Lowell () is a city in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States. Alongside
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, it is one of two traditional
seats
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation.
Types of seat
The ...
of
Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
it was the
fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of the last census, and the third most populous in the
Boston metropolitan statistical area. The city is also part of a smaller
Massachusetts statistical area, called
Greater Lowell, and of
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
's
Merrimack Valley region.
Incorporated in 1826 to serve as a
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles.
Europe
...
, Lowell was named after
Francis Cabot Lowell, a local figure in the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. The city became known as the cradle of the
American Industrial Revolution because of
its textile mills and factories. Many of Lowell's historic manufacturing sites were later preserved by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
to create
Lowell National Historical Park. During the
Cambodian genocide (1975–1979), the city took in an influx of refugees, leading to a
Cambodia Town and America's second-largest
Cambodian-American population.
Lowell is home to two
institutions of higher education.
UMass Lowell, part of the
University of Massachusetts system, has three campuses in the city.
Middlesex Community College's two campuses are in Lowell and in the town of
Bedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,161 at th2022 United States census
History
''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information from Abram Engl ...
. Arts facilities in the city include the
Whistler House Museum of Art, the
Merrimack Repertory Theatre, the
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, and
Sampas Pavilion. In sports, the city has a long tradition of boxing, hosting the annual
New England Golden Gloves boxing tournament. The city has a baseball stadium,
Edward A. LeLacheur Park, and a multipurpose indoor sports arena, the
Tsongas Center, both of which have hosted collegiate and minor-league professional sports teams. Cawley Stadium, home of the Lowell High School Red Raiders, also played host to the
Boston Patriots during their first season.
History
Indigenous and Colonial History
The
Pawtucket Falls, which provided the hydropower for Lowell's industry in the 1800s, also served as an important seasonal fishing site for native people at the time of European colonization in the 1600s.
The
Pawtucket people are named for this location, literally meaning "at the falls" in
Massachusett.
In the mid-1600s, English efforts to convert native people to Christianity led to the founding of the "
praying town" of
Wamesit at the confluence of the
Concord and
Merrimack Rivers in what is today Lowell,
however the population of Wamesit was reckoned at only 75 people just prior to
King Phillip's War,
which significantly altered relations between English colonists and indigenous groups in New England, and led to the abandonment of many praying towns. By the 1800s, the area that would become Lowell was part of the farming community of East Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Founding and Early Industry
Founded in the 1820s as a planned
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the
secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
center for
textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
s, Lowell is located along the rapids of the
Merrimack River, northwest of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in what used to be a farming community called East
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.
Chelmsford was incorporated in May 1655 by an act of the Massachusetts General Court. When Chelmsford was incorporated, its local economy was fueled by lumber mills, ...
. The so-called
Boston Associates, including
Nathan Appleton and
Patrick Tracy Jackson of the
Boston Manufacturing Company, 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 land from neighboring towns, and diversified into a full-fledged urban center. Many of the men who composed the labor force for constructing the canals and factories had immigrated from
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, escaping the poverty and
Great Famine 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
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
. In 1860, there were more cotton spindles in Lowell than in all eleven states combined that would form the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
. Many of the coarse cottons produced in Lowell eventually returned to the South to clothe enslaved people, and, according to historian Sven Beckert, "'Lowell' became the generic term slaves used to describe coarse cottons." 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 Germans, followed by a large influx of
French Canadians during the 1870s and 1880s. Later waves of immigrants came to work in Lowell and settled in ethnic neighborhoods, with the city's population reaching almost 50% foreign-born by 1900.
[Marion, Paul, "Timeline of Lowell History From 1600s to 2009"](_blank)
, '' Yankee'' magazine, November 2009. By the time
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out in Europe, the city had reached its economic peak.
In 1922, it was affected by the
1922 New England Textile Strike, shutting down the mills in the city over an attempted wage cut.
The Mill Cities' manufacturing base declined as companies began to relocate to the South in the 1920s.
The city fell into hard times, and was even referred to as a "depressed industrial desert" by ''Harper's Magazine'' in 1931, as the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
worsened. At this time, more than one third of its population was "on relief" (government assistance), as only three of its major textile corporations remained active.
Several years later, the mills were reactivated, making
parachute
A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
s and other military necessities for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. However, this economic boost was short-lived and the post-war years saw the last textile plants close.
Zoning, development and the Massachusetts Miracle
In the 1970s, Lowell became part of the
Massachusetts Miracle, being the headquarters of
Wang Laboratories
Wang Laboratories, Inc., was an American computer company founded in 1951 by An Wang and G. Y. Chu. The company was successively headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1954–1963), Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1963–1976), Lowell, Massachuse ...
. At the same time, Lowell became home to thousands of new immigrants, many from
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
, following the
genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
at the hands of the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
. 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 Park, 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, the
Lowell Folk Festival, 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
adapted as residential units and office space. By the 1990s, Lowell had built a new ballpark and arena, which became home to two minor league sports teams, the
Lowell Devils and
Lowell Spinners. The city also began to have a larger student population. The
University of Massachusetts Lowell and
Middlesex Community College expanded their programs and enrollment. During the period of time when Lowell was part of the Massachusetts Miracle, the Lowell City Development Authority created a Comprehensive Master Plan which included recommendations for zoning adaptations within the city. The city's original zoning code was adopted in 1926 and was significantly revised in 1966 and 2004, with changes included to respond to concerns about overdevelopment.
In 2002, in lieu of updating the Comprehensive Master Plan, more broad changes were recommended so that the land use and development would be consistent with the current master plan. The most significant revision to the 1966 zoning code is the adoption of an inclusion of a
transect-based zoning code and some aspects of a
form-based code style of zoning that emphasizes urban design elements as a means to ensure that infill development will respect the character of the neighborhood or district in question. By 2004, the recommended zoning changes were unanimously adopted by the City Council and despite numerous changes to the 2004 Zoning Code, it remains the basic framework for resolving zoning issues in Lowell to this day.
The
Hamilton Canal District (HCD) is the first district in Lowell in which regulation and development is defined by Form-Based Code (HCD-FBC) and legislated by its own guiding framework consistent to the HCD Master Plan. The HCD is a major redevelopment project that comprises 13 acres of vacant, underutilized land in downtown Lowell abutting former industrial mills.
Trinity Financial was elected as the Master Developer to recreate this district with a vision of making a mixed-use neighborhood. Development plans included establishing the HCD as a gateway to downtown Lowell and enhanced connectivity to
Gallagher Terminal.
Anti-crime efforts
In the 1990s, Lowell had been locally notorious for being a place of high drug trafficking and gang activity, and was the setting for a real life documentary, ''
High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell.'' 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.
Within one generation, by 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.
For comparison Lowell was still 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).
Geography

Lowell is located at (42.639444, −71.314722).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of of which is land and (5.23%) is water.
Climate
Lowell features a four-season
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, with long and very cold winters, which typically experience an average of snowfall, with the highest ever recorded seasonal snowfall being in the winter of 2014–2015. Summers are hot and humid, and of average length, while autumn and spring are brief transition periods between the two. On average, temperature in Lowell ranges from in the summer months, and between in the winter months, with the yearly average being .
Physical
Lowell is located at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the
Merrimack and
Concord rivers. The
Pawtucket Falls, 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 Hampshire to Lowell, makes a northeasterly turn there before emptying into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
at
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...
, approximately downriver from Lowell. It is believed that in prior ages, the Merrimack continued south from Lowell to empty into the ocean somewhere near
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. The glacial deposits that redirected the flow of the river left the
drumlins 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 at the
Dracut town line.
The Concord, or Musketaquid (its original name), forms from the confluence of the
Assabet and
Sudbury rivers at
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
. 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 Brook enters from the north, separating the city's two northern neighborhoods,
Pawtucketville 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 Connector was built along it. Both of these minor streams have limited industrial histories as well.
The bordering towns (clockwise from north) are
Dracut,
Tewksbury,
Billerica,
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
, and
Tyngsborough. 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
Billerica,
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
,
Dracut,
Dunstable,
Groton, Lowell,
Pepperell,
Tewksbury,
Tyngsborough, and
Westford, and
Pelham, New Hampshire. See
Greater Lowell.
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 Brook. Christian Hill is the section of Centralville east of Bridge Street.
The Highlands, ZIP Code 01851, is the most populated neighborhood, with almost a quarter of the city residing here. It is located in 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. The Upper Highlands also includes the
University of Massachusetts Lowell, South Campus (Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences & Education).
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 River 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 Historic District runs along Fairmount Street. Lower Belvidere is the section west of Nesmith Street.
Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District,
Lowell Cemetery, and
Shedd Park are this side of town. 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 minor neighborhoods within this ZIP Code are Ayers City, Bleachery, Chapel Hill, the Grove, Oaklands, Riverside Park, Swede Village, and Wigginville. Although the use of the names of these smaller neighborhoods has been in decline in the past decades, there has been recently a reemergence of their use. Downtown Lowell includes the
UMass Lowell East Campus which consists of university housing, recreation facilities, research and the
university's sports arena, as well as the
Middlesex Community College.
Pawtucketville, the
University of Massachusetts Lowell, North Campus; and the Acre make up the 01854 ZIP Code. The northwestern portion of the city includes the neighborhood where
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian ...
resided around the area of University Avenue (previously known as Moody Street). The North Campus of
UMass Lowell (Colleges of Engineering, Sciences and Business) is in Pawtucketville near the Lowell General Hospital. The older parts of the neighborhood are around University Avenue and
Mammoth Road, whereas the newer parts are around Varnum Avenue. Pawtucketville is the official entrance to the
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest, the site of an historic Native American tribe, and in the age of the Industrial Revolution was a prominent source of granite used in canals and factory foundations.
Demographics
2020 census
Population Density: According to the 2010
Census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
,
there were 106,519 people living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of .
Household Size: 2010, there were 38,470 households, and 23,707 families living in Lowell; the average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.31. Of those households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Age Distributions: Lowell has also experienced a significant increase in the number of residents between the ages of 50–69 while the percentages of residents under the age of 15 and over the age of 70 decreased.
In 2010 the city's population had a
median
The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
age of 32.6.
The
age distribution was 23.7% of the population under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males; while for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
Median Income: for a household in the city was $51,714, according to the
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
5-year estimate ending in 2012.
The median income for a family was $55,852. Males had a median income of $44,739 versus $35,472 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $22,730. About 15.2% of families and 17.5% of individuals were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
Racial Makeup: In 2010, the ethnic diversity of the city was 60.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
(49.3%
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
), 20.2%
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants).
Although this term had historically been used fo ...
(12.5% Cambodian, 2.0% Indian, 1.7% Vietnamese, 1.4% Laotian), 6.8%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 8.8% from
other races, 3.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 17.3% of the population. The largest Hispanic group was those of Puerto Rican ancestry, constituting 11.3% of the population. In
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, the most commonly reported ancestries were
Cambodian (15%),
Irish (14.1%),
Puerto Rican (11.1%),
English (7%),
French (6.1%), and
Italian (5.2%).
Cambodian-American Population
In 2010, Lowell had the highest proportion of residents of
Cambodian origin of any place in the United States at 12.5% of the population. The Government of Cambodia opened up its third
U.S. Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, with Sovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian
Embassy
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...
.
["Cambodian Consulate Opens in Lowell"](_blank)
, Khmerization, April 27, 2009, accessed October 26, 2010 The other consular offices are in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington, which also have large Cambodian communities. In 2022, Lowell elected the first Cambodian-American mayor in the United States,
Sokhary Chau.
Crime data
According to current FBI Crime Data Analysis, Lowell is the 46th most dangerous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for all sizes. In 2018, the
violent crime
A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful Force (law), force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, vio ...
rate for Lowell was less than half of the violent crime rate in Boston, with no murders compared to 49 in Boston. Lowell's crime rate has dropped tremendously since the 1990s, and while the likelihood of becoming a victim of violent crime in Massachusetts are 1 in 265, the odds in Lowell are 1 in 289, making Lowell (approximately) 10% safer than the rest of the state, on average.
Lowell's violent crime rate is comparable to
Honolulu, HI and is less than one-quarter that of
Washington, D.C.
Arts and culture
Annual events

* February:
Winterfest – celebration of winter. (Also, Lowell's Birthday)
* March: Lowell Women's Week – A week of events recognizing women's achievements, struggles, and contributions to the Lowell community past and present. Irish Cultural Week – A celebration of Irish history and hulture within the Greater Lowell community.
* April: Lowell Film Festival – Showcases documentary and feature-length films focusing on a variety of topics of interest to the Greater Lowell community and beyond
* 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 – A three-day free folk music and traditional arts festival attended by on average 250,000 people on the last weekend in July
* August: Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival – celebrates Southeast Asian culture
* September: Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race – From the crossroads of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics comes a spectacular racing spectacle!
* October: Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival – A celebration of the works of
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian ...
and his roots in the city of Lowell
* October:
Bay State Marathon and half
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
Points of interest
Among the many tourist attractions, Lowell also currently has 39 places on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
including many buildings and structures as part of the
Lowell National Historical Park.
* In the mid-1980s, Kerouac Park was placed in downtown.
*
Lowell National Historical Park: Maintains Lowell's history as an early manufacturing and immigrant city. Exhibits include weave rooms, a waterpower exhibit, and paths along of largely restored canals.
*
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest: Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails in an urban state forest
*
University of Massachusetts Lowell: State University
*
University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory: The site of a small nuclear reactor at the school
*
Vandenberg Esplanade: Walking, biking, swimming, and picnicking park along the banks of the
Merrimack River. Contains the
Sampas Pavilion.
* Western Avenue Studios: Largest complex of artists studios in the United States at 122 Western Avenue.
*
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian ...
's birthplace: In the Centralville section of the city at 9 Lupine Road.
*
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
memorial: "A Mother's Hands" monument at Lowell City Hall.
*
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
's birthplace: In the Highlands section of the city at 22 Chester Street.
*
Rosalind Elias's birthplace: In the Acre neighborhood at 144 School Street .
*
Lowell Cemetery: burial site of many of Lowell's wealthy industrialists from the Victorian era, as well as several U.S. Congressmen, a Massachusetts Governor,
John McFarland, and a U.S. Senator. 77 Knapp Avenue.
*
Edson Cemetery: burial site of
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian ...
and
William Preston Phelps. Location of a monument dedicated to Chief
Passaconaway. 1375 Gorham Street.
* The Acre: Lowell's gateway neighborhood where waves of immigrants have established their communities.
*
Yorick Building: Former home of the gentlemen's club the "Yorick Club", currently a restaurant & function facility (Cobblestones).
* Little Cambodia: In 2010, the city began an effort to make it a tourist destination.
Culture
In the early years of the 1840s when the population quickly exceeded 20,000, Lowell became very active as a cultural center, with the construction of the
Lowell Museum, the
Mechanics Hall, as well as the new City Hall used for art exhibits,
lectures, and for the
performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
. 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
* Arts League of Lowell & All Gallery
* The American Textile History Museum (closed in 2016)
* Ayer Lofts Artist Live-work Lofts
* The Boott Cotton Mills Museum:
Lowell National Historic Park
* Brush Art Gallery and Studios
* Gallery Z & Artist Cooperative
* The Lowell Gallery
* Mill No. 5 – an eclectic indoor mall/streetscape featuring artisanal foods and hand-made items, live music an
The Luna Theater an independent film venue.
* National Streetcar Museum
* The New England Quilt Museum
* Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center:
Lowell National Historic Park
*
Whistler House Museum of Art – Art museum in birthplace of
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...
.
* Western Avenue Studios (The Loading Dock Galleries) – A converted mill with over 300 working artists and musicians.
* UMass Lowell Galleries
Interactive and live performances
* Angkor Dance Troupe – Cambodian classical and folk dance company and youth program
* Arts League of Lowell
* Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell – local history library and archive
* The Gentlemen Songsters The Lowell Chapter of The Barbershop Harmony Society – ''Causing Harmony In The Merrimack Valley.''
*
Lowell Memorial Auditorium – Mid-sized venue for live performances.
* The Lowell Chamber Orchestra – First professional orchestra based in Lowell
* Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra – Community orchestra presenting free concerts and offering youth programs
* Lowell Poetry Network – A network of area poets and appreciators of poetry who host readings, receptions, and open mics.
* Lowell Rocks – Lowell nightlife and entertainment web site promoting performances at local bars and clubs
* Lowell Summer Music Series – Boarding House Park
*
Merrimack Repertory Theater – Professional equity theater
* Play by Player's Theatre Company – critically acclaimed community theater
*
RRRecords – Internationally known record label and store
*
Sampas Pavilion – Outdoor amphitheater on the banks of the
Merrimack River
* Standing Room Only Players – musical review troupe
* UMass Lowell Department of Music Performances
* The United Teen Equality Center
''A by teens, for teens youth center promoting peace, positivity and empowerment for young people in Lowell.''
* UnchARTed – Gallery, studios, cafe, bar, and performance space in downtown Lowell
Libraries
Municipal
=Pollard Memorial Library / Lowell City Library
=
The first Lowell public library was established in 1844 with 3,500 volumes, and was set up in the first floor of the Old City Hall, 226 Merrimack St. In 1872, the expanding collection was relocated down the street to the
Hosford Building at 134 Merrimack St. In 1890–1891, the City of Lowell hired local Architect
Frederick W. Stickney to design the new Lowell City Library, known as "Memorial Hall, in honor of the city's men who died 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-2000s the century-old
National Historic building underwent a major $8.5m renovation. The city also 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 one-third deriving from the children's collection.
In fiscal year 2009, Lowell spent 0.35% ($885,377) of its budget on the library—approximately $8 per person, per year ($9.83 adjusted for inflation in 2021).
As of 2012, the Pollard Library purchases access for its patrons to databases owned by:
EBSCO Industries
EBSCO Industries is an American company founded in 1944 by Elton Bryson Stephens Sr. and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The "EBSCO" acronym is based on Elton Bryson Stephens Company. EBSCO Industries is a diverse company of over 40 bus ...
;
Gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between . , of
Cengage Learning
Cengage Group is an American educational content, technology, and services company for higher education, K–12, professional, and library markets. It operates in more than 20 countries around the world.(June 27, 2014Global Publishing Leaders 2 ...
;
Heritage Archives, Inc.;
New England Historic Genealogical Society;
OverDrive, Inc.;
ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene Power.
ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for l ...
; and World Trade Press.
University
=Lydon Library
=
The Lydon Library is a part of the
University of Massachusetts Lowell system, and is located on the North Campus. The building is named in honor of President Martin J. Lydon, whose 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 Lowell system, and is located on the South Campus. The building is named in honor of former History Professor and then President O'Leary, whose 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
pecial collections and archivesis a part of the
University of Massachusetts Lowell system, established in 1971 to assure the safekeeping, preservation, and availability for study and research of materials in unique subject areas, particularly those related to the Greater Lowell Area and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Located downtown in the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center at 40 French Street, the center is committed to the design and implementation of historical, educational, and cultural programs that link the university and the community in developing an economically strong and multi-culturally rich region. Its current collections and archives focus on historic and contemporary issues of Lowell (including: industrialization, textile technology, immigration, social history, regional history, labor history, women's history, and environmental history).
Sports
Boxing
Boxing has formed an important part of Lowell's working-class culture. The city's auditorium hosts the annual
New England Golden Gloves tournament, which featured fighters such as
Rocky Marciano,
Sugar Ray Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as Sugar Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning quintuple c ...
, and
Marvin Hagler.
Micky Ward and
Dicky Eklund both began their careers in Lowell, the subject of the 2010 film
The Fighter. Arthur Ramalho's West End Gym is where many of the city's boxers train.
Teams
*
University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks – NCAA Division I Hockey, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Field Hockey, Volleyball
*
Lowell Spinners – Former Class A short-season professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
*
Boston Fleet – professional ice hockey team. They are one of the six charter franchises of the
Professional Women's Hockey League
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...
(PWHL)
*
Lowell All-Americans –
NECBL (Collegiate Summer Baseball)
*
New England Riptide –
National Pro Fastpitch League (Major League Softball)
* Lowell Nor'easter – Semi-Professional football team (
New England Football League)
*
Greater Lowell United FC – Semi-Pro soccer team (
NPSL)
*
Massachusetts Pirates – Professional indoor football team that competes in the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...
(IFL)
Parks and recreation
Athletic venues
*
Edward A. LeLacheur Park Baseball Stadium – owned by the
University of Massachusetts Lowell
*
Lowell Memorial Auditorium – 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. On April 1, 2006, the arena held the
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
World Curling Championships.
*
Cawley Memorial Stadium – Stadium for
Lowell High School and other sporting events around the
Merrimack Valley. Uses
FieldTurf. Former home of the MICCA Marching Band Championship Finals
*
Stoklosa Alumni Field – Baseball stadium, used by Lowell All-Americans (4,000 seats)
*
Costello Athletic Center indoor arena on campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
* UMass Lowell Bellgarde Boathouse used as a rowing and kayaking center for UMass Lowell and the greater Lowell area
* Long Meadow Golf Club – Private 9 hole Golf course in the Belvidere neighborhood
* Mount Pleasant Golf Club – Private 9 hole Golf course in the Highlands neighborhood
Government
Lowell has a Plan-E
council-manager government. There are eleven city councilors and seven school committee members. The City Council is elected every two years and is composed of eight district seats and three at-large seats. The School Committee is elected for two-year terms and is composed of four district seats, two at-large seats, and the mayor. City Council and School Committee elections are non-partisan. In 1957, Lowell voters repealed a
single-transferable-vote system, which had been in place since 1943.
The
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
chooses one of its members as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
, and another as vice-mayor. The role of the mayor is primarily ceremonial. The mayor runs the weekly meetings under the guidance of the City Clerk. In addition, the mayor serves as the Chairperson of the School Committee.
The administrative head of the city government is the
City Manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
, who is responsible for all day-to-day operations, functioning within the guidelines of City Council policy, and is hired by and serves indefinitely at the pleasure of at least 5 of 9 City Councilors. As of April 2017, the City Manager is
Eileen M. Donghue replacing
Kevin J. Murphy.
Lowell is represented in the
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...
by elected state representatives Rodney Elliot (D-
16th Middlesex),
Vanna Howard (D-
17th Middlesex), Tara Hong (D-
18th Middlesex), and by State Senator Edward J. Kennedy (
1st Middlesex) who is also a City Councilor.
Federally, the city is part of
Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district and represented by
Lori Trahan (D). The state's senior Senator is
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
(D). the state's junior Senator is
Ed Markey
Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...
(D).
In July 2012, Lowell youth led a nationally reported campaign to gain voting privileges for 17-year-olds in local elections; it would have been the first municipality to do so. The 'Vote 17' campaign was supported by national researchers; its goals were to increase voter turnout, create lifelong civic habits, and increase youth input in local matters. The effort was led by youth at the United Teen Equality Center in downtown Lowell.
Voting rights lawsuit
Lowell is the last city in Massachusetts to use a fully plurality-at-large system due to its impact in diluting minority representation on its city council and school committee. With majority bloc voting these two committees were all-white, and had been mostly so for decades, despite the fact that the city's minority population had grown to 49%.
On May 18, 2017, the Boston
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Latino and Asian-American voters, charging Lowell with violating the
Voting Rights Act.
On May 29, 2019, a settlement agreement was reached that laid out six options for Lowell voters to review:
* A single-member district-based system, with nine city council districts including at least two majority-minority districts, and three school committee districts electing two members each, with at least one being a majority-minority district.
* A hybrid system that combines single-member district-based seats with at-large seats:
** Hybrid 8-1 will have eight single-member districts (at least two majority-minority) and one at-large seat for the city council, and four single-member districts (at least one majority-minority) and two at-large seats for the school committee;
** Hybrid 8-3 is the same as 8-1 but expanding the city council by two at-large seats;
** Hybrid 7-2 will have seven single-member districts (at least two majority-minority) and two at-large seats for the city council, and seven single-member districts (at least two majority-minority) for the school committee (increasing its size by one);
* An at-large system of nine city council seats and six school committee seats, elected using single transferable vote — a return to the system in place between 1943 and 1957.
* A three-district system elected using single transferable vote, with three members from each elected to the city council and two members from each elected to the school committee.
Two options will be selected by the city council and will be put before the voters to choose in a non-binding referendum in November 2019, with a final decision by the city council in December 2019. The new system must be put in place by the November 2021 municipal elections.
Education
Colleges and universities
With a rapidly growing student population, Lowell has been considered an emerging college town. With approximately 12,000 students at
Middlesex Community College (MCC) and 19,000 students at
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell is currently home to more than 31,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, and the location of some of the top research laboratories in Massachusetts.
UMass Lowell is the third largest state university and fifth largest university in Massachusetts, while MCC is the second largest Community college in Massachusetts.
*
Middlesex Community College
*
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Lowell Public Schools operates district public schools.
Lowell High School is the district public high school. Non-district public schools include
Greater Lowell Technical High School, Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School, Lowell Community Charter Public School, and Collegiate Charter School of Lowell.
Lowell Public Schools is an above average, public school district located in Lowell, MA. It has 14,247 students in grades Pre-K, K–12 with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.
Lowell High School students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Lowell High is 29 percent. The student body makeup is 50 percent male and 50 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 68 percent with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.
Media
Newspaper
''
The Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', headquartered in downtown Lowell, is a major daily newspaper serving
Greater Lowell and southern New Hampshire. The newspaper had an average daily circulation of about 42,900 copies in 2011. Continuing a trend of
concentration of newspaper ownership, ''The Sun'' was sold to newspaper conglomerate
MediaNews Group
MNG Enterprises, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado, United States–based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. As of May 2021, it owns over 100 newspapers and 200 ass ...
in 1997 after 119 years of family ownership.
Radio
*
WCAP AM 980, talk radio
*
WLLH AM 1400 Spanish Tropical
*
WUML FM 91.5, UMass Lowell-owned station
*
WCRB FM 99.5, Classical music, licensed to Lowell
Infrastructure
Transportation
Lowell can be reached by automobile from
Interstate 495,
U.S. Route 3, the
Lowell Connector, and Massachusetts Routes:
3A,
38,
110,
113 113 may refer to:
*113 (number), a natural number
*AD 113, a year
*113 BC, a year
*113 (band), a French hip hop group
*113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run to ...
, and
133, all of which run through the city; Route 133 begins at the spot where Routes 110 and 38 branch off just south of the Merrimack River.
There are
six bridges crossing the Merrimack River in Lowell, and four crossing the Concord River (not including the two for I-495).
For public transit, Lowell is served by the
Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA), which provides fixed route
bus services and
paratransit
Paratransit (also community transport in the United Kingdom, or intermediate public transport) is a type of public transport service that supplements fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. P ...
services to the city and surrounding area.
OurBus has daily bus service to Worcester and New York City. Other service includes
Merrimack Vallery Regional Transfer Authority (MVRTA) Route 24 to
Lawrence, and the Coach Company bus to
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is an integrated resort owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their Indian reservation, reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casino ...
.
Lowell is also served at
Lowell station by the MBTA's commuter rail
Lowell Line, with several departures daily to and from Boston's
North Station.
The
Lowell National Historical Park provides a free
streetcar
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
between its various sites in the city center, using track formerly used to provide freight access to the city's mills. An expansion to expand the system to was planned but rejected in 2016.
In addition to several car rental agencies, Lowell has four
Zipcar rental locations convenient to Gallagher Terminal, the Downtown, and the three
UMass Lowell campuses (North, South and East).
Hospitals
*
Lowell General Hospital
*
Saints Medical Center
Law enforcement
The city is primarily policed and protected by the
Lowell Police Department, the University Police:
UMass Lowell, and the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
Police. The
Massachusetts State Police and
Middlesex County Sheriff's Office also work with local law enforcement to set up driver checkpoints for alcohol awareness. With the growth of
UMass Lowell and the impact of its faculty and students in areas of scientific research, engineering, and nursing, the city has seen rapid gentrification of several neighborhoods.
Cable
Lowell Telecommunication Corporation (LTC) – A community media and technology center, as well as the first public access television station in Massachusetts to unionize, despite opposition from the nonprofit organization's board of directors.
Notable people
* ''See
List of people from Lowell, Massachusetts''
Businesses started and products invented
Current
The Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) Biotechnology Lab offers 11,000 square feet of fully equipped, shared lab facilities that can house 50 researchers and also includes plenty of co-working and meeting spaces.
The UMASS Lowell Innovation Hub (iHUB) offer entrepreneurs, startups, technology companies and established manufacturing partners 24-hour access to all the amenities they need to get their businesses up and running, such as:
* dedicated office space
* rapid prototype development equipment and services
* open co-working and collaboration space, and
* meeting and conferencing space.
Historical
*
Cash Carriers – William Stickney Lamson of Lowell patented this system in 1881.
*
CVS/pharmacy – originally named the Consumer Value Store was founded in Lowell in 1963.
*
Father John's Medicine a
cough medicine that was first formulated in the United States in a Lowell pharmacy in 1855.
*
Francis Turbine – A highly efficient water-powered turbine
*
Fred C. Church – Insurance (est. 1865)
*
Market Basket – Chain of approximately 80 grocery stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine
*
Moxie – the first mass-produced
soft drink
A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...
in the U.S.
*
Prince Spaghetti was once a major pasta manufacturer in the United States. The company moved from Boston to Lowell in 1941. Their plant was the largest pasta mill in the country and was located in the "Spaghettiville" section of town. The company was sold to Borden in 1987 and the plant closed in 1997 as production was moved to St. Louis. Their famous slogan was "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day".
*
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.
*
Stuarts Department Stores
*
Wang Laboratories
Wang Laboratories, Inc., was an American computer company founded in 1951 by An Wang and G. Y. Chu. The company was successively headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1954–1963), Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1963–1976), Lowell, Massachuse ...
–
Massachusetts Miracle computer company
Banks and financial institutions
* In 1854, the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank was founded as the first and only bank in the city that would accept a deposit of less than $1.00. It is the 73rd-oldest bank in America and has been in continuous operation since its founding.
* In 1892, Washington Savings Bank made its first home in Lowell and has continuously served the Greater Lowell area and communities.
* In 1989, Enterprise Bank and Trust was founded in Lowell and is the largest financial institution.
* In 1911, Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union was founded in Lowell and is the 5th-largest credit union in Massachusetts.
* In 1922, Align Credit Union was founded in Lowell.
* In 1936, the Lowell Firefighters Credit Union was founded in Lowell.
* In 1937, the Lowell Municipal Employees FCU was founded in Lowell.
* In 1958, Mills42 Federal Credit Union was founded in Lowell.
Merged financial institutions
* Lowell Bank and Trust Company (1970–1983; now part of Bank of America)
* Lowell Institution for Savings (1829–1991; now part of TD Banknorth N.A.)
* Butler Bank (1901–2010; now part of People's United Bank)
* Lowell Co-operative Bank/Sage Bank (1885–2018; now part of Salem Five Bank)
Twin towns – sister cities
Lowell's
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there ar ...
are:
*
Bamenda, Cameroon (2002)
*
Barclayville, Liberia
*
Berdyansk, Ukraine (1997)
*
Kalamata, Greece (2020)
*
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, Kenya
*
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
, Ireland (2013)
*
Lobito, Angola
*
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
, Cambodia (2015)
*
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France (1989)
*
Winneba, Ghana (2010)
Honors
* 2010, Lowell designated as a "Green Community"
* 1997 and 1998, Lowell was a finalist for the
All-America City award.
[NCL.org](_blank)
* 1999, Lowell received an All-America City award.
See also
*
List of mill towns in Massachusetts
References
Further reading
* Dalzell, Robert F. ''Enterprising elite: The Boston Associates and the world they made'' (Harvard University Press, 1987)
* Deitch, Joanne Weisman. ''The Lowell Mill Girls: Life in the Factory'' (Perspectives on History Series) (1998)
*
Dublin, Thomas''Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1826-1860'' (Columbia University Press, 1981)
* Eno, Arthur Louis. ''Cotton was king: A history of Lowell, Massachusetts'' (New Hampshire Publishing Company, 1976)
* Gross, Laurence F. ''The Course of Industrial Decline: The Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, 1835-1955'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993)
* 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)
* Weible, Robert, ed. ''The Continuing Revolution: A History of Lowell, Massachusetts'' (1991)
Primary sources
* Denenberg, Barry. ''So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, An Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts 1847'' (Dear America Series) (2003)
* Eisler, Benita
''The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1845)'' J.B. Lippincott (1977); Norton (1998)
* Larcom, Lucy
"Among Lowell Mill-Girls: a reminiscence" ''The Atlantic Monthly'', v.XLVIII (48), no.268, November 1881, pp. 593–612.
* The Lowell Historical Society
''Lowell: The Mill City (MA)'' (Postcard History Series) Arcadia Publishing. (2005), illustrated postcards
External links
City of Lowell official web siteMerrimack Valley Region tourist informationUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell HistoryLowell Folklife Project Library of Congress
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{{authority control
Cities in Massachusetts
County seats in Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1653
Massachusetts populated places on the Merrimack River
History of the textile industry
1653 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Cities in Middlesex County, Massachusetts