Editing Gloucester, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Gloucester, Massachusetts
| nickname                 = "The Place To Be In The Summer"
| motto                    = "America's Oldest Seaport"
| image_skyline            = Gloucester MA - Fisherman's Memorial.jpg
| imagesize                = 250px
| image_caption            = ''[[Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial|Man at the Wheel]]'', Fisherman's Memorial Cenotaph
| image_seal               = Seal of Gloucester, Massachusetts (1882).png
| image_flag               = 
| image_map                = Essex County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Gloucester highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 260px
| map_caption              = Location in [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex County]] and [[Massachusetts]].
| pushpin_map              = Massachusetts#USA
| pushpin_label            = Gloucester
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
| 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         = 1623
| established_title2       = Incorporated (town)
| established_date2        = 1642
| established_title3       = Incorporated (city)
| established_date3        = 1873
| government_type          = [[Mayor-council government|Mayor-council city]]
| leader_title             = [[List of mayors of Gloucester, Massachusetts|Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Gregory P. Verga
| leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
| leader_name1             = 
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 107.51
| area_total_sq_mi         = 41.51
| area_land_km2            = 67.84
| area_land_sq_mi          = 26.19
| area_water_km2           = 39.68
| area_water_sq_mi         = 15.32
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| population_total         = 29729
| population_density_km2   = 438.23
| population_density_sq_mi = 1135.00
| elevation_m              = 15
| elevation_ft             = 50
| timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset               = &minus;5
| timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST           = &minus;4
| coordinates              = {{coord|42|36|57|N|70|39|45|W|region:US-MA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| website                  = {{URL|gloucester-ma.gov}}
| postal_code_type         = ZIP code
| postal_code              = 01930
| area_code                = [[Area code 351|351]] / [[Area code 978|978]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 25-26150
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 0615084
| footnotes                = 
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_25.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| population_footnotes     = 
| named_for                = [[Gloucester]], England
}}
'''Gloucester''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|l|ɒ|s|t|ər}} {{respell|GLOST|ər}}) is a city in [[Essex County, Massachusetts]],  United States. It sits on [[Cape Ann]] and is a part of [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|Massachusetts's North Shore]]. The population was 29,729 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. Census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2526150| title=Census - Geography Profile: Gloucester city, Massachusetts| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref> An important center of the [[fishing industry]] and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of [[Annisquam, Massachusetts|Annisquam]], Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, [[Magnolia, Massachusetts|Magnolia]], Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.

==History==
{{For timeline}}

The boundaries of Gloucester originally included the town of [[Rockport, Massachusetts|Rockport]], in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". The village separated formally from Gloucester on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city.

=== Contact period ===
[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to the [[European colonization of the Americas]]. At the time of contact, the area was inhabited by [[Agawam people]] under [[sachem]] [[Chief Masconomet|Masconomet]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Perley|first=Sidney|url=http://archive.org/details/indianlandtitles00perl|title=The Indian land titles of Essex County, Massachusetts|date=1912|publisher=Salem, Mass. : Essex Book and Print Club|others=The Library of Congress}}</ref> Evidence of a village exists on Pole's Hill in the current Riverdale neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news |title=Native Americans of Cape Ann |url=https://www.capeannmuseum.org/native-americans-cape-ann/ |website=Cape Ann Museum |publisher=Cape Ann Museum |access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref>

In 1606, [[Samuel de Champlain]] explored the harbor, and produced the first known map of Gloucester harbor titling it ''le Beau port''. This map suggests substantial Native American settlement on the shores of the harbor. In 1614 [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] again explored the area, identifying the indigenous inhabitants as ''Aggawom''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=John|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100693021|title=A description of New England; or, The observations, and discoveries of Captain Iohn Smith (admirall of that country) in the north of America, in the year of our Lord 1614; with the successe of sixe ships, that went the next yeare 1615; and the accidents befell him among the French men of warre: with the proofe of the present benefit this countrey affoords; whither this present yeare, 1616, eight voluntary ships are gone to make further tryall.|date=1837|publisher=P. Force|location=Washington}}</ref> In 1623 men from the [[Dorchester Company#Cape Ann settlement|Dorchester Company]] established a permanent fishing outpost in the area.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Cape Ann |url=https://www.capeannmuseum.org/about/history-cape-ann/ |website=Cape Ann Museum |access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref>

At the Cape Ann settlement, a legal form of government was established, and from that [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] sprung.  [[Roger Conant (colonist)|Roger Conant]] was the governor under the Cape Ann patent, and as such, has been called the first governor of Massachusetts.<ref>Shipton, Clifford K.  ''Roger Conant: A Founder of Massachusetts,'' pp. 53-4, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1944.</ref><ref>Bartlett, Sarah S.  ''Roger Conant in America: Governor and Citizen,'' An Historical Address Delivered at the Conant Family Reunion, Hotel Vendome, Boston, June 13, 1901, p. 8.</ref>

Life in this first settlement was harsh and it was short-lived. The area was abandoned around 1626, and the people removed themselves to Naumkeag (in what is now called [[Salem, Massachusetts]]), where more fertile soil for planting was to be found. The meetinghouse and [[Great House (Cape Ann)|governor's house]] were even disassembled and relocated to the new place of settlement.

=== Second English Settlement ===

At some point in the following years (though no record exists), the area was slowly resettled by English colonists. The town was formally incorporated in 1642. It is at this time that the name "Gloucester" first appears on tax rolls, although in various spellings. The town took its name from the city of [[Gloucester]] in southwest England, perhaps from where many of its new occupants originated but more likely because Gloucester, England, was a Parliamentarian stronghold, successfully defended with the aid of [[Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex|the Earl of Essex]] against the King in the [[Siege of Gloucester]] of 1643.

This new permanent settlement focused on the Town Green area, an inlet in the marshes at a bend in the [[Annisquam River]]. This area is now the site of Grant Circle, a large [[traffic rotary]] at which [[Massachusetts Route 128]] mingles with a major city street (Washington Street/[[Massachusetts Route 127|Rt 127]]). Here the first permanent settlers built a meeting house and therefore focused the nexus of their settlement on the "Island" for nearly 100 years. Unlike other early coastal towns in [[New England]], development in Gloucester was not focused around the harbor as it is today, rather it was inland that people settled first. This is evidenced by the placement of the Town Green nearly two miles from the harbor-front.

The Town Green is also where the settlers built the first school. By [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] Law, any town with 100 families or more had to provide a public schoolhouse. This requirement was met in 1698, with Thomas Riggs standing as the town's first schoolmaster.

In 1700, the selectmen of Gloucester recognized the claim of Samuel English, grandson of Agawam sachem Masconomet, to the land of the town, and paid him seven pounds (equal to £{{Inflation|UK|7|1700|fmt=c}} today) for the quitclaim.<ref name=":0" />

The [[White-Ellery House]] was erected in 1710 upon the Town Green. It was built at the edge of a marsh for Gloucester's first settled minister, the Reverend John White (1677–1760).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capeannmuseum.org/collections/white-ellery-house-1710/|title=White–Ellery House (1710)|publisher=Cape Ann Museum|access-date=May 5, 2013}}</ref>

Early industry included subsistence farming and logging. Because of the poor soil and rocky hills, Cape Ann was not well suited for farming on a large scale. Small family farms and livestock provided the bulk of the sustenance to the population. Fishing, for which the town is known today, was limited to close-to-shore, with families subsisting on small catches as opposed to the great bounties yielded in later years. The fishermen of Gloucester did not command the [[Grand Banks]] until the mid-18th century.  Historian Christine Heyrman, examining the town's society between 1690 and 1750, finds that at the beginning community sensibility was weak in a town that was a loose agglomeration of individuals. Commerce and capitalism transformed the society, making it much more closely knit with extended families interlocking in business relationships.<ref>Christine Heyrman, ''Commerce and Culture: The Maritime Communities of Colonial Massachusetts, 1690–1750'' (1986)</ref>

Early Gloucestermen cleared great swaths of the forest of Cape Ann for farm and pasture land, using the timber to build structures as far away as Boston. The rocky moors of Gloucester remained clear for two centuries until the forest reclaimed the land in the 20th century. The inland part of the island became known as the "Commons", the "Common Village", or "[[Dogtown, Massachusetts|Dogtown]]". Small dwellings lay scattered here amongst the boulders and swamps, along roads that meandered through the hills. These dwellings were at times little more than shanties; only one was even two stories tall. Despite their size, several generations of families were raised in such houses. One feature of the construction of these houses was that under one side of the floor was dug a cellar hole (for the keeping of food), supported by a foundation of laid-stone (without mortar). These cellar holes are still visible today along the trails throughout the inland part of Gloucester; they, and some walls, are all that remain of the village there.
[[File:Gloucester Harbor William Morris Hunt.jpeg|thumb|left|275px|[[Gloucester Harbor (William Morris Hunt)|''Gloucester Harbor'']] {{circa|1877}}, [[William Morris Hunt]]]]

===Growth===
[[Image:Annisquam River (Massachusetts) map.jpg|thumb|right|upright|1893 map of Gloucester]]
[[File:Kaelin-charles-salis-1858-1929-gloucester-harbor-scene.jpg|250px|thumbnail| [[Charles S. Kaelin]]. "Gloucester Harbor Scene"]]
The town grew, and eventually colonists lived on the opposite side of the Annisquam River. In a time of legally mandated [[church attendance]] this was a long way to walk—or row—on a Sunday morning. In 1718 the settlers on the opposite shore of the river split off from the First Parish community at the Green and formed "Second Parish". While still part of the town of Gloucester, the people of Second, or "West", Parish now constructed their own meetinghouse and designated their own place of burial, both of which were in the hills near the marshes behind Wingaersheek Beach. The meetinghouse is gone now, but deep in the woods on the Second Parish Road, Old Thompson road, one can still find the stone foundation and memorial altar, as well as scattered stones of the abandoned burial ground.

Other parts of town later followed suit. Third Parish, in northern Gloucester, was founded in 1728. Fourth Parish split off from First Parish in 1742. Finally, in 1754, the people of Sandy Bay (what would later be called Rockport) split off from First Parish to found Fifth Parish. The Sandy Bay church founding was the last religious re-ordering of the colonial period. All of these congregations still exist in some form, with the exception of Fourth Parish, the site of whose meeting house is now a highway.

At one time, there was a thriving [[granite]] industry in Gloucester. English writer [[Harriet Martineau]], who visited Gloucester during her travels in the United States in the mid-1830s, commented on the ubiquity of granite there:<blockquote>It has great wealth of granite and fish. It is composed of granite; and almost its only visitors are fish. **** The houses look as if they were squeezed in among the rocks. The granite rises straight behind a house, encroaches on each side, and overhangs the roof, leaving space only for a sprinkling of grass about the door, for a red shrub or two to wave from a crevice, and a drip of water to flow down among gay weeds. Room for these dwellings is obtained by blasting the rocks. Formerly, people were frightened at fragments falling through the roof after a blasting: but now, it has become too common an occurrence to alarm any body.<ref name=Martineau>[https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/52621/pg52621-images.html#Page_207 Martineau, Harriet, ''Society in America'', Vol.II, p.207 New York, 1837) (retrieved Jan. 2, 2023).]</ref></blockquote>

==Geography and transportation==
[[File:Good Harbor Beach Gloucester, Mass 1.jpg|thumb|right|Good Harbor Beach, a beach in Gloucester]]
Gloucester is located at {{coord|42|37|26|N|70|40|32|W|type:city}} (42.624015, −70.675521).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|107.5|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|67.8|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|39.6|km2|order=flip}}, or 36.88%, is water.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Gloucester city, Massachusetts| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=August 30, 2012}}</ref>

Gloucester occupies most of the eastern end of Cape Ann, except for the far tip, which is the town of Rockport. The city is split in half by the [[Annisquam River]], which flows northward through the middle of the city into Ipswich Bay. At its southern end, it is connected to Gloucester Harbor by the Blynman Canal. The land along the northwestern shore of the river is marshy, creating several small islands. Gloucester Harbor is divided into several smaller coves, including the Western Harbor (site of the Fisherman's Memorial) and the Inner Harbor (home to the Gloucester fishing fleet).  The eastern side of Gloucester Harbor is divided from the rest of [[Massachusetts Bay]] by Eastern Point, extending some {{convert|2|mi|0}} outward from the mainland. There are several parks in the city, the largest of which are [[Ravenswood Park]], [[Stage Fort Park]] and Mount Ann Park.

Gloucester lies between Ipswich Bay to the north and Massachusetts Bay to the south. The city is bordered on the east by [[Rockport, Massachusetts|Rockport]], and on the west by [[Ipswich, Massachusetts|Ipswich]], [[Essex, Massachusetts|Essex]] and [[Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts|Manchester-by-the-Sea]] to the west. (The town line with Ipswich is located across Essex Harbor, and as such there is no land connection between the towns.) Gloucester lies {{convert|16|mi}} east-northeast of [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] and {{convert|31|mi}} northeast of [[Boston]]. Gloucester lies at the eastern terminus of [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]], which ends at [[Massachusetts Route 127A|Route 127A]]. Route 127A begins at [[Massachusetts Route 127|Route 127]] just east of the Route 128 terminus, heading into Rockport before terminating there.  Route 127 enters from Manchester-by-the-Sea before crossing the Blynman Canal and passing through downtown towards Rockport. It then re-enters Gloucester near Folly Cove, running opposite of its usual north–south orientation towards its terminus at Route 128. [[Massachusetts Route 133|Route 133]] also terminates within the city, entering from Essex and terminating just west of the Blynman Canal at Route 127. Besides the bridge over the Blynman Canal, there are only two other connections between the eastern and western halves of town, the A. Piatt Andrew Memorial Bridge, carrying Route 128, and the Boston & Maine Railroad Bridge, just north of the Blynman Canal.

Gloucester is home to the [[Cape Ann Transportation Authority]], which serves the city and surrounding towns. Two stops (in [[West Gloucester (MBTA station)|West Gloucester]] and in downtown [[Gloucester (MBTA station)|Gloucester]]) provide access to the [[Newburyport/Rockport Line]] of the [[MBTA Commuter Rail]], which extends from Rockport along the [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]] to Boston's [[North Station]]. The nearest airport is the [[Beverly Municipal Airport]], with the nearest national and international air service being at Boston's [[Logan International Airport]].

{{Weather box
| location = Gloucester, Massachusetts
| width = 50%
| single line = Y 
| Jan high F = 35.3
| Feb high F = 38.0
| Mar high F = 45.0
| Apr high F = 55.4
| May high F = 65.4
| Jun high F = 74.4
| Jul high F = 79.9
| Aug high F = 78.6
| Sep high F = 71.2
| Oct high F = 60.5
| Nov high F = 50.7
| Dec high F = 40.3
| Jan record high F = 68
| Feb record high F = 65
| Mar record high F = 86
| Apr record high F = 88
| May record high F = 95
| Jun record high F = 98
| Jul record high F = 100
| Aug record high F = 100
| Sep record high F = 97
| Oct record high F = 87
| Nov record high F = 76
| Dec record high F = 74
| year record high F = 100
| year high F = 57.9
| Jan low F = 18.1
| Feb low F = 20.3
| Mar low F = 27.0
| Apr low F = 35.9
| May low F = 45.5
| Jun low F = 55.1
| Jul low F = 60.6
| Aug low F = 59.8
| Sep low F = 52.3
| Oct low F = 41.0
| Nov low F = 33.2
| Dec low F = 23.7
| Jan record low F = -12
| Feb record low F = -12
| Mar record low F = -2
| Apr record low F = 12
| May record low F = 30
| Jun record low F = 31
| Jul record low F = 46
| Aug record low F = 43
| Sep record low F = 33
| Oct record low F = 20
| Nov record low F = 10
| Dec record low F = -15
| year record low F = -15
| year low F = 39.4
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 4.22
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.54
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.25
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.34
| May precipitation inch = 3.55
| Jun precipitation inch = 3.63
| Jul precipitation inch = 3.46
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.40
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.87
| Oct precipitation inch = 4.22
| Nov precipitation inch = 4.69
| Dec precipitation inch = 4.27
| year precipitation inch = 47.44
| Jan snow inch = 12.6
| Feb snow inch = 12.7
| Mar snow inch = 7.7
| Apr snow inch = 1.4
| May snow inch = 0
| Jun snow inch = 0
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0
| Nov snow inch = 0.6
| Dec snow inch = 7.2
| year snow inch = 42.2
| source 1                = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://plantmaps.com/01930|title=Zipcode 01930|website=www.plantmaps.com|access-date=October 28, 2022}}</ref>
| source 2                = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/zip-code/massachusetts/gloucester/01930|title=Climate in Zip 01930 (Gloucester, MA)|website=BestPlaces.net|access-date=October 28, 2022}}</ref>}}
<div style="width:65%">
{|class="wikitable"
|+Average sea temperature:<ref>[https://seatemperature.info/gloucester-water-temperature.html Gloucester ocean water temperature by month]</ref>
|-
!'''Jan'''
!'''Feb'''
!'''Mar'''
!'''Apr'''
!'''May'''
!'''Jun'''
!'''Jul'''
!'''Aug'''
!'''Sep'''
!'''Oct'''
!'''Nov'''
!'''Dec'''
!'''Year'''
|-
|{{convert|42.3|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|39.4|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|39.4|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|42.8|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|50.4|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|57.9|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|65.5|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|66.9|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|63.5|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|57.4|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|50.7|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|46.0|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|51.9|°F|°C|abbr=on}}
|}
</div>

==Demographics==

{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}
{{Historical populations
|type= USA
|state= collapsed
|1790|5317
|1800|5313
|1810|5943
|1820|6384
|1830|7510
|1840|6350
|1850|7786
|1860|10904
|1870|15389
|1880|19329
|1890|24651
|1900|26121
|1910|24398
|1920|22947
|1930|24204
|1940|24046
|1950|25167
|1960|25789
|1970|27941
|1980|27768
|1990|28716
|2000|30273
|2010|28789
|2020|29729
|2023|29959
|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}|footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref name="1950_Census_Urban_populations_since_1790">{{cite web|title=1950 Census of Population|volume=1: Number of Inhabitants|at=Section 6, Pages 21–7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920|publisher=Bureau of the Census|access-date=July 12, 2011|year=1952|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2023| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=June 5, 2024| url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}
[[Image:Fish Dressing Wharf, Gloucester, MA.jpg|thumb|left|Fish Dressing Wharf {{circa|1908}}]] 
As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> there were 30,273 people, 12,592 households, and 7,895 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,166.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 13,958 housing units at an average density of {{convert|537.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.99% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.61% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.72% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.12% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.50% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.03% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.48% of the population. 22.6% were of [[Italian Americans|Italian]], 16.2% [[Irish Americans|Irish]], 11.1% [[English Americans|English]], 8.5% [[Portuguese Americans|Portuguese]] and 7.1% [[American ancestry]] according to [[Census 2000]].

There were 12,592 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

[[Image:Drying Fish, Gloucester, MA.jpg|thumb|right|''Drying Fish'' {{circa|1915}}]]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,568, and the median income for a family was $80,970 from a 2007 estimate.<ref>[https://archive.today/20200211181527/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US2525485&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US25%7C16000US2525485&_street=&_county=gloucester&_cityTown=gloucester&_state=04000US25&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null:null&_keyword=&_industry= US Census Fact Finder]</ref> Males had a median income of $41,465 versus $30,566 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $25,595. About 7.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics==

{{see also|List of mayors of Gloucester, Massachusetts}}
[[File:Gloucester City Hall.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Gloucester City Hall]], built in 1871]]
Gloucester is a city, with a strong mayor-council system. The current mayor of Gloucester is Gregory P. Verga as of January 2022. The [[Mayor]] is also reserved a seat on the [[School Committee]]. City offices are elected every two years (those ending with odd numbers). In 2007, over 40 people ran for the 15 elected seats in the city's government.

The city is divided into five Wards, each split into two precincts: 
* Ward 1: East Gloucester – includes Eastern Point and Rocky Neck
* Ward 2: Downtown and the Harbor area
* Ward 3: The western edge of the "island" from Stacy Boulevard to Wheeler's Point – includes the Heights at Cape Ann and Pond View Village.
* Ward 4: North Gloucester – includes Riverdale, Annisquam, Bay View, and Lanesville.
* Ward 5: The entirety of West Gloucester west of the Annisquam River and Blynman Canal to Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex – includes the Wingaersheek area and village of Magnolia.

As late as the mid-20th century, Gloucester had as many as eight wards, but they have been since reorganized into the current number.

On November 7, 2005, incumbent Mayor John Bell was re-elected to a third term in office. He stated his intention not to run for reelection and stepped down in January 2008.

On November 6, 2007, Carolyn Kirk was elected as the Mayor of Gloucester. Kirk resigned in December 2014 to take a position in the administration of Massachusetts governor [[Charlie Baker]]. Sefatia Theken was then voted to be the interim mayor of Gloucester by the City Council. Theken was elected to serve a full two-year term on November 2, 2015, and re-elected again in 2017 and 2019. She was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Gregory P. Verga. Verga has served as mayor since.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Gloucester presidential election results<ref>{{cite web|url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:1970/year_to:1970/|title=Election Results}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third parties]]
! Total Votes
! Margin
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2020]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.84%''' ''12,138''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|30.81% ''5,595''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.35% ''426''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|18,159
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.03%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2016]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''60.70%''' ''9,808''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|33.14% ''5,355''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|6.16% ''995''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|16,158
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|27.56%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2012]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.63%''' ''9,780''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|35.44% ''5,535''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.93% ''301''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|15,616
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|27.18%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2008]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.54%''' ''9,967''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|33.11% ''5,113''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.36% ''364''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|15,444
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|31.43%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2004]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''63.79%''' ''9,536''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.69% ''5,185''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.52% ''227''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|14,948
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|29.11%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2000 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2000]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''61.11%''' ''8,352''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|30.41% ''4,156''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|8.48% ''1,159''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|13,667
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|30.70%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1996 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1996]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.78%''' ''7,966''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|25.95% ''3,293''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|11.26% ''1,429''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|12,688
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.83%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1992 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1992]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''48.55%''' ''6,808''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|28.40% ''3,982''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|23.05% ''3,232''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|14,022
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|20.15%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1988 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1988]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''56.16%''' ''7,440''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|42.81% ''5,671''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.03% ''137''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|13,248
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|13.35%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1984 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1984]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|45.12% ''5,768''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''54.58%''' ''6,978''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.31% ''39''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|12,785
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|9.46%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1980 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1980]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|38.81% ''4,928''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''43.55%''' ''5,530''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|17.63% ''2,239''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|12,697
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|4.74%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1976]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.00%''' ''6,795''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.54% ''5,582''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|3.46% ''443''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|12,820
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|9.46%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1972 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1972]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.09%''' ''6,150''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.48% ''6,076''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.43% ''53''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|12,279
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|0.60%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1968 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1968]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.39%''' ''6,900''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.36% ''4,533''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|3.26% ''385''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|11,818
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|20.03%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''72.96%''' ''8,749''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|26.74% ''3,207''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.30% ''36''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|11,992
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.21%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1960 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.75%''' ''6,719''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.14% ''6,005''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.11% ''14''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|12,738
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|5.61%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1956 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1956]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|30.55% ''3,497''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''69.25%''' ''7,926''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.19% ''22''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|11,445
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.70%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1952 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1952]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.47% ''4,390''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''63.34%''' ''7,624''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.18% ''22''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|12,036
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|26.87%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1948 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1948]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.97% ''4,448''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''53.53%''' ''5,295''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.51% ''149''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|9,892
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|8.56%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1944 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1944]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.88% ''4,445''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''53.01%''' ''5,026''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.11% ''10''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|9,481
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|6.13%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1940 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1940]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|41.86% ''4,270''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''57.70%''' ''5,885''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.44% ''45''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|10,200
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|15.83%
|}

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 15, 2008<ref>{{cite web|title = Registration and party enrollment statistics as of October 15, 2008 | publisher = Massachusetts Elections Division | access-date = May 8, 2010 | url = http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/st_county_town_enroll_breakdown_08.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party 
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unaffiliated
| align = center | 12,563
| align = center | 59.89%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align = center | 6,056
| align = center | 28.87%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align = center | 2,208
| align = center | 10.53%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
| align = center | 149
| align = center | 0.71%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 20,976
! align = center | 100%
|}

==Education==
The following schools are located within the Gloucester Public Schools District:
* [[Gloucester High School (Massachusetts)|Gloucester High School]] (9–12)
* O'Maley Innovation Middle School (6–8)
* East Veterans Elementary School (K-5) (Formerly East Gloucester Elementary School; the former Veteran's Memorial School (which has been demloished) was merged into it)
* Plum Cove Elementary School (K–5)
* Beeman Elementary School (K–5)
* West Parish Elementary School (K–5) (site of the [[West Parish Elementary School Science Park]])
* Gloucester Preschool

==Economy==
[[Gorton's of Gloucester]], Mighty Mac, Gloucester Engineering, Good Harbor Consulting, Para Research, Aid-Pack, Cyrk, and [[Varian Semiconductor]] are among the companies based in Gloucester.

==Gloucester and the sea==
The town was an important [[shipbuilding]] center, and the first [[schooner]] was reputedly built there in 1713. The community developed into an important fishing port, largely due to its proximity to [[Georges Bank]] and other [[fishing bank]]s off the east coast of [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]. Gloucester's most famous{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} (and nationally recognized) seafood business was founded in 1849 as John Pew & Sons. It became Gorton-Pew Fisheries in 1906, and in 1957 changed its name to [[Gorton's of Gloucester]]. The iconic image of the "Gorton's Fisherman", and the products he represents, are known throughout the country and beyond. Besides catching and processing seafood, Gloucester is also a center for research on marine life and conservation; [[Ocean Alliance]] is headquartered in the city.

In the late 19th century, Gloucester saw an influx of [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] and [[Italians|Italian]] immigrants; they were seeking work in the town's flourishing fishing industry, and a better life in America. Some present-day fishermen of Gloucester are descendants of these early immigrants. The strong Portuguese and Italian influence is evident in the many festivals celebrated throughout the year. During the Catholic celebration, St Peter's Fiesta, relatives of fishermen past and present carry oars representing many of the fishing vessels which call Gloucester their home. [[Saint Peter]] is the [[patron saint]] of the fishermen. Gloucester remains an active fishing port, and in 2013 ranked 21st in the United States with respect to fish landings. In that year, 62 million pounds of fish were caught bringing in an estimated $42 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/seafood/ports/gloucester__ma.html|title=Gloucester, MA|work=NOAA|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref>

[[Image:Harbor View & Ten Pound Island Light.jpg|thumb|right|''Harbor View & Ten Pound Island Light'' {{circa|1915}}]]

==Arts==

===Painting and printmaking===
[[File:Gloucester Beach - DPLA - bd61108794e4e1bcfb8ab9c7f437311d.jpg|right|thumb|Gloucester Beach, (c) 1876; from the Louis Prang & Company Collection of the Boston Public Library]]
[[Image:LaneFitzHughBracesRockEasternPointGloucester.jpg|thumb|''Brace's Rock, Eastern Point, Gloucester'', {{circa|1864}} by [[Fitz Henry Lane]]]]
[[Image:Breakwater & Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA.jpg|thumb|right|''Eastern Point Breakwater & Lighthouse'' {{circa|1915}}]]
Gloucester's scenery, active fishing industry, and arts community have attracted and inspired painters since the early 19th century. The first Gloucester painter of note was native-born [[Fitz Henry Lane]], whose home still exists on the waterfront. The premier collection of his works is in the [[Cape Ann Museum]], which holds 40 of his paintings and 100 of his drawings. Other painters subsequently attracted to Gloucester include [[William Morris Hunt]], [[Winslow Homer]], [[Childe Hassam]], [[John Twachtman]], Frederick Mulhaupt, [[Frank Duveneck]], [[Cecilia Beaux]], [[Jane Peterson]], Gordon Grant, Harry DeMaine, [[Emile Gruppe]], [[Stuart Davis (painter)|Stuart Davis]], [[Joseph Solman]], [[Mark Rothko]], [[Milton Avery]], [[Barnett Newman]], [[William Meyerowitz]], Joan Lockhart, [[Theresa Bernstein]], Samuel Nigro, and [[Marsden Hartley]], and artists from the [[Ashcan School]] such as [[Edward Hopper]], [[John French Sloan|John Sloan]], [[Robert Henri]], [[William Glackens]], Emile Gruppe, Carl W. Illig, and [[Maurice Prendergast]].
[[File:Gloucester Harbor Winslow Homer 1873.jpeg|thumb|right|''Gloucester Harbor'', oil on canvas, [[Winslow Homer]], 1873. [[Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art]]]]
Smith Cove is home to the Rocky Neck Art Colony, the oldest [[art colony]] in the country. Folly Cove was the home of the [[Folly Cove Designers]], influential to this day in print design and technique.

===Sculpture===

Several important sculptors have lived and worked in East Gloucester, [[Annisquam]], Lanesville and Folly Cove. They include George Aarons, [[Anna Hyatt Huntington]], [[Charles Grafly]], [[Paul Manship]] and his daughter-in-law Margaret Cassidy Manship, [[Walker Hancock]], and George Demetrios. In addition, [[Aristides Demetrios]] grew up in Folly Cove.

===Literature===

*''[[Captains Courageous]]'' (1897) by [[Rudyard Kipling]] was set in Gloucester, and adapted as a 1937 movie starring [[Spencer Tracy]].
*[[T. S. Eliot]] (1888–1965) summered at the family house near Eastern Point in his early years. This house is now owned by the TS Eliot Foundation and used as a writer's retreat. Eliot drew great inspiration from Gloucester, and his early poems were collected in a notebook purchased from Procters on Main Street, and now part of the Berg Collection at the [[New York City Public Library]].<ref>T.S. Eliot, Inventions of the March Hare, Poems 1909-1917, (ed.) Christopher Ricks (London, 1996)</ref> One of his ''[[Four Quartets]]'' is entitled ''[[The Dry Salvages]]'', the rocks off the N.E. coast of Gloucester.
*[[Charles Olson]] (1910–1970), a poet and teacher at [[Black Mountain College]] in North Carolina, composed a 635-page poem known as ''[[Charles Olson#The Maximus Poems|The Maximus Poems]],'' which centered on Gloucester.
*Gloucester is often referred to in the works of horror writer [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. The fictional town of [[Innsmouth]] in Lovecraft's ''[[The Shadow Over Innsmouth]]'' is believed partially based on Cape Ann as a whole and Gloucester in particular.
*The book ''[[The Perfect Storm (book)|The Perfect Storm]]'', which recounted a massive [[1991 Perfect Storm|storm of 1991]], had figures based in the town. Scenes from the [[The Perfect Storm (film)|film adaptation]] by the same name were filmed there. 
*Gloucester and its coast guard station are the center of the land action in [[Michael J. Tougias]]' 2005 book ''[[Ten Hours Until Dawn]]'', recounting the loss of the pilot boat ''[[Can Do]]'' and its crew during the [[Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978|blizzard of 1978]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.michaeltougias.com/|title=Inspirational speaker &#124; Author Michael Tougias &#124; survival leadership|website=michaeltougias}}</ref>
* ''Gloucesterbook'', ''Gloucestertide'', and ''Gloucestermas'' are three novels in the ''Gloucesterman'' series by Gloucester novelist [[Jonathan Bayliss]] set in Gloucester, fictionalized as "Dogtown" on "Cape Gloucester".
* ''Hersenschimmen'' (''Out of Mind''), a 1984 novel by [[J. Bernlef]], is set in Gloucester.
* [[Anita Diamant]] has set two novels in Gloucester, ''The Last Days of Dogtown'' and ''Good Harbor''.

===Comics===

Gloucester is the birthplace of Marvel character Dane Whitman whose superhero alter ego is the [[Black Knight (Dane Whitman)|Black Knight]].

===Film===

* ''[[Author! Author! (film)|Author! Author!]]'' had scenes shot on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester.
* In ''[[The Bostonians (film)|The Bostonians]]'', oceanfront scenes were filmed on rocks at Rafes Chasm Park, off Hesperus Avenue.
* ''[[Captains Courageous]]'' was set in Gloucester.
* ''[http://www.gloucester18.com The Gloucester 18]'' is a documentary film that investigates the Gloucester pregnancy pact, and was filmed entirely in Gloucester.
* ''[[The Good Son (film)|The Good Son]]'' was filmed in Gloucester and other [[Cape Ann]] communities.
*''[[Grown Ups (film)|Grown Ups]]''
*''[[Manchester by the Sea (film)|Manchester by the Sea]]'' much of which was filmed in Gloucester.
* ''[[Mermaids (1990 film)|Mermaids]]'' had scenes shot in the Magnolia area of Gloucester.
* ''[[Moonlight Mile (film)|Moonlight Mile]]'' was filmed almost entirely in Gloucester, with some shots in [[Marblehead, Massachusetts|Marblehead]].
* ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]'' was filmed and set in Gloucester.
* ''[[Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place]]'' is a one-hour documentary about the poet [[Charles Olson]] which the ''[[Boston Phoenix]]'' called "the best film about an American poet ever made."
* Portions of ''[[Stuck on You (2003 film)|Stuck on You]]'' were filmed in Gloucester and in neighboring Rockport.  (The rink scenes were filmed at the O'Maley School.)
*''[[The Women (2008 film)|The Women]]'' was partly filmed in Annisquam.
* ''[[The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming]]'' takes place on a fictional Gloucester island but was filmed in [[Mendocino, California]].
* ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond|One Step Beyond]]'' Episode 19, "The Captain's Guests", takes place on "Cape Ann Road" set in Gloucester. 
* ''[[Clear History]]'' takes place on an island in New England, and was filmed in Gloucester and around Cape Ann.
* The miniseries ''[[Olive Kitteridge (miniseries)|Olive Kitteridge]]'':  Though set in Maine, it was filmed in Gloucester and around Cape Ann.
*The 2021 film ''[[CODA (2021 film)|CODA]]'' is based and was shot in Gloucester.

===Television===

[[National Geographic Channel]] films its reality television series ''[[Wicked Tuna]]'', documenting and chronicling the lives of commercial tuna fishermen, and the lucrative bluefin tuna industry, in Gloucester.

''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' season 2, episode 6, "Once To Every Man" (October 27, 1961) was set and filmed in Gloucester.

''[[Bewitched]]'' season 7, episode 5, "Darrin On A Pedestal" (October 22, 1970) was set and partially filmed on Gloucester.

''[[Spenser: For Hire]]'', season 2, episode 1, "Widow's Walk" (October 4, 1986) was set and filmed in Gloucester.

===Theater ===
The Gloucester Stage Company stages five to eight plays each season, primarily in the summer months. Located in East Gloucester, the theatre sits at water's edge overlooking Smith's Cove. It was founded in 1979 by local arts and business leaders to encourage [[playwright]]s and their new works. [[Israel Horovitz]], who founded the GSC, was also its artistic director from 1979 to 2006. Over the years, plays developed at the Gloucester Stage Company have gone on to critical acclaim, on and off [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], nationally and internationally.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} The group draws theatre-goers from Gloucester, neighboring [[North Shore (Massachusetts)|North Shore]] districts, and the greater Boston area, as well as seasonal residents and tourists.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

===Architecture===
The city has much significant [[architecture]], from pre-Revolutionary houses to the hilltop 1870 City Hall, which dominates the town and harbor. It also has exotic waterfront homes now converted to museums, including [[Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House|Beauport]], built 1907–1934 by designer Henry Davis Sleeper in collaboration with local architect Halfdan Hanson, said to raise [[Eclecticism in art|eclecticism]] to the level of genius. In addition, it has [[Hammond Castle]], built 1926–1929 by inventor [[John Hays Hammond, Jr.]], as a setting for his collection of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]], [[Middle Ages|medieval]] and [[Renaissance]] [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]]. Gloucester was also the home of feminist writer [[Judith Sargent Murray]] and [[John Murray (minister)|John Murray]], the founder of the first [[Universalist Church]] in America. Their house still exists as the [[Sargent House Museum]]. Many museums are located in the main downtown area, such as the Cape Ann Museum, and the museum/aquarium Maritime Gloucester.

==Points of interest==
{{see also|List of Registered Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts}}
[[File:Tour Boat Gloucester.ogv|thumb|Tour Boat Gloucester]]
[[File:Universalist Church (Edward Hopper, 1926).jpg|thumb|300px|[[Edward Hopper]], ''Universalist Church'', 1926, [[Princeton University Art Museum]]]]
* The schooner ''[[Adventure (schooner)|Adventure]]''
* [[Annisquam, Massachusetts|Annisquam]]
* [[Cape Ann Museum]]
* [[Dogtown, Massachusetts|Dogtown Common]]
* [[Norman's Woe]], known for several shipwrecks, including [[The Wreck of the Hesperus]]
* [[Ravenswood Park]]
* Rocky Neck Art Colony, America's oldest working art colony
* [[Sargent House Museum]]
* [[Stage Fort Park]]
* [[White-Ellery House]]
Gloucester's most noted landmark is the harborside ''Man at the Wheel'' statue (also known as the "[[Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial]] [[Cenotaph]]"), dedicated to "They that go down to the sea in ships", which is a quote from Psalm 107:23–32.

Gloucester's largest annual event is [http://www.stpetersfiesta.org/ St. Peter's Fiesta], sponsored by the local [[Italian-American]] community. It is held the last weekend in June, which is typically the weekend closest to the [[St. Peter|saint's]] [[feast day]]. Preceded by a nine-day [[novena]] of prayers, the festival highlights include the blessing of the [[Fishing fleet|fleet]] and the [[greasy pole]] contest.

==Notable people==

* [[Sylvester Ahola]], jazz trumpeter and cornetist
* [[Willie Alexander]], singer and keyboard player, formerly of the Lost, the Bagatelle, the Grass Menagerie and the Boom Boom Band, before briefly becoming a member of The Velvet Underground, was raised and is based in Gloucester; much of his later work involves collaborations in various media with area's rich arts community
* [[A. Piatt Andrew]], congressman, Assistant Treasury Secretary, and [[Harvard University|Harvard]] professor;<ref>{{cite dictionary|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000240|title=ANDREW, Abram Piatt, Jr., (1873–1936)
|dictionary= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 24, 2012}}</ref> The Route 128 bridge connecting the island and mainland portions of Gloucester was named after him
* [[Roger Babson]], founder of [[Babson College]] and presidential candidate for [[Prohibition Party]] in 1940
* [[Walworth Barbour]], diplomat, lived for many years in Gloucester
* [[Thomas P. Barnett]], painter
* [[Jonathan Bayliss]], novelist and playwright
* [[Cecilia Beaux]], painter and society portraitist
* [[Howard Blackburn]], fisherman and adventurer
* [[Nell Blaine]], painter
* [[Clarence Birdseye]], founder of modern [[frozen food]] industry
* [[Kyle Bochniak]], MMA Fighter
* [[Phil Bolger]], prolific 20th-century boat designer with 668 designs to his credit, designed Canadian-built tall ship HMS ''Rose'' later renamed {{HMS|Surprise}} for use in ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]''
* [[Hugo Burnham]], drummer and founding member of British post-punk band [[Gang of Four (band)|Gang of Four]]
* [[Virginia Lee Burton]] (1909–1968), children's book author and illustrator (''[[The Little House (picture book)|The Little House]]'' and ''[[Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel]]''), founder of the [[Folly Cove Designers]] group
* [[Roger Conant (colonist)|Roger Conant]], first governor of the Cape Ann colony, moved the colony's center from the Gloucester area to Salem
* [[Carleton S. Coon]], physical anthropologist and president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists
* [[Roger Cressey]], former member of [[United States National Security Council]], terrorism analyst for [[NBC News]], president of Good Harbor Consulting, and adjunct professor at [[Georgetown University]]
* [[Thomas Dalton (abolitionist)|Thomas Dalton]], abolitionist leader
* [[Aristides Demetrios]], sculptor, grew up in Gloucester as son of Virginia Lee Burton
* [[James Elliot (politician)|James Elliot]], author and [[United States Representative]] from [[Vermont]]<ref>{{cite dictionary|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000122|title=ELLIOT, James, (1775–1839)|dictionary= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 24, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Henry Ferrini]], critically acclaimed independent filmmaker, nephew of Vincent Ferrini
* [[Vincent Ferrini]], poet, first Poet Laureate of Gloucester
* [[Thomas Gardner (planter)|Thomas Gardner]], landed in 1624 at Cape Ann to form colony at what is now known as Gloucester
* [[Gregory Gibson]], author of ''Goneboy: a Walkabout'', ''Demon of the Waters'' and ''Hubert's Freaks''
* [[Raymond Greenleaf]], actor
* [[Emil Gruppe]], painter
* [[John Hays Hammond, Jr.]], inventor known as "The Father of Radio Control", built [[Hammond Castle]] as his home and laboratory
* [[Halfdan M. Hanson]], architect, most noted for collaboration with [[Henry Davis Sleeper]] on [[Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House]]
* [[Walker Hancock]], sculptor
*[[Sterling Hayden]], actor and writer<ref>{{cite book | last = Hayden | first = Sterling | title = Wanderer | publisher = Norton | location = New York | year = 1977 | isbn = 0-393-07521-4}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2015}}
* [[Helen Hayes]], actor, spent her summers in Annisquam
* [[Winslow Homer]], landscape painter and printmaker, lived and painted in Gloucester in 1870s
* [[Israel Horovitz]], playwright and father of [[Ad-Rock|Adam Horovitz]] of [[Beastie Boys]]
* [[Alpheus Hyatt]], naturalist and paleontologist
* [[Anna Hyatt Huntington]], animalier sculptor and daughter of Alpheus Hyatt
* [[Elliott Jaques]], psychoanalyst, social scientist, known for coining term "mid-life crisis"; moved to Gloucester in 1991 and lived there until death in 2003
* [[Alfred "Centennial" Johnson]], first recorded single-handed crossing of Atlantic Ocean
* [[Hilton Kramer]], art critic and essayist, was born in, and grew up in, Gloucester
* [[Fitz Henry Lane]], [[Luminism (American art style)|Luminist]] painter, born and lived in Gloucester
* [[Paul Manship]], sculptor
* [[Stuffy McInnis]], Major League Baseball player and manager, Harvard baseball coach
* [[Tony Millionaire]], artist and animator best known for comic strip ''[[Maakies]]'' and [[Cartoon Network]]'s ''[[Drinky Crow Show]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid8861.aspx|title = Who wants to be Tony Millionaire? - Life - the Phoenix}}</ref>
* [[Shawn Milne]], Cyclist
* [[William Monahan]], Academy Award-winning screenwriter
* [[Sun Myung Moon]], leader of the [[Unification Church]], spent a great deal of time in Gloucester, and the Unification Church at one time owned a large amount of waterfront property<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1981/v37-4-article5.htm |title=Theology Today - Vol 37, No. 4 - January 1981 - ARTICLE - the Unification Church and the City of Gloucester |access-date=December 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611124332/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1981/v37-4-article5.htm |archive-date=June 11, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Richard Murphy (Captain)|Richard Murphy]], schooner captain
* [[John Murray (minister)|John Murray]], founder of [[Universalist Church|Universalist]] denomination in the United States
* [[Judith Sargent Murray]], feminist, essayist, playwright, and poet
* [[Laura Nyro]], singer and songwriter, lived in Gloucester for a number of years
* [[Charles Olson]], [[Black Mountain College]] poet
* [[Kris Osborn]], former CNN commentator and current columnist for various military industry blogs
* [[Mark Parisi]], author of syndicated comic strip ''Off the Mark'', was born in Gloucester<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/off-the-mark-cartoonist-set-for-main-street-visit/article_6a4f9b68-19d7-578f-891c-d45a5ee00e84.html|title='Off-the-mark' cartoonist set for Main Street visit|work=[[Gloucester Daily Times]]|date=December 1, 2014|access-date=December 3, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Cy Perkins]], Major League Baseball catcher
* [[Herb Pomeroy]], [[jazz]] musician, born in Gloucester
* [[Jessie Ralph]], actress<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707771/bio|title=Jessie Ralph|website= IMDb |access-date= October 24, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Marc Randazza]], First Amendment lawyer, legal news commentator, columnist (Fox News and CNN)
* [[Russ Russo]], actor
* [[Daniel Sargent (politician)|Daniel Sargent]], merchant, politician
* [[Epes Sargent (poet)|Epes Sargent]], editor, poet and playwright
* [[Henry Sargent]], painter and military man
* [[Paul Dudley Sargent]], Revolutionary War hero, one of founding overseers of [[Bowdoin College]]
* [[Winthrop Sargent]], patriot, governor, politician, writer; member of Federalist party
* [[Ben Smith (ice hockey coach)|Ben Smith]], Olympic ice hockey coach, son of Benjamin A. Smith II, born in Gloucester<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/olympics/20020218olyhockfill0218p8.asp|title=Women's Hockey: Smith is a study in history|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=February 18, 2002|access-date=July 25, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Benjamin A. Smith II]], [[U.S. senator]] from Massachusetts (1960–1962), Mayor of Gloucester (1954–1955)<ref>{{cite dictionary|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000517|title=SMITH, Benjamin A. II, (1916–1991)
|dictionary= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 24, 2012}}</ref>
* [[William Stacy]] (1734–1802), Revolutionary War officer, pioneer to Ohio Country<ref>Lemonds, Leo L.: ''Col. William Stacy – Revolutionary War Hero'', Cornhusker Press, Hastings, Nebraska (1993) p. 13, 15, 61.</ref>
* [[Vermin Supreme]], performance artist, anarchist, politician, and activist (perennial presidential candidate) 
* [[Martin Weitzman]], economist, lived in Gloucester<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maskin |first1=Eric |last2=Stavins |first2=Robert |last3=Stock |first3=James |last4=Hart |first4=Oliver |title=Martin L. Weitzman, 77 |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/martin-l-weitzman-77/ |work=Harvard Gazette |date=February 3, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Martin Welch]], schooner captain, winner of first International Fishing Schooner Championship Races<ref>{{cite web|url= https://sites.google.com/site/schooneresperanto/home/capt-marty-welch|title=  Capt. Marty Welch
|publisher=Schooner Esperanto|access-date= October 24, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Philip Saltonstall Weld]], famed sailor and newspaper publisher
* [[Anna Maria Wells]], poet and writer for children
* [[Alfred J. Wiggin]], painter and society portraitist.
* [[Charles Brenton Fisk]], organbuilder

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{see also|Timeline of Gloucester, Massachusetts#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Gloucester, Massachusetts}}
*Anastas, Peter and Parsons, Peter. ''When Gloucester Was Gloucester: Toward An Oral History Of The City'' (1973), Harvard University Press.  Published for the 350th Anniversary Celebration of the City
* Clark, Margaret Elwyn. "Managing uncertainty: Family, religion, and collective action among fishermen's wives in Gloucester, Massachusetts." in Jane Nadel-Klein and Dona Lee Davis, eds. ''To Work and to Weep: Women in Fishing Economies'' (1988) pp: 261–278.
* Connolly, James Brendan. ''The Port of Gloucester'' (1940)
* Heyrman, Christine. ''Commerce and Culture: The Maritime Communities of Colonial Massachusetts, 1690–1750'' (1986)
* Meltzer, Michael. ''The world of the small commercial fishermen: their lives and their boats'' (1980)
* Miller, Marc L., and John Van Maanen. {{"'}}Boats Don't Fish, People Do': Some Ethnographic Notes on the Federal Management of Fisheries in Gloucester." ''Human Organization'' 38.4 (1979): 377–385.
* Otto, Peter, and Jeroen Struben. "Gloucester fishery: insights from a group modeling intervention." ''System Dynamics Review'' 20.4 (2004): 287–312. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160113235914/http://yzkc.ncu.edu.cn/dlx/ziyuan/sucai/%E7%B3%BB%E7%BB%9F%E5%8A%A8%E5%8A%9B%E5%AD%A6%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%96%87%E7%8C%AE/Gloucester%20Fishery%20insights%20from%20a%20group%20modeling%20intervention.pdf online]
*Thomas, Gordon W.  ''Fast and Able: Life Stories of Great Gloucester Fishing Vessels'' (1952)

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Gloucester (Massachusetts)|Gloucester}}
* [http://gloucester-ma.gov/ City of Gloucester official website]
* {{cite web |title=Vital Records of Gloucester, MA to the end of the year 1849 |publisher=The Massachusetts Vital Records Project |date=2005–2010 |url=http://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Essex/Gloucester/ |access-date=August 7, 2010}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120323153535/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0080.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= 1872 Map of Gloucester] plate 80–81 Atlas of Essex County published 1872.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120323153617/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0083.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= 1872 Map of Gloucester Center – Inner Harbor] plate 83 Atlas of Essex County published 1872.
* {{cite book |url=http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0085.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix |title=Essex County 1872 | chapter=Plate 0085, Lanesville, Bayview, Annisquam |publisher=salemdeeds.com}}
*[http://macivilwarmonuments.com/2018/02/03/gloucester Gloucester's Civil War monuments] at [https://macivilwarmonuments.com/ Massachusetts Civil War Monuments Project]

{{Massachusetts}}
{{Essex County, Massachusetts}}
{{Greater_Boston}}
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[[Category:Gloucester, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:1620s establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony]]
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[[Category:Cities in Essex County, Massachusetts]]
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[[Category:Populated coastal places in Massachusetts]]
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