Gloucester, Massachusetts

City of Gloucester
City
Man at the Wheel, Fisherman's Memorial Cenotaph
Seal
Nickname(s): "The Place To Be In The Summer"
Motto: "America's Oldest Seaport"
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
City of Gloucester Location in the United States
Coordinates: 42°36′57″N 70°39′45″W / 42.61583°N 70.66250°W / 42.61583; -70.66250Coordinates: 42°36′57″N 70°39′45″W / 42.61583°N 70.66250°W / 42.61583; -70.66250
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Settled	1623
Incorporated	1642
Government
• Type	Mayor-council city
• Mayor	Sefatia Romeo Theken
Area
• Total	41.5 sq mi (107.5 km2)
• Land	26.2 sq mi (67.8 km2)
• Water	15.3 sq mi (39.6 km2)
Elevation	50 ft (15 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	28,789
• Density	690/sq mi (270/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01930
Area code(s)	351 / 978
FIPS code	25-26150
GNIS feature ID	0615084
Website	www.gloucester-ma.gov

Gloucester /ˈɡlɒstər/ is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.

The boundaries of Gloucester originally included the town of Rockport, in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". That village separated formally on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city.

Gloucester was founded at Cape Ann by an expedition called the "Dorchester Company" of men from Dorchester (in the county of Dorset, England) chartered by James I in 1623. It was one of the first English settlements in what would become the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and predates both Salem in 1626 and Boston in 1630. The first company of pioneers made landing at Half Moon Beach and settled nearby, setting up fishing stages in a field in what is now Stage Fort Park. This settlement's existence is proclaimed today by a memorial tablet, affixed to a 50-foot (15 m) boulder in that park.