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Small town

Living in Essex, MA

Essex is a small town of 1,688 people in Essex County, Massachusetts. It's about 24 miles from Boston, MA. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 36°F, with about 49 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $797k and rent runs about $2k a month.

1,688people
$797kTypical home
$1,866/moRent
81° / 36°Summer / winter
49"Snow
229Sunny days
131Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,688
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 820 people per sq mi
  • 24 mi to Boston, MA
  • 24 mi to Boston, MA
  • 4 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $797k (≈$5,027/mo)
  • Median rent $1,866/mo
  • Median household income $161k
  • Property tax about 1.3% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 36°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 229 sunny days a year (67 totally clear)
  • 136 cloudy days a year
  • 44 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 131 days a year with rain or snow
  • 49" of snow a year
  • 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 14 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Low violent crime (188 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (393 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 42
  • 36% of households have kids
  • 14% are 65 or older
  • 59% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 28 min
  • 8% walk or take transit to work
  • 23 mi to BOS airport
  • 23 mi to BOS (major hub)
  • 19 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 66% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1954
  • 96% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 26 ft
  • Right on the coast
  • 63 mi to a big lake
  • 3 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 16 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 55 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 1,746 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 104 bars within 25 mi
  • 682 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 11 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 107 museums within 25 mi
  • 37 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 10 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 21% of Massachusetts districts (reading)
  • 4 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 9 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 8 mi to the nearest vet
  • 5 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 4 congregations per 10k people
  • 4 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Essex County: D+20 in 2024
  • Massachusetts: D+25 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • High hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • High flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Essex

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