The Massachusetts Mill at the confluence of theMerrimack andConcord Rivers; across the Cox Bridge are the Boott Mills; in the upper left is the historic Lowell Sun building with its iconic sign on top.
ThePawtucket 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.[7] ThePawtucket people are named for this location, literally meaning "at the falls" inMassachusett.[8] In the mid-1600s, English efforts to convert native people to Christianity led to the founding of the "praying town" ofWamesit at the confluence of theConcord andMerrimack Rivers in what is today Lowell,[7] however the population of Wamesit was reckoned at only 75 people just prior toKing Phillip's War,[7] 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.
Founded in the 1820s as a plannedmanufacturing center fortextiles, Lowell is located along the rapids of theMerrimack River, 25 miles (40 km) northwest ofBoston in what used to be a farming community called EastChelmsford, Massachusetts. The so-calledBoston Associates, includingNathan Appleton andPatrick Tracy Jackson of theBoston Manufacturing Company, named the new mill town after their visionary leader,Francis Cabot Lowell,[9] 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 fromIreland, escaping the poverty andGreat Famine of the 1830s and 1840s. The mill workers, young single women calledMill Girls, generally came from the farm families of New England.
Saint Anne's Episcopal Church, built 1824
By the 1850s, Lowell had the largest industrial complex in the United States. The textile industry wove cotton produced in theSouthern United States. In 1860, there were more cotton spindles in Lowell than in all eleven states combined that would form theConfederate States of America.[10] 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."[11] 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 theCatholic Germans, followed by a large influx ofFrench 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.[12] By the timeWorld War I broke out in Europe, the city had reached its economic peak.
The Mill Cities' manufacturing base declined as companies began to relocate to the South in the 1920s.[12] The city fell into hard times, and was even referred to as a "depressed industrial desert" byHarper's Magazine in 1931, as theGreat Depression 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.[12] Several years later, the mills were reactivated, makingparachutes and other military necessities forWorld War II. However, this economic boost was short-lived and the post-war years saw the last textile plants close.
Mills sat abandoned after industry left the city in the early twentieth century.
In the 1970s, Lowell became part of theMassachusetts Miracle, being the headquarters ofWang Laboratories. At the same time, Lowell became home to thousands of new immigrants, many fromCambodia, following thegenocide at the hands of theKhmer Rouge. 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 theLowell National Historical Park, founded in the late 1970s.
Former mill agent's house
Although Wang went bankrupt in 1992, the city continued its cultural focus by hosting the nation's largest free folk festival, theLowell 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 wereadapted 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, theLowell Devils andLowell Spinners. The city also began to have a larger student population. TheUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell andMiddlesex 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.[15]
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 aform-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.[16]
Pawtucket Canal
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.[17] 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 toGallagher Terminal.[18][19]
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. Between the years 1994–1999, crime dropped 50%, which was the highest rate of decrease for any American city 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.[20] 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).[20]
Lowell features a four-seasonHumid continental climate, with long and very cold winters, which typically experience an average 56 in (1,400 mm) of snowfall, with the highest ever recorded seasonal snowfall being 120 in (3,000 mm) 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 64 to 84 °F (18 to 29 °C) in the summer months, and between 2 and 33 °F (−17 and 1 °C) in the winter months, with the yearly average being 49 °F (9 °C).
Climate data for Lowell, Massachusetts (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1885–present)
Central Lowell's canal system (1975). The city limits extend in all directions from this central core.
Lowell is located at theconfluence of theMerrimack andConcord rivers. ThePawtucket 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 amillpond, diverted through Lowell's extensive canal system.
The Merrimack, which flows southerly fromFranklin, New Hampshire to Lowell, makes a northeasterly turn there before emptying into theAtlantic Ocean atNewburyport, Massachusetts, approximately 40 miles (64 km) downriver from Lowell. It is believed that in prior ages, the Merrimack continued south from Lowell to empty into the ocean somewhere nearBoston. The glacial deposits that redirected the flow of the river left thedrumlins 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 theDracut town line.
The Concord, or Musketaquid (its original name), forms from the confluence of theAssabet andSudbury rivers atConcord, Massachusetts. 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 theLowell Connector was built along it. Both of these minor streams have limited industrial histories as well.
The bordering towns (clockwise from north) areDracut,Tewksbury,Billerica,Chelmsford, andTyngsborough. The border with Billerica is a point in the middle[citation needed] of the Concord River where Lowell and Billerica meet Tewksbury and Chelmsford.
Lowell has eight distinct neighborhoods: the Acre, Back Central, Belvidere, Centralville, Downtown, Highlands, Pawtucketville, and South Lowell.[24] The city also has fiveZIP codes: four are geographically distinct general ZIP codes, and one (01853) is for post-office boxes only.
TheCentralville neighborhood, ZIP Code 01850, is the northeastern section of the city, north of the Merrimack River and east ofBeaver Brook. Christian Hill is the section of Centralville east of Bridge Street.
TheHighlands, 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 theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, South Campus (Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences & Education).
Downtown,Belvidere,Back Central, andSouth Lowell make up the 01852 ZIP Code, and are the southeastern sections of the city (south of theMerrimack 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, andShedd 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 theUMass Lowell East Campus which consists of university housing, recreation facilities, research and theuniversity's sports arena, as well as theMiddlesex Community College.
Pawtucketville, theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, North Campus; andthe Acre make up the 01854 ZIP Code. The northwestern portion of the city includes the neighborhood whereJack Kerouac resided around the area of University Avenue (previously known as Moody Street). The North Campus ofUMass 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 andMammoth Road, whereas the newer parts are around Varnum Avenue. Pawtucketville is the official entrance to theLowell-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.[25]
Lowell, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
According to the 2010Census,[42] there were 106,519 people living in the city. Thepopulation density was 7,842.1 inhabitants per square mile (3,027.9/km2). There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of 2,865.5/sq mi (1,106.4/km2).
In 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% weremarried couples 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.[42]
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.[43] In 2010 the city's population had amedian age of 32.6.[44] Theage 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.[44]
For a household in the city was $51,714, according to theAmerican Community Survey 5-year estimate ending in 2012.[45] The median income for a family was $55,852. Males had a median income of $44,739 versus $35,472 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $22,730. About 15.2% of families and 17.5% of individuals were below thepoverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.[46]
In 2010, Lowell had the highest proportion of residents ofCambodian origin of any place in the United States at 12.5% of the population. The Government of Cambodia opened up its thirdU.S. Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, withSovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian embassy.[50] The other consular offices are inLong Beach, California, andSeattle,Washington, which also have large Cambodian-American communities. In 2022, Lowell electedSokhary Chau, the first Cambodian-American mayor in the United States.[51]
According to current FBI Crime Data Analysis, Lowell is the 46th most dangerous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for all sizes.[53] In 2018, theviolent crime 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.[54] Lowell's violent crime rate is comparable toHonolulu, HI and is less than one-quarter that ofWashington, D.C.[55]
February:Winterfest – celebration of winter. (Also, Lowell's Birthday)
March: Lowell Women's Week[56] – 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 culture within the Greater Lowell community.
April: Lowell Film Festival[57] – 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[58] – A celebration of preservation, architecture, and design where many historic buildings that normally have limited public access are open for viewing
June: African Festival[59] – 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[60] – celebrates Southeast Asian culture
September: Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race[61] – From the crossroads of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics comes a spectacular racing spectacle!
October: Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival[62] – A celebration of the works ofJack Kerouac and his roots in the city of Lowell
"A Mother's Hands" Armenian Genocide memorial outside of Lowell City Hall
In the mid-1980s, Kerouac Park was placed in downtown.[63]
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 5.6 miles (9.0 km) of largely restored canals.
Western Avenue Studios:[64] Largest complex of artists studios in the United States at 122 Western Avenue.
Jack Kerouac's birthplace: In the Centralville section of the city at 9 Lupine Road.
Armenian genocide memorial: "A Mother's Hands" monument at Lowell City Hall.
Bette Davis'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.
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 theLowell Museum, theMechanics Hall, as well as the new City Hall used for art exhibits,lectures, and for theperforming arts. The Lowell Museum was lost in a devastating fire in the early morning of January 31, 1856,[66] 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.[67]Continuing to inspire and entertain, Lowell currently has a plethora of artistic exhibitions and performances throughout a wide range of venues in the city:
Mill No. 5 – an eclectic indoor mall/streetscape featuring artisanal foods and hand-made items, live music andThe Luna Theater, an independent film venue.[75]
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 theHosford Building[93] at 134 Merrimack St. In 1890–1891, the City of Lowell hired local ArchitectFrederick 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.[94] 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-oldNational Historic building underwent a major $8.5m renovation.[95] The city also expanded the library system to include the Senior Center Branch, located in the City of Lowell Senior Center.[96]
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 theMerrimack Valley Library Consortium. Currently, circulation of materials averages around 250,000 annually, with approximately one-third deriving from the children's collection.[94][97] 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).[98]
The Lydon Library is a part of theUniversity 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.[100] Its current collection concentrates on the sciences, engineering, business management, social sciences, humanities, and health.[101]
The O'Leary Library is a part of theUniversity 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.[102] Its current collection concentrates on music and art.[103]
The Center for Lowell History [special collections and archives] is a part of theUniversity 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).[104]
Lowell has a Plan-Ecouncil-manager government.[114] 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.[115] City Council and School Committee elections are non-partisan. In 1957, Lowell voters repealed asingle-transferable-vote system, which had been in place since 1943.[116]
TheCity Council chooses one of its members asmayor, 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 theCity Manager, 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 isEileen M. Donghue replacingKevin J. Murphy.[117][118]
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.[122][123] 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.[124] The effort was led by youth at the United Teen Equality Center in downtown Lowell.[91]
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%.[126]
On May 29, 2019, a settlement agreement was reached that laid out six options for Lowell voters to review:[127]
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.
With a rapidly growing student population, Lowell has been considered an emerging college town.[128] With approximately 12,000 students atMiddlesex Community College (MCC) and 19,000 students atUniversity 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.[129]
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.[134]
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.[135]
The Sun, headquartered in downtown Lowell, is a major daily newspaper servingGreater Lowell and southern New Hampshire. The newspaper had an average daily circulation of about 42,900 copies in 2011.[136] Continuing a trend ofconcentration of newspaper ownership,The Sun was sold to newspaper conglomerateMediaNews Group in 1997 after 119 years of family ownership.[137]
Lowell can be reached by automobile fromInterstate 495,U.S. Route 3, theLowell Connector, and Massachusetts Routes:3A,38,110,113, and133, 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.[138] There aresix bridges crossing the Merrimack River in Lowell, and four crossing the Concord River (not including the two for I-495).
TheLowell National Historical Park provides a freestreetcar 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 6.9 miles (11.1 km) was planned but rejected in 2016.[139]
In addition to several car rental agencies, Lowell has fourZipcar rental locations convenient to Gallagher Terminal, the Downtown, and the threeUMass Lowell campuses (North, South and East).
Lowell Telecommunication Corporation[140] (LTC) – A community media and technology center, as well as the first public access television station in Massachusetts to unionize,[141] despite opposition from the nonprofit organization's board of directors.[142]
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.[143]
The UMASS Lowell Innovation Hub[144] (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
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.[147]
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.[148][149]
In 1892, Washington Savings Bank made its first home in Lowell and has continuously served the Greater Lowell area and communities.[150][151]
In 1989, Enterprise Bank and Trust was founded in Lowell and is the largest financial institution.[152][clarification needed]
In 1911, Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union was founded in Lowell and is the 5th-largest credit union in Massachusetts.[153][154]
In 1922, Align Credit Union was founded in Lowell.[155]
In 1936, the Lowell Firefighters Credit Union was founded in Lowell.[156]
In 1937, the Lowell Municipal Employees FCU was founded in Lowell.[157]
In 1958, Mills42 Federal Credit Union was founded in Lowell.[158]
^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, Pages 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 July 21, 2011. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^"UnchARTed".facebook.com.Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. RetrievedMay 6, 2018.
^C.B. Tillinghast. The free public libraries of Massachusetts. 1st Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts. Boston: Wright & Potter, 1891.Google booksArchived February 15, 2023, at theWayback Machine
^ab"Library History".Pollard Memorial Library.Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. RetrievedDecember 13, 2019.
^"Hours & Locations".Pollard Memorial Library.Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. RetrievedDecember 15, 2019.
^July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available:Municipal Pie ReportsArchived January 23, 2012, at theWayback Machine. Retrieved August 4, 2010
^July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009; cf.Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (2011)."FY 2009 Municipal Pie Report". Archived fromthe original on January 23, 2012. RetrievedApril 4, 2011.
^Pollard Memorial Library."Databases".Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. RetrievedMay 15, 2012.
^"Dyeing for a living: a history of the American Association of Textile" By Mark Clark
^"Center for Lowell History".University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries.Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. RetrievedDecember 15, 2019.
^Halloran, Bob (2010).Irish Thunder: The Hard Life and Times of Micky Ward. Guilford, CT: First Lyons Press.
^Sackowitz, Karen (June 10, 2010). "Blood, sweat, cheers: Lowell gym helps youths learn boxing, confidence, and it stars in a new movie".The Boston Globe.
Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics.
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