The Town of Amesbury is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. It was originally settled by Europeans in 1642 and was incorporated as a town in 1668. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,450.

It was formally the home of the famed Merrimac Hat Company. The city is also home to the historic Amesbury Public Library, Amesbury Friends Meeting House and powder house. The city has a senior center, health center, and four main schools: the Amesbury High School, the Amesbury Middle School, the Amesbury Elementary School, and the Charles C. Cashman Elementary School, all run by the Amesbury Public Schools and the Amesbury School Committee. Following a restoration of the historic downtown area, many new restaurants have opened in the city.

Amesbury was first recognized as Salisbury New Town in 1666, and formally separated from the town of Salisbury. It was renamed as Amesbury in 1668, although its borders have changed over time. Newton, New Hampshire was set up as a separate town from within Amesbury in 1741, as a part of adjusting and fixing the border between the two colonies. The town of Merrimac was created from part of Amesbury in 1876. In 1997, the town changed its status to that of a city, and adopted the mayor and municipal council form of government, although it retained the title "Town of Amesbury."

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 16,450 people, 6,380 households, and 4,229 families residing in the city. The population density is 512.2/km2 (1,326.3/mi2). There are 6,623 housing units at an av ge density of 206.2 persons/km2 (534.0 persons/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 97.19% White, 0.64% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,380 households out of which 34.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 11.3% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 33.7% are non-families. 26.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The av ge household size is 2.52 and the av ge family size is 3.09.

In the city the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $51,906, and the median income for a family is $62,875. Males have a median income of $43,489 versus $31,968 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,103. 5.9% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.0% are under the age of 18 and 8.2% are 65 or older.

Doughboy Memorial

The Doughboy, a memorial sculpture by Leonard Craske, stands on the front lawn of the Amesbury Middle School. It was dedicated November 11, 1929. Craske is best known as the sculptor of the Fisherman's memorial in Gloucester.

Notable natives

Points of interest