On January 28, 1764, the General Court of Massachusetts passed “An act for erecting part of the town of Newbury into a new town by the name of Newburyport.” The act begins:

The act was approved by Governor Francis Bernard on February 4, 1764. The new town was the smallest in Massachusetts, covering an area of 647 acres (2.62 km²), and had a population of 2,800 living in 357 homes. There were three shipyards, no bridges, and several ferries, one of which at the foot of Greenleaf Lane, now State Street, carried the Portsmouth Flying Stage Coach, running between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Boston.

The town prospered and became a city in 1851. Situated near the mouth of the Merrimack River, it was once a fishing, shipbuilding and shipping center, with an industry in silverware manufacture. In 1792, a bridge was built two miles above the town where the river contained an island. Merrimack Arms and Brown Manufacturing Company made Southerner Derringer pistols in their Newburyport factory from 1867 to 1873. The sea captains of old Newburyport (as elsewhere in Massachusetts) had participated vigorously in the triangular trade, importing West Indian molasses and exporting rum made from it. The distilleries were located around Market Square near the waterfront. Caldwell’s Old Newburyport rum was manufactured locally until well into the 19th century.

The Atlantic slave trade supported much of Newburyport’s early growth and prosperity, with ships built in Newburyport and sold by Newburyport merchants used in the transportation of enslaved people from Africa, and Newburyport rum distilleries being a major destination of resources extracted by slave labor in the Caribbean. Racial segregation in what is today called Newburyport was practiced as early as 1683, when the selectmen of Newbury banished a free African woman, Juniper, from the town. In 1755, as many as fifty enslaved African and Native American people lived in present-day Newburyport. An enslaved girl was advertised for sale in Newburyport as late as 1774, well after the incorporation of Newburyport as a distinct municipality from Newbury. Just the year prior, an enslaved man, Caesar Hendrick, had successfully sued Newburyport resident Richard Greenleaf for his freedom.

Newburyport prior to the Civil War had always been divided over slavery. While many of its leading citizens profited from and defended slavery, it also had been a frequent topic of pulpit rhetoric. After the Revolutionary War, abolitionism took a firm hold, Newburyport included. Several citizens are recognized by the National Park Service for their contributions to the Underground Railroad. The abolitionist movement reached a peak with the activities of William Lloyd Garrison, who was born in Newburyport and helped develop an anti-slavery climate. In 1841, Garrison was imprisoned on charges of libel for accusing Newburyport shipowner Francis Todd and captain Nicholas Brown of transporting 44 African captives in chains. His statue stands in Brown Square, which was the scene of abolitionist meetings.

Newburyport once had a fishing fleet that operated from Georges Bank to the mouth of the Merrimack River. It was a center for privateering during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Beginning about 1832, it added numerous ships to the whaling fleet. Later, clipper ships were built there. Today, the city gives little hint of its former maritime importance. Notably missing are the docks, which are shown on earlier maps extending into the channel of the Merrimack River, and the shipyards, where the waterfront parking lot is currently located.

George Whitefield, the well-known and influential English preacher who helped inspire the First Great Awakening in America, arrived in Newburyport in September 1740. The revival that followed his labors, brought into existence Old South Church, where he was buried after his death in 1770.

The city’s historical highlights include:

Historic events:

The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank on State Street was founded in 1854, and is one of the oldest banks in the United States still in operation.

Historic houses and museums:

Literary interests:

Newburyport is located at 42°48′45″N 70°52′39″W / 42.81250°N 70.87750°W / 42.81250; -70.87750 (42.812391, −70.877440). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27 km²), of which 8.4 square miles (22 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (20.77%) is water.

The city is part of Massachusetts’ North Shore; Newburyport was laid out on the elevated south bank of the Merrimack River between the river and Newbury marshes. The shipyards, now boatyards (and still vigorously active), extended along the bank at the edge of the river. They were connected by Merrimac Street, which ends upriver where the bank merges into bluffs covered with pine forest. Colonial residences extend up the bank from Merrimac Street to High Street running parallel to it near the top of the ridge. The homes of the seafaring entrepreneurs line High Street. Many feature widow’s walks, structures on the roof where the residents could watch for the return of sailing vessels. Nearly every home maintains a splendid flower garden, most dating to colonial times. Various cross streets, such as State Street, Green Street and Market Street, connect Merrimac Street and High Street. The top of the ridge proved an ideal location for later institutions, such as Newburyport High School and nearby Anna Jaques Hospital. The ridge drops more sharply to the marsh on the other side. Along its margin a third parallel street developed, Low Street.

The river bank gradually descends to marshes at Joppa Flats beyond downtown Newburyport. The Plum Island Turnpike was pushed out over the marsh on a causeway to a narrow part of the Plum Island River just to the south of where it connects to the mouth of the Merrimack. A drawbridge was built there, the only access to the island by road. On the Newburyport side a small airport, Plum Island Airport, was built at the edge of the marsh. The portion of Plum Island that is in the city has no direct access to the rest of the city; similarly, there is no access between the mainland and Woodbridge Island or Seal Island, west of Plum Island (the latter being shared between Newburyport and Newbury). Several parks and beaches dot the city, including Plum Island Point Beach, Simmons Beach, Joppa Park, Waterfront Park, Woodman Park, Cashman Park, Moseley Pines Park and Atkinson Common and March’s Hill Park. Newburyport Forest is located in the southwest corner of the city, and Maudslay State Park lies along the northwest part of the city, along the banks of the Merrimack.

Newburyport is located 37 miles (60 km) north-northeast of Boston, 19 miles (31 km) east-northeast of Lawrence, and 21 miles (34 km) south-southeast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Situated 5 miles (8 km) south of the New Hampshire border, the city is bordered by the Gulf of Maine (Atlantic Ocean) to the east, Newbury to the south and southeast, West Newbury to the west and southwest, Amesbury to the north and northwest, and Salisbury to the northeast.

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,416 people, 8,264 households, and 4,428 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,086.2 people per square mile (792.0/km²). There were 7,897 housing units at an average density of 942.0 per square mile (363.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.2% White, 3.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.7% of the population. The top five ethnic groups are: (United States 2010 Census quickfacts)

There were 7,519 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. Of all households 33.1% were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $78,557, and the median income for a family was $103,306. Males had a median income of $51,831 versus $37,853 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,187. About 2.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Upon adopting a new charter in 2011 which took effect in 2013, Newburyport has been run by a mayor with a four-year term and an eleven-member City Council (prior to that, the mayor’s term lasted for two years). During the mid-twentieth century, Newburyport enjoyed a typical “small community” approach, conducted, most notably, by city mayor and activist Ed Molin, who died in 2005. The current mayor of Newburyport is Donna Holaday, and the next election year for mayor is 2021.

Newburyport is part of the Massachusetts Senate’s 1st Essex district.

Interstate 95 passes through the western side of town, with one exit at Route 113. Route 113 itself has its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 1 and Massachusetts Route 1A, with Route 1A continuing along the same right of way as 113 towards Newbury. Route 1 and 1A cross the river along the Newburyport Turnpike Bridge; it had originally followed State Street and ended at Merrimac and Water streets before crossing the river via ferry to Salisbury. The Turnpike Bridge is the easternmost crossing of the Merrimack; upstream the river is crossed by the Newburyport Railroad Bridge (just west of the Turnpike Bridge), the Chain Bridge, one of the oldest bridges along the river, and the Whittier Memorial Bridge, which brings Interstate 95 to Amesbury.

The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority provides regular bus service between the city and Haverhill, which includes access to the commuter rail station in Newburyport. The bus costs $1.25 for adults paying cash and $1 for adults paying with CharlieCard. C&J and Coach Company, privately operated coach carriers, operate commuter bus services between Newburyport and Boston. Newburyport is the northern terminus of the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, providing access through several North Shore cities to Boston’s North Station.

Plum Island Airport is a privately owned general aviation airport located within the city limits. It is open to the public and managed by Plum Island Aerodrome, Inc., a not-for-profit organization. The nearest scheduled commercial air service can be found at Boston’s Logan International Airport, Worcester’s Worcester Regional Airport, Portsmouth’s Pease International Tradeport or Manchester’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.