Merrimac is situated in northeastern Massachusetts, 37 miles north of Boston. Europeans first settled Merrimac, MA in the late 1650's, and the colonists' main crop was corn. As the town grew, Merrimac residents also pursued maritime trades, fishing for salmon and sturgeon and shipbuilding as well as acting as the distribution point for sugar and molasses from the West Indian trade. By the 19th century, the principal manufacturing activity was carriage making with thirty-one different carriage factories in Merrimac. The town's eventual growth, however, was residential and by the Second World War, Merrimac, MA was principally a residential community. Today there are 6138 residents in Merrimac, Massachusetts.