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Business and Community Guide Methuen Massachusetts A BUSINESS & COMMUNITY GUIDE The City of Methuen would like to acknowledge these businesses for their generous support of this publication. City of Methuen Methuen City Hall, Searles Building 41 Pleasant Street, Methuen, MA 01844 The City of Methuen would like to acknowledge Where History Meets Progress www.cityofmethuen.net these businesses for their generous Welcome to the City of Methuen! support of this publication. Methuen is located in the Merrimack Valley with convenient highway access, 27 miles north of Boston and 26 miles from Manchester, New Hampshire. It is a City with a “small town feel” and so much to offer! Methuen is rich with historic buildings and character. We have outstanding school and athletic facilities that are primary attractions for families looking to move into the community. We have an experienced workforce both locally and within the region. The City has a very active Senior Center that provides a wide variety of programs. Methuen is also home to exceptional recreational resources such as the Merrimack River, Forest Lake, and the Methuen Rail Trail. The reconstruction of the I-93 Rotary represents a major investment in the community that will set the stage for future business growth. The rotary project will improve traffic flow and capacity, and open potential development opportunities. More than 100 acres of developable land area exists west of the rotary. The City of Methuen focuses on fostering job growth and implementing business- friendly policies. We are a designated Economic Target Area by the state, which enables new and existing businesses to apply for tax incentives when relocating or expanding in our city. We also have local tax incentives that we are able to offer to potential businesses. If you would like more information about relocating or expanding your business in Methuen, please contact our Director of Economic and Community Development, William Buckley, at 978-983-8565 or [email protected]. Methuen is Open for Business. DEMOGRAPHICS: Population - 49,112 – (2014) Methuen is served by the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit County - Essex Authority’s bus service and the nearest rail station, part of the MBTA Median Household Income - $67,768 Commuter Rail, is nearby in South Lawrence. Amtrak is located a short Median Resident Age - 39.8 years distance in Haverhill. The Lawrence Municipal Airport is located in nearby 22.4 square miles North Andover. Population density is 2,166 people per square mile Mean travel time to work (commute) is 26.3 minutes Housing Data: • Tax rate for 2015, residential property is $14.60/$1,000 Ideal Location: • 754 housing units per square mile Methuen is located 27 miles north of Boston, 11 miles north of Lowell, • 10,726 number of single family parcels 26 miles from Manchester, New Hampshire and 236 miles from New York • 16,885 housing units City with convenient highway access to Routes 28, I-93 and I-495. • 72.2% homeownership rate Transportation: Methuen has exceptionally good highway and rail facilities linking the major cities and towns to each other and to the port, airport, and intermodal facilities of Boston. “I-93 Restructuring” Start Date - July 2014 • End Date - Spring 2018 The project will alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety. The key components of the project include: Building a new I-93 southbound on-ramp and off-ramp to a realigned Route 110/113 Realigning two existing off-ramps Constructing new signalized intersections east and west of the interchange Constructing two noise barriers Adding bicycle lanes and sidewalks for improved and safer access This publication is Published & Distributed by: All design and text is provided by Global Design & Publishing, LLC in collaboration with The City of Methuen, Massachusetts. All text and images have been carefully compiled for this publication. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the content. GDP Photography by: Jim Tourtellotte (additional photos provided by Global Design & Publishing, LLC). Copyright ©2016, GLOBAL DESIGN & PUBLISHING LLC Global Design & Publishing, LLC. Any reproduction without our written permission is prohibited. METHUEN MASSACHUSETTS 3 860-963-0414 • [email protected] METHUEN MASSACHUSETTS 3 www.gdpublishing.com Where HISTORY Meets PROGRESS… irst settled in 1642 and officially incorporated in 1726, the City of Methuen, MA retains a culture Frich in history with a community committed to progress. This uniquely shaped City lies along the north banks of the Merrimack River, in the beautiful Merri- mack Valley, and is located just 30 miles north-northwest of Boston and 25 miles south-southeast of Manchester, NH. Methuen’s Downtown location along the Spicket River Falls forged its success during the height of the United States’ industrial growth in the early 1800s. The Nevins’, Tenneys’ and Searles’ families played a signifi- cant role in Methuen’s history and development, as they were instrumental in founding many of Methuen’s land- marks that still stand strongly today. Methuen City Hall 4 METHUEN MASSACHUSETTS City of Methuen Departments “The City Known as the Notable Structures: Assessing Department Mayor’s Office Where HISTORY Meets PROGRESS… Town of Methuen” Nevins Memorial Library - 305 Broadway. (978) 983-8530 (978) 983-8505 Historically, due to its town meeting- Built in 1883 to honor David C. Nevins, Sr. City Council selectmen form of government, Methuen as a memorial gift. In adition to function- Office of Economic (978) 983-8510 & Community was known as the Town of Methuen, until ing as a state of the art resource center, the Development it adopted a charter replacing its govern- library is also the custodian of the Nevins Community Development (978) 983-8560 ment to that of a city mayor-city form, Memorial Library Historic Collection. Division (978) 983-8560 Office of the City Clerk indicative of most cities. In a gesture of (978) 983-8515 traditionalism, the community retained The Searles Building - located at 91 Pleasant Conservation Division the name “Town of Methuen” in its Street, serves as the Town Hall. (978) 983-8650 Office of the Treasurer/ Collector charter, but for legal purposes, became Emergency Management (978) 983-8517 known as “The City Known as the Town Tenney Castle Gatehouse - 37 Pleasant (978) 983-8698 of Methuen”. Today, it is simply known as Street. Originally a two-storied rough stone Office of Veterans Fire Department “The City of Methuen”. farm house built in 1830, it is the only sur- Services (978) 983-8940 (978) 983-8585 viving element of the large estate of Charles H. Tenney. Health Division Planning Division (978) 983-8655 (978) 983-8560 Methuen Memorial Music Hall - 192 Highway Department Police Department Broadway. Built in 1909 by Edward Francis (978) 983-8892 (978) 983-8698 Searles to house “The Great Organ”, a very Business Line Transfer Station large pipe organ that had been built for the (978) 983-8865 Public Works Boston Music Hall. Highway Dept. (978) 983-8545 Housing Authority (978) 983-8892 (978) 682-8607 Transfer Station Today, the Searles Tenney Nevins Historic District, established in 1992, preserves the Human Resources Recreation Department distinctive architecture and rich charac- (978) 983-8580 (978) 983-8590 ter of one of Massachusetts’ most unique Inspections Division Senior Center neighborhoods. (978) 983-8625 (978) 983-8825 David C. Nevins Charles H. Tenney Edward F. Searles Methuen City Fathers Nevins - David C. Nevins, Sr. was a wealthy New England Industrialist with great public spirit and generosity. Tenney - Charles H. Tenney became one of the most successful commissioned merchant and hat dealers in the world. Searles - Edward F. Searles was born and raised in Methuen. Son of a cotton mill worker, Charles married a wealthy widow which allowed him to pursue his passion for architectural and interior design. METHUENMETHUEN MASSACHUSETTSMASSACHUSETTS 55 “Where HISTORY Meets PROGRESS… At WORK” ethuen is a place that has a long history of economic develop- A Business Success Story! ment through business enterprise. Industrial growth in the 1800s “We purchased the property at 147 Mstrongly influenced Methuen’s progress. Methuen cotton mills Pelham Street in the spring of 2011. at Spicket River Falls lead to the increased manufacturing of hats, shoes and After 20 years of neglect, the building was in terrible shape. We completely textiles in small factories. Today, Methuen is home to several family owned restored it into a beautiful, modern and operated manufacturing companies, producing a range of things from medical office building of 45,000SF. environmentally friendly packaging products to surgical robotic positioning We couldn’t have done it without the systems. Manufacturing in Methuen remains an important and vital part of its help of the city of Methuen. continued development. The city shared in the development of this property by granting us tax Incentive financing (TIF). We started In addition to a strong and historic manufacturing base of business, Methuen is host to our company in Methuen with just numerous retail and service oriented businesses as well, with the Loop, perhaps, being the my partner, Brandon Howes and most popular choice to visit. The Loop, 90 Pleasant Valley Street, is home to over 30 shops, services and eateries, as well as housing a 20 screen, state of the art, movie theater. myself. Comfort Home Care now Developed on the site of a former shopping mall, the Loop is a place where there is always employs over 420 employees. We something exciting going on. could not have grown our company to be the second largest employer in Other businesses ranging in Services, banking, medical and retail fill both the City’s the city if not for the help from the historic and developing spaces. Mayor and every one at city hall. The city is very pro business and wanted The Loop- Merchant Directory to help create an environment Major clothing stores: Marshalls, Old Navy, Gap and Gap Kids, Dress Barn, LOFT, Olympia Sports, Bath & Body Works, Famous Footwear that allows companies to grow and Restaurants: Friendly’s, Not Your Average Joe’s, Olive Garden, Orange Leaf, Starbucks, prosper.
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