The fried clam was first cooked in Essex, Massechusetts.

Essex, named after the county in England, is located about 30 miles North, Northeast of Boston, MA, along a 30 mile stretch of coastline. Miles of unspoiled beaches, fishing ports, and sailing marinas, make Essex a magnet for seafood lovers, and, not just in modern times. The Agawam tribe of Native Americans had semi-permanent agricultural villages here, and excavations show that they harvested shellfish in the estuary and the islands.

The Atlantic Ocean has delivered white sand beaches, salt marshes, and rocky coastline interspersed with small natural harbors, and Essex has preserved this precious coastline. Peaceful estuaries preserve sensitive ecosystems and provide protective habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl.

At the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, you will learn that Essex launched more two-masted vessels than any other town in the world!

Choate Island and Long Island, boasted a prosperous farming community in the 1770's to 1840.. The Proctor Barn (1778) and the Choate family homestead (1725) are prime examples of the buildings of the time.

The Essex River Estuary, called The Refuge, includes the Islands of Choate, Long, Dean, Dilly, Pine, Patterson, and Round. The Great Marsh surrounds The Crane Wildlife Refuge and is the largest contiguous salt marsh in New England. It comprises more than 25,000 acres (from NH to Gloucester), and is frequently noted by the Sierra Club. Also in the area is the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is located on Plum Island, a natural barrier island.

Essex, located in Essex County on Cape Ann, today has a population of 3,267. A rural community, it is considered a part of the Boston Metropolitan area, and commutes are easy, with an average time to work being 25 minutes. Access to excellent medical care, world-class education -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University (est. 1636) are within commuting distance -- deliver a good quality of life index for this community.

Essex is well known among antique hunters, nature lovers, and maritime buffs all over the world - not to mention the seafood enthusiasts.

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