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Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 58,969 at the 2000 census. Haverhill, which is pronounced "HAY-vruhl," is home to Northern Essex Community College.

History

Situated on the Merrimack River, the area was originally called "Pentucket," meaning "land of the winding river," by the native Pentucket Indians, a branch of the Pennacook nation. It was first settled by European colonists in 1640. Purchased from the tribe in 1641, the town was incorporated as "Haverhill," after Haverhill, England. It was attacked by Indians on March 15, 1697, when about 39 people were either killed or captured, and about 6 houses were burned.

Although it began as a farming community, it would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the 18th century, Haverhill developed tanneries, shipping and shipbuilding. The mill town was for 180 years home to a large shoe-making industry, which faded with the Great Depression of the 1930s. It also once manufactured hats. Incorporated as a city in 1870, Haverhill would annex part of Bradford in 1897.

Haverhill was the site of the original Macy's store, established to sell dry goods in 1851 by Rowland H. Macy. It was also where Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer got his start in show business by operating a chain of theatres. The city has much fine old architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built during the flush mill era.

Historic sites & museums:

Geography

Haverhill is located at (42.778090, -71.084916).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.3 km² (35.6 mi²). 86.3 km² (33.3 mi²) of it is land and 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²) of it (6.48%) is water. Haverhill is drained by the Little and Merrimack rivers. Ayer's Hill, a drumlin with an elevation of 339 feet (103 meters), is the highest point in the city.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 58,969 people, 22,976 households, and 14,865 families residing in the city. The population density was 683.1/km² (1,769.4/mi²). There were 23,737 housing units at an average density of 275.0/km² (712.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.67% White, 2.41% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.77% of the population.

There were 22,976 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,833, and the median income for a family was $59,772. Males had a median income of $41,197 versus $31,779 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,280. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

Notable figures

External links

Cities in Massachusetts | Essex County, Massachusetts | 1640 establishments

Haverhill (Massachusetts) | Haverhill, Massachusetts

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Haverhill, Massachusetts".

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