Fitchburg is a city in northern
Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts. Being 1,510.6 ...
, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the
2020 census.
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...
is located here.
History
Fitchburg was first settled in by Europeans in 1730 as part of
Lunenburg, and was officially set apart from that town and incorporated in 1764. The area was previously occupied by the
Nipmuc
The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian languages, Eastern Algonquian language, probably the Loup language. Their historic territory Nippenet, meaning 'the f ...
tribe. It is named for John Fitch, one of the committee that procured the act of incorporation. In July 1748 Fitch and his family, living in this isolated spot, were abducted to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
by
Native Americans, but returned the next year.
Fitchburg is situated on both the
Nashua River and a
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line. The original
Fitchburg Railroad ran through the
Hoosac Tunnel, linking
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 ...
and
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
. The tunnel was built using the Burleigh Rock Drill, designed and built in Fitchburg. Fitchburg was a 19th-century industrial center. Originally operated by
water power
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...
, large mills produced machines, tools, clothing, paper, and firearms. The city is noted for its
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
, particularly in the
Victorian style, built at the height of its
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
...
prosperity. A few examples of these 19th century buildings are
the Fay Club, the old North Worcester County Courthouse and the Bullock house.
In 1922, it was affected by the
1922 New England Textile Strike, shutting down the mills in the city over an attempted wage cut.
As the city is one of Worcester County's two shire towns, it has hosted the Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds, established in 1903, and the county jail on Water Street.
In 1961, two films ''
Return to Peyton Place'' and ''
By Love Possessed'' filmed exterior street scenes, town squares and public buildings in Fitchburg.
Geography
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 , or 1.07%, is water. The city is drained by the
Nashua River. The highest point in Fitchburg is the summit of Brown Hill near the northwestern corner of the city, at above sea level.
Fitchburg is bordered by
Ashby to the north,
Lunenburg to the east,
Leominster
Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...
to the south,
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
to the west, and a small portion of
Ashburnham to the northwest.
Neighborhoods
Fitchburg is divided into multiple different neighborhoods/villages, including:
* Cleghorn
* Crockerville
* College Area
* Downtown Fitchburg
* East Side
* Green Acres Village
* North Fitchburg
* The Patch
* Prichard-Pleasant Street
* South Fitchburg
* Tar Hill
* Upper Common
* Waite's Corner
* West Fitchburg
Climate
Fitchburg's climate is
humid continental, which is the predominant climate for
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Summers are typically warm, rainy, and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Spring and fall are usually mild, but conditions vary widely and depend on wind direction and jet stream positioning. The warmest month is July, with an average high temperature of about 84 °F and an average low temperature of about 63 °F. The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of about 35 °F and an average low temperature of about 17 °F.
Demographics
As of the
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 ...
of 2010, there were 40,318 people, 15,165 households, and 9,362 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,117 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.2%
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 ...
, 5.1%
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, 3.6%
Asian, 0.0%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 9.1% from
other races, and 3.7% 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 21.6% of the population (14.6%
Puerto Rican, 1.8%
Dominican, 1.6%
Uruguayan
Uruguayans () are people identified with the country of Uruguay, through citizenship or descent. Uruguay is home to people of different ethnic origins. As a result, many Uruguayans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizen ...
, 1.4%
Mexican, 0.3%
Ecuadorian, 0.2%
Colombian, 0.2%
Honduran, 0.1%
Guatemalan, 0.1%
Salvadoran, 0.1%
Spanish, 0.1%
Peruvian
Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...
).
76.9% spoke
English, 15.1%
Spanish, 4.2%
Other Indo-European Language and 2.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander Languages as their first language.
There were 15,165 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% 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, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,019, and the median income for a family was $57,245. Males had a median income of $47,350 versus $37,921 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 $22,972. About 14.6% of families and 19.4% of the population 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 27.3% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Throughout the early twentieth century, Fitchburg was known for its paper industry, which occupied the banks of the
Nashua River and employed a large segment of the European immigrant population. It has been noted by many residents in Fitchburg that the Nashua River would be dyed the color the paper mills had been coloring the paper that day.
* Founded in 1939, the
Wachusett Potato Chip Company purchased the former County Jail buildings and grounds in the 1940s and has operated as a manufacturing and distributing facility for snack products since that time. It was purchased by UTZ in 2011 and still makes chips for local distribution using the Wachusett name.
* Two truck manufacturing firms, the Wachusett Truck Company and the New England Truck Company, operated in Fitchburg during the early twentieth century.
* Simonds International, Saw manufacturer founded in Fitchburg in 1832 and still operating on Intervale Road.
* The
Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works made motorcycles for a short time, in addition to their primary products, firearms and bicycles.
*
Assumption Life, a large
financial services
Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...
company, was founded in Fitchburg in 1903 before moving to
Moncton
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...
,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
.
* When completed in June 2014
Great Wolf Lodge New England will have spent over 70 million dollars in renovations to former Holiday Inn/Coco Key Water Resort There will be over 400 new permanent jobs created from this project.
Fitchburg Central Steam Plant
The Fitchburg Central Steam Plant (locally known by its nickname: the PLT) was built in 1928 to provide steam and electricity to the many local paper mills. As the paper mills were abandoned or improved the Central Steam Plant fell into disuse and was abandoned. In 2008, the
EPA designated the Central Steam Plant a
brownfield site due to contamination of the site soil and groundwater with metals and inorganic contaminants. The EPA provided the City of Fitchburg $50,500 in grant money to help clean up hazardous substances on the site.
Cleanup of the Central Steam Plant started in 2010 and is ongoing as of July 2011. As of December 2015, the Fitchburg Central Steam Plant has been razed. The last structure to fall was its massive smokestack.
Arts and culture
The
Fitchburg Art Museum was founded in 1925 and includes over of gallery and educational space which features a "cross barn" built in 1883, the Simond's building completed in 1989, and 12 galleries feature American, African, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art.
The
Rollstone Boulder is a 110-ton specimen of
porphyritic granite located in a small triangular public park. The boulder was a feature of the summit of Rollstone Hill; it was exploded and reassembled on the green in 1929 and 1930.
The
Fitchburg Historical Society houses more than 200,000 items related to the history of Fitchburg, including Sentinel newspapers from 1838 to 1976, city directories, photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts, family genealogies, postcards, files on industries in the City, books and pamphlets on Fitchburg's history from the 1700s to the present, a Civil War collection, and a collection on the railroad.

The Fitchburg Public Library was established in 1859. In 1899, a child-specific library service began in one of the country's first children's rooms. Fitchburg Public Library became the first regional library in the
Massachusetts Regional Library System in 1962. In 2008, the library had a budget of $1,111,412. In 2014, the Fitchburg Law Library opened.
Other cultural features include:
*
Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge
*
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, also known as the Longsjo Classic, was an annual road bicycle racing, bicycle stage race, race held in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. The race began in 1960 as the Arthur M. Longsjo Jr ...
(no longer active)
* The Finnish Center at Saima Park
*
Wallace Civic Center of Fitchburg State University
Parks and recreation

* Coggshall Park — a park established in 1894, which features wooded trails, access to Mirror Lake, a walking path, gazebo, stone house, playground, and disc golf course.
* Flat Rock Wild Life Sanctuary — a wild life sanctuary.
* Fitchburg Abolitionist Park — created in 2017 by volunteers to honor the rich history of anti-slavery activism in the city, including its role in the
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
.
* West Fitchburg Steam Line Trail — a bike and walking path located in Fitchburg that is long and runs along the Nashua River and Flag Brook in the Waites Corner neighborhood.
*
Crocker Field — an athletic facility listed 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 ...
.
* Coolidge Park — a multi-use park located off John Fitch Highway, containing 2 street hockey rinks, 4 baseball/softball fields, a swimming pool and walking path.
* Fitchburg Dog Park — a 1-acre fenced, off-leash dog park located off John Fitch Highway within Coolidge Park.
Government
*
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 ...
: Samantha M. Squailia
*
State Representative: Michael Kushmerek
*
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
History
There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
: John Cronin (D)
*
Governor's Councilor: Paul DePalo (D)
*
U.S. Representative:
Lori Trahan
Lori Ann Trahan ( ; Loureiro; born October 27, 1973) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district covers Boston's northwestern suburbs, and includes Lowell, Lawrence, Concord, a ...
(D-
3rd District)
*
U.S. Senators:
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),
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)
Education
Elementary schools
* Crocker Elementary School
* South Street Elementary School
* Reingold Elementary School
Middle schools
* Memorial Middle School
* Longsjo Middle School
High schools
*
Fitchburg High School
* Goodrich Academy
* McKay Arts Academy
*
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also called ''Monty Tech''
*
Sizer School
Private schools
*
Applewild School
*
Notre Dame Preparatory School
* St. Bernard's Elementary School
*
St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School
St. Anthony of Padua School opened and closed in 2017. In its final year it had 144 students. Its closure meant that Fitchburg now has only one remaining Roman Catholic grade school.
Colleges and universities
*
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...
Established in 1894 by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, the State Normal School in Fitchburg opened in temporary quarters in the old high school building on Academy Street.
Media
Newspapers
* ''
Raivaaja''
* ''
Sentinel & Enterprise''
Television
* Fitchburg has its own access TV station, Fitchburg Access Television. The station covers various local events, ranging from local school sports to municipal government meetings. FATV operates three Public, Education, and Government (PEG) channels. FATV channels can be viewed on Comcast (channels 8, 9, & 99) and on Verizon (channels 35, 36, & 37). FATV is not available on satellite TV.
Radio
*
WPKZ, AM-1280 FM-105.3 Originally licensed in 1941
*
WXPL, FM-91.3 Fitchburg State Radio
*
WXLO, FM-104.5
*
WQPH, FM-89.3 (Queen of Perpetual Help) Shirley/Fitchburg an EWTN Catholic Radio affiliate
Infrastructure
Fire department
The Fitchburg Fire Department employs 81 firefighters, operating out of three stations. It responds to approximately 12,000 emergency calls annually.
Law enforcement
* Fitchburg Police Department, a full-service law enforcement agency responsible for and of public road. The department responds to over 40,000 incidents each year.
* Worcester County Sheriff's Office
*
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for law enforcement and vehicle regulation across the state. As of 2024, it has 2,500 sworn troop ...
Medical care
UMass Memorial Health operates a hospital in Fitchburg.
Transportation

Transportation for Fitchburg is largely supplied by the
Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as paratransit services within the
Montachusett Region. It also provides two connections to the
MBTA Commuter Rail line at
Fitchburg Station and
Wachusett Station. The Fitchburg Station is the second to last stop on the
Fitchburg Line from the
North Station in
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 ...
and the Wachusett Station is the last stop.
The
Fitchburg Municipal Airport occupies off Airport Road in Fitchburg near the Leominster border. In 1940, the airport land was donated to the City of Fitchburg and serves the greater Fitchburg area.
Notable people
*
Joseph Palmer, beard enthusiast
*
Herbert Adams, sculptor of "WWI, Winged Glory" in the Upper Common of Fitchburg
*
Amerie (Amerie Mi Marie Rogers), singer and actress
*
Jacques Aubuchon, character actor
*
Mike Barnicle
Michael Barnicle (born October 13, 1943) is an American journalist and commentator who has worked in print, radio, and television. He is a senior contributor and the veteran columnist on MSNBC's ''Morning Joe''. He is also seen on NBC's ''Today ( ...
, newspaper writer
*
Michael Beasley
Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State University for one ...
,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player, high school All-American; attended
Notre Dame Preparatory School
*
Orlando Boss,
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient from the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
*
Ken Bouchard, former
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver, 1988
NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
*
Ron Bouchard, former
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver, 1981
NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, former owner of many car dealerships
*
Everett Francis Briggs, Catholic priest and miners' activist, born in Fitchburg, his life's mission was dedicated to the victims of the
Monongah Mining Disaster
*
Carolyn Brown, dancer, choreographer, and writer, danced with
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...
*
Henry Sweetser Burrage, clergyman, editor, author, Maine historian
*
James "Nixey" Callahan, Major League Baseball pitcher around the turn of the 20th century, later manager of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
*
Herbert William Conn, zoologist and bacteriologist
*
Marcus A. Coolidge, United States Senator
*
Alvah Crocker, manufacturer and railroad promoter, United States Representative
*
George Crowther,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player
*
Kenneth Emory, anthropologist
*
Donald Featherstone, artist and creator of the
plastic flamingo lawn ornament
*
Ryan Gomes,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player; attended
Notre Dame Preparatory School
*
Bruce Gordon, actor (''
Ishtar
Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
'', ''
Adam-12
''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...
'', ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
'', ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...
'', and ''
The Untouchables'')
*
Samuel W. Hale, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the 39th Governor of New Hampshire
*
Christian Hansen Jr., U.S. Marshal for Vermont
*
Ripley Hitchcock
Ripley Hitchcock (born James Ripley Wellman Hitchcock; 1857–1918) was a prominent American editor. He edited the works of Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Zane Grey, Joel Chandler Harris, Stephen Crane and Theodore Dreiser.
Biography
Rip ...
, prominent editor
*
Lempi Ikävalko, Finnish-born poet, author, journalist; for 30 years, editor at Fitchburg's ''
Raivaaja'' newspaper
*
George Juskalian, was a decorated Colonel of the United States Army who served for over three decades and fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
*
Viola Léger, American-born Canadian actress and politician
*
Louise Freeland Jenkins, astronomer
*
Iver Johnson, of Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works, located in Fitchburg
*
Rob Laakso, a renowned musician, record producer and engineer
*
Erika Lawler, member of the
2009–10 United States national women's ice hockey team
*
Ray LeBlanc,
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...
*
John Legere
John Legere (born June 4, 1958) is an American businessman, former chief executive officer (CEO) and president of T-Mobile US. He previously worked for AT&T, Dell, and Global Crossing. He resigned as CEO following the approval of the merger of T- ...
, CEO of
T-Mobile US
T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Its majority shareholder and namesake is the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile is the second largest wireless carrie ...
*
Art Longsjo, Winter and Summer Olympian;
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, also known as the Longsjo Classic, was an annual road bicycle racing, bicycle stage race, race held in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. The race began in 1960 as the Arthur M. Longsjo Jr ...
is held in his memory
*
Caroline Atherton Mason, poet
*
Matti Mattson, American labor organizer, social activist, and Veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War
*
Hiram Maxim, inventor of the
first self-powered machine gun
*
Patricia Misslin, voice teacher and soprano
*
Pat Moran,
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
, managed the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
and the
1919 World Series
The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1919 Major League Baseball season, 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion 1919 Chicago White Sox season, ...
champion
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
*
Clara Hapgood Nash (1839–1921), first woman to be admitted to the bar in New England; born in Fitchburg
["Clara Hapgood Nash: A Woman of Her Time and Ahead of It"]
Acton Historical Society website, June 17, 2018.
*
George Noory, host of ''
Coast to Coast AM''; spent some years in Fitchburg and occasionally mentions the city on his show
*
Eleanor Norcross, founder of the Fitchburg Art Museum, artist, collector, social reformer
*
Joseph Pilato, actor most known for Day of the Dead
*
Benjamin A. Poore, U.S. Army major general
*
Marion Rice, Denishawn dancer, teacher, choreographer, producer
*
Charles L. Robinson, physician, journalist and first governor of Kansas
*
Sylvanus Sawyer, inventor and manufacturer
*
Asa Thurston, Hawaiian missionary
*
Oskari Tokoi, editor of
Raivaaja
*
Calvin M. Woodward, St. Louis educator
*
Samuel Worcester, clergyman noted for his participation in a controversy over
Unitarianism
Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...
*
Alan Shealy, American rower and Harvard graduate
In popular culture
In
Harry Potter universe, Fitchburg is the hometown of the professional
Quidditch
Quidditch () is a fictional sport invented by author J. K. Rowling for her fantasy book series ''Harry Potter''. It first appeared in the novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997). In the series, Quidditch is portrayed as a dang ...
team the Fitchburg Finches.
The children's book ''
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg'' by D.B. Johnson is set in Fitchburg.
In 2012,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
published a comic book series entitled ''Falling Skies: The Battle of Fitchburg''.
Twin towns – sister cities
*
Kleve
Kleve (; traditional ; ; ; ; ; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Netherlands, Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Cleves was capital of a county and lat ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
, Germany
*
Kokkola
Kokkola (; , ) is a town in Finland and the regional capital of Central Ostrobothnia. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kokkola is approximately , while the Kokkola sub-region, sub-region h ...
, Finland
*
Tianjin
Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
, China
*
Oni
An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...
, Georgia
See also
*
Fitchburg Trappers
*
Liberté de Fitchburg
*
List of mill towns in Massachusetts
References
Further reading
* Rufus C. Torrey
''History of the town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts''(1865)
External links
*
*
', article in the ''Bay State Monthly'', from
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
{{authority control
Cities in Worcester County, Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1730
1730 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Cities in Massachusetts