What is it like to live in Topsfield?

Topsfield has grown, but this community north of Boston retains its small-town feel.

The Commons 1854. community photos by Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

February 14, 2017

2 minutes to read

Jim Gilford says it’s 22 miles from Topsfield to Boston. He should know. A long-distance runner who will compete in his 100th marathon this fall, he has slogged from his hometown all the way into the city more than once.

He’s also intimately familiar with the trails at Bradley Palmer State Park. “There’s not a rock I haven’t stumbled over,’’ said Gilford, universally known around town as “Gilly.’’ He’s the proprietor of Gil’s Grocery, the downtown store his father (also known as Gil) opened in 1946, after he served in World War II.

Gil’s used to sell meat and vegetables, but in the age of massive supermarket expansions, the old-fashioned shop now does most of its business with convenience items, beer and wine, lottery tickets, and time-tested stock such as comic books and “penny’’ candy. “There are people who have been coming here for 50 years or more,’’ said Gilford, 58.

With a population of 6,234, Topsfield is bigger than when he was growing up, but Gilly says it hasn’t changed much really since he had a paper route in the 1960s.

“Modern-day people won’t know it changed,’’ he said.

Jim Gilford.

BY THE NUMBERS

Number of years the Topsfield Fair has not taken place since its inception as The Cattle Show in 1818. The federal government ordered the suspension of the popular institution for three years during the Civil War and again for the last three years of World War II. The fair will be held Oct. 2-12.

2,009 lbs.

Weight of one of the world’s largest pumpkins (pictured above), the winner of the fair’s 2012 All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Grown by Rhode Islander Ron Wallace, it was the first one-tonner in recorded history.

433 lbs.

Weight of the winner when the contest first began in 1984

PROS & CONS

Pro

Country life

Peace and quiet? Check (well, when it isn’t fair time). Pine and porcupine? Check. Bradley Palmer State Park, a 721-acre former estate (shared with Hamilton) adds to the tranquility with “pine-needled paths, acres of sunny rolling meadows, and spectacular rhododendrons which line old carriage roads.’’

Con

Country life

Other than a few pizza and sub shops, Topsfield has little in the way of dining options and razzmatazz. It’s a drawback if you’d like to go out once in a while for dinner with a beer or a glass of wine, Gilford said.