Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn is the eighth-largest city in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in Essex County. It is close to the Atlantic Ocean and just north of Boston, making it part of the Greater Boston area.

Europeans first settled Lynn in 1629. Since then, it has grown and become known for its industry. Today, Lynn is a lively city with many people from different backgrounds. It has beautiful old buildings and a busy downtown area. The city also has many green spaces to explore, such as the Lynn Shore Reservation, the large Lynn Woods Reservation designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and High Rock Reservation and Park.

Lynn has many visitors and residents. It offers special parks and historic neighborhoods, like the Diamond Historic District. In 2020, over 101,000 people lived in Lynn.

History

The area now called Lynn has been home to people for thousands of years. Long before Europeans arrived, it was lived in by the Naumkeag people, led by a leader named Nanepashemet. They lived between the Mystic and Merrimack Rivers.

Aerial Illustration of Lynn, c. 1881

English settlers began to live in Lynn in 1629, not long after the first settlers arrived in America. The town was named after a place called King's Lynn in England, in honor of a religious leader named Reverend Samuel Whiting. Over time, Lynn grew and became an important place for making shoes and other goods. Many people from different countries moved to Lynn, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, making it a diverse city.

In the 20th century, Lynn faced changes as many factories closed, but the city continued to grow and change. Today, Lynn is working to renew its downtown area and attract new residents and businesses. The city has become a center for art and culture, with many new projects and events happening. Lynn continues to evolve, planning for a bright future.

#	Employer	# of employees
1	GE Aerospace	2,500
2	Lynn Public Schools	1,243
3	North Shore Community College	991
4	All Care VNA	630
5	Eastern Bank	500
6	Kettle Cuisine	500

Geography

Lynn is a city in Massachusetts. It covers 13.5 square miles of land and water. Lynn is next to the Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The town of Nahant splits its shoreline. Lynn has brooks, ponds, and the Lynn Woods Reservation in its northwest. It also has two beaches, Lynn Beach and King's Beach, along Nahant Bay.

Lynn is in Essex County, about 10 miles northeast of Boston. It is surrounded by towns like Swampscott, Salem, Peabody, and Lynnfield. The city has neighborhoods such as Downtown, West Lynn, and East Lynn.

Climate

Lynn has cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers, like Boston.

Demographics

Lynn is a city in Massachusetts with many different kinds of people. In 2010, about 90,000 people lived there.

People in Lynn come from many backgrounds. Most people are White. Some are African American, and some are Asian. Families in Lynn have roots in places like the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.

There are also many people of Asian heritage in Lynn. Cambodians, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, and Laotian people all live there.

Lynn works to keep its neighborhoods safe. Some areas are safer than others. Recent information shows a small drop in serious incidents.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1790	2,291	—
1800	2,837	+23.8%
1810	4,087	+44.1%
1820	4,515	+10.5%
1830	6,138	+35.9%
1840	9,367	+52.6%
1850	14,257	+52.2%
1860	19,083	+33.9%
1870	28,233	+47.9%
1880	38,274	+35.6%
1890	55,727	+45.6%
1900	68,513	+22.9%
1910	89,336	+30.4%
1920	99,148	+11.0%
1930	102,320	+3.2%
1940	98,123	−4.1%
1950	99,738	+1.6%
1960	94,478	−5.3%
1970	90,294	−4.4%
1980	78,471	−13.1%
1990	81,245	+3.5%
2000	89,050	+9.6%
2010	90,329	+1.4%
2020	101,253	+12.1%
2024*	103,489	+2.2%
* = population estimate. Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data. Source: U.S. Decennial Census

**Lynn, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	55,630	42,969	34,536	62.47%	47.57%	34.11%
Black or African American alone (NH)	8,165	9,494	10,735	9.17%	10.51%	10.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	168	178	115	0.19%	0.20%	0.11%
Asian alone (NH)	5,686	6,210	6,822	6.39%	6.87%	6.74%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	39	37	28	0.04%	0.04%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	349	407	1,077	0.39%	0.45%	1.06%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	2,630	2,021	3,380	2.95%	2.24%	3.34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	16,383	29,013	44,560	18.40%	32.12%	44.01%
Total	89,050	90,329	101,253	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Rank	ZIP Code (ZCTA)	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income	Population	Number of households
	Massachusetts	$35,763	$66,866	$84,900	6,605,058	2,530,147
	Essex County	$35,167	$67,311	$84,185	750,808	286,008
1	01904	$33,409	$80,903	$91,409	18,803	6,833
	United States	$28,155	$53,046	$64,719	311,536,594	115,610,216
	Lynn	$22,982	$44,849	$53,557	90,788	33,122
2	01901	$20,625	$23,467	$24,125	2,023	1,096
3	01902	$20,391	$37,275	$45,276	44,827	16,528
4	01905	$19,934	$42,490	$42,163	25,090	8,642

Government

Lynn is part of the state legislature. People in Lynn pick leaders from areas called districts. These include the Massachusetts Senate's 3rd Essex district and parts of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, like the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Essex districts.

Number of voters	Percentage
Democratic	20,037	31.90%
Republican	3,529	5.62%
Unenrolled	38,681	61.59%
Political Designations	559	0.89%
62,806	100%

Arts and culture

Lynn has many fun places to see and visit. The city is home to the Massachusetts Monarchs, a basketball team that plays in The Basketball League. Fraser Field is a baseball stadium built in the 1940s. It has hosted many baseball teams and some games for the Boston Red Sox. Today, it is where the North Shore Navigators play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Other places to visit include Manning Field, a football stadium, the Lynn Memorial Auditorium, the Mary Baker Eddy House, the Lucian Newhall House, and the Grand Army of the Republic Hall. You can also visit the Lynn Museum & Historical Society, Lynn Community Television, Capitol Diner, Lynn Masonic Hall, and St. Stephen's Memorial Episcopal Church.

Parks and recreation

Lynn was one of the first places in America to save land for everyone to enjoy. In 1693, Lynn set aside areas that are now part of the Lynn Woods Reservation for public use and protected young trees.

Today, Lynn has many parks. Some of the well-known parks include the Lynn Woods Reservation. It is the largest municipal park in New England and has interesting historical spots. There is also High Rock Tower where you can see Nahant, Boston, and the ocean, and Pine Grove Cemetery.

Education

Lynn has three public high schools: Lynn English, Lynn Classical, and Lynn Vocational Technical High School. There are also four middle or junior high schools, two alternative schools, and 18 elementary schools. All of these schools are part of the Lynn Public Schools district.

The KIPP Academy Lynn, run by KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program, teaches students in grades 5 to 8. It also has a charter high school called KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate. There is an independent Catholic high school, St. Mary's High School, and two Catholic primary schools, St. Pius V School and Sacred Heart School, which is now closed. North Shore Christian School is an interdenominational Christian school. North Shore Community College has a campus in downtown Lynn, with other campuses in Danvers and Beverly.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Lynn does not have major highways. The closest big highways are in nearby towns like Saugus and Lynnfield. Several state roads, such as Route 1A, Route 107, Route 129, and Route 129A, pass through Lynn.

Lynn has a train station called Lynn station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. There is also a special station for GE Aviation employees. Many MBTA bus routes connect Lynn with Boston and nearby areas. There have been ideas to extend the Blue Line subway to downtown Lynn, but this has not happened yet. The MBTA ferry route F5 runs between Lynn and downtown Boston. The closest airport is Logan International Airport in Boston, about 5 miles south of Lynn.

Notable people

Lynn, Massachusetts, has been home to many famous people from different fields. Some well-known names include Harry Agganis, a talented football player and baseball star, and Estelle Parsons, an actress who won an Academy Award. Other notable individuals include Walter Brennan, an actor who won three Academy Awards, and Alex Newell, known for their role in the TV show Glee. The city has also seen inventors, athletes, and artists grow up or live there.

In literature and the arts

Lynn has been featured in many stories and movies. The famous Mother Goose nursery rhyme "Trot, trot to Boston" often includes Lynn as the next stop. Some movies like Surrogates, Black Mass, Central Intelligence, and Sound of Metal have scenes filmed in Lynn. A character in the movie The Master also comes from Lynn.

Capital	Lynn is a city in Massachusetts
Official language	English
Area	13.52 square miles
Population	101,253
Named after	King's Lynn, England

Lynn, Massachusetts