Editing Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|47.3|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|23.9|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|23.4|km2|order=flip}}, or 49.47%, is water.  The town lies along the [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]] of [[Massachusetts Bay]], which in turn leads to the Atlantic Ocean.  There are seven beaches lining the coast, and several small islands dot the coast, the largest being Kettle Island and [[House Island (Massachusetts)|House Island]].

Several small coves edge the coast, the largest being Manchester Harbor, which is fed by Sawmill Brook and other small bodies of water. There are several protected areas within town, including Cedar Swamp Conservation Area, Cheever Commons Conservation Area, Coolidge Reservation, Dexter Pond, Owl's Nest Nature Preservation Land, Powder House Hill Reservation, and Wyman Hill Conservation Area.

Manchester-by-the-Sea is bordered by [[Beverly, Massachusetts|Beverly]] and [[Wenham, Massachusetts|Wenham]] to the west, [[Hamilton, Massachusetts|Hamilton]] to the northwest, [[Essex, Massachusetts|Essex]] to the north, and [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]] to the east. The town is located {{convert|9|mi|km}} northeast of [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] and {{convert|24|mi|km}} northeast of [[Boston]].