Editing West Newbury, Massachusetts (section)

== Geography ==

West Newbury is a part of Massachusetts' [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]], as well as the [[Merrimack Valley]] regions of the state.  It lies along the south banks of the [[Merrimack River]], {{convert|10|mi}} upstream from the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The town is located approximately {{convert|13|mi}} northeast of [[Lawrence, Massachusetts|Lawrence]] and {{convert|34|mi}} north of [[Boston]].  It is bordered by [[Merrimac, Massachusetts|Merrimac]] and [[Amesbury, Massachusetts|Amesbury]] to the north, [[Newburyport, Massachusetts|Newburyport]] to the east, [[Newbury, Massachusetts|Newbury]] to the southeast, [[Groveland, Massachusetts|Groveland]] to the southwest, and [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]] to the west. The Rocks Village Bridge across the Merrimack River is the only access to the northern banks of the river in town; there is no direct route into Merrimac and Amesbury.
[[File:WestNewburyRocksVillageBridge.jpg|thumb|left|Rocks Village Bridge, West Newbury, 2019]]

West Newbury is separated from Newburyport by the Artichoke River and its upper and lower reservoirs. Several other rivers and brooks, including the Indian River, flow through the town. The southern corner of town is part of the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area, and two other protected areas, the Riverbend Recreation Area and Mill Pond Recreation Area, are located in the northern part of town. The town's highest point is on Archelaus Hill in the center of town. Significant efforts have been made by residents to maintain the rural character of the town through advocacy for the preservation of open spaces. West Newbury is well known for its many hills: Pipestave Hill, Archelaus Hill, Brake Hill, Ilsey Hill, Indian Hill, Long Hill and Meetinghouse Hill.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|38.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|34.8|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|3.3|km2|order=flip}}, or 8.65%, is water.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): West Newbury town, Essex County, Massachusetts| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=September 6, 2012}}</ref>