West Newbury, Massachusetts
Post Office Square, c. 1905
Seal
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°48′05″N 70°59′25″W / 42.80139, -70.99028
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Settled	1635
Incorporated	1817
Government
- Type	Open town meeting
Area
- Total	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km²)
- Land	13.5 sq mi (35.0 km²)
- Water	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²)
Elevation	92 ft (28 m)
Population (2006)
- Total	4,450
- Density	306.9/sq mi (118.5/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01985
Area code(s)	351 / 978
FIPS code	25-77150
GNIS feature ID	0618313
Website: http://www.town.west-newbury.ma.us

West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,450 at the 2006 census. It is situated on the Merrimack River and is an old-fashioned, sleepy New England town with a deep history and exciting current events. Along with neighboring Merrimac and Groveland, it is part of the Pentucket Regional School District.

History

West Newbury was first settled in 1635 as part of neighboring Newbury. On February 18, 1819, the General Court of Massachusetts passed an act "to incorporate the town of Parsons."^[1] The initial proposals had been made in the late 18th century, but determined resistance from the town of Newbury, which had already lost Newburyport, blocked the measure for decades. On June 14, 1820, the court passed another act to change the name to West Newbury.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²), of which, 13.5 square miles (35.0 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 7.40% water. The town is 40 miles north of Boston.

Demographics

The U.S. Post Office in West Newbury

As of the census^[2] of 2006, there were 4,450 people, 1,392 households, and 1,183 families residing in the town. The population density is 306.9 people per square mile (118.5/km²). There were 1,423 housing units at an average density of 105.3/sq mi (40.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.48% White, 0.19% African American, 0.02% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 1,392 households out of which 46.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.8% are married couples living together, 6.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 15.0% are non-families. 11.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.98 and the average family size is 3.25.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $92,828, and the median income for a family was $99,050. Males had a median income of $80,670 versus $40,189 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,323. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.8% of those 65 and older.

Notable residents

• Bertrand R. Brinley - writer of short stories and children's tales, best known for his Mad Scientists' Club stories.
• Professional wrestler John Cena of World Wrestling Entertainment, former 3 time WWE Champion - as well as his father, John Cena Sr.; commissioner of East Coast Championship Wrestling.
• Rawly Eastwick - Former professional baseball player.

Trivia

• West Newbury provided the geographical inspiration for the Mad Scientists' Club series of stories by Bertrand R. Brinley.
• John Cena's music video, 'Right Now' was shot entirely in West Newbury, Massachusetts.
• John Cena is from West Newbury

Bibliography

• Currier, John James (1902). History of Newbury, Mass. 1635-1902. Boston: Damrell & Upham.  Covers the early history of West Newbury before separation from Newbury. Downloadable from Google Books.

References

External links

• West Newbury, Massachusetts is at coordinates 42°48′05″N 70°59′25″W / 42.801389, -70.990278 (West Newbury, Massachusetts)Coordinates: 42°48′05″N 70°59′25″W / 42.801389, -70.990278 (West Newbury, Massachusetts)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Essex County, Massachusetts
Cities	Amesbury | Beverly | Gloucester | Haverhill | Lawrence | Lynn | Methuen | Newburyport | Peabody | Salem
Towns	Andover | Boxford | Danvers | Essex | Georgetown | Groveland | Hamilton | Ipswich | Lynnfield | Manchester-by-the-Sea | Marblehead | Merrimac | Middleton | Nahant | Newbury | North Andover | Rockport | Rowley | Salisbury | Saugus | Swampscott | Topsfield | Wenham | West Newbury
CDPs	Andover | Boxford | Essex | Ipswich | Rockport | Rowley | Salisbury | Topsfield
Villages	Annisquam | Ballardvale | Beverly Farms | Bradford | Byfield | Clifton | Plum Island