Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence. Its county government was abolished in 1999.
The county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires". Essex initially contained Salem, Lynn, Wenham, I...
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Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence. Its county government was abolished in 1999.
The county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires". Essex initially contained Salem, Lynn, Wenham, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Gloucester, and Andover.
Essex County is famous as the area that Elbridge Gerry districted into a salamander-like shape in 1812 that gave rise to the word gerrymandering.
Like an increasing number of Massachusetts counties, Essex County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff (currently Frank Cousins) and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties...
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