Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 105,167. It and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex CountyTemplate:GR. 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 comprises part of the Lowell National Historical Park.

History

Lowell was first settled in 1653 and was officially incorporated in 1826. The city was named after Francis Cabot Lowell, who travelled to England to study their mills. He was forbidden to make any sketches of the looms in use so he memorized their construction that he might reproduce it at home. Lowell is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and one of the first industrial towns to employ women in what became known as the Lowell system. Its textile mills, which line the Merrimack River, were the largest, most modern mills of their time. Due Lowell's history, it was the first American city to be declared a National Historical Park.

Lowell was the international headquarters for Wang Laboratories until the late 1980s. After Wang folded during an economic depression, Lowell had its ups and downs. Lowell was featured in a 1995 HBO documentary called High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell which focused on a small population of hardcore drug abusers. It was a highly unpopular production in the city. However, Lowell's prosperity grew throughout the 1990s and today its reputation has improved dramatically. It offers a campus of the University of Massachusetts, several theaters, an American Hockey League affiliate team called the Lowell Lock Monsters (whose home ice is the Tsongas Arena), a minor league baseball team called The Spinners (with its own stadium), and there is a thriving new generation of Cambodian Americans who have put down roots there.

Lowell is musically known for the Lowell Folk Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the US, and for the renowned School of Music at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Lowell is the birthplace of Moxie, the first mass-produced soft drink in the U.S.

Lowell has a large Franco-American population, most of whom are French-Canadians who migrated down from Quebec and Northern Maine.

Geography

Lowell is located at 42°38'22" North, 71°18'53" West (42.639515, -71.314588)Template:GR.

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 is water. The total area is 5.23% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 105,167 people, 37,887 households, and 23,982 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,948.8/km² (7,635.6/mi²). There are 39,468 housing units at an average density of 1,106.7/km² (2,865.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 68.60% White, 4.21% African American, 0.24% Native American, 16.52% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.48% from other races, and 3.92% from two or more races. 14.01% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 37,887 households out of which 34.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% are married couples living together, 17.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% are non-families. 29.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.35.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $39,192, and the median income for a family is $45,901. Males have a median income of $33,554 versus $27,399 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,557. 16.8% of the population and 13.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.2% of those under the age of 18 and 14.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Famous people from (or associated with) Lowell

• George Bassett Clark, astronomer
• Michael Chiklis, actor
• Bette Davis, entertainer
• Jack Kerouac, author
• Francis Cabot Lowell, inventor
• Paul McKinnon, Drummer Official Website (http://www.paulstillarockin.com/)
• Ed McMahon, entertainer
• Paul Tsongas, former state Senator and Democratic presidential candidate
• Hoyt Vandenberg, WWII U.S. Air Force general and CIA director
• James McNeill Whistler, painter
• An Wang, inventor and businessman
• "Irish" Micky Ward, boxer
• Faye West, painter
• Marty Meehan member US House of Representatives
• Scott Grimes actor
• Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician) Union General in the U.S. Civil War, governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate

Recreation and Sports

• Lowell Spinners Class A-Short-Season Professional Baseball Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
• Lowell Lock Monsters AHL Hockey Team
• Tsongas Arena Multi-use sports and concert venue (6000 seats)
• LeLacheur Park Baseball Stadium, shared by Lowell Spinners and the University of Massachusetts Lowell
• University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks, NCAA Division I Hockey, and Division II Basketball, Baseball, Softball
• Lowell Dracut Tyngsboro State Forest Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails in an Urban state forest
• Vandenberg Esplanade Walking, biking, swimming, and picnicking park along the banks of the Merrimack River
• Canal Walk Walking trails along the 5.6 miles of canals of Lowell
• Lowell National Historical Park
• Bay State Marathon October Marathon and Half Marathon
• New England Golden Gloves Boxing
• Lowell Memorial Auditorium Performance and Boxing venue
• Winterfest February celebration of Winter

Arts & Culture

• Merrimack Reperatory Theater Professional equity theater
• Dick Doherty's Comedy
• Evos Art Institute Performance and Visual Art Center
• Tsongas Arena Concert Venue
• Lowell Memorial Auditorium Performance Venue
• Play by Player's Theatre Company Critically Acclaimed Community Theater
• Standing Room Only Players Musical Review Troupe
• Whistler House Museum of Art Art museum in birthplace of James MacNeil Whistler
• Brush With History Artist Gallery
• Revolving Museum Jerry Beck's Modern Art Museum
• Lowell Folk Festival Three Day Free Folk Festival attended by on average 250,000 people last weekend in July

External links

• Official web site (http://www.ci.lowell.ma.us/)
• University of Massachusetts, Lowell (http://www.uml.edu/)
• Lowell Sun (http://www.lowellsun.com/) (newspaper)
• Lowell National Historical Park (http://www.nps.gov/lowe/)
• Lowell Folk Festival (http://www.lowellfolkfestival.org/)
• Lowell "Mill Girls" (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robinson-lowell.html)
• WCAP Radio (http://www.wcap.net/)
• The Revolving Museum (http://www.revolvingmuseum.org/)

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