory Point, Utah could be heard in San Francisco.
^Conway, Andrew (November 22, 2011). "History in Lynnfield". Northshore Magazine. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1920 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1890 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1870 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1860 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^"1850 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
