Print of Fitchburg from 1882 byL.R. Burleigh with listing of landmarks
Fitchburg was first settled in by Europeans in 1730 as part ofLunenburg, and was officially set apart from that town and incorporated in 1764. The area was previously occupied by theNipmuc tribe. It is named for John Fitch, one of the committee that procured the act of incorporation.[4] In July 1748 Fitch and his family, living in this isolated spot, were abducted toCanada byNative Americans, but returned the next year.[5]
Fitchburg is situated on both theNashua River and arailroad line. The originalFitchburg Railroad ran through theHoosac Tunnel, linkingBoston andAlbany, New York. The tunnel was built using the Burleigh Rock Drill, designed and built in Fitchburg. Fitchburg was a 19th-century industrial center. Originally operated bywater power, large mills produced machines, tools, clothing, paper, and firearms. The city is noted for itsarchitecture, particularly in theVictorian style, built at the height of itsmill town prosperity. A few examples of these 19th century buildings arethe Fay Club, the old North Worcester County Courthouse[6] and the Bullock house.[7]
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.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 square miles (73 km2), of which 27.8 square miles (72 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 1.07%, is water. The city is drained by theNashua River. The highest point in Fitchburg is the summit of Brown Hill near the northwestern corner of the city, at 1,210 feet (370 m) above sea level.[12]
Fitchburg's climate ishumid continental, which is the predominant climate forMassachusetts andNew England.[17] 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.
Climate data for Fitchburg Municipal Airport, Fitchburg, Massachusetts (1998–2020 normals); Snow: Fitchburg COOP (2016–2023)
There were 15,165 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% weremarried couples 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. Theper capita income for the city was $22,972. About 14.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.
Throughout the early twentieth century, Fitchburg was known for its paper industry, which occupied the banks of theNashua 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.[32]
Founded in 1939, theWachusett 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.[33]
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.
TheIver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works made motorcycles for a short time, in addition to their primary products, firearms and bicycles.
When completed in June 2014Great Wolf Lodge New England[34] 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.
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, theEPA designated the Central Steam Plant abrownfield 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[35] to help clean up hazardous substances on the site.
Cleanup[36] 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.
TheFitchburg Art Museum was founded in 1925 and includes over 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) 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.[37]
The Rollstone Boulder, on the summit of Rollstone Hill in 1909
TheRollstone Boulder is a 110-ton specimen ofporphyritic 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.[38]
TheFitchburg 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.[39]
The Fitchburg Public Library was established in 1859.[40][41] In 1899, a child-specific library service began in one of the country's first children's rooms.[42] Fitchburg Public Library became the first regional library in theMassachusetts Regional Library System in 1962.[43] In 2008, the library had a budget of $1,111,412.[44] In 2014, the Fitchburg Law Library opened.[45]
Coggshall Park — a 300-acre (120 ha) park established in 1894, which features wooded trails, access to Mirror Lake, a walking path, gazebo, stone house, playground, and disc golf course.[48]
Flat Rock Wild Life Sanctuary[49] — a 326-acre (132 ha) 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 theUnderground Railroad.[50]
West Fitchburg Steam Line Trail[51] — a bike and walking path located in Fitchburg that is 0.6 acres (0.24 ha) long and runs along the Nashua River and Flag Brook in the Waites Corner neighborhood.
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.[53]
Fitchburg Dog Park — a 1-acre fenced, off-leash dog park located off John Fitch Highway within Coolidge Park.[54]
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.[62]
Fitchburg has its own access TV station, Fitchburg Access Television.[63] 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.
The Fitchburg Fire Department employs 81 firefighters, operating out of three stations. It responds to approximately 12,000 emergency calls annually.[64][65]
Fitchburg Police Department,[66] a full-service law enforcement agency responsible for 28 square miles (73 km2) and 192 miles (310 km) of public road. The department responds to over 40,000 incidents each year.
TheFitchburg Municipal Airport occupies 335 acres (136 ha) 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.
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
^Foner, Philip Sheldon; Foner, Philip Sheldon (1991).History of the labor movement in the United States. 9: The T.U.E.L. to the end of the Gompers era / by Philip S. Foner. New York: Intl Publ. pp. 19–31.ISBN978-0-7178-0674-4.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1920 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1890 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1870 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1860 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1850 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). 1: Number of Inhabitants. Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, pp. 21-7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920.Archived(PDF) from the original on June 9, 2011. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^R. B. (1941)."Obituary, Benjamin Andrew Poore".Seventy-Second Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy (.pdf Download). Newburgh, NY: Moore Printing Company. pp. 152–154 – via West Point Digital Library.
^"Paul Price".Zarro Percussion. March 27, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2025.
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