Lowell is a city in
Middlesex County-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
,
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and
CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
are the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
s of
Middlesex County-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
. Lowell is known as the cradle of the
industrial revolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the United States and many of the city's historic sites have been preserved by the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
History
Founded in the 1820s as a planned
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
center for
textileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, Lowell is located along the rapids of the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
, 30 miles northwest of Boston in what was once the farming community of East
Chelmsford, MassachusettsChelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
. The so-called Boston Associates, including
Nathan AppletonNathan Appleton was an American merchant and politician.- Biography :Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the son of Isaac Appleton and his wife Mary Adams. Appleton's father was a church deacon, and Nathan was brought up in "strictest form of Calvinistic Congregationalism." He was...
and
Patrick Tracy JacksonPatrick Tracy Jackson was a United States manufacturer, one of the founders of the Boston Manufacturing Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, and later a founder of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company whose developments formed the nucleus of Lowell, Massachusetts.-Biography:He was born in...
of the
Boston Manufacturing CompanyThe Boston Manufacturing Company was organized in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell, a wealthy Boston merchant, in partnership a group of investors known as The Boston Associates, for the manufacture of cotton textiles. Boston Manufacturing Company gathered many of their trade secrets from the earlier...
, named the new mill town after their visionary leader, Francis Cabot Lowell, who had died five years before its 1823 incorporation. As Lowell's population grew, it acquired more land from neighboring towns, and diversified into a full-fledged urban center. Many of the men who comprised the labor force for constructing the canals and factories had immigrated from
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, escaping the poverty and Potato Famines of the 1830s and 1840s. The mill workers, young single women called Mill Girls, generally came from the farm families of New England.
By the 1850s Lowell had the largest industrial complex in the United States. The textile industry wove cotton produced in the South. In 1860, there were more cotton spindles in Lowell than in all eleven states combined that would form the
ConfederacyThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The city continued to thrive as a major industrial center during the 19th century, attracting more migrant workers and immigrants to its mills. Next were the Catholic
GermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, then a large influx of French Canadians during the 1870s and 1880s. Later waves of immigrants included
PortugueseThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
,
Polishthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
,
LithuaniansLithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
, Swedes, and eastern European
JewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. They came to work in Lowell and settled in ethnic neighborhoods, with the city's population reaching almost 50% foreign-born by 1900. By the time
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out in Europe, the city had reached its economic and population peak of over 110,000 people.
The Mill Cities' manufacturing base declined as many companies began to relocate to
the SouthThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
in the 1920s. The city fell into deep hard times, and was called a "depressed industrial desert" by
Harper's Magazine in 1931, as the Great Depression deepened. More than one-third of its population was "on relief", as only three of its major textile corporations remained active. Several years later, the mills were reactivated, making
parachutesParachutes is the debut album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released by the record label Parlophone on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, excluding one track which was produced by Chris Allison...
and other military necessities for the
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
effort. However, this economic boost was short-lived and the post-war years saw the last textile plants close.
Over the next few decades, the city was just a shadow of itself. In the 1970s, Lowell became part of the
Massachusetts MiracleThe term "Massachusetts Miracle" refers to a period of economic growth in the state of Massachusetts during most of the 1980s. Previous to this, the state had been hit hard by deindustrialization and resulting unemployment. The growth was heavily centered in high-tech industry and financial...
, being the headquarters of
Wang LaboratoriesWang Laboratories was a computer company founded in 1951 by Dr. An Wang and Dr. G. Y. Chu. The company was successively headquartered in Cambridge , Tewksbury , and finally in Lowell, Massachusetts . At its peak in the 1980s, Wang Laboratories had annual revenues of $3 billion and employed over...
. At the same time, Lowell became home to thousands of new immigrants, many from
CambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, following the
genocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
at the hands of the
Khmer RougeThe Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
. The city continued to rebound, but this time, focusing more on culture. The former mill district along the river was partially restored and became part of the
Lowell National Historical ParkLowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of...
, founded in the late 1970s.
Although Wang went bankrupt in 1992, the city continued its cultural focus by hosting the nation's largest free folk festival,
Lowell Folk FestivalThe Lowell Folk Festival is the second largest free folk festival in the United States. Only Seattle's Northwest Folklife is larger, both in attendance and number of performance stages. It is made up of three days of traditional music, dance, craft demonstrations, street parades, dance parties, and...
, as well as many other cultural events. This effort began to attract other companies and families back to the urban center. Additional historic manufacturing and commercial buildings were
adaptedAdaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
as residential units and office space. By the 1990s, Lowell built a new ballpark and arena, which became home to two minor league sports teams, the
Lowell DevilsThe Lowell Devils, formerly known as the Lowell Lock Monsters from 1998 to 2006, were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League playing in Lowell, Massachusetts at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. In 2006, they were purchased by the New Jersey Devils franchise and renamed to the Lowell...
and
Lowell SpinnersThe Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...
. The city also began to have a larger student population. The
University of Massachusetts LowellThe University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
and Middlesex Community College expanded their programs and enrollment.
Geography
Lowell is located at 42°38′22"N 71°18′53"W (42.639444, -71.314722). According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 14.5 square miles (37.6 km²).13.8 square miles (35.7 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (5.23%) is water.
Physical
Lowell is located at the
confluenceConfluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the
MerrimackThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
and
ConcordThe Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
rivers. The
Pawtucket FallsPawtucket Falls is the name of a waterfall on the Merrimack River at Lowell, Massachusetts. The waterfall and rapids below it drop a total of 32 feet in a little under a mile., and was an important fishing ground for the Pennacook Indians in pre-colonial times.This location was used as a benchmark...
, a mile-long set of rapids with a total drop in elevation of 32 feet, ends where the two rivers meet. At the top of the falls is the Pawtucket Dam, designed to turn the upper Merrimack into a millpond, diverted through Lowell's extensive canal system.
The Merrimack, which flows southerly from
Franklin, New HampshireThe median income for a household in the city was $34,613, and the median income for a family was $41,698. Males had a median income of $32,318 versus $25,062 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,155...
to Lowell, makes a northeasterly turn there before emptying into the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
at
Newburyport, MassachusettsNewburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, approximately 40 miles downriver from Lowell. It is believed that in prior ages, the Merrimack continued south from Lowell to empty into the ocean somewhere near Boston. The glacial deposits that redirected the flow of the river left the
drumlinA drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s that dot the city, most notably, Fort Hill in the Belvidere neighborhood. Other large hills in Lowell include Lynde Hill, also in Belvidere, and Christian Hill, in the easternmost part of Centralville.
The Concord, or Musketaquid (its original name), forms from the confluence of the
AssabetThe Assabet River is a small river about west of Boston, Massachusetts. The river is long. The , headquartered in West Concord, Massachusetts, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and enhancement of the natural and recreational features of the Assabet River and...
and
SudburyThe Sudbury River is a tributary of the Concord River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts, near the boundary with Hopkinton, it meanders generally northeast to its confluence with the Assabet River at Egg Rock in...
rivers at
Concord, MassachusettsConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
. This river flows north into the city, and the area around the confluence with the Merrimack was known as Wamesit. Like the Merrimack, the Concord, although a much smaller river, has many waterfalls and rapids that served as power sources for early industrial purposes, some well before the founding of Lowell. Immediately after the Concord joins the Merrimack, the Merrimack descends another ten feet in Hunt's Falls.
There is a ninety-degree bend in the Merrimack partway down the Pawtucket Falls. At this point, the river briefly widens and shallows. Here,
Beaver BrookBeaver Brook is a river located in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the United States. It is a tributary of the Merrimack River, part of the Gulf of Maine watershed....
enters from the north, separating the City's two northern neighborhoods, Pawtucktville and Centralville. Entering the Concord River from the southwest is River Meadow, or Hale's Brook. This brook flows largely in a man-made channel, as the
Lowell ConnectorThe Lowell Connector, officially the American Legion Connector Highway, is a small freeway connector in the Massachusetts state highway system that links nearby U.S. Highway 3 and Interstate 495 to downtown Lowell, Massachusetts...
was built along it. Both of these minor streams have limited industrial histories as well.
The bordering towns (clockwise from north) are
DracutDracut is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 29,457. Dracut is primarily a suburban community, belonging to Greater Lowell and bordering southern New Hampshire...
,
TewksburyTewksbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,961 at the 2010 census.- History :Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury,...
,
BillericaBillerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,243 at the 2010 census. It is the only town named Billerica in the United States and borrows its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.- History :...
,
ChelmsfordChelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
, and
TyngsboroTyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
. The border with Billerica is a point in the middle of the Concord River where Lowell and Billerica meet Tewksbury and Chelmsford.
The ten communities designated part of the Lowell Metropolitan area by the 2000 US Census are
BillericaBillerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,243 at the 2010 census. It is the only town named Billerica in the United States and borrows its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.- History :...
,
ChelmsfordChelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
,
DracutDracut is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 29,457. Dracut is primarily a suburban community, belonging to Greater Lowell and bordering southern New Hampshire...
,
DunstableDunstable is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,179 at the 2010 census.-Etymology:Dunstable was named after its sister town Dunstable, UK....
,
GrotonGroton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
, Lowell,
PepperellPepperell is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,497 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of East Pepperell.-History:...
,
TewksburyTewksbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,961 at the 2010 census.- History :Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury,...
,
TyngsboroTyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
, and
WestfordWestford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23,...
, and
Pelham, NHThe earliest census data shows the town of Pelham having a population of 543 residents in 1767.As of the census of 2000, there were 10,914 people, 3,606 households, and 2,982 families residing in the town. The population density was 412.9 people per square mile . There were 3,740 housing units at...
. See
Greater LowellGreater Lowell is the name given to the city of Lowell, Massachusetts and its suburbs, mostly in Northern Middlesex County, Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley....
.
Neighborhoods
Lowell has eight distinct neighborhoods: the Acre, Back Central, Belvidere, Centralville, Downtown, Highlands, Pawtucketville, and South Lowell. The city also has five ZIP Codes: four are geographically distinct general ZIP Codes, and one (01853) is for post-office boxes only.
The
Centralville neighborhood, ZIP Code 01850, is the northeastern section of the city, north of the Merrimack River and east of
Beaver BrookBeaver Brook is a river located in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the United States. It is a tributary of the Merrimack River, part of the Gulf of Maine watershed....
. Christian Hill is the section of Centralville east of Bridge Street.
The
Highlands is the most populated neighborhood, with almost a quarter of the city residing here, ZIP Code 01851, and is the southwestern section of the city, bordered to the east by the Lowell Connector and to the north by the railroad. Lowellians further distinguish the sections of the Highlands as the Upper Highlands and the Lower Highlands, the latter being the area closer to downtown. Middlesex Village, Tyler Park, and Drum Hill are in this ZIP Code.
Downtown,
Belvidere,
Back Central, and
South Lowell make up the 01852 ZIP Code, and are the southeastern sections of the city (south of the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
and southeast of the Lowell Connector). Belvidere is the mostly residential area south of the Merrimack River, east of the Concord River, and north of the Lowell and Lawrence railroad. Belvidere Hill is a Historic District along Fairmount Street. Lower Belvidere is the section west of Nesmith Street. Back Central is an urban area south of downtown, toward the mouth of River Meadow Brook. South Lowell is the area south of the railroad and east of the Concord River. Other neighborhoods in this ZIP Code are Ayers City, Bleachery, Chapel Hill, the Grove, Oaklands, Riverside Park, Swede Village, and Wigginsville, but use of those names is mostly antiquated.
The ZIP Code 01854 is the northwestern portion of the city and includes
Pawtucketville; the
University of Massachusetts LowellThe University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
; and the
Acre. Pawtucketville is where
Jack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
resided around the area of University Avenue (previously known as Moody Street). The north campus of UMass Lowell is in Pawtucketville. The older parts of the neighborhood are around University Avenue and
Mammoth RoadMammoth Road is a north–south road in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The road runs from its origin in Lowell, Massachusetts to its northern end in Hooksett, New Hampshire, a suburb of Manchester. The total length of the road is...
, whereas the newer parts are around Varnum Avenue. Middle and elementary schools for this area include Wang Middle School, Pawtucketville Memorial, McAvinnue Elementary School, and private school Ste Jeanne d'Arc. Pawtucketville is the official entrance to the
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State ForestThe Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest is a recreational preserve overlapping the three Massachusetts towns of Lowell, Dracut and Tyngsborough...
. Pawtucketville's Lowell–Dracut–Tyngsborough State Forest is the probable site of a Native American tribe, and in age of the Industrial Revolution was a prominent source where granite for canals and factory foundations were obtained.
Transportation
Lowell can be reached by automobile from
Interstate 495Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
, US Route 3, the
Lowell ConnectorThe Lowell Connector, officially the American Legion Connector Highway, is a small freeway connector in the Massachusetts state highway system that links nearby U.S. Highway 3 and Interstate 495 to downtown Lowell, Massachusetts...
, and Massachusetts Routes
3ARoute 3A is a state highway in eastern Massachusetts, which parallels Route 3 and U.S. Route 3 from Cedarville in southern Plymouth to Tyngsborough at the New Hampshire state line....
, 38, 110, 113, and
133Route 133 is an east–west Massachusetts state route that runs from Lowell to Gloucester.-Route description:Route 133 begins at the junction of Route 38 and Route 110 in Lowell, where Route 110 begins a concurrency with Route 38 northbound. Route 133 heads east from this point, heading...
. There are
six bridges crossing the Merrimack River in Lowell, and four crossing the Concord River (not including the two for 495).
For public transit, Lowell is served by the
Lowell Regional Transit AuthorityThe Lowell Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Greater Lowell area. This primarily includes the city of Lowell and the towns of Billerica, Burlington, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough and...
, which provides fixed route
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services and
paratransitParatransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
services to the city and surrounding area. These connect at the
Gallagher Transit TerminalLowell is a rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system in Lowell, Massachusetts. The station forms part of the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal, which also incorporates the Robert B. Kennedy Bus Transfer Center.- Terminal and services:...
to the
Lowell LineThe Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
of the
MBTA commuter rail systemThe MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
, which connects Lowell to Boston. The terminal is also served by several intercity bus lines.
The
Lowell National Historical ParkLowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of...
provides a free streetcar shuttle between its various sites in the city center, using track formerly used to provide freight access to the city's mills.
Demographics
According to the 2010
CensusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were 106,519 people residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,842.1 people per square mile (2,948.8/km²). There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of 2,865.5 per square mile (1,106.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was:
- 52.8% White (U.S. Average: 75.1%)
- 20.2% Asian American (U.S. Average: 4.6%)
- 6.8% African American (U.S. Average: 12.9%)
- 0.24% Native American (U.S. Average: 0.1%)
- 0.04% Pacific Islander (U.S. Average: 0.1%)
- 6.48% from other races
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
(U.S. Average: 5.5%)
- 3.6% from two or more races. (U.S. Average: 2.4%)
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.3% of the population. (U.S. Average: 12.5%)
Lowell had the second-highest percentage of ethnic Cambodians of any place in the United States, with 10.37% of its population being
CambodianKhmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
, second only to
Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Estimates of the total number of Cambodians living in the city of Lowell range from 11,000 to 25,000-35,000. The Government of Cambodia had opened up its third U.S. Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, with Sovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian Embassy. The other two are in Long Beach and Seattle, Washington, which also have a large community.
In 2010, there were 41,431 households, and 23,982 families living in Lowell; the average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.35.
- 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them.(U.S. Average: 32.8%)
- 40.1% were married couples
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together. (U.S. Average: 51.7%)
- 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present. (U.S. Average: 12.2%)
- 36.7% were non-families. (U.S. Average: 31.9%)
- 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals.(U.S. Average: 25.8%)
- 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. (U.S. Average: 9.2%)
In 2000, the city's population had a median age of 31 (U.S. Average: 35.3).
- 26.9% under the age of 18
- 11.9% from 18 to 24.
- 32.5% from 25 to 44
- 17.9% from 45 to 64
- 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older.
For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,192 (U.S. Average: $41,994).
The median income for a family was $45,901. (U.S. Average: $50,046)
Males had a median income of $33,554 versus $27,399 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,557. About 13.6% of families (U.S. Average: 9.2%) and 16.8% of individuals (U.S. Average: 12.4%) were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
| Lowell City Council 2010-2011 |
- James L. Milinazzo, Mayor
- Kevin P. Broderick, Vice Mayor
- Edward C. Caulfield
- Franky D. Descoteaux
- Rodney M. Elliott
- Joseph M. Mendonça
- William F. Martin
- Rita M. Mercier
- Patrick O. Murphy
|
Lowell has a "Plan E form"
Council-manager governmentThe council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
. There are nine city councilors and six school committee members, all elected at large in a non-partisan election. The
City CouncilA city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
chooses one of its members as
mayor, and another as vice-mayor; the mayor serves as chair of the council, serves as the seventh member of the school committee, and performs certain ceremonial duties. The administrative head of the city government is the
City ManagerA city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
, who is responsible for all day-to-day operations, functioning within the guidelines of City Council policy, and is hired by and serves at the pleasure of the City Council as whole. As of November 2011, the City Manager is Bernard F. Lynch and James L. Milinazzo is the
Mayor.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 15, 2008 |
| Party |
Number of Voters |
Percentage
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
21,505 |
41.37%
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
4,877 |
9.38%
|
Unaffiliated |
25,083 |
48.25%
|
Minor Parties |
523 |
1.01% |
| Total |
51,988 |
100% |
State Representatives
Lowell's State Representatives are currently
- Sixteenth Middlesex, represented by Thomas A. Golden,Jr.(D)
- Seventeenth Middlesex, represented by David M. Nangle (D)
- Eighteenth Middlesex, represented by Kevin J. Murphy (D)
The two U.S. Senators from Massachusetts, representing at large, are
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
(D) and
Scott BrownScott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
(R).
Massachusetts General Court
In the
Massachusetts General CourtThe Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
Lowell's
State SenatorThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
to the
Massachusetts SenateThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
is currently:
- First Middlesex, represented by Eileen Donoghue
Eileen Donoghue is a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate, representing the 1st Middlesex district. She has served since January 2011. Donoghue is an attorney and a former mayor and city councilor of Lowell, Massachusetts...
United States Congress
The City of Lowell is part of the
Massachusetts Fifth Congressional DistrictMassachusetts's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains the cities of Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, and Methuen...
, represented by
Niki TsongasNicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.She is the widow of U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas, who represented the 5th district in the 1970s...
(D), as well as the Third Governor's Council District represented by Marilyn Petitto Devaney (D).
Radio
- WCAP AM 980, talk radio
- WLLH
WLLH is a radio station in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts, licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Gois Broadcasting, LLC, and airs a tropical music format. In addition to a transmitter in Lowell, there is a synchronous transmitter in Lawrence, together forming...
AM 1400 Spanish Tropical
- WUML
WUML is a non-commercial College radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. The station is owned by University of Massachusetts Lowell.-History:Radio at UMass Lowell was started in 1952 by a student named Ed Bonacci...
FM 91.5, UMass Lowell-owned station
Points of interest
Among the many tourist attractions, Lowell also currently has 39 places on the National Register of Historic Places including many buildings and structures as part of the
Lowell National Historical ParkLowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of...
.
- Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of...
: Maintains Lowell's history as an early manufacturing and immigrant city. Exhibits include weave rooms, a waterpower exhibit, and paths along 5.6 miles of largely restored canals.
- Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
The Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest is a recreational preserve overlapping the three Massachusetts towns of Lowell, Dracut and Tyngsborough...
: Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails in an urban state forest
- University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
: State university
- Vandenberg Esplanade
Lowell Heritage State Park is located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The State Park was established in the mid-1970s as a precursor to Lowell National Historical Park with the purpose of preserving the city's seminal role in the American Industrial Revolution...
: Walking, biking, swimming, and picnicking park along the banks of the Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
. Contains the Sampas PavilionSampas Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater located in the Pawtucketville neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts along the Pawtucket Boulevard, 25 miles northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, USA and owned by the state of Massachusetts. The pavilion is located on the banks of the Merrimack River and is...
.
- Lowell High School
Lowell High School is a single-campus public high school located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. The school is a part of Lowell Public Schools...
: The first desegregated and co-educational high school in the United States
- Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's birthplace: In the Centralville section of the city at 9 Lupine Road.
- Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
's birthplace: In the Highlands section of the city at 22 Chester Street.
- Lowell Cemetery
Lowell Cemetery is a cemetery located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Founded in 1841 and located on the banks of the Concord River, the cemetery is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the nation, inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
: burial site of many of Lowell's wealthy industrialists from the Victorian era, as well as several U.S. Congressmen, a Massachusetts Governor, and a U.S. Senator. 77 Knapp Avenue.
- Edson Cemetery: burial site of Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, John McFarland, PassaconawayPassaconaway, a name which translates to "Child of the Bear", was a chieftain in the Pennacook tribe.-Life:One of the key native figures in the colonial history of New Hampshire, Passaconaway was believed to have been born between 1550 and 1570, and is said to have died in 1679...
and William Preston PhelpsWilliam Preston Phelps , known as "the Painter of the Monadnock", was an American landscape painter born on the family farm near Chesham, in what is now the Pottersville section of Dublin, New Hampshire on March 6, 1848 to mother Mary Phelps and father Jayson Phelps.-Early years:"Preston", as he...
. 1375 Gorham Street.
- The Worthen House: Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
purportedly visited this tavern and local lore suggests he wrote some of "The Raven"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
" here.
- The Acre: Lowell's gateway neighborhood where waves of immigrants have established their communities
- University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory: The site of a small nuclear reactor at the school
- Yorick Building
The Yorick Club is a private social club in Lowell, Massachusetts. Twenty prominent young Lowell men founded it in February 1882 as the "Highland Club."-Inception:The first meeting was held at the home of Joseph A...
: Former home of the gentlemen's club the "Yorick Club", currently a restaurant & function facility.
Culture
In the early years of 1840's when the population quickly exceeded 20,000, Lowell became very active as a cultural center, with the construction of the
Lowell MuseumThe "Lowell Museum", located in Lowell, Massachusetts, was founded by Moses Kimball in 1840, as an art exhibit hall and entertainment venue.-History:...
, the Mechanics Hall, as well as, the new City Hall used for art exhibits, lectures, and for the
performing artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. The Lowell Museum was lost in a devastating fire in the early morning of January 31, 1856, but was quickly rehoused in a new location. The Lowell Art Association was founded in 1876, and the new Opera House was built in 1889.
Continuing to inspire and entertain, Lowell currently has a plethora of artistic exhibitions and performances throughout a wide range of venues in the city:
Museums and public galleries
- 119 Gallery
- The American Textile History Museum
- Ayer Lofts Artist Live-work Lofts
- The Boott Cotton Mills Museum: Lowell National Historic Park
- Brush Art Gallery and Studios
- The New England Quilt Museum
- National Streetcar Museum
- Patrick J. Morgan Cultural Center: Lowell National Historic Park
- The Revolving Museum "Art Builds Community."
- Whistler House Museum of Art
The Whistler House Museum of Art is the birthplace of painter and etcher James McNeill Whistler. It is located at 243 Worthen Street, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, and is open as a museum displaying works from the Museum collection and shows by artist members....
- Art museum in birthplace of James McNeill WhistlerJames Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
.
- Western Avenue Studios - A converted mill with over 160 working artists and musicians.
Interactive and live performances
- Arts League of Lowell
- Angkor Dance Troupe - Cambodian classical and folk dance company and youth program
- Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell - local history library and archive
- Lowell Memorial Auditorium - Mid-sized venue for live performances.
- Lowell Summer Music Series - Boarding House Park
- Lowell Rocks - Lowell nightlife and entertainment web site
- Lowell Telecommunication Corporation (LTC) - A community media and technology center
- Merrimack Repertory Theater - Professional equity theater
- Play by Player's Theatre Company - critically acclaimed community theater
- Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra - Community orchestra presenting free concerts and offering youth programs
- RRRecords
RRRecords is a used and new record shop. RRRecords is distinguished as being the first American record label to specifically publish underground noise music in the early 1980s, and published the first American vinyl by Merzbow, Masonna, The Hanatarash, Violent Onsen Geisha, and many more artists...
- Internationally known record label and store
- Standing Room Only Players - musical review troupe
- The Gentlemen Songsters The Lowell Chapter of The Barbershop Harmony Society -Causing Harmony In The Merrimack Valley.
- Lowell Poetry Network - A network of area poets and appreciators of poetry who host readings, receptions, and open mics.
- U-Mass Lowell Music Performances
- The United Teen Equality Center A by teens, for teens youth center promoting peace, positivity and empowerment for young people in Lowell.
Sports
On April 1, 2006, Lowell held the
2006-Draw 2:April 1, 16:00-Draw 3:April 2, 09:00-Draw 4:April 2, 14:00-Draw 5:April 2, 19:00-Draw 6:April 3, 09:00-Draw 7:April 3, 14:00-Draw 8:April 3, 19:00-Draw 9:April 4, 09:00...
World Curling ChampionshipsThe World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...
for the men's teams at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.
- University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
River Hawks, NCAA Division I Hockey, and Division II Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Cross Country, Volleyball
- Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...
- Class A short-season professional baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
affiliate of the Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
- Lowell All-Americans - NECBL
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
(Collegiate Summer Baseball)
- New England Riptide
The New England Riptide is a dormant women's softball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. Since the 2004 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch. Operations were suspended in February 2009 . The NPF website does not list the Riptide as a current team.- 2004 :The 2004 season...
- National Pro Fastpitch League (Major League Softball)
- Lowell Nor'easter - Semi-Professional football team (New England Football League)
Venues
- Edward A. LeLacheur Park
Edward A. LeLacheur Park is a baseball park located on the banks of the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is home to the New York-Penn League Lowell Spinners, the Class A Short Season Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox...
Baseball Stadium, shared by Lowell Spinners and the University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Lowell Memorial Auditorium
The Lowell Memorial Auditorium is an indoor facility located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. It is dedicated to local veterans of war.The 2,800 seat venue was constructed in 1922 by the architectural firm of Blackall, Clapp & Whittemore...
- performance and boxing venue.
- Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell - multi-use sports and concert venue (6500 seats hockey, 7800 concerts)- the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks, and various arena shows
- Cawley Memorial Stadium
Cawley Memorial Stadium is a 6,000 seat multipurpose stadium in Lowell, Massachusetts. The stadium is primarily used for football, soccer and lacrosse. The stadium is the home field for Lowell High School teams, and the Lowell Nor'easter of the NEFL. During the summer of 2006 the playing field was...
- Stadium for Lowell High SchoolLowell High School is a single-campus public high school located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. The school is a part of Lowell Public Schools...
and other sporting events around the Merrimack ValleyThe Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...
. Uses FieldTurfFieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
- Sampas Pavilion
Sampas Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater located in the Pawtucketville neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts along the Pawtucket Boulevard, 25 miles northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, USA and owned by the state of Massachusetts. The pavilion is located on the banks of the Merrimack River and is...
- Outdoor amphitheater on the banks of the Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
- Stoklosa Alumni Field
Stoklosa Alumni Field is a baseball field in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. It was rebuilt in 1996 as a temporary home of the Lowell Spinners. The Spinners played at the field for the 1996 and 1997 seasons before moving to Edward A. LeLacheur Park on UMass Lowell's east campus...
- Baseball stadium, used by Lowell All-Americans (4,000 seats)
Annual events
- February: Winterfest
Winterfest is the name of several winter festivals held in various locations in the United States.-Lowell, Massachusetts:The annual Winterfest in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a festival started in 2001. The two-day festival is held following Super Bowl week in downtown Lowell...
- celebration of winter.
- May: Doors Open Lowell - a celebration of preservation, architecture, and design where many historic buildings that normally have limited public access are open for viewing
- June: African Festival - A celebration of the various African communities in and around Lowell
- July: Lowell Folk Festival
The Lowell Folk Festival is the second largest free folk festival in the United States. Only Seattle's Northwest Folklife is larger, both in attendance and number of performance stages. It is made up of three days of traditional music, dance, craft demonstrations, street parades, dance parties, and...
- three day free folk festival attended by on average 250,000 people on the last weekend in July
- August: Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival - celebrates Southeast Asian culture
- October: The Massachusetts Poetry Festival - an event that celebrates poets and poetry in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- October: Bay State Marathon - October marathon and half marathon
Businesses started and/or products invented in Lowell
- CVS/pharmacy
- Moxie
Moxie is a carbonated beverage that was one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It continues to be regionally popular today....
- the first mass-produced soft drinkA soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
in the U.S.
- Father John's Medicine
Father John's Medicine is a cough medicine that was first formulated in the United States in a Lowell, Massachusetts pharmacy in 1855 by Charleton and Hovey to give relief to ailing Father John O'Brien. The tonic was a non-alcoholic mix made of cod liver oil and had a licorice taste.Mr. Charleton...
- Wang Laboratories
Wang Laboratories was a computer company founded in 1951 by Dr. An Wang and Dr. G. Y. Chu. The company was successively headquartered in Cambridge , Tewksbury , and finally in Lowell, Massachusetts . At its peak in the 1980s, Wang Laboratories had annual revenues of $3 billion and employed over...
- Massachusetts MiracleThe term "Massachusetts Miracle" refers to a period of economic growth in the state of Massachusetts during most of the 1980s. Previous to this, the state had been hit hard by deindustrialization and resulting unemployment. The growth was heavily centered in high-tech industry and financial...
computer company
- Telephone numbers, 1879, Lowell is the first U.S. city to have phone numbers, two years after Alexander Graham Bell demonstrates his telephone in Lowell.
- Francis Turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
- A highly efficient water-powered turbine
- Market Basket - Chain of approximately 60 grocery stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
- Cash Carrier
Cash carriers were used in shops and department stores to carry customers' payments from the sales assistant to the cashier and to carry the change and receipt back again.-Cash balls:...
s
- Fred C. Church
Frederic Cameron Church founded Fred C. Church Insurance company in 1865 as a sole proprietorship in Lowell, Massachusetts. Fred. C. Church, Inc. currently has around 150 employees, with branch offices in Andover, MA, Chelmsford, MA, Dracut, MA, Haverhill, MA, Tewksbury, MA, Westford, MA,...
Insurance (est. 1865)
- Stuarts Department Stores
Public schools
Lowell Public SchoolsLowell Public Schools is a school district headquartered in the Henry J. Mroz Central Administration Offices at the Edith Nourse Rogers School in Lowell, Massachusetts.-Middle schools:* Benjamin F. Butler Middle School...
operates district public schools.
Lowell High SchoolLowell High School is a single-campus public high school located in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. The school is a part of Lowell Public Schools...
is the district public school. Non-district public schools include
Greater Lowell Technical High SchoolGreater Lowell Technical High School is a public vocational high school in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Greater Lowell Technical High School former name was Greater Lowell Vocational Technical High School. The school serve the city of Lowell and towns of Tyngsborough, Dracut, and Dunstable. There...
, Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School, Lowell Community Charter Public School.
Private schools
Lowell Catholic High SchoolLowell Catholic High School is a private, not-for-profit, college preparatory school in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is a ....
, est. 1989, is in Lowell.
Private grade schools include:
- Hellenic American Academy, est. 1908 as the first Greek Orthodox day school in the United States (135 Students) (Grades K-6) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:12
- Franco-American School, est. 1963 (Grades K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:13
- St. Louis School, (457 Students) (Grades K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:19
- Ste. Jeanne D'Arc School, (472 Students) (Grades K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:17
- St. Margaret School, (357 Students) (Grade K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:20
- St. Patrick School, (181 Students) (Grade K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:15
- St. Michael Elementary School, (407 Students) (Grade K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:16
- Immaculate Conception School, (324 Students) (Grade K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:17
- St. Stanislaus School, est. 1906 (124 Students) (Grade K-8) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:12
- Community Christian Academy, (185 Students) (Grade K-12) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:9
- Riverside School, Nonsectarian, Special Education School (25 Students) (Grades 4-11) Teacher/Student Ratio 1:5
Colleges and universities
- Middlesex Community College
- University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
Libraries
Pollard Memorial Library
The first Lowell public library was established in 1844 with 3,500 volumes, and was set up in the rooms of the Old City Hall. About 30 years later the expanding collection was relocated across the street to the
Masonic TempleMasonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
In 1890-91, the City of Lowell hired local Architect
Frederick W. StickneyFrederick W. Stickney , was an American architect.-Early years:Frederick W. Stickney was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Frederick attended MIT and later worked at the New York office of William Robert Ware & Henry Van Brunt. At Ware & Van Brunt, Stickney worked alongside other MIT graduates,...
to design the new Lowell City Library, known as "Memorial Hall, in honor of the cities men who lost their lives in the American Civil War. In 1981, the library was renamed the Pollard Memorial Library in memory of the late Mayor Samuel S. Pollard. And, in the mid 2000's the century old
National HistoricA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
building underwent a major $8.5m renovation. The city also, recently expanded the library system to include the Senior Center Branch, located in the City of Lowell Senior Center.
In fiscal year 2008, the city of Lowell spent 0.36% ($ 975,845) of its budget on its public libraries, which houses 236,000 volumes, and is a part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium. Currently, circulation of materials averages around 250,000 annually, with approximately 1/3 deriving from the children's collection. In fiscal year 2009, Lowell spent 0.35% ($ 885,377) of its budget on the library—some $8 per person.
Lydon Library
The Lydon Library is a part of the
University of Massachusetts LowellThe University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
system, and is located on the North Campus. The building is named in honor of President Martin J. Lydon, who's vision expanded and renamed the college, during his tenure in the 1950s and 1960s. Its current collection concentrates on the sciences, engineering, business management, social sciences, humanities, and health.
O'Leary Library
The O'Leary Library is a part of the
University of Massachusetts LowellThe University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
system, and is located on the South Campus. The building is named in honor of former History Professor and then President O'Leary, who's vision helped merge the Lowell colleges, during his tenure in the 1970s and 1980s. Its current collection concentrates on music and art.
Center for Lowell History
The Center for Lowell History is a part of the
University of Massachusetts LowellThe University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
system, and is located downtown Lowell. Its current collection concentrates on the history of Lowell, the Boston & Maine Railroad, and the history of the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Crime
The city of Lowell is primarily policed and protected by the
Lowell Police DepartmentThe Lowell Police Department has the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation for a population of about 107,000 in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts...
, secondarily by the
Massachusetts State PoliceThe Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
, the UMass Lowell Police, and the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
In 2008, the
Violent crimeA violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...
Rate for Lowell was 1,126.3 per 100,000 of the population, ranking it the 7th most violent city in Massachusetts right ahead of Boston with 1,104 per 100,000.
Since 1990, Lowell has averaged about 5 homicides per year with the highest being 13 homicides in 2006. As of 2008, the crime index rating was 446.8. The national average was 320.9. Lowell has been locally notorious over the years for being a place of high drug trafficking and gang activity. The Lowell Police Department has made positive progress in bringing the crime rates down in recent years. In the years from 1994 to 1999, crime dropped 50 percent, the highest rate of decrease for any city in America with over 100,000 residents. In 2009, Lowell was ranked as the 139th most dangerous city of over 75,000 residents in the United States, out of 393 communities. Out of Massachusetts cities, nine are larger than 75,000 residents, and Lowell was fifth most dangerous or safest. For comparison Lowell is rated safer than Boston (104 of 393), Providence RI (123), Springfield (51), Lynn (120), Fall River (103), and New Bedford (85), but rated more dangerous than Cambridge (303) , Newton (388), Quincy (312), and Worcester (175).
Music
The city is the subject of
Death Cab for CutieDeath Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
's song, "Lowell, MA," from their album
We Have the Facts and We're Voting YesWe Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes is the second studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released March 21, 2000, on Barsuk Records. It is a concept album about a ruined relationship...
.
The city was also featured in the song "Lowell Man" by Tom Doyle. Doyle, of
WROR-FMWROR-FM is a radio station licensed to Framingham, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 105.7 MHz and serves the Boston market. The station offers a classic hits format, with a timespan of the '60s, '70s and '80s...
105.7 in Boston, does many songs like this spoofing classic rock by rewording them to make fun of various things about New England ("Lowell Man" is a spoof of "
Soul Man"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.-Song history and background:...
" by
Sam & DaveSam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
).
The
Dropkick MurphysDropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
'
Warrior's Code tells story of Lowell Boxer
Micky WardMicky Ward , nicknamed Irish, is a retired American junior welterweight professional boxer and a former WBU champion from Lowell, Massachusetts...
, mentioning Lowell and several city facts in the song.
James TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's song "Millworker" is about a woman living in Lowell.
Tom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
references the city on the album
Small ChangeSmall Change is an album by Tom Waits, released in 1976 on Asylum Records. It was recorded in July 1976.-Production:Small Change was recorded, direct to 2-track stereo tape, July 15,19,20,21, and 29, 1976 at the Wally Heider Recording Studio, in Hollywood, USA under the production of Bones...
in the track "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart (In Lowell)".
Novels
Lowell has also been the subject of a number of novels. Some of the better known ones are:
- Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, who was born in Lowell, set several biographical novels there, including Visions of GerardVisions of Gerard is a 1963 novel by American Beat writer Jack Kerouac. Unique among Kerouac's novels, Visions of Gerard focuses on the scenes and sensations of childhood as evidenced in the tragically short yet happy life of his older brother, Gerard. Kerouac paints a picture of the boy as a...
and Doctor SaxDoctor Sax is a novel by Jack Kerouac published in 1959. Kerouac wrote it in 1952 while living with William S. Burroughs in Mexico City.-Plot summary:...
.
- Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson is an American author of children's novels. She wrote Bridge to Terabithia and has received several of the major international awards for children's literature.- Early life:...
's novel Lyddie tells the fictional story of a Lowell Mill Girl"Lowell Mill Girls" was the name used for female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. The Lowell textile mills employed a workforce which was about three quarters female; this characteristic caused two social effects: a close examination of the women's moral behavior, and...
in the 19th century who fights for better working conditions in the hot, crowded and dangerous mills.
- In Avi's
Edward Irving Wortis , better known by the pen name Avi, is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He is a winner of both the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.- Biography :...
Beyond the Western Sea: Lord Kirkle's Money, Lowell is the destination of immigrants hoping to reach America and begin new lives.
- Nancy Zaroulis' Call The Darkness Light, a novel about a young woman left alone in the world following the death of her father, tells the story of the mid-19th century Lowell Mill Girls
"Lowell Mill Girls" was the name used for female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. The Lowell textile mills employed a workforce which was about three quarters female; this characteristic caused two social effects: a close examination of the women's moral behavior, and...
and the realities of the textile industryThe textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
.
- David Daniel's series of Alex Rasmussen novels follows the Lowell based private eye's adventures in books including The Marble Kite and Goofy Foot.
- Lloyd L. Corricelli's Ronan Marino Mystery Series includes Two Redheads & A Dead Blonde, which follows the Iraqi war veteran and private investigator's quest to find his girlfriend's murderer, and Chasing Curves, in which Ronan tries to clear a UMass-Lowell baseball star accused of murdering his prospective agent's secretary.
- Mark Arsenault's novel Spiked details the fictional story of a news reporter in Lowell who tries to solve the murder of his co-worker, despite the interference from the brass of his daily newspaper, the local police, city politicians, hitmen, and a lovely Cambodian woman bent on revenge.
Films
- School Ties
School Ties is a 1992 film directed by Robert Mandel starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O'Donnell, Cole Hauser, Randall Batinkoff, and Anthony Rapp....
- 1992: A Robert MandelRobert Mandel is a film producer and director and television director from Oakland, California. He is best known for his film School Ties, which launched the careers of Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser and Chris O'Donnell.-Biography:...
film starring Brendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
, Matt DamonMatthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, Chris O’Donnell, Randall BatinkoffRandall Matthew Batinkoff is an American actor.Batinkoff was born in Monticello, New York and was raised on an egg farm near Ferndale, New York...
, and Andrew Lowery. Some of the opening scenes were filmed in Lowell.
- High on Crack Street
High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell is a 1995 American documentary film directed by Richard Farrell, Maryann DeLeo and Jon Alpert. It was a co-production of HBO and DCTV, produced by Farrell, DeLeo, and Alpert...
- 1995: An HBO film documenting the lives of three crack cocaine addicts.
- Monkey Dance
Monkey Dance is a 2004 documentary film by Julie Mallozzi, a filmmaker based in Boston. The film follows three Cambodian-American teens growing up in Lowell, Massachusetts as they face the challenges of urban America, learn from traditional culture and dance, and reflect on the sacrifices of their...
- 2004: Documentary film by Julie MallozziJulie Mallozzi is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, artist and teacher based in Boston, Massachusetts. She is of Chinese and Italian-American descent and was raised in Ohio....
on the lives of three Cambodian-American adolescents in Lowell and how they were affected positively by traditional Cambodian dance, especially with Lowell's Angkor Dance Troupe.
- The Busker - 2006: A film by director/writer Stephen Croke mostly filmed in Lowell. The film is based on a young street musician who has to deal with the racial tensions that surround him.
- The Invention of Lying
The Invention of Lying is a 2009 fantasy romantic comedy film that is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. This film is the directorial debut of Gervais. The film stars Ricky Gervais as the first human with the ability to lie...
- 2009: A film by director/writer/star Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
was filmed principally in Lowell. The film also stars Jennifer GarnerJennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
, Rob LoweRobert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
, and Tina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
.
- The Fighter - 2010: A film by director David O. Russell
David Owen Russell is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members.-Early life:...
starring Mark WahlbergMark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
, based upon the life of Irish Micky WardMicky Ward , nicknamed Irish, is a retired American junior welterweight professional boxer and a former WBU champion from Lowell, Massachusetts...
. Shooting began July 2009 and was completed in September of that year in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Honors
- 1997 and 1998, Lowell was a finalist for the All-American City award.
- 1999, Lowell received an All-American City award.
Further reading
- Deitch, Joanne Weisman, "The Lowell Mill Girls: Life in the Factory (Perspectives on History Series)" (1998)
- Denenberg, Barry, "So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, An Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts 1847 (Dear America Series)" (2003)
- Dublin, Thomas
Thomas Dublin is an American historian, and editor. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Binghamton University.-Life:He graduated from Harvard College, with a B.A. in chemistry, and from Columbia University, with a Ph.D....
, "Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1826-1860", Columbia University Press. (1981)
- Eisler, Benita, "The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1945)", J.B. Lippincott (1977); Norton (1998)
- Flanagan, Alice K., "The Lowell Mill Girls", Compass Point Books (2006)
- Larcom, Lucy, "Among Lowell Mill-Girls: a reminiscence", The Atlantic Monthly, v.XLVIII (48), no.268, November 1881, pp. 593–612.
- Malone, Patrick M., "Waterpower in Lowell: Engineering and Industry in Nineteenth-Century America", Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in the History of Technology (2009)
- Mrozowski, Stephan A.; Ziesing, Grace H.; Beaudry, Mary C., "Living on the Boott: Historical Archaeology at the Boott Mills Boardinghouses, Lowell, Massachusetts", The Lowell Historic Preservation Commission (1996)
- Savard, Rita, "Three Hard Words: I Need Help: Jobs gone and bills mounting, many more in Greater Lowell seek food aid", The Lowell Sun, January 22, 2010
- Stanton, Cathy, "The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Postindustrial City", University of Massachusetts Press. (2006)
- The Lowell Historical Society, "Lowell: The Mill City (MA) (Postcard History Series)", Arcadia Publishing. (2005)
External links