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Methuen, Massachusetts

Methuen, Massachusetts
City
Methuen City Hall
Methuen City Hall
Official seal of Methuen, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Essex County and the state of Massachusetts.
Location in Essex County and the state of Massachusetts.
Methuen, Massachusetts is located in the US
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen, Massachusetts
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 42°43′34″N 71°11′29″W / 42.72611°N 71.19139°W / 42.72611; -71.19139Coordinates: 42°43′34″N 71°11′29″W / 42.72611°N 71.19139°W / 42.72611; -71.19139
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Essex
Settled 1642
Incorporated 1725
Incorporated a city 1917
Government
 • Type Mayor-council city
 • Mayor Stephen Zanni (D)
Area
 • Total 23.1 sq mi (59.7 km2)
 • Land 22.2 sq mi (57.6 km2)
 • Water 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
Elevation 115 ft (35 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 47,255
 • Density 2,100/sq mi (790/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01844
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-40710
GNIS feature ID 0612337
Website www.cityofmethuen.net

Methuen /mɛˈθɛn/ is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 47,255 at the 2010 census.

Methuen was first settled in 1642 and was officially incorporated in 1726. Methuen was originally part of Haverhill, Massachusetts. In 1724 Stephen Barker and others in the western part of that town petitioned the General Court to grant them permission to form a new town above Hawke's Meadow Brook. Although opposed by their fellow townsmen, the petition was approved the following year (December 8, 1725), and the General Court gave them an act of incorporation under the name of Methuen. The town was named for Sir Paul Methuen, a member of the King's Privy Council and friend of acting Provincial Governor William Dummer. The first town meeting was held March 9, 1726.

Industrial growth in the 1800s influenced Methuen's development. Construction of the Methuen Cotton Mills at the Spicket River falls in the 1820s and the increased manufacture of hats and shoes in small factories along the Spicket spurred the centralization of Methuen's economic, residential and cultural activities within the area around Osgood, Broadway, Hampshire and Pleasant streets. Three wealthy and prominent families—the Nevins, the Tenneys and the Searles—played a significant role in Methuen's history and development. These families were instrumental in the founding of many of Methuen's landmarks, including the Nevins Memorial Library, the Searles building, Tenney Gatehouse, Nevins Home, Spicket Falls, and the Civil War monument between Pleasant and Charles streets.

Methuen is located at 42°43′48″N 71°10′46″W / 42.73000°N 71.17944°W / 42.73000; -71.17944 (42.730040, −71.179352). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.1 square miles (59.7 km2), of which 22.2 square miles (57.6 km2) is land and 0.77 square miles (2.0 km2), or 3.42%, is water.


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