About the Swampscott, Massachusetts Area 

Swampscott is a small and lovely seaside community, north of Boston. Visitors and residents can enjoy its unique character, its excellent restaurants and quality shopping areas. It offers all the benefits of scenic and tranquil seaside living just 20 minutes away from downtown Boston. Swampscott is home to many Boston commuters, happy to enjoy the best of both worlds.  

Location 

Swampscott is located in Essex County, in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro area.
It is in Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Lynn on the west, Salem and Marblehead on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east and south.  

Swampscott is 3.4 miles east of Lynn, 3 miles south of Salem, 3.3 miles from Marblehead, 3.6 miles from Nahant, and 5.6 miles from Peabody. Swampscott is 16.4 miles northeast of Boston and 240 miles from New York City. 

Airports 

Swampscott is conveniently located only 20 minutes from Boston’s General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport. Logan Airport, about 11 miles away from Swampscott, is one of the 20 busiest airports in the nation, serving 22 million passengers and utilizing 43 airlines.  

Other major airports near Swampscott are Laurence G. Hanscom Field, about 27 miles away in Bedford MA, and Pease International Tradeport, located about 42 miles away in Portsmouth NH. 

Beverly Municipal Airport is easily accessible from Swampscott, located approximately 8 miles away in Beverly MA. It is a reliever facility, with 3 runways. Other nearby airports include Plum Island Airport, about 22 miles away in Newburyport MA, and Lawrence Municipal Airport, about 23 miles away in Lawrence MA. 

Terrain

Swampscott has an area of 6.7 square miles. 3 square miles of it is land and 3.7 square miles of it is water. The total area is 54.83 percent water. The two bodies of water in Swampscott are Foster Pond and Palmer Pond. It sits an elevation of 45 feet. 

Population  

The population of Swampscott is approximately 14,600. The average family income is approximately $84,897. 

The population of Swampscott is well educated. For those over 25 years old, 94.8% have a high school degree, 50.2% have a bachelor's degree and 21.2% have a graduate or professional degree. There is only 2% unemployment. 

Jobs

The main industries providing employment in Swampscott include Educational, Health and Social services (24.9%), Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative (14.8%), and Retail Trade (11.5%). 

The average travel time to work for Swampscott residents is 30.8 minutes.

Colleges/Universities 

Swampscott is home to Marion Court College. It is a private 2 year college with an enrollment of 229, offering degree or certificate programs in Business Administration, Computer Technology, Criminal Justice, Liberal Studies, and Office Administration. 

The other excellent colleges and universities in the Swampscott area are include Salem State College, about 3 miles away in Salem, MA, with an enrollment of 5,917; North Shore Community College, about 8 miles away in Danvers, MA, with an enrollment of 3,663; Bunker Hill Community College, about 13 miles away in Boston, MA with an enrollment of 3,638; Suffolk University, about 14 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 5,291; Emerson College, about 15 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 3,697; Tufts University, about 15 miles away in Medford, MA, with an enrollment of 8,627; University of Massachusetts-Boston, about 16 miles away in Boston, MA, with an enrollment of 9,248. 

Housing

The average home price in Swampscott is $405,074. The prices of homes in the area range from $175,000 to $1.5 Million. Swampscott has a wide choice of single-family homes, condominiums, waterfront homes and town houses. 

Historic Buildings 

The historic Mary Baker Eddy House in Swampscott was the first home owned by Mary Baker Eddy, the well-known author, publisher, speaker, and healer. Here she finished writing and published the first edition of her primary work, "Science and Health," in 1875. 

Swampscott has one of the last remaining Victorian style railroad depots in the country. 

Marian Court, which was formerly White Court, was the summer residence of President Calvin Coolidge. 

Swampscott’s Town Hall is located in the Georgian Revival-style building which was the former residence of Professor Elihu Thompson, inventor and founder of General Electric Company. The building has been functioning as the Town Hall since 1944, with relatively few changes.

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf

Swampscott has several parklands. There is Boston Harbor Islands National Park that includes 34 islands along the Boston shoreline. Swampscott’s parks also include Abbott Park, and Jackson Park.  

Swampscott’s beautiful beaches are a primary tourist attraction. At Fisherman’s Beach there is a stunning view of Swampscott Harbor, with its multicolored fishing and pleasure boats. It is a public beach with a long, wide oceanfront, a seasonal restaurant, and playground. 

In Swampscott you can enjoy boating, fishing, camping, swimming, and picnicking.  

Special Attractions/Events 

Atlantic #1, a fire engine, was built by the William Hunneman Co. of Boston, Massachusetts in 1845. It was the 260th of 717 hand fire engine manufactured by the company. The engine went to Swampscott in 1852 where it served the city faithfully for many years. 

Fisherman’s Beach is a prime place to visit, for the beach, swimming, or the history. In the park above the beach sits an English Cannon, which was cast in 1798 and captured during the War of 1812 by the Salem Privateer, Grand Turk. It was bought by the Swampscott fishermen in 1835 for use as a fog signal.

The Marine Corps Lieutenant General John C. Chaisson Memorial Boulder sits at the entrance to Chaisson Walk at Fisherman's Beach. A Memorial anchor, which is believed to be the last trace of the bark, Tedesco, is draped around the memorial base located on the grass plot overlooking Fisherman's Beach.  

Swampscott Harbor, on Nahant Bay, is home port to approximately two hundred vessels. Yachting is popular in Swampscott. 

Interesting Facts 

Native Americans, referred to as Naumkeags, came to Swampscott, which was called the "land of the red rock", in the seventeenth century to fish and hunt. Thus, the name Swampscott originates from the Algonquian term meaning "at the red rocks". 

Swampscott was originally a fishing port, providing cod and lobsters in great abundance. 

Swampscott is the birthplace of Walter Brennan, the actor, Michael Smiley, a college basketball player, and President Calvin A. Coolidge. 

Swampscott contributed to the fishing industry with the inventions of the Swampscott Dory and the lobster pot. Swampscott Dories were the most highly refined version of the dory that was ever made.