LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS

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'Lowell' is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 105,167. It is the fourth largest city in the state. It and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County. Founded as a planned manufacturing center for textiles along the Merrimack River northwest of Boston, it was a thriving industrial center during the 19th century, attracting many immigrants and migrant workers to its mills. With the decline of its manufacturing in the 20th century, the city fell into deep hard times but has begun to rebound in recent decades. The former mill district along the river is partially restored and composes part of the Lowell National Historical Park.

Contents
History
Geography
Demographics
Government
Points of interest
Culture
Sports
Venues
Annual events
Businesses started and/or products invented in Lowell
Lowell in print
Notable residents
References
External links

History


Main articles: History of Lowell, Massachusetts

Geography


Lowell's canal system - today

Lowell is located at (42.639515, -71.314588). It can be reached by automobile from Interstate 495, US Route 3, the Lowell Connector, and Massachusetts Routes 3A, 110, 113, and 133. It can be reached by passenger train from Boston's North Station on the MBTA Lowell Commuter Rail Line (stops at the Gallagher Transportation Terminal).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.7 km² (14.5 mi²). 35.7 km² (13.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (5.23%) is water.
Lowell has 5 zip codes, 4 are geographically distinct general zip codes and 1 is for PO-boxes only (01853).
The zip code 01850 is the northeastern section of the city, north of the Merrimack River and east of Beaver Brook. This area is known as Centralville. Christian Hill is located here in the area east of Bridge Street. Lower Centralville refers to the section closest to the Merrimack River.
The zip code 01851 is the southwestern section of the city, bordered to the east by the Lowell Connector and to the north by the railroad. This area is commonly referred to as the Lowell Highlands. The Lower Highlands refers to the portion of this area closest to downtown. Middlesex Village, Tyler Park and Drum Hill are in this zip code.
The zip code 01852 is the southeastern section of the city. It is south of the Merrimack River and bordered to the west by the Lowell Connector, towards the south. This zip code includes Lowell's city offices, downtown, Belvidere, Back Central and South Lowell. Belvidere is the mostly residential area south of the Merrimack River, east of the Concord River and north of the Lowell and Lawrence railroad. Belvidere Hill is an Historic District along Fairmount St. Lower Belvidere refers to the section west of Nesmith Street. Back Central is an urban area south of downtown towards the mouth of River Meadow Brook. South Lowell is the area south of the railroad and east of the Concord River. Other neighborhoods in this zip code are Ayers City, Bleachery, Chapel Hill, the Grove, Oaklands, Riverside Park, Swede Village and Wigginsville, but their use is mostly antiquated.
The zip code 01854 is the northwestern portion of the city and includes Pawtucketville and the Acre.
The surrounding towns (clockwise from north) are Dracut, Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford, and Tyngsborough. The ten communities designated part of the Lowell Metropolitan area by the 2000 US Census are Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lowell, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Westford, and Pelham, New Hampshire. See Greater Lowell.
Lowell received an "All-America City" award in 1999, and was a finalist in 1997 and 1998.[1]

Demographics


As of the census of 2000, there were 105,167 people, 37,887 households, and 23,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,948.8/km² (7,635.6/mi²). There were 39,468 housing units at an average density of 1,106.7/km² (2,865.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.60% White, 16.52% Asian, 4.21% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.48% from other races, and 3.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.01% of the population. Lowell is home to the second largest Cambodian population in the United States after Long Beach, California. There is an estimated 25,000 Cambodians living in the city of Lowell, but local community leaders estimate the number to be around 35,000 [2].
There were 37,887 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,192, and the median income for a family was $45,901. Males had a median income of $33,554 versus $27,399 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,557. About 13.6% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government


Lowell has a Council-manager government. There are nine city councilors and six school committee members, all elected at large in a non-partisan election. The City Council chooses one of its number as mayor, and another as vice-mayor; the mayor serves as chair of the council, serves as the seventh member of the school committee, and performs certain ceremonial duties. The administrative head of the city government is the City Manager, who is responsible for all day-to-day operations, functioning within the guidelines of City Council policy, and is hired by and serves at the pleasure of the City Council as whole. As of September 2006, the City Manager is Bernard F. Lynch and William F. Martin Jr. is the Mayor.
As of August 2005, Lowell is part of one Massachusetts Senate district (First Middlesex, represented by Steven C. Panagiotakos (D)) and three Massachusetts Representative Districts (Sixteenth Middlesex, represented by Thomas A. Golden, Jr. (D), Seventeenth Middlesex, represented by David M. Nangle (D), and Eighteenth Middlesex, represented by Kevin J. Murphy (D)). It is part of the Fifth Massachusetts Congressional District, represented by Martin T. Meehan (D).

Points of interest


The Boott Mill complex now converted to a museum.


Canal Walk - Walking trails along the 5.6 miles of canals of Lowell

Lowell Dracut Tyngsboro State Forest - Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails in an urban state forest

Lowell Memorial Auditorium - performance venue

Lowell National Historical Park

New England Golden Gloves - Boxing

Tsongas Arena - concert venue

Vandenberg Esplanade - Walking, biking, swimming, and picnicking park along the banks of the Merrimack River

Culture


Birthplace of painter James McNeill Whistler.


Angkor Dance Troupe [3] - Cambodian classical and folk dance company and youth program

Brush With History Artist Gallery

Lowell Rocks [4] - Lowell nightlife and entertainment web site

Lowell Telecommunication Corporation [5] (LTC) - a community media and technology center

Merrimack Reperatory Theater - professional equity theater

OUtlET - a performance magazine and music publisher

Play by Player's Theatre Company - critically acclaimed community theater

Revolving Museum - Jerry Beck's modern art museum

Standing Room Only Players - musical review troupe

Western Avenue Studios - a converted mill on Western Avenue which houses over 100 working artists and musicians. These studios are open to the public on the 1st Saturday of each month from 12-5 PM.

Whistler House Museum of Art - art museum in birthplace of James MacNeil Whistler

Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell - local history library and archive

WUML - Noncommercial free-format college radio station (A student organization has operated the station since 1952; currently this organization controls the entire broadcast day except the hours from 5:00 to 10:00 am M-F, which are controlled by the University itself).

Sports


On April 1, 2006, Lowell held the 2006 World Curling Championships for the men's teams at the Tsongas Arena.

Lowell Devils - AHL hockey team (formerly Lowell Lock Monsters). Affiliate of the New Jersey Devils

Lowell Spinners - Class A short-season professional baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox

Lowell All-Americans - NECBL (College Baseball)

★ New England Riptide [6] - National Pro Fastpitch League (Major League Softball)

University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks, NCAA Division I Hockey, and Division II Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Cross Country, Volleyball
Venues


Edward A. LeLacheur Park Baseball Stadium, shared by Lowell Spinners and the University of Massachusetts Lowell

Lowell Memorial Auditorium - performance and boxing venue

Tsongas Arena - multi-use sports and concert venue (6000 seats)

Cawley Memorial Stadium- Stadium for Lowell High School and other sporting events around the Merrimack Valley. Uses FieldTurf

Annual events



Bay State Marathon - October marathon and half marathon

Lowell Folk Festival - three day free folk festival attended by on average 250,000 people on the last weekend in July

Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival [7] - annual summer event that celebrates Southeast Asian culture

Winterfest - celebration of winter in February

Businesses started and/or products invented in Lowell



CVS/pharmacy

Moxie - the first mass-produced soft drink in the U.S.

Wang Laboratories

Telephone numbers

Francis Turbine

Market Basket - Large chain of grocery stores

cash carriers

Lowell in print


Lowell has been the subject of a number of novels. Some of the better known ones are:

★ Jack Kerouac, who was born in Lowell, set several biographical novels there, including Visions of Gerard and Doctor Sax.

Katherine Paterson's novel "Lyddie" tells the fictional story of a Lowell Mill Girl in the nineteenth century who fights for better working conditions in the hot, crowded and dangerous mills. She also discovers true friendship, love, and how to handle the hardballs of life. Lyddie is a brave and intelligent young girl searching for a way to make money in order to save her farm. She and her brother eventually get separated and work for their dream. While they work, their mother and their small family fight to survive.

★ In Avi's "Beyond The Western Sea Book 2: Lord Kirkle's Money" Lowell is the destination of immigrants hoping to reach America and begin new lives.

★ "Call The Darkness Light" written by Nancy Zaroulis. A novel about a young woman left alone in the world following the death of her father. Tells the story of the difficult life of a mid 19th century Lowell Girl and the realities of the textile industry.

Notable residents



Charles Herbert Allen Governor of Puerto Rico

★ James Taylor Ames, born in Lowell, noted manufacturer[1]

Benjamin Franklin Butler, Union general in the Civil War, governor of Massachusetts, and presidential candidate

Michael Casey, poet

Michael Chiklis, actor

Bette Davis, actress

George Bassett Clark, astronomer

Benjamin Dean, lawyer and politician

George Washington Dixon, entertainer and newspaper editor

James B. Francis, pioneer of American civil engineering

Maurice K. Goddard, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a driving force in creating 45 Pennsylvania state parks in his 24 years in office.

Ryan Johnston, sportscaster and talk show host on WCAP-AM 980 in Lowell

Jack Kerouac, author

Walker Lewis, radical African American abolitionist and early Mormon Elder

Richard M. Linnehan, NASA astronaut and veterinarian

Francis Cabot Lowell, business man, for whom the town is named

Christopher Makos, photographer, artist.

Ed McMahon, entertainer

Marty Meehan, Former Congressman in the United States House of Representatives, current Chancellor of UMass/Lowell

Paul Tsongas, former United States Senator and Democratic presidential candidate

An Wang, inventor and businessman

James McNeill Whistler, painter and etcher

★ "Irish" Micky Ward, boxer

Olympia Dukakis, actress

Vince Vouyer, male pornographic actor

References


1. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,

External links



City of Lowell official web site

Merrimack Valley Region tourist information

''Lowell Sun'' newspaper

University of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell History

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