About the Area
Lynnfield has all the charm of a traditional New England town. The focal point of the community is a picturesque town common surrounded with historic structure including the old meeting house built in 1714. Over the years, local residents have taken great care to protect the community’s character and preserve its small town atmosphere.
Lynnfield has become widely known for its fine homes, colonial architecture and attractive residential neighborhoods. Located at the juncture of Routes 1 and 128, Lynnfield has long been an appealing option for professionals and executives seeking a comfortable commute to Boston. The town of Lynnfield was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1842. Historically, Lynnfield functioned as two separate villages connected by one governing body: in Lynnfield Center resided a mostly agricultural population, while South Lynnfield was a crossroad situated amongst neighboring larger towns. During this time, the town had two inns, a granite rock quarry, a small carbonated beverage bottler, and various eating institutions.
The stagecoach line north from Boston to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, known locally as "The Newburyport Turnpike", ran through South Lynnfield. Later this roadway was officially re-named U.S. Route 1, the route which brought many people north to the small town during the post-World War Two population surge. Lynnfield Center retained limited commuter rail service, via the Boston & Maine Railroad, into the late 1950s/early 1960s with a small railroad boarding platform located not far from the current Town Hall offices.
When, in the 1960s, the United States Post Office implemented the Zone Improvement Program with 5-digit numerical codes, Lynnfield was assigned two Z.I.P. codes: 01940 and 01944, for the Lynnfield Center and the South Lynnfield post offices, respectively. Later, 01944 was re-assigned to Manchester (now Manchester-by-the-Sea), Massachusetts; South Lynnfield currently shares Zip Code 01940 with Lynnfield Center.
Before 1960 Lynnfield High School students attended Wakefield High School. In 2005, Lynnfield High School was named a Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education. The school system consistently has one of the highest standardized test scores of the state.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.5 square miles. The Ipswich River forms the northern border of the town, and several brooks cross throughout the town. Many lakes and ponds dot the town, including Suntaug Lake, Reedy Meadow, Pillings Pond and Walden Pond (a less famous cousin of the one in Concord). A portion of the Lynn Woods Reservation is located in the southeast corner of town, and in the northwest part of town lies part of Camp Curtis Guild, a Massachusetts National Guard base which also contains lands in the neighboring towns. The highest part of town lies on Middleton Hill in the northern part of town.
Notable residents and former residents:
