Beverly Farms, Massachusetts

Beverly Farms
Neighborhood of Beverly
Beverly Farms Fire Station on the 4th of July in 2006.
Nickname(s): Farms (pronounced "Fahms")
Motto: "Filled with History and Tradition"
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Neighborhood of	Beverly
Population	7,929
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
Zip Code	01915
Area code(s)	351 / 978

Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts. It is an oceanfront community with a population of about 3,500 which extends from the Manchester-by-the-Sea border to another section of Beverly known as Prides Crossing. This area is roughly bounded by Prince Street on the south, Greenwood Ave on the north. and Manchester-by-the-Sea on the east. A more exact description is provided in the Massachusetts Acts of 1852 Chapter 157. This area is part of Massachusetts's North Shore region, about 20 miles north of Boston.

Beverly Farms and the adjacent Prides Crossing were originally farming communities, much like the rest of Beverly. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, wealthy residents of Boston and New York City built summer cottages along the seashore. These properties were nearly the size and stature of those in Newport, Rhode Island, though only a few of the original mansions remain in the neighborhood today.

In 1887, Beverly Farms unsuccessfully petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for incorporation as a town.

By the mid-twentieth century, Beverly Farms resembled a small town, somewhat secluded from the rest of Beverly and culturally interlinked with Prides Crossing. Working-class neighborhoods sprang up as support for the mansions became necessary. At this point, there was a wide financial gap between the wealthy and the working class.

Beverly Hills, California, was named in 1907 after Beverly Farms, which was a vacation spot of then-President Taft.

Beverly Farms remains a vibrant community with changing demographics. Pockets of residential development and generally escalating real-estate values appear to have adjusted average residency to a wealthier population, much as in the past.

The community is served by three churches: Episcopal church, whose altarpiece was sculpted by artist Hildreth Meiere, Baptist, and Roman Catholic church designed by architect William Ralph Emerson. Among other public buildings are a community center (known as the Hastings House because it was donated and is partially supported by the Merril Hastings foundation), a fire station, a railroad station on the MBTA Commuter Rail, and a recently expanded branch of the Beverly Public Library.