Beverly

Miles from Boston 18

Population 39,862

Median house price $385,000 (January to July 2005)

Tax rate $10.04

Transportation Routes 1A, 22, 62, 97, 127, and 128; MBTA bus and commuter rail; Beverly Municipal Airport

MCAS Beverly's public school system ranked 155th out of 373 systems statewide, the same as Amesbury, according to a Boston Globe analysis of 2004 MCAS results.

Census facts Median family income is $66,486, compared to a national rate of $50,046, and 37 percent of residents held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to a national rate of 24 percent.

Website www.beverlyma.gov

BEVERLY -- Bill Scanlon grew up in Dorchester, and lived in Braintree and Marshfield, but says he found his true home when he moved here in 1987.

''It's a nice spot, a city that thinks it's a town," said Scanlon, who was elected mayor of this seaside community in 1993.

Scanlon is optimistic the current struggle to retain accreditation for the city's high school will eventually be resolved in Beverly's favor. The Commission on Public Secondary Schools has recommended removing accreditation, citing inadequate facilities, which the city is vigorously contesting.

''We've done extensive work to comply with their concerns," said Scanlon. ''We think this thing is going to sort itself out."

Scanlon said he expects that the 2005 MCAS results at the high school will show that scores have improved.

''We think there is some very good news that sort of belies that other stuff," he said.

Beverly considers itself the birthplace of the US Navy because the Navy's first commissioned ship, the schooner Hannah, sailed from its harbor on Sept. 5, 1775. Several towns in the Northeast have claimed they are the birthplace of the Navy as well.

More recently, Beverly was home to the United Shoe Machinery Corp., an international company that revolutionized the shoe manufacturing industry. Locals called it simply ''The Shoe" and it provided jobs for thousands of locals for 70 years.

The Shoe site is now the Cummings Center, a 2 million-square-foot business park near Route 128. The city's downtown has also received a facelift with the opening of newer, upscale restaurants. Beverly is home to Endicott College, the Montserrat College of Art, and a campus of North Shore Community College.

Beverly has a wide variety of housing options, from multi-family homes downtown to the sprawling estates of exclusive Beverly Farms.

Along with its beaches, Beverly has a host of parks across the city, including Long Hill, a 114-acre parcel on Essex Street owned by The Trustees of Reservations that contains five acres of gardens and two miles of hiking trails.

On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 141 single-family homes, ranging from $279,000 for a two-bedroom, one-bath, 868-square-foot home to $3.55 million for a six-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath, 6,768-square-foot home on an almost 12-acre estate. There were also three estate properties listed at $3.75 million to $5.95 million.

JOHN ELLEMENT

6 Bennett St. Three-family, built in 1900, 3,771 square feet, 15 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, on 2,760-square-foot lot. $395,500

425 Cabot St. Two-family, built in 1900, 2,288 square feet, 10 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 4,730-square-foot lot. $300,000

36 Cross St. One-family Dutch Colonial, built in 1925, 1,772 square feet, 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 20,604-square-foot lot. $529,000

38 Dunham Road, Unit 305 Condominium, built in 1988, 1,014 square feet, 4 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $205,810

16 Fillmore St. One-family Cape, built in 1984, 1,714 square feet, 7 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, on 5,000-square-foot lot. $417,000