Editing Georgetown, Massachusetts

{{Short description|Town in Massachusetts, United States}}
{{Other uses|Georgetown (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Georgetown, Massachusetts
|nickname                 = New Rowley <br><small>(former official name)</small>
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = First Congregational Church Georgetown.JPG
|imagesize                = 200px
|image_caption            = Spire of the First Congregational Church in Georgetown
|image_seal               = Seal of Georgetown, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               =
|image_map                = Essex County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Georgetown highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex County]] and the Commonwealth of [[Massachusetts]].
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex]]
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = 1639
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1838
|established_title3       =
|established_date3        =
|government_type          = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title             = <!--[[Town Administrator|Town<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Administrator]]-->
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
|leader_name1             =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 34.1
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_km2            = 33.3
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_km2           = 0.8
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 8470
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_m              = 24
|elevation_ft             = 79
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|coordinates              = {{Coord|42|43|30|N|70|59|30|W|region:US-MA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = ZIP Code
|postal_code              = 01833
|area_code                = [[Area code 351|351]]/[[Area code 978|978]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-25625
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0619445
|website                  = {{URL|www.georgetownma.gov}}
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Georgetown''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex County]], [[Massachusetts]], United States. The population was 8,470 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2500925625|title=Census - Geography Profile: Georgetown town, Essex County, Massachusetts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 7, 2021}}</ref> It was incorporated in 1838 from part of [[Rowley, Massachusetts|Rowley]].

==History==
Georgetown was originally settled in 1639 as a part of the town of [[Rowley, Massachusetts|Rowley]] by the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers.  The town at the time stretched from the Atlantic coast to the [[Merrimack River]], south of [[Newbury, Massachusetts|Newbury]] and north of [[Ipswich, Massachusetts|Ipswich]]. Several farmers, finding suitable meadowlands in the western half of the settlement, began settling along the Penn Brook by the middle of the seventeenth century, creating Rowley's West Parish.  Though not directly involved in [[King Philip's War]], the village nonetheless did become a victim of Indian raids.  The village, which became known as New Rowley, grew for many years, with small mills and eventually a shoe company opening up in the town.  By 1838, the town was sufficiently large enough for its own incorporation, and was renamed Georgetown. Small industry continued, and today the town is mostly residential in nature, a distant suburb of Boston's [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgetownma.gov/Public_Documents/GeorgetownMA_WebDocs/about|title=Town of Georgetown, MA - History of Georgetown|access-date=2010-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113102909/http://www.georgetownma.gov/Public_Documents/GeorgetownMA_WebDocs/about|archive-date=2010-01-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|34.1|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|33.3|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.8|km2|disp=flip}}, or 2.20%, is water.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Georgetown town, Essex County, Massachusetts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=August 31, 2012 }}</ref> Georgetown is located on the edge of the hills and coastal plain of northeastern Massachusetts.  It has many streams and brooks, as well as two major ponds, Rock Pond and Pentucket Pond.  The town has several areas of protected land, including the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest to the south, the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area to the north, the Lufkins Brook Area to the west, and a small portion of the Boxford State Forest in the southwest.

Georgetown is located approximately {{convert|10|mi|0}} east of [[Lawrence, Massachusetts|Lawrence]], {{convert|11|mi}} south-southwest of [[Newburyport]], and {{convert|28|mi}} north of [[Boston]], north of the center of Essex County. It is about 30 minutes north of Boston.  It is bordered by [[Groveland, Massachusetts|Groveland]] to the northwest, [[Newbury, Massachusetts|Newbury]] to the northeast, [[Rowley, Massachusetts|Rowley]] to the southeast, and [[Boxford, Massachusetts|Boxford]] to the southwest.  [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|Interstate 95]] crosses through the eastern half of town, with one exit within the town, at [[Massachusetts Route 133|Route 133]].  Route 133 crosses from east to west through town, with [[Massachusetts Route 97|Route 97]] crossing from northwest to south.  Both state routes share a short stretch of road near the town center.  The town has no mass transit; the nearest rail service can be found along the [[Newburyport/Rockport Line]] of the [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] in Rowley.  The nearest air service is at [[Logan International Airport]].

==Demographics==

{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}
{{Historical populations | type=USA | align=left
 | 1850|2052
 | 1860|2075
 | 1870|2088
 | 1880|2231
 | 1890|2117
 | 1900|1663
 | 1910|1621
 | 1920|1478
 | 1930|1853
 | 1940|1803
 | 1950|2411
 | 1960|3755
 | 1970|5290
 | 1980|5687
 | 1990|6384
 | 2000|7377
 | 2010|8183
 | 2020|8470
 | 2022*|8408
 | footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=November 23, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/cf/1.0/en/place/Georgetown%20town,%20Essex%20County,%20Massachusetts/POPULATION/DECENNIAL_CNT |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=July 28, 2017 |title=American FactFinder |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214061951/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/cf/1.0/en/place/Georgetown%20town,%20Essex%20County,%20Massachusetts/POPULATION/DECENNIAL_CNT |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> of 2010, there were 8,183 people, 2,937 households, and 2,290 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|619.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 3,044 housing units at an average density of {{convert|230.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]], 0.2% [[American Indian (U.S. Census)|American Indian and Alaska Native]], 0.9% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.3% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 2,937 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were [[Marriage|married families]], 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. Of all households, 17.8% were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

According to the 2010 census the median income for a household in the town was $108,137, and in 2008 the median income for a family was $79,649. Males had a median income of $58,806 versus $36,108 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,846.  About 2.7% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
[[Image:Georgetown Town Hall.JPG|thumb|right|Town offices]]
Georgetown employs the [[open town meeting]] form of government, and is led by a [[board of selectmen]] and a town administrator.  The current board of selectmen consist of Amy Smith (Chair), Douglas Dawes, Daryle J. LaMonica, Rachel Bancroft, and Robert Hoover (Clerk).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.georgetownma.gov/board-selectmen|title=Board of Selectmen &#124; Georgetown MA|publisher=www.georgetownma.gov}}</ref>  Georgetown has its own police department, two fire stations (Central Station in downtown and Erie Station in the Northern sector of town), a post office, library, electric department and highway department.  The nearest hospitals to the town are in Haverhill, Newburyport and Beverly.

On the state level, Georgetown is under the jurisdiction of the Central District Court of Essex County, located in Haverhill.  It is patrolled by the Newbury barracks of Troop A of the [[Massachusetts State Police]].  In state government, Georgetown is part of the Second and Eighteenth Essex Districts in the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]], and is part of the First Essex and Middlesex District in the [[Massachusetts Senate]].  On the national level, Georgetown is in [[Massachusetts's 6th congressional district]], and has been represented since 2015 by [[Seth Moulton]] (D).  In the [[United States Senate]], Massachusetts's senior senator, elected in 2012, is [[Elizabeth Warren]] (D), and its junior senator, elected in 2013, is [[Edward Markey]] (D).

==Education==
Georgetown, unlike its neighboring municipalities, has its own municipal school district, and is not part of a regional school association or district.  Georgetown has three schools:

* Perley Elementary School (formerly Perley High School) is a [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program]] award-winning elementary school for preschool only.
* Penn Brook Elementary School is an elementary school on Elm Street in Georgetown for grades kindergarten–6.
* Georgetown Middle-High School is the only high school/middle school in the town and serves grades 7–12.

[[Georgetown High School (Massachusetts)|Georgetown High School's]] colors are royal blue and white, and its team name is the Royals, with a mounted [[knight]] as its mascot.  They compete in the Small School division of the [[Cape Ann League]], and have a [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] football rivalry with [[Manchester-Essex Regional Junior-Senior High School|Manchester-Essex Regional High School]].  In addition to GHS, high school students may also attend [[Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School]] in [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]], which serves as the eastern Merrimack Valley's vocational school.  Private schools are also located throughout the area, the nearest being [[The Governor's Academy]] in Newbury.

==Points of interest==
[[File:First Congregational Church - Georgetown, Massachusetts.JPG|thumb|upright|Front view of the First Congregational Church, designed by [[Peabody & Stearns]]]]
* [[Brocklebank–Nelson–Beecher House]]
* [[Dickinson–Pillsbury–Witham House]]
* [[Adams–Clarke House]]
* [[Georgetown Central School]] Memorial Town Hall
* Erie 4 Fire Company is the oldest privately owned and operated volunteer fire company in America.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eriefour.com/eriefour/pubpages/history.cfm |title=Erie Fire Association No. 4, Inc |access-date=2008-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903045359/http://www.eriefour.com/eriefour/pubpages/history.cfm |archive-date=2008-09-03 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>
* [[Georgetown-Rowley State Forest]]
* Goodrich Massacre Site<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/town_info/history/x1909897525 |title=Georgetown massacre remembered this week – Georgetown, MA – Georgetown Record |access-date=2007-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917213432/http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/town_info/history/x1909897525 |archive-date=2008-09-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The "Old Nancy" cannon, a relic of the Revolutionary War, may be viewed at the Town Hall.<ref>={{cite web|url=https://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/towns-keep-a-spirited-battle-over-old-nancy/article_a0117107-de37-55fa-93b7-8bb1d187fd84.html|title=Town Keeps a Spirited Battle over 'Old Nancy'|date=October 2013}}</ref>
* Union Cemetery. Cuffee Dole, an African-American man, was buried on the outskirts of the cemetery, but as it grew his plot became more centrally located.
* Georgetown Peabody Library is the town's only public library and named for the noted philanthropist [[George Peabody]] who provided the funds to build the library to honor his mother. Peabody provided the funds necessary for the building of the Peabody Institute Libraries in [[Danvers, Massachusetts|Danvers]] and [[Peabody, Massachusetts|Peabody]], as well [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)]], [[Baltimore]], [[Thetford, Vermont]], [[Austin, Texas]] and others. He funded the establishment of the Peabody Museums at [[Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology|Harvard]] and [[Peabody Museum of Natural History|Yale]] and in [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]]. The Georgetown Peabody Library finished an addition and renovation in September 2007.

==Notable people==
* [[Matt Antonelli]], former MLB player
* [[Bill Chisholm (businessman)|Bill Chisholm]], founder of [[Symphony Technology Group]] (STG), majority owner of the [[Boston Celtics]]
* [[Pat Freiermuth]], Pittsburgh Steelers tight end
* [[Charles Beecher]], American minister, composer of religious hymns, and prolific author, preached in Georgetown and died in Georgetown as well
* [[Jeremiah Chaplin]], theologian
* [[Paul Harding (author)|Paul Harding]], best known for his debut novel ''[[Tinkers (novel)|Tinkers]]'' (2009), which won the [[2010 Pulitzer Prize|2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_105233442.html |title=Georgetown man's novel wins Pulitzer Prize for fiction » Local News » NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA |access-date=2010-04-18 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908070618/http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_105233442.html |archive-date=2012-09-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[William Dutton Hayward]], founder of Hayward, California
* [[Oliver Waterman Larkin]], author, winner of [[1950 Pulitzer Prize]] in history for ''Art and Life in America''
* [[Terry O'Reilly]], Boston Bruins hockey player, long time Georgetown resident
* [[David Pingree (merchant)|David Pingree]] (1795–1863), a merchant and landowner
* [[Brian St. Pierre]], former standout quarterback at [[St. John's Preparatory School (Danvers, Massachusetts)|St. John's Preparatory School]] and [[Boston College]]. He played in the [[NFL]] from 2003–2010 and is now the head coach at his high school alma mater ([[St. John's Preparatory School (Danvers, Massachusetts)|St. John's]])
* [[Fred Tenney]], baseball player born in Georgetown, buried in Harmony Cemetery
* [[Jenny Thompson]], U.S. Olympic swimming star, lived in town from 1974 to the early 1980s
* [[Raymond H. Torrey]], journalist and hiking pioneer
* [[John Updike]], novelist, resided at 58 West Main Street from 1976 to 1982. His jogs through Georgetown provided backdrop for his 1981 novel ''Rabbit Is Rich'', which won him the [[National Book Critics Circle Award]], the [[National Book Award]] and the [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]]<ref>[http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214908_1_0,00.html Penguin Classics {{!}} The Best Classic Books, Poetry & Cult Novels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208165842/http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214908_1_0,00.html |date=2008-02-08}}.</ref>

== In popular culture ==
* Georgetown served as the filming location for Diane English's movie ''[[The Women (2008 film)|The Women]]'' (2008). The movie starred numerous Hollywood leading ladies, including [[Eva Mendes]], [[Meg Ryan]], [[Carrie Fisher]], [[Annette Bening]], [[Jada Pinkett Smith]], [[Candice Bergen]], [[Bette Midler]] and [[Debra Messing]]. The primary filming location was at Camp Leslie, along the shore of Pentucket Pond.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/fun/entertainment/movies/x680956196 |title=Bette Midler, Meg Ryan and Annette Bening film 'The Women' in Georgetown - Georgetown, MA - Georgetown Record<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-11-06 |archive-date=2012-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402172250/http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/fun/entertainment/movies/x680956196 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vEBL3bEr89ICprintsec ''Georgetown''], Arcadia Publishing, Images of America series, 2002

==External links==
{{Commons category|Georgetown, Massachusetts}}
* [http://www.georgetownma.gov/ Town of Georgetown official website]
* [http://www.georgetownpl.org/ Georgetown Peabody Library]
* [http://www.georgetownhistoricalsociety.com/ Georgetown Historical Society]
* {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130122054915/http://www.eriefour.com/ Erie 4 Fire Co.website]}}
* [http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/ ''Georgetown Record'' newspaper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030050715/http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown |date=2007-10-30 }}
* [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=ROWLEY.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1795&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1795&pageprefix= 1794 Map of Rowley] by Joseph Chaplin
* [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=ROWLEY.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1830&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1830&pageprefix= 1830 Map of Rowley] by Philander Anderson, which includes the New Rowley Parish which was incorporated in 1838 as Georgetown
* 1872 Atlas of Essex County. [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0059.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= Map of Georgetown on Plate 59], [http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0061.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= Map of Georgetown Center on plate 61]

{{Essex County, Massachusetts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Georgetown, Massachusetts| ]]