Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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ne Lynnfield has scenic walking trails for a weekend hike. Lynnfield has three excellent golf courses, including the privately owned Sagamore Spring Golf Club, and many peaceful, beautiful settings for a walk or picnic. "Lynnfield has a lot to offer," says Jay Kimball, president of Lynnfield Rotary and a fourth-generation lawyer who's lived in the town all his life. "It still has the look and feel of a traditional New England coun- try town. There's a lot of great people and a real sense of community and civic pride." Lynnfield may be considered a "bed- room" community, but there's nothing sleepy about this prosperous, progressive suburb. With five top schools, the educa- tion system consistently has some of the state's best standardized test scores. Increasing numbers of corporate executives, sports stars, and local ce- lebrities are bringing new wealth to the town. Median house prices are around $546,000 and rising, with substantial homes lining many of the leafy streets and avenues, and Lynnfield's proximity to Routes 1 and 128 and I-95 means fast and easy drive times in all directions. A new "lifestyle center" called Market Street is planned for 2012 with upscale shops, restaurants, offices, and apart- ments. While some residents have worried it will take the "field" out of Lynnfield, the development has received widespread sup- port. "It will change the nature of the town but will also revitalize it," says Kimball. "We have to keep moving with the times." The Details Date of Settlement: 1638. Date of Incorpora- tion: 1814. Zip code: 01940. Population: 11,800. Total Area: 10.5 square miles. Median house- hold income: $86,133. Schools: Huckleberry Hill School, Summer Street School, Lynnfield Middle School, Lynnfield High School, Our Lady of Assumption. Notable residents: Garnet "Ace" Bailey, former Bruins player and coach who died on 9/11; John Michael Williams, singer, songwriter, director, author; Sib Hashian, drummer formerly of the band Boston; Nancy Kerrigan, former Olympic skater; Billy Costa, Kiss 108 FM radio per- sonality; Carl Yastrzemski, former Boston Red Sox outfielder; Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins goalie; Ken Harrelson, TV sports broadcaster. Real Estate median Price: $609,348, 8 Westover Drive, 4 beds, 3 baths, 3,665 square feet on .69 acres. Agent: Richard R. Tisei, Northrup Realtors. high end Price: $1,199,000, 4 Thistle Lane, 3 beds, 3 baths, 5,416 square feet on .70 acres. Agent: Richard R. Tisei, Northrup Realtors. 46 nshoremag.com December/Holiday 2011 Land Marker The Old Meeting House. feature House Call Lynnfield's Old Meeting House celebrates 300 years as a witness and a window to New England's history. it seems fitting that Linda Gillon, a guide at the Old Meeting House, lives in Henfield House, the oldest home in Lyn- nfield. As vice president of the Lynnfield Historical Society, she knows better than most the importance of this unique icon. Built in 1714 at the apex of the triangu- lar Common, this simple but charming white-washed wood building is thought to be the third-oldest Puritan Meeting House in New England still standing on its original "green." Once a center for religious and politi- cal gatherings, the Meeting House has also acted as a town hall, primary school, and even a firehouse before being preserved by local historians for future generations. While the downstairs is an open space, a popular venue for wedding receptions, the upstairs is both a witness and a window to history with original beams, old church pews, and a pulpit, creating a beautiful chapel-like atmosphere. The Old Meeting House and Common are also the setting for Lynnfield's annual Country Store (first Saturday in December) with stalls, Christmas decorations, carol- ers, and annual tree lighting ceremony. For a tour of the Meeting House, call Peggy Weickert, 781-334-4724. photograph by robert boyd