Andover welcomes visitors and tourists from across the globe. Cultural attractions abound in the community and surrounding area, including a variety of performing arts, museums, and historical sites. Professional minor league baseball and hockey can be viewed at nearby venues. The town offers a myriad of opportunities to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Whether it's hitting the links at one of the world class golf courses, hiking or cross country skiing along the many trails running through conservation lands, or canoeing along the pristine Shawsheen River, there's something for everyone.

Harold Parker State Forest provides an additional 3,000 acres of open space for fishing, camping, biking, and horseback riding. With its numerous lodging options conveniently located just off Interstates 93 and 495, and its central location within the greater Merrimack Valley region, Andover is an ideal location for vacation and business travelers. Come and make Andover your home away from home.

History

Andover was originally settled in 1636 under the Native American name of Cochichawicke, a local waterway. The community was incorporated in 1646 as the Town of Andover, named after a town in England where many of its settlers had come from. From the earliest days of the town, manufacturing has played a major part in its development. The region's first powder mill was established in 1775; the manufacture of paper began in 1789; and in the early nineteenth century, several woolen mills prospered. Andover is known the world over for being the home of one of the oldest and most prestigious independent secondary "prep" schools in the U.S. - Phillips Academy. Founded in 1770 by Samuel Phillips, the school today has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. Phillips Academy alumni include such notables as former President George Bush, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock, former Yale President and baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, and former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr.

The patriotic song America was written in 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith while attending the Andover Theological Seminary. Andover is often referred to as the "Home of America."

Within the past several years archaeologists have uncovered evidence that primitive people who survived as hunters and gatherers lived in the Merrimack Valley area as early as 7000 B.C. When the first European settlers arrived, the Native Americans living where Andover is now located were probably part of the Pennacook Confederacy who spoke the Algonquian language. They lived in seasonal camps, planting corn and tobacco, and catching salmon and alewives. During 1615 and 1616, archaeologists believe a plague reduced the Native American population in eastern Massachusetts from 100,000 to about 5,000. This may be why the early European settlers reported that they met little resistance when they settled into the Merrimack Valley.

Historic Schools

Andover is known the world over for being the home of one of the oldest and most prestigious independent secondary "prep" schools in the U.S. - Phillips Academy. Founded in 1770 by Samuel Phillips, the school today has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. Phillips Academy alumni include such notables as former President George Bush, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock, former Yale President and baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, and former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr.

The patriotic song America was written in 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith while attending the Andover Theological Seminary. Andover is often referred to as the "Home of America."

• Phillips Academy, a prep school founded in 1778 with many famous alumni.

• The Addison Gallery of American Art on the Phillips campus is open to the public.

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Andover Campus service center

• Andover is the site of a large factory owned by Raytheon, the builder of the Patriot Missile.

• Chandler-Bigsby-Abbot House, built in 1673, is the oldest house in Andover.

• Andover is home to the second oldest land preservation society in the country, the Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS), which controls over 1,100 acres (4.5 km2).

• Dundee Park, a historical mill district and current business park

• Lebanon maintains an honorary consulate on North Main Street, near the Lawrence line near the Andover train station.

Public schools

• Elementary Schools (K-5)- Shawsheen (K-2), Bancroft, West Elementary, South, Sanborn, High Plain

• Middle Schools (6-8)- Doherty, West Middle, Wood Hill

• High Schools (9-12)- Andover High School

• Greater Lawrence Technical School, serves grades 9-12

Private schools

• Saint Augustine's Catholic School, serves grades K-8

• The Pike School, serves grades Pre-K-8

• Phillips Andover Academy, serves grades 9-12 (Post-Grad)

• Andover School of Montessori

Higher education

• Massachusetts School of Law