Massachusetts Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Merrimac, Massachusetts

Population: 6,138

Located in Essex County

The Town of Merrimac was first settled by Europeans in the late 650's, and the colonists' main crop was corn. As the town grew, Merrimac residents also pursued maritime trades, fishing for salmon and sturgeon and shipbuilding as well as acting as the distribution point for sugar and molasses from the West Indian trade. By the 19th century, the principal manufacturing activity was carriage factories in town.

The town's eventual growth, however, was residential and by the Second World War, Merrimac was principally a residential community. In 1955, there were 308 people employed in Merrimac, 39% manufacturing, 24% in transportation, 16% in retail and wholesale and 12% in construction. The bulk of the town's 5,1000 population worked elsewhere.