Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Peabody, Massachusetts

42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Peabody City. It lies in ZIP code area 01960. It stands on Goldthwait Brook. The Survey maps it on the Salem quadrangle. 54,481 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 16 feet above sea level.

Research this city

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Peabody within Essex County

Population over time

3 figures

Peabody grew from 51,251 to 54,481 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	51,251
2014	52,376	+1,125 (+2%)
2020	54,481	+2,105 (+4%)

Then and now

1888 to 1985

The same ground, surveyed 97 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Peabody, surveyed 1985

Topographic sheet of Peabody, surveyed 1888

Topographic sheets covering this place

42 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires nearby

86 since 2003

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 86 fires within 5 miles of Peabody between 2003 and 2020, burning about 280 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Recreation and ceremony	30
Smoking	14
Equipment and vehicle use	10
Misuse of fire by a minor	6
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	6
Debris and open burning	6
Fireworks	5
Arson/incendiarism	4
Power generation/transmission/distribution	2
Natural	1
Railroad operations and maintenance	1
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
5 September 2016	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	BEVERLY
4 September 2016	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	BEVERLY
28 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
27 September 2020	Smoking	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
27 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
21 September 2020	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
21 September 2020	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named
21 September 2020	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Essex County

Specimens collected nearby

12 of 9,993 shown

Museums hold 9,993 specimens collected within 10 miles of Peabody between 1800 and 1975: 4,151 Plantae, 3,162 Animalia, 1,080 Fungi, 922 Chromista, 439 Unrecorded, 189 Bacteria, 50 Protozoa. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A B. Proper, A H HIGGINSON, A. A. Eaton and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Rhodocollybia prolixa var. distorta (Fr.) Antonín, Halling & Noordel.	1800	R. B. Mackintosh	Peabody
Erysiphaceae	1803	A. B. Seymour
Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel.	1821	not recorded	Pleasant Pond, Wenham, Mass.
Amaranthus cannabinus (L.) Sauer	1822	not recorded
Diphyscium foliosum (Hedw.) D.Mohr	1822	ALCOTT
Arcyria oerstedii Rostaf., 1875	1826	F. A. Gilbert
Lecanora tartarea (L.) Ach.	1839	E. Tuckerman	Manchester
Ochrolechia yasudae Vainio	1839	Tuckerman, E.	[USA] Manchester, Massachusetts.
Desmarestia viridis (O.F.Müll.) J.V.Lamour.	1841	C. E. Pease	Marblehead
Polysiphonia urceolata (Lightfoot ex Dillwyn) Greville	1841	F. S. Collins	Revere Beach, Revere, MA
Splachnum ampullaceum Hedw.	1843	A. Gray; W. S. Sullivant	Manchester
Carex caryophyllea Latourr.	1847	C. Dewey	Salem

All 9,993 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

10 of 14 shown

The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Peabody: 5 plants, 4 past producers, 3 producers, 1 unknown. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Zirconium, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
(Facility) Travers Labs Refinery--Beverly, Ma.	Mercury, Silver, Gold, REE	Plant
Hale Engineering Co--Danvers, Ma.	Tungsten	Plant
Saugus Deposit	Iron	Occurrence
Thiokol Ventron Div--Danvers, Ma.	Thorium	Plant
Camillieri Corp Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Donald Innis Inc	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Thiokol Ventron Div--Beverly, Ma.	Zirconium	Plant
Ventron Corp--Beverly, Ma.	Zirconium	Past Producer
Danvers Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Essex Bituminous Concrete Products	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer	Sedimentary

Every working recorded in Essex County

Storms nearby

47 since 1993

The National Weather Service names Peabody in 47 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 22 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 6 flood, 4 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 2007	Lightning	Peabody	1 hurt	Person struck by lighting on Nicholson Street. Extent of injuries unknown.
June 1998	Flash Flood	Peabody	$570,000	Procter and Goldwaithe Brooks
July 2010	Flash Flood	West Peabody	$500,000	In Lynn, Alley and Commercial streets experienced significant flooding. A car was stranded on Chatham Street. In Peabody, a car was stranded near Foster and Spring Streets. Shaws Lane and Oak Streets were flooded.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$500,000	no account filed
July 2006	Hail	Peabody	$150,000	no account filed
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$30,000	no account filed
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$25,000	Trees and wires were downed throughout west Peabody, including on Lowell Street, Newbridge Road, and Pocahontas Drive.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$20,000	Trees and wires on Hamilton Road, Lowell Street, Harrison Avenue, and Abington Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
March 2007	Flood	Peabody	$20,000	Several cars were stranded due to flooding on Canal Street in Salem, as well as at Salem State College. Urban flooding was more severe in Peabody, where Fountain Street was flooded and voluntary evacuations took place. Several streets near the center of Peabody were also closed due to flooding.
July 2006	Flood	Peabody	$20,000	Urban flood
August 2018	Flash Flood	West Peabody	$15,000	At 10:33 AM EST, Quail Road in South Peabody was closed due to flooding. At 10:52 AM EST, Lynnfield Street was closed due to flooding. At 11:07 AM EST, a car was reported trapped in floodwaters on Lynnfield Street. At 11:14 AM a car was trapped in floodwaters on Lake Street near U.S. Route 1; Lake Street was reported closed soon after. At 11:33 AM EST, a house on Batchelder Avenue was reported to have 4 feet of water in the basement.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$15,000	Trees and wires were downed on Winona and Corey Drives, and Lake, Forest, Baldwin, Wheatland, and Lowell Streets. So many trees were downed on Lowell Street that the street was closed.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$15,000	A tree and wires were downed onto a pool house on Jackson Avenue by thunderstorm winds. In addition, a tree was downed blocking Winona Street.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$15,000	Trees and wires were downed on several streets in Lynn and Peabody, including on Greenwood Road in Peabody and on Herschel Street in Lynn. One of the trees on Herschel Street landed on a car.
July 2008	Lightning	West Peabody	$15,000	A house on LeBlanc Street was struck by lightning and caught fire.
August 2008	Lightning	West Peabody	$15,000	A house on Martinick Avenue was struck by lightning and caught fire.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$15,000	no account filed
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	South Peabody	$10,000	In Salem, a tree and wires were down on a car.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$10,000	Trees on Ellsworth Road and Summit Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. One landed on a car.
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$10,000	no account filed
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	South Peabody	$9,000	In Peabody, a tree was down on a truck on Norfolk Avenue. A tree was down on power lines at both Lynnfield Street and Columbia Blvd. A tree was down on Bartlett Street.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$8,000	At 810 PM EST, a tree was down on a car on Tracey Street, and a tree down on Sunset Drive...both in Peabody.
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	South Peabody	$5,000	In Salem, a tree was down partially on a house. Another tree was down on a vehicle on Congress St.
March 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	$5,000	In Peabody, a tree was down on a car on Endicott Street. Also, a tree and wires were down on Lincoln Street.
September 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$5,000	A tree on Emerson Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2006	Hail	Peabody	$5,000	no account filed
July 2005	Lightning	Peabody	$5,000	no account filed
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$3,000	A tree on Rainbow Road was downed by thunderstorm winds.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	South Peabody	$2,000	At 955 PM EST, a tree was reported down on wires on Lynn Street at Bowen Road.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$500	A tree was downed on Lake Street.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	West Peabody	$500	A small tree on Upham Street was downed by thunderstorm winds.
September 2021	Flood	Peabody	-	In Peabody, Walnut Street was closed due to flooding.
July 2021	Flood	Peabody	-	In Peabody, Walnut St was closed due to flooding.
June 2017	Hail	Peabody	-	At 430 PM EST, dime size hail was reported in Peabody.
July 2015	Hail	Peabody	-	Penny size hail fell on Route 1.
December 2014	Flood	Peabody	-	Several streets around Peabody Square were closed due to flooding. This included Pierpont Street and Main Street.
June 2012	Flood	Peabody	-	The intersection of Margin and Sheldon Streets was flooded with two feet of water.
July 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	-	Trees down.
August 1993	Hail	West Peabody	-	Two trees down in Salem Willows Park. Numerous dime-size hail stones fell at approximately 1845 EST in West Peabody with one or two stones just under the size of a quarter as measured by the son of a NWS meteorologist. Rainfall in Peabody was 1.68 inches.
July 2015	Hail	Peabody	-	no account filed
July 2012	Hail	West Peabody	-	no account filed
September 2011	Hail	Peabody	-	no account filed
March 2003	Heavy Rain	Peabody	-	no account filed
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Peabody	-	no account filed
June 2001	Hail	Peabody	-	no account filed
May 1998	Hail	Peabody	-	no account filed
May 1998	Hail	Peabody	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Essex County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
North Salem	1.3 miles	42
Needham Corner	1.3 miles	42
Proctor	1.3 miles	42
Danversport	1.5 miles	42
South Peabody	1.7 miles	42
Salem	1.8 miles	42
Tapleyville	2.1 miles	42
South Salem	2.2 miles	42

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Peabody	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q54136	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 614307. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.