Amesbury MA Area Info
As the smallest city in Massachusetts, Amesbury has so much to offer anyone looking for a new place to call home. Its excellent schools, beautiful surroundings, and vibrant downtown attract young professionals, families, and retirees alike.
Like most classic New England settlements, Amesbury thrived around its waterside setting. The mighty Merrimack River, the smaller Powow River, and the surrounding hills define this community. It is known worldwide as the Carriage Town for its history as a hub of high-quality carriage building. Various signs and a downtown mural pay homage to the carriage-making era, which spanned from 1853 to the mid-20th century, when the industry evolved into automobile bodies. Another key industry in Amesbury’s early days was hat manufacturing.
Amesbury’s location means easy access to outdoor recreation. Lake Attitash, in the northwestern corner, offers swimming, boating and water-skiing within a close-knit neighborhood of waterfront and waterview homes. At 400-plus acres, it’s the second-largest freshwater body in Essex County. Closer to town, Lake Gardner is picturesque in every season, and it has a well-kept swimming beach with lifeguards in season. Several ramps and marinas on the Merrimack River give boaters open-water access, and the public ocean beaches at Salisbury and Plum Island are just a quick drive away.
The Powow River runs dramatically through the hilly heart of the town, where you’ll find a diverse mix of well-established businesses, unique shops, and popular restaurants. Most of these are housed in the historic brick buildings of Mill Yard Park and Market Square. Route 110 divides Main Street into the business district to the north and the lovely residential waterfront, with its timeless architecture, on the south end. Commuters love the easy highway access to interstates 95 and 495, with Boston just 35 miles to the south.
Amesbury’s other amenities include ample health care facilities, a thriving arts community, extensive youth sports programs, affordable office space, and a public library rich in resources. The communities that border it are Newburyport to the south, Salisbury to the east, and Merrimac to the west, with New Hampshire immediately north.
Population: 16,200
Size: 13.83 square miles
Average Home Cost: $308,194*
Tax Rate (Fiscal 2011): $18.46 per thousand
