Rockport is a town located in Essex County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,767. Rockport is located approximately 35 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. It is directly east of Gloucester, Massachusetts and surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Rockport, please see the article Rockport (CDP), Massachusetts.
History
Before the coming on the English explorers and settlers, Cape Ann was home to a number of Native American villages, inhabited by members of the Agawam tribe. Samuel de Champlain named the peninsula "Cap Aux Isles" in 1605, and his expedition may have landed there briefly. By the time the first Europeans founded a permanent settlement at Gloucester in 1623, most of the Agawams had been killed by diseases caught from early contacts with Europeans.
The area that is now Rockport was simply an uninhabited part of Gloucester for more than 100 years, and was primarily used as a source of timber -- especially pine for shipbuilding. The area around Cape Ann was also one of the best fishing grounds in New England, in 1743 a dock was built at Rockport harbor on Sandy Bay and was used for both timber and fishing. By the beginning of the 19th century, the first granite quarries were developed, and by the 1830s, Rockport granite was being shipped to cities and towns throughout the East Coast of the United States.
Rockport had consisted primarily of large estates, summer homes, and a small fishing village while Gloucester was becoming increasingly urbanized in the but
Rockport was set off as a separate town in 1840 as it developed an identity of its own. As the demand for its high-grade granite grew during the Industrial Revolution, the quarries of Rockport became a major source of the stone. A distinctive form of sloop was even developed to transport the granite to parts far and wide until the second decade of the 20th century. For many year, there were a large number of residents of Scandinavian descent dates from the days when Finns and Swedes with stoneworking expertise made up a large part of the workforce at the quarries.
Although the demand for granite decreased with the increasing use of concrete in construction during the Great Depression, Rockport still thrived as an artists colony -- which began years earlier due to its rocky, boulder-strewn ocean beaches, its quaint fishing shacks, a harbor filled with small, colorful fishing boats, and the fact that Cape Ann was made famous by Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous.
Today Rockport is primarily a suburban residential and tourist town, but it is still home to a number of lobster fishermen -- known as lobstermen -- and artists. Rockport is a dry town, in which alcoholic beverages may not be purchased, but that has not stopped the town from becoming a center for expensive, specialty shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Its rocky beaches and seaside parks are a favorite place for visitors to walk and contemplate the power and grandeur of the Atlantic Ocean.
Geography
Rockport is located at 42°39'20" North, 70°37'15" West, elevation 23.46m (77 ft.) 1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.5 km² (17.6 mi²). 18.3 km² (7.1 mi²) of it is land and 27.2 km² (10.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 59.84% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 7,767 people, 3,490 households, and 2,027 families residing in the town. The population density is 424.2/km² (1,098.9/mi²). There are 4,202 housing units at an average density of 229.5 persons/km² (594.5 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.73% White, 0.27% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The ancestral breakdown of the residents is as follows: English (23.0%), Irish (20.4%), Italian (15.8%), German (7.1%), Scots (5.7%). The percentage of residents born outside of the United States is 6.3% (3.7% in Europe, 1.1% elsewhere in North America, 1.0% in Asia).
There are 3,490 households out of which 24.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% are married couples living together, 7.6% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 41.9% are non-families. 36.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.20 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the town the population is spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $50,661, and the median income for a family is $69,263. Males have a median income of $46,131 versus $36,458 for females. The per capita income for the town is $29,294. 3.7% of the population and 2.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 3.0% are under the age of 18 and 3.5% are 65 or older. The median house value in the town is $277,300.
