When arriving from the South, Manchester-by-the-Sea is the first Cape Ann community you will find, just 20 miles north of Boston. Manchester-by-the-Sea is a highly affluent residential community wrapped around one of New England’s most picturesque coastlines. When it comes to discussing Manchester’s financial capital, we must look into the community’s income, wealth, security, investment and ability to access funding. The town of Manchester is considered mainly to be upper class citizens who are fully educated with family’s of their own. The town’s median household income in 2014 was $111,000 and the median house value was $825,000. These figures show that the town of Manchester has a very high living cost, significantly higher then the majority of towns in Massachusetts. With such a high standard of living, Manchester’s taxes on various fees, excise taxes, rental income, etc. . In 2014, the town of Manchester had approximately $2.3 million of undesignated fund balance (free cash) and a Stabilization account of $1.25 million. This excess money was funded by capital expenditures of $2.2 million through a combination of taxation, fund balances, water and sewer rates and other sources. This shows how Manchester’s financial capital is in great standing when it comes to tax revenue. Manchester has the ability to fund both private and public institutions to grow its community. They have several funds/ trusts set in place to help the local school, help veterans, help develop new sports complex’s, and most importantly, help conserve the beautiful ecosystem’s that surround the town.

Manchester is a town located on the north shore of Massachusetts. The town is easily accessible when coming from Massachusetts’s capital. A 20-minute drive south from Manchester will bring you to the heart of the rustle & bustle of Boston. Manchester is also accessible by a commuter rail line starting in Boston, and making stops along the coastline to end one stop north of Manchester in Gloucester. Manchester, a highly affluent town with substantial economic resources, has numerous facilities that support productive activities within the community. The town’s budget allows for a state of the art police force and fire station, along with great waste disposal and recycling facilities. When it comes to housing, there is a lot of competition. Great public school systems, a melting pot of local boutiques, fine dining, and picturesque coastline, are all reasons why people are constantly looking for available real estate. The town of Manchester’s affluent community has the opportunity for high economic development. Currently, the town is working with city planners and the school system to build an additional outdoor sports complex with three new turf fields, tennis courts, and a turf baseball field. This new complex will give the high school, middle school, and local baseball little leagues all the opportunity to have more playing fields at their disposal. This new development will only greater increase the towns built capital by linking land use and economic development.

This blog is dedicated to Sustainable Community Development. Over the course of the semester, i will be discussing different community capitals relevant to my hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.

Manchester’s annual salute to America on the fourth of July is a wonderful example of community tradition. Each year, Manchester’s Fourth of July Celebration depicts small town America at its best. The tradition is organized with stirring music, precision marching bands, imaginative home made floats, antique cars, and just about everything else that represents the pride and patriotism of our country. This example of linking capital challenges the community of Manchester each year to bring people together with local community organizations. To start off the tradition, people participate in a red, white and blue pancake breakfast run By Manchester-Essex Rotary Club to reflect on the history of the town, and to give praise to the veterans who live within the community. The day then moves on to the annual parade in which streets are closed and families and friends come out of their homes, sit on the sidewalk and enjoy each others company while watching a beautiful display of floats and bands, and get to see each community organization that has put immense effort to making this tradition special. Manchester’s annual Fourth of July Celebration has brought together inclusive and diverse networks of people from surrounding communities as a strategy to build and develop its social capital.

The town of Manchester uses community-based strategies to support the local arts. Manchester has implemented a comprehensive approach to arts based development by offering Music in Masconomo Park, a summer concert series where local bands play a variety of music from Oldies, to Swing, and from Rhythm & Blues to Classic Rock. Each week, families and people involved with the community come together in the central park overlooking the harbor to enjoy music and a variety of local food. This concert series is funded by non-profit organizations like the local little league baseball teams, the Manchester athletic club, and local pharmacy. Music in Masconomo provides a filter through which people can be involved in ever summer to increase the towns cultural capital. This seasonal ritual makes Manchester a distinctive and diverse community that attracts people from surrounding communities to generate local economic growth.

Manchester lies on the Cape Ann, on the Northeast of Massachusetts. Being a coastal town, Manchester’s economy thrives off of the ocean, its beautiful beaches and the fish that swim beneath it. Cod, along with other groundfish such as haddock and flounder, has supported coastal towns and economies throughout the Northeast for hundreds of years. Much has changed since the early days. Boats have gotten larger and faster, satellite navigation has replaced compasses and paper maps, and fish are now refrigerated instead of salted and dried. This advancement of equipment and techniques has carried heavy unintended consequences. Fishing fleets in Massachusetts and the world began to overfish and expand their industry to unsustainable levels leaving New England’s cod population to almost go extinct. Funny that “Cape Cod” doesn’t see much cod anymore. With fish populations steadily declining and people losing their businesses, Manchester, and other towns in New England desperately needed a new approach. After acknowledging this devastating concern, the New England Fishery Management Council developed an innovative plan to reform the way these fish are caught. This Council includes fishermen and other stakeholders from every state in the region to come together to discuss sustainable fishing practices. In 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service implemented a system where fisherman have specific quotas they can fill based on historical data organized through systems of management town by town. For Manchester, conservation of its unique ecosystem is necessary for its economy. These new and improved fishing practices have led to large increases in fish populations, happy fisherman, and happy customers.