Welcome to Manchester-by-the-Sea

Manchester-by-the-Sea is a coastal town in Essex County about 24 miles northeast of Boston, on the southern side of Cape Ann where it meets the mainland. It pairs a historic village at the head of Manchester Harbor with Singing Beach, conservation land north of Route 128, and a commuter rail station a short walk from the beach.

About Manchester-by-the-Sea

English fishermen and colonists settled around the harbor, then called Jeffrey's Creek, in the late 1620s as part of Salem, and the town was incorporated as Manchester in 1645. Fishing drove the economy for its first two centuries. In the 1800s Manchester became a furniture-making center, with dozens of chair and cabinet shops, and in 1845 the poet Richard Henry Dana built the first summer house in town. Over the next decades Manchester became a favored summer community for Boston society along the North Shore's Gold Coast.

The name Manchester-by-the-Sea was used informally from the 1870s and became official in 1989, partly to avoid confusion with Manchester, New Hampshire. Many people still just say Manchester, and so do the train station and Route 128 signs. Manchester-by-the-Sea borders Essex to the north, Hamilton to the northwest, Gloucester to the east, and Beverly and Wenham to the west, with Massachusetts Bay to the south.

Getting Around

Manchester station on Beach Street is on the Rockport branch of the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line, with direct service to North Station in Boston. There are no regular MBTA bus routes in town. Route 127 runs through the village along the shore from Beverly toward Gloucester, and Route 128 has two exits in town, Exit 49 at Pine Street and Exit 50 at School Street.

Manchester-by-the-Sea Real Estate

Manchester-by-the-Sea real estate ranges from Colonial houses in the village to shingled summer homes along the shore. The Manchester Village Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1990, covers about 39 acres around the head of the harbor and north along School and North streets, and most of its homes were built before 1850. Center-chimney Colonials, Federal-era houses, and three-bay gable-front homes from the mid-1800s line the older streets.

From the 1870s, large summer houses in the Shingle and Stick styles went up along the shore, and winding streets were laid out at Lobster Cove and Coolidge Point. Estates continued into the early 1900s at Smith's Point and West Manchester, and as Route 128 took shape to the north, more homes were built inland toward the village. Areas include the Village, West Manchester, Smith's Point, Coolidge Point, Masconomo Point, Kettle Cove, and Lobster Cove.

Living in Manchester-by-the-Sea

Singing Beach is named for its dry sand, which squeaks underfoot. It has a rocky headland called Eagle Head, restrooms, and a food concession, and it is a short walk from the train. The town also has White Beach and Black Beach, and in the harbor, Tuck's Point has a small beach, a pier, and a red-roofed rotunda, while Masconomo Park has a playground, sports fields, and a bandstand.

The Trustees' Coolidge Reservation on Coolidge Point includes the Ocean Lawn, Clarke Pond, and Bungalow Hill, with views over Magnolia Harbor. North of Route 128, The Monoliths, formerly Agassiz Rock, has two glacial boulders on a 1.5-mile loop trail, and the Manchester-Essex Woods protect nearly 2,000 acres of woodland trails. The stone public library, designed by Charles McKim and opened in 1887, and the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum in the 1823 Abigail Hooper Trask House are both in the village.

Questions About Manchester-by-the-Sea

What kinds of homes are in Manchester-by-the-Sea?

Manchester-by-the-Sea has Colonial and Federal houses in the historic village, mid-1800s gable-front homes, and shingled summer houses and estates from the late 1800s and early 1900s along the shore at Coolidge Point, Smith's Point, and West Manchester, plus 20th-century homes inland.

How do you get to Boston from Manchester-by-the-Sea?

Manchester station on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line has direct trains to North Station. By car, Route 128 has exits at Pine Street and School Street, and Route 127 follows the shore through Beverly.

Why is it called Singing Beach?

Singing Beach is named for its sand, which squeaks or sings underfoot when it is dry. The beach is a short walk from Manchester station.

To see homes for sale in Manchester-by-the-Sea, browse the listings below. Thinking of buying or selling in Manchester-by-the-Sea? Call (617) 848-9616 or get a free home valuation. Manchester-by-the-Sea is part of our North of Boston guide.

Photos: Rizka, CC BY-SA 4.0 and MVASCO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.