Essex County

County in northeast Massachusetts; area 1,282 sq km/495 sq mi; population (1998 est) 691,400. Its administrative headquarters is Salem. The county has a long nautical tradition, maintained today in Gloucester, Newburyport, Marblehead, and other working and recreational ports. The Cape Ann area is a popular summer resort. Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, and other industrial cities make the lower Merrimack Valley one of the most important manufacturing centres in US history. Salem and other towns are rich in historical and literary associations. The county has historically been a centre of conservative merchants and industrialists.

Essex County

County in northeast New Jersey; area 329 sq km/127 sq mi; population (1990) 778,200. It is bounded by the Passaic River to the north, east and west, and Newark Bay to the southeast. Its administrative headquarters is Newark. In the New York metropolitan area, the county contains residential suburbs, industry, and shipping and business offices. Some of its larger municipalities include East Orange, Montclair, and Bloomfield.

Essex County

County in northeast New York; area 4,678 sq km/1,806 sq mi; population (1990) 37,200. It is situated in the Adirondack Mountains, bordered by Lake Champlain and the Vermont state line to the east. Its administrative headquarters is Elizabethtown. It is a resort, logging, and agricultural region, filled with peaks over 1,220 m/4,000 ft, and sprinkled with lakes, including Lake Placid, Schroon Lake, and the north tip of Lake George. There are several historic sites scattered along Lake Champlain, among them Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point.

Essex County

County in northeast Vermont; area 1,725 sq km/666 sq mi; population (1990) 6,400. It is situated on the Canadian Québec border and the Connecticut River. The Moose, Coaticook, Nulhegan, and Clyde rivers all flow through the county. Its administrative headquarters is Guildhall. The main industries are agriculture, particularly dairying, and lumbering. Hunting and fishing are major recreational businesses.