Interior House Painter North Andover MA

North Andover, Massachusetts
Town
Lake Cochichewick from the north
Seal
Motto:  A Town for All Seasons
Location in Essex County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°41′55″N 71°08′08″W / 42.69861°N 71.13556°W / 42.69861; -71.13556Coordinates: 42°41′55″N 71°08′08″W / 42.69861°N 71.13556°W / 42.69861; -71.13556
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Settled	1634
Incorporated	1646
Current geography	1855
Government
• Type	Open Town Meeting
• Select Board	Select Board Web Site
• Town Manager	Town Manager Web Site
Area
• Total	27.76 sq mi (71.9 km2)
• Land	26.29 sq mi (68.1 km)
• Water	1.43 sq mi (3.7 km2)
Elevation	75 ft (23 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,915
• Density	1,100/sq mi (430/km)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	01845
Area code	978
FIPS code	25-46365
GNIS feature ID	0618306
Website	North Andover, Massachusetts, Official Web Site

North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915.

History

Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas. At the time of European arrival, Massachusett and Naumkeag people inhabited the area south of the Merrimack River and Pennacooks inhabited the area to the north. The Massachusett referred to the area that would later become North Andover as Cochichawick.

The lands south of the Merrimack River around Lake Cochichewick and the Shawsheen River were set aside by the Massachusetts General Court in 1634 for the purpose of creating an inland plantation. The Cochichewick Plantation, as it was called, was purchased on May 6, 1646 when Reverend John Woodbridge, who had settled the land for the English, paid Massachusett sachem Cutshamekin six pounds and a coat for the lands. The plantation was then incorporated as Andover, most likely in honor of the hometown of many early residents, Andover, Hampshire, England. The town was centered in what is now North Andover, but the spread of settlement south and west of the old town center created much conflict in the early years about the location of the parish church. In 1709, the matter was brought to the General Court, which set aside two parish churches, north and south. The parishes grew apart as the years went on and on April 7, 1855, the North parish separated from the south and was incorporated as North Andover.

There are several first period (pre-1720) houses still standing in town. The oldest house is probably the Bridges House, relocated from Marbleridge Road to Court Street in 2001; the original portion of this house probably dates to about 1690. Other first period houses include the Stevens House on Great Pond Road; the Faulkner House on Appleton Street; the Abiel Stevens House on Salem Street; the Parson Barnard House, which is a museum; a house on Andover Street near the intersection with Chickering Road; and the Carlton-Frie-Tucker House at 140 Mill Road. No house in North Andover has been scientifically dated by dendrochronology, so dates are based solely on stylistic elements, original deeds, and tradition.

The North Parish Church on the North Andover Green is a historic church building built in 1836. It was the 5th meetinghouse of the Puritan church congregation founded in 1645 in North Andover. In about 1836 the congregation chose to become a Unitarian church and commissioned this Gothic building.

North Andover’s development was varied, with much of the land along the Shawsheen and Merrimack being concerned with industry, and the lands southwest being more agricultural. Several mills were located in the town, as well as the Western Electric Company, AT&T’s manufacturing division, which supplied telephone machinery for many years before it was split up by AT&T into the new company, Lucent Technologies. Today, North Andover is considered a bedroom community of the Greater Boston area.

In January 2018, voters turned down a proposal for a cannabis-growing and research facility in the former Lucent Technologies building, along the Merrimack River. The town meeting vote was 1,430 against having recreational marijuana facilities and 1,155 voted in favor. The growing and research facility was expected to bring in to the town $100 million over a 20-year period.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.8 square miles (71.9 km), of which 26.3 square miles (68.1 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km), or 5.18%, is water. The town lies to the south of the Merrimack River, which makes up part of its northwest boundary, along with the Shawsheen River. The northeast quadrant of town is dominated by Lake Cochichewick, which is also bordered by the Osgood Hill Reservation, Weir Hill Reservation and the Reas Pond Conservation Area. The town also is home to portions of Harold Parker State Forest, Boxford State Forest and the Charles W. Ward Reservation. There are many brooks, streams and ponds dotting the town.

North Andover lies in the northwestern portion of Essex County along the Merrimack and Shawsheen Rivers. It is bordered by Andover to the southwest, Lawrence and Methuen to the northwest, Haverhill to the northeast, Boxford to the east and Middleton to the southeast. North Andover’s Old Center, which is closer to the geographic center of town than its newer town center, is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Lawrence’s city center, and is 25 miles (40 km) north of Boston and 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Manchester, New Hampshire.