Sherwood & Company · Community Guide

Beverly.

The North Shore, distilled.

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Essex County · Massachusetts

A seaside city that has
always made things.

Seventeen miles up the coast from Boston, Beverly is where the North Shore stops being a commute and starts being a life — beach mornings, mill-town backbone, five ways into the city by rail, and a downtown that still fills its theaters on a Friday night.

Roger Conant settled here in 1626; the town was incorporated in 1668 and became a city in 1894, taking its name from Beverley in Yorkshire. What grew up between then and now is unusually layered for a place this walkable — brick mills turned to offices and lofts, sandy public beaches, a downtown of theaters and breweries, and neighborhoods that each keep their own weather.

It is also, quietly, a city of firsts. America's first cotton mill was built here in 1787. The armed schooner Hannah sailed from Beverly Harbor in 1775, which is why the city calls itself the birthplace of the American navy. Even Beverly Hills, California borrowed the name. History here isn't behind glass — it's the street you park on.

17 mi
To Boston
5
Commuter rail stations
1626
First settled
42,670
Residents (2020 census)
$10.81
FY2026 tax rate per $1,000 assessed

22.6 square miles · Zip 01915 · Route 128 & five commuter-rail stations

A family walking a tree-lined pond path in Beverly on an autumn afternoon, benches along the water and golden foliage lit by a low warm sun.
Weekends
Trustees reservations, sandy beaches, and a great many quiet paths.

The Neighborhoods

Six Beverlys,
one coastline.

From Downtown's theaters to the estates of Beverly Farms, each corner of the city keeps its own rhythm. Here's how locals tell them apart.

Cabot Street in downtown Beverly, lined with shops beneath autumn foliage and a church steeple.

Downtown

Cabot Street, The Cabot & Larcom theaters, dining, and the commuter rail — the walkable center of it all.

The Italian Garden at Lynch Park in Beverly's Cove neighborhood, with a columned pergola, marble lion statues, and formal rose beds under a blue sky.

The Cove

Home to Lynch Park and its historic Italian Garden — swimming, kayaking, and Taft's summer White House grounds.

A tree-lined pond path in North Beverly on an autumn afternoon, with benches along the water and golden foliage catching low sun.

North Beverly

Family-friendly and pond-dotted, with its own commuter-rail station and easy Route 128 access.

Photography coming soon

Beverly Farms

Leafy estates, its own rail stop, and the namesake that gave Beverly Hills, California its name in 1907.

Photography coming soon

Ryal Side

A tight-knit riverside pocket along the Danvers River — classic New England streets and quiet water views.

Photography coming soon

Centerville

Wooded and residential on Beverly's western edge, bordering Danvers and Wenham with room to breathe.

Why Buyers Love It

The reasons people move
to Beverly — and stay.

A real coastline, a real downtown, and a real commute to Boston. The rare North Shore city that works for a first condo and a forever house alike.

Beaches & Lynch Park

Sandy public beaches and a coastline of parks, anchored by Lynch Park in the Cove — swimming, picnics, and the historic Italian Garden.

The Cabot & Larcom

Downtown is the center of live entertainment on the North Shore — the 1920s Cabot, the 1912 Larcom, and the North Shore Music Theatre.

Endicott & Montserrat

Two colleges in town — Endicott on the coast and Montserrat College of Art downtown — bring students, galleries, and a creative pulse.

5 Rail Lines + Route 128

Five MBTA commuter-rail stations and quick Route 128 access put Boston roughly 17 miles — and one comfortable ride — away.

Downtown Dining & Breweries

Cabot Street's independent restaurants, breweries, cafés, and bars fill up on show nights — a genuine main street, not a manufactured one.

Life in Beverly

Coast, garden
and curtain.

The pleasures here are unhurried and specific — a formal garden above the coast, a restored 1920s theater, a golden path around a pond as the light drops. You do not have to invent your weekends; the city keeps handing them to you.

The Italian Garden at Lynch Park in Beverly — a brick path leading to a columned pergola flanked by two marble lion statues, with formal rose beds under a deep blue sky.
The Cove · Lynch Park
The Italian Garden, once President Taft's summer White House.

Lynch Park anchors the Cove — two beaches, kayak water, picnic lawns, and the formal Italian Garden that was the grounds of President Taft's summer White House in 1909 and 1910. It is the kind of public place other towns would gate and charge for; here it is simply where you take a Tuesday evening.

Culture runs deeper than a city this size has any right to. The Cabot, an early-1920s movie palace saved from demolition in 2014, now books concerts and film. The Larcom Theatre has held its 560 restored seats since 1912. The North Shore Music Theatre fills its round house every season. Add Endicott College and Montserrat College of Art, and the calendar rarely goes quiet.

Cabot Street in downtown Beverly on an autumn afternoon, a tall stone church steeple rising above brick storefronts and brilliant red and orange foliage.
Downtown · Cabot Street
The center of live entertainment on the North Shore.

The Record

A city of firsts.

Beverly's claim on the American story runs deep — the first cotton mill, the first ship of the navy, a president's summer, and a name that traveled all the way to California.

1626
Settled

Roger Conant establishes the settlement that Beverly grows from; the town is incorporated in 1668 and named for Beverley, Yorkshire.

1775
Birthplace of America's Navy

On September 5, the armed schooner Hannah sails from Beverly Harbor — by long tradition, the first ship of the American navy.

1787
The First U.S. Cotton Mill

America's first cotton mill opens in Beverly — a claim to the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.

1894
Incorporated as a City

Beverly formally becomes a city, its town-meeting roots giving way to a civic government.

1907
A Name Travels West

Beverly Hills, California is named after Beverly Farms — a small city lending its name to a very large legend.

1909–1910
The Summer White House

President William Howard Taft summers in Beverly, at the grounds that are now the Italian Garden in Lynch Park.

Market Snapshot

The market,
read in seconds.

Live · MLS via Lofty · 76 active now As of August 6, 2026

Figures cover Lofty (MLS-sourced) · Beverly, MA 01915 · Single Family Homes, refreshed automatically from MLS data.

Median Sale Price
$800,000
+8.7% year over year
Price / Sq Ft
$470
+6.8% year over year
Median Days on Market
49 days
+4.5 days year over year
Homes Sold · 12 mo
226
+18.9% year over year

See the full live market snapshot ↗

About these numbers

Figures cover single-family homes in Beverly, MA (01915), sourced from MLS data via the Lofty API. Median sale price, price per square foot, and homes sold reflect the trailing 12 months; year-over-year compares that window to the 12 months before it. Median days on market is computed from each sale's list-to-close date, not Lofty's raw "days on site" field, which tracks total listing lifetime rather than time to sale. Sherwood & Company is a RealTrends Verified team; ask Blake for a current, address-specific valuation.

“You come for the commute and stay for the downtown.” Blake Sherwood · Sherwood & Company

Schools & Education

From five elementaries
to two colleges.

Beverly Public Schools run neighborhood elementaries into a shared middle and high school, alongside a deep bench of independent schools and two colleges in the city.

Elementary · K–5

Five neighborhood schools

  • Ayers Ryal Side
  • Centerville
  • Cove
  • Hannah
  • North Beverly
Middle & High

Briscoe to Beverly High

Briscoe Middle School serves the city's middle grades, with a new Beverly Middle School on the way. Beverly High School, founded in 1858, enrolls roughly 1,300 students.

Independent Schools

A deep private bench

The Waring School, Glen Urquhart, Shore Country Day, Harborlight Montessori, and the Landmark School all call the area home.

Higher Education

Two colleges in town

Endicott College on the coast and Montserrat College of Art downtown keep Beverly connected to students, faculty, and the arts.

Where It Sits

North Shore,
Essex County.

About 17 miles northeast of Boston and 2 miles north of Salem, across the Danvers River and Beverly Harbor. Beverly borders four towns — each its own community guide on our site.

Four bordering towns

A short drive in any direction — tap through to each town's guide.

Locator map showing Beverly highlighted in red within Essex County, alongside a small map of Massachusetts.
Beverly within Essex County, Massachusetts.

Thinking about Beverly?

Let's find your
corner of it.

Whether you're weighing Beverly Farms against the Cove or just starting to look up the coast, Blake will give you a straight read on the market and the neighborhoods — no pressure, just local knowledge.

Blake Sherwood · Vice President, Team Lead · Sherwood & Company at Compass

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Blake Sherwood · Vice President, Team Lead · Sherwood & Company at Compass · Beverly, MA 01915
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