Lynn, Massachusetts
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Lynn is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 89,050.
Lynn is home to companies such as:
- General Electric's jet engine division, a major local employer
- West Lynn Creamery (bought by Garelick Farms, another local company. Products are sold under the Garelick name now)
- Durkee-Mower (makers of Marshmallow Fluff)
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History
Lynn was first settled in 1629 and was officially incorporated in 1850.
Colonial Lynn was a major part of the regional shoe-making which started in 1635, and tannery industries of the early U.S. colonies, which reportedly includes the boots worn by Continental Army soldiers during the Revolutionary War. This historic theme is reflected in the city seal, which features a colonial boot.
On May 21, 1852, the northern, more affluent section of the city seceeded from Lynn and became Swampscott. After the split, each carved out their own respective niches in the economy: Swampscott took a path as the country's first upscale resort town, while Lynn became host to a broad range of businesses based around the new concept of rapid production through machines.
Despite industrial expansion in the early 20th century, Lynn began to decline in the latter half of the century, leading to a rise in crime. This trend earned Lynn the still-infamous taunt:
- Lynn, Lynn, city of sin. You never come out the way you went in. Ask for water, they give you a gin... it's the darndest city I ever been in.
In a 1997 effort to escape association with this couplet, city solicitor Michael Barry proposed to rename the city "Ocean Park", but this initiative was withdrawn after receiving widespread ridicule (opponents came up with a new rhyme, "Ocean Park, Ocean Park, you'd better get out before it gets dark").
In the very early 1990s, the city of Lynn created an advertising campaign to offset the city's stagnating image as a depressed, crime-ridden satellite urban area. This was the "City Of Firsts" campaign.
Among the numerous Lynn Firsts that were touted were:
- First American jet engine
- Lydia E. Pinkham - First woman in advertising (and first woman in mass-marketing)
- First baseball game played under artificial light
- First dance academy in the U.S.
- First tannery in the U.S.
- First air mail delivery in the U.S.
Unfortunately, after a few short years, the majority of these claims were found to be inaccurate or unprovable. For example, the first air mail delivery in the U.S. occurred on Long Island, and the first baseball game under artificial light seems to have actually occurred in Indiana. As for Lydia Pinkham, her recognition is legitimate, however she turned out to have been a snake oil peddler. The jet engine claim seems to be the only uncontested Lynn first, but not very meaningful as the first jet engine was made in Britain, and the U.S. engine was closely modeled after it.
Lynn has been plagued by nagging commercial decline over the past 25 years. For many years, a local rumor persisted that Lynn was host to the first McDonald's to ever close, though this was disproven a number of times. Efforts by the MBTA to turn downtown Lynn into a transportation center in the early 1990s did not result in a noticeable increase in visitors. Progress made in turning Lynn in to a technological center for the North Shore in the late 1990s and early 2000s was promising at first, but was eventually stunted by the burst of the dot-com bubble.
In 2005, a number of new development projects in Lynn have led to buzz that the town is once again experiencing a renaissance. Industrial buildings formerly left vacant have been bought and converted into loft spaces by real estate developers, and eagerly snapped up by young homebuyers who enjoy the urban lifestyle of Boston proper but can't afford the higher prices of lofts in Boston's South End and similar neighborhoods. Lynn is today home to one of the largest Russian immigrant communities in New England. Only time will tell whether this resurgence of interest in Lynn results in a true gentrification or whether it is merely another bubble like the one that swelled and broke during the 1990s.
Geography
Image:Lynn ma highlight.png Lynn is located at 42°28'26" North, 70°57'20" West (42.473996, -70.955583)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.9 km² (13.5 mi²). 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²) of it is land and 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 19.87% water.
Transit
Lynn is served by MBTA commuter rail and buses that connect it with Boston and nearby communities like Revere. There are ongoing studies on the feasibility of extending the Blue Line subway to the city.
A main commercial thoroughfare through southern Lynn is "The Lynnway", which carries Route 1A. Minor state routes include Route 129 (mostly Eastern Ave. and Chestnut St.) and Route 107 (mostly Western Ave.).
Attractions
- Lynn Woods, the largest municipal park in Massachusetts and the second largest in the country at 2200 acres, which is host to local historical sites such as Stone Tower, Steel Tower, the Wolf Pits, and Dungeon Rock, believed to be the site of still-unrecovered pirate treasure. Visit the Friends of Lynn Woods for more information.
- Mary Baker Eddy House, the home of the founder of Christian Science
- Lynn Historical Society Museum, the only organization collecting and preserving Lynn's history. Visit the Lynn Museum for more information.
- Lynn Heritage State Park (and new home of the Lynn Museum)
- High Rock Tower, a stone observation tower with a great view of Nahant, Boston, Downtown Lynn, Egg Rock, and the ocean
- Pine Grove Cemetery, a large historic cemetery, which some locals claim has the "second longest wall in the world".
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 89,050 people, 33,511 households, and 21,044 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,177.7/km² (8,233.7/mi²). There were 34,637 housing units at an average density of 1,236.0/km² (3,202.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.89% White, 10.55% African American, 0.37% Native American, 6.43% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 9.82% from other races, and 4.85% from two or more races. 18.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 33,511 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,364, and the median income for a family was $45,295. Males had a median income of $34,284 versus $27,871 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,492. 16.5% of the population and 13.2% of families were below the poverty line. 22.9% of those under the age of 18 and 14.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Neighborhoods
Lynn is loosely segmented into the following neighborhoods:
- Central
- West Lynn
- East Lynn
- Diamond District
- Wyoma Square
- Business District
- The Highlands
- Pine Hill
- The Fay Estates
Famous residents
- Frank G. Allen, governor of Massachusetts (1874-1950)
- Al Barile, songwriter/guitarist/lead vocals for SSD, a Boston hardcore punk band.
- Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Church of Christ, Scientist (1821-1910)
- William Dudley Pelley, founder of the Silver Legion of America (1890-1965)
- Daniel Pinkham, composer (b. 1923)
External links
- City of Lynn official site
- The Daily Item, Lynn's daily paper
- St. George, Greek Orthodox Church of Lynn
- Lynn Cyber District (last updated in 2001)
