Haverhill was the site of the original Macy's store, established to sell dry goods in 1851 by Rowland H. Macy. It was also where Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer got his start in show business by operating a chain of theatres. The city has much fine old architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built during the flush mill era.

Haverhill is also one of the main inspirations for the Archie Andrews comics. The comic's creator, Bob Montana, lived in Haverhill and attended Haverhill High School from 1936 to 1939, and based characters Archie, Jughead, Veronica, Betty, and Reggie on people he knew at Haverhill High.

In 1998, Haverhill was chosen as the finish for the History Channel's 16th annual Great Race which features a 4000-mile journey across the country for antique cars. Although the event was expected to bring over 50,000 people to the city, the worst rain storm in 41 years caused the attendance to drop to 14,000 people.