Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell, Massachusetts
Flag of Lowell, Massachusetts
Official seal of Lowell, Massachusetts
Nickname(s): 
Mill City, Spindle City, City of Lights City of Magic
Motto: 
"Art is the Handmaid of Human Good."[1]
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Lowell is located in Massachusetts
Lowell
Lowell
Location in the United States
Lowell is located in the United States
Lowell
Lowell
Lowell (the United States)
Coordinates: 42°38′22″N 71°18′53″W / 42.63944°N 71.31472°W / 42.63944; -71.31472
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
RegionNew England
Settled1652
Incorporated1826
A city1836
Named forFrancis Cabot Lowell
Government
 • TypeManager-City council
 • MayorDaniel Rourke
 • City ManagerThomas Golden Jr.
Area
 • Total14.53 sq mi (37.63 km2)
 • Land13.61 sq mi (35.25 km2)
 • Water0.92 sq mi (2.38 km2)
Elevation
102 ft (31 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total115,554
 • Density8,489.75/sq mi (3,278.02/km2)
 • Demonym
Lowellian
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
01850, 01851, 01852, 01853, 01854
Area code978 / 351
FIPS code25-37000
GNIS feature ID0611832
Websitelowellma.gov

Lowell (/ˈləl/) is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, it is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020,[3] it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of the last census, and the third most populous in the Boston metropolitan statistical area.[4] The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area, called Greater Lowell, and of New England's Merrimack Valley region.

Incorporated in 1826 to serve as a mill town, Lowell was named after Francis Cabot Lowell, a local figure in the Industrial Revolution. The city became known as the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution because of its textile mills and factories. Many of Lowell's historic manufacturing sites were later preserved by the National Park Service to create Lowell National Historical Park.[5] During the Cambodian genocide (1975–1979), the city took in an influx of refugees, leading to a Cambodia Town and America's second-largest Cambodian-American population.[6]

Lowell is home to two institutions of higher education. UMass Lowell, part of the University of Massachusetts system, has three campuses in the city. Middlesex Community College's two campuses are in Lowell and in the town of Bedford, Massachusetts. Arts facilities in the city include the Whistler House Museum of Art, the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, and Sampas Pavilion. In sports, the city has a long tradition of boxing, hosting the annual New England Golden Gloves boxing tournament. The city has a baseball stadium, Edward A. LeLacheur Park, and a multipurpose indoor sports arena, the Tsongas Center, both of which have hosted collegiate and minor-league professional sports teams.

  1. ^ "FAQ City of Lowell, Massachusetts". City of Lowell, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "Boston - Cambridge - Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area (USA): Places - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  5. ^ "Lowell National Historical Park". nps.gov. U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Monument in Lowell the Cambodian community's past and its progress - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.