Jump straight to the section you need, from neighborhoods and the beaches to the market numbers, Kathleen's take, and the FAQ.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a town of about 5,395 residents on Boston’s Coastal North Shore, roughly 30 miles north of the city and bordering Beverly to the south and Gloucester to the east. It is one of the smallest, quietest, and most expensive communities Kathleen serves, and its character is built on three things: a deep, protected harbor, a walkable village, and a shoreline that has drawn summer people for more than a century.
The town is best known for Singing Beach, where the quartz sand literally sings underfoot, and for the grand shore houses that survive from the resort era. But year-round Manchester is a real, close-knit village: locally owned shops, a working harbor, a commuter rail station on the Rockport line, and a pace that stays deliberately calm.
Few North Shore towns are this small, this protected, and this walkable all at once. Manchester trades scale for scarcity, and buyers who fall for the town usually do not look anywhere else. The whole Coastal Communities hub maps where Manchester sits in the towns Kathleen covers.
Singing Beach
Famous “singing” quartz sand and a 1930 pavilion
Deep Harbor & Yachting
A protected harbor at the heart of town
Commuter Rail Station
Manchester stop on the MBTA Rockport line
Summer-Set Character
Grand shore homes from the resort era
Manchester-by-the-Sea
The numbers that frame the town, in one glance.
| County | Essex County |
|---|---|
| Region | Boston's Coastal North Shore |
| Population | 5,395 (2020 U.S. Census) |
| Distance to Boston | About 30 miles north |
| ZIP Code | 01944 |
| Commuter Rail | Manchester station, MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line (Rockport branch) |
| Incorporated | 1645 |
| Known For | Singing Beach, deep harbor, summer-resort heritage |
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester life is village life, organized around the harbor. The center along Route 127 holds the shops, restaurants, the museum, and the commuter rail station, and much of daily life happens on foot, whether that means a morning coffee, an evening at the harbor, or the short walk to Singing Beach for anyone in the eastern part of town.
The town grows and changes with the seasons. Summer brings the boats, the beaches, and the seasonal crowd; fall and winter hand the shoreline back to the people who live here year-round. That rhythm is a feature, not a bug, for most Manchester buyers: the energy of summer and the quiet of the rest of the year, in one small package.
Living here means making peace with scarcity. Housing stock is small, turnover is limited, and prices run toward the top of the North Shore, because the trade is privacy, beauty, and a real harbor town. The living in Manchester-by-the-Sea note in my Ask Kathleen library digs into what that actually feels like.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester is small enough that neighborhoods are less about boundaries and more about shoreline: the village, the points, and the ocean side of town each carry a different rhythm. Which one you land in shapes your Manchester more than almost anything else.
The town's heart along Route 127: the harbor, locally owned shops and restaurants, the commuter rail station on Beach Street, and the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum. The historic district is listed on the National Register, and the village is genuinely walkable, which is exactly why so much of Manchester life happens on foot.
An exclusive waterfront pocket off Masconomo and Beach Streets, overlooking Lobster Cove. Grand houses on quiet lanes, deep water close by, and the kind of privacy that defines the town's tone. It is one of Manchester's most sought-after addresses.
The town's eastern point, where the park of the same name runs lawns and shoreline down toward the water, about a ten-minute walk from Singing Beach. Harbor views, breezes, and the feeling of being at the very edge of town.
A recreation spot on the western shoreline with a dock and a small beach, a favorite local gathering place for a swim, a sail, or an evening on the water. It is the quieter, more working side of Manchester's coast.
The oceanfront point where the Trustees of Reservations maintain the Coolidge Reservation, with Ocean Lawn, Bungalow Hill, and the Gray and Black beaches. Grand seasonal estates sit along the shore here, and the preserved headland keeps the point open and spectacular.
Black Beach and White Beach sit on opposite sides of the Crow Island Peninsula on Ocean Street, named for the color of their sand and reached from the same coastal road. It is a quieter, more exposed stretch of Manchester's shoreline than the harbor side.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester has a 12.8-mile tidal shoreline, from the harbor on the west to the open-ocean beaches on the east. Beach access, resident parking stickers, and seasonal rules vary by spot, so always confirm current conditions with the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea before you go.
Manchester's most famous beach, named for the quartz sand that squeaks, or sings, underfoot. A 1930 pavilion on the National Register of Historic Places anchors the strand, Eaglehead Cliff rises at its back, and the Misery Islands sit offshore. Resident parking stickers and non-resident parking rules vary by season, so check the town's Singing Beach page before you go.
A dark-sand beach on Ocean Street near the Coolidge Reservation, named for the color of its sand. It is one of the more rugged, wind-exposed swims in town, with no dedicated parking lot, so it draws locals who walk or bike in.
Across the Crow Island Peninsula from Black Beach, a lighter-sand beach on Ocean Street with roughly 20 parking spots. Small, quiet, and reached along the same scenic coastal road as the Coolidge Reservation.
The town also lists West Manchester Beach and Surf Park among its beaches, each with its own character and access rules. The town Parks & Recreation page is the authoritative place to check the full list, current parking rules, and seasonal conditions.
Important: Beach Access Varies
Singing Beach uses a resident parking sticker system in season, with fees and rules for non-residents, and some of the smaller beaches like Black Beach have no dedicated lot at all. Rules and fees change year to year, so always verify on the town's Singing Beach page and the town Parks & Recreation page before visiting.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
For a town this small, Manchester holds an outsized amount of open space: a Trustees oceanfront reservation, town shoreline parks, and thousands of acres of shared woodland at its doorstep. Between the town and the conservation groups, you are rarely far from a trail or a water view.
A 64- to 66-acre oceanfront preserve on Coolidge Point, cared for by the Trustees of Reservations. Ocean Lawn, Bungalow Hill, and the Gray and Black beaches make it one of the most dramatic walks on the North Shore: open meadow, glacial hill, and open ocean in a single short loop.
The town park on Masconomo Point, with lawns, shoreline, and harbor views about a ten-minute walk from Singing Beach. It is the town's classic spot for a picnic, a walk, or watching boats on the harbor.
A town recreation spot on the western shoreline with a dock and a small beach. Swimming, sailing, and quiet evenings on the water make it a year-round local favorite and the gentlest introduction to Manchester's coast.
Manchester shares the roughly 3,400-acre Chebacco Woods complex with Essex and Hamilton, and groups including the Manchester Essex Conservation Trust have protected much of the town’s inland woodland. Year-round trails through swamp, forest, and rocky upland are minutes from the village.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester’s story runs from a 1645 farming village to a Gilded Age summer colony to the quiet, protected town it is today. The Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum is the best place to start, and the streets themselves carry the rest.
Manchester was incorporated in 1645 as one of Essex County's earliest settlements, a small farming and fishing village on the coast north of Boston. For most of its first two centuries it was a quiet farming town, until the ocean views and clean salt air turned it into something else.
In the late 1800s Manchester became a summer colony for wealthy Bostoners. Junius and Agnes Booth built the grand Masconomo House hotel near Singing Beach in the 1870s, and the town bloomed with grand shore houses and summer estates. The era is documented in the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum's 'Summers by the Sea' exhibit.
For most of its history the town was simply Manchester, until repeated confusion with Manchester, New Hampshire led voters to change the official name. The town became Manchester-by-the-Sea in 1990, long after locals had already been calling it that.
The beach pavilion that still anchors Singing Beach was built in 1930 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its presence is why the beach has looked so much the same for generations, a civic landmark as much as a place to swim.
The 2016 film 'Manchester by the Sea' took its title from the town and filmed on the North Shore, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The movie's quiet, coastal tone surprised many viewers as the town itself turns out to be: understated, and completely distinct.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester’s fun is quiet and particular: the singing beach, the oceanfront reservation, the museum, and a small, locally owned dining scene in the village. Restaurants change over time, so always confirm a place is currently operating before visiting. Links go to official websites.
Walk the sand and hear it sing, swim beneath Eaglehead Cliff, and see the 1930 pavilion on the National Register. Parking is regulated and seasonal, so read the town page before you drive in.
Walk Ocean Lawn and Bungalow Hill to the Gray and Black beaches, a Trustees preserve with open-ocean views from Coolidge Point. One of the most scenic short walks on the North Shore.
The town's history museum, housed in the 1823 Abigail Hooper Trask House, tells the story from the fishing village to the resort era to today. The 'Summers by the Sea' exhibit covers the Masconomo House hotel years.
The town's two classic shoreline spots: lawns and harbor views at Masconomo Park on the east, a dock and small beach at Tuck's Point on the west. Both are free, open, and quintessentially Manchester.
An Italian restaurant at 7 Beach Street in the village center, a dependable dinner spot steps from the harbor.
A restaurant at 40 Beach Street in the village center, part of the town’s small, locally owned dining scene.
A restaurant at 7 Central Street in the village, another anchor of Manchester’s compact dining row.
A bakery and café at 4 Summer Street, an easy stop for coffee and baked goods in the village.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Official August 2026 market report data from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) and MLS PIN for Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.
15
Homes For Sale
$3,535,000
Median Sales Price (Sold)
46
Cumulative Days on Market Until Sale
2
Closed Sales (August)
4
Pending Sales
3.8
Months Supply of Inventory
Fifteen single-family homes were on the market in August, down slightly from 16 a year earlier, with 2 closed sales and 4 pending. The August median sold price of $3,535,000 swung sharply from $1,370,000 in August 2025, but with so few closings in the month that print says more about the specific homes that sold than about the market. The year-to-date median of $1,877,500 against $1,322,500 a year earlier is the steadier read. Homes averaged 46 cumulative days on market, and inventory sat at 3.8 months of supply.
Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.
4
Homes For Sale
$830,000
Median Sales Price (Sold, Year to Date)
28
Cumulative Days on Market Until Sale (Year to Date)
1.9
Months Supply of Inventory
Four condominiums were on the market in August. Closed sales are limited in this small market, so the year-to-date figures carry the signal: a median sales price of $830,000, condos averaging 28 cumulative days on market, and inventory at 1.9 months of supply.
Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.
Kathleen's Take on the Manchester-by-the-Sea Market
This is an ultra-small-lot market. Fifteen single-family homes were on the market in August and only 2 closed, so a couple of closings move the monthly median dramatically. Think in year-to-date terms, where the single-family median is $1,877,500, and expect to be patient: at 3.8 months of supply, the right property still takes timing.
With 15 single-family homes for sale, 4 pending, and 46 cumulative days on market, well-priced homes still find their buyer here. The $3,535,000 August median says more about the two homes that closed than about the market, so talk about value in year-to-date terms, where the single-family median is $1,877,500.
I watch the year-to-date numbers in a market this small, not any single month: $1,877,500 for single-family homes and $830,000 for condos, with condos averaging 28 days on market and 1.9 months of supply. That is where the real signal lives.
Thinking about making a move on the North Shore? Ask Kathleen, or book a call, and she will walk you through what is happening in Manchester-by-the-Sea right now.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Much of Manchester-by-the-Sea’s shoreline sits within FEMA-designated flood zones under the current maps, including the oceanfront along the east side of town and low-lying areas near the harbor. Properties in those areas can carry mortgage requirements, flood insurance costs, and long-term planning questions that properties a few streets inland do not.
Flood risk here is property-specific and depends on elevation, distance from the water, and the exact map designation for the lot. The open-ocean side of Manchester faces higher wave exposure, while the harbor and less protected coves are more sheltered. Buyers should review official FEMA flood maps early, understand flood insurance requirements, and factor storm surge and seasonal nor’easters into their due diligence.
This information is educational, not legal or insurance advice. Consult qualified professionals and review the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for property-specific flood information. For a deeper look, see our North Shore flood zones buyer's guide.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
After more than two decades helping North Shore buyers and sellers, here's what I know about living in Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Kathleen Militello, Realtor with eXp Realty serving Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
"Manchester-by-the-Sea is the coast at its most composed: a real harbor town with a village you can walk, a beach that genuinely sings underfoot, and grand houses that watch over it all without fuss. It is small, protected, and quietly confident, and the people who end up here usually knew they wanted it long before they said so out loud. Homes are scarce and prices reflect it, and for the right buyer there is nowhere else on the coast quite like it."
Kathleen Militello
Realtor, eXp Realty · Licensed Since 2003
AI Certified Agent™ · Negotiation Specialist
500+
Transactions
12.8 mi
Of Tidal Shoreline in Town
30 mi
From Manchester to Boston
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester questions people actually ask. Clear answers to the most common questions about living in this small, protected harbor town.
Yes, for the right buyer. Manchester is a small coastal town of about 5,395 residents on Massachusetts' North Shore, with a deep, protected harbor, a walkable village, Singing Beach, and a commuter rail station on the MBTA Rockport line. It is quiet, private, and expensive, and the summer season swells its shoreline, so the trade is beauty and calm in exchange for scarcity and premium prices.
Manchester is known above all for Singing Beach, whose quartz sand squeaks or 'sings' underfoot, and for its deep harbor and yachting tradition. It grew up as a summer retreat for Boston society in the resort era, grand shore houses still set the town's tone, and the town officially renamed itself from Manchester to Manchester-by-the-Sea in 1990. The 2016 film 'Manchester by the Sea' took its name from the town.
Manchester-by-the-Sea is about 30 miles north of Boston on Massachusetts' North Shore. The Manchester station on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line's Rockport branch serves the town center directly, with rail service to Boston's North Station.
Yes. The Manchester station on the MBTA commuter rail's Rockport branch sits on Beach Street near the town center, with direct service to Boston's North Station. The station is signed 'Manchester by the Sea.'
Yes. Singing Beach is the best known, with its singing sand and a 1930 pavilion on the National Register of Historic Places. Black Beach and White Beach sit on opposite sides of the Crow Island Peninsula on Ocean Street, and the town also lists West Manchester Beach and Surf Park. Beach access and parking rules vary by spot, so check the town website before you go.
Singing Beach is named for its sand: the quartz grains produce a squeaking, 'singing' sound when you walk across them. The beach is bordered by Eaglehead Cliff, with the Misery Islands visible offshore, and its 1930 pavilion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The village center, a historic district along Route 127 with the harbor, shops, and the train station, is the town's heart. Smith's Point is an exclusive waterfront pocket off Masconomo and Beach Streets overlooking Lobster Cove, Masconomo Point holds Masconomo Park a short walk from Singing Beach, Tuck's Point is a recreation spot on the western shoreline, and Coolidge Point carries the oceanfront Coolidge Reservation.
Manchester housing is scarce and characterful: harborfront estates and grand shore houses from the resort era, classic village homes and cottages, and very little new construction. Prices reflect the scarcity and the setting, and buyers here usually know exactly what they are trading for: privacy, beauty, and a real harbor town.
Much of Manchester's shoreline sits within FEMA-designated flood zones under the current maps. Flood risk is property-specific and depends on elevation, exact map designation, and proximity to the water, and it affects mortgage requirements and flood insurance costs. Buyers should review official FEMA flood maps early and factor coastal storms into their due diligence.
Explore Manchester-by-the-Sea homes for sale through Kathleen Militello, Realtor with eXp Realty, on her website, Essex County Homes for Sale.
Comparing towns? My full guides to Beverly, Gloucester, Essex, and Ipswich cover the neighboring communities, and the hub page for Coastal Communities links every North Shore town Kathleen serves.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Authoritative first-party sources for Manchester-by-the-Sea information. These links go directly to official websites.
Next step
A conversation is the fastest way to sort out whether this small, protected harbor town is the right fit: a village home, a harborfront property, or something on the ocean side of town. You do not have to decide anything before we talk.
