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CITY OF LOWELL

INCORPORATED 1836

TOTAL AREA: 14.54 Square Miles

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: City Council/City Manager

Northeastern part of Massachusetts, bordered by Dracut on the north, Tyngsborough on the northwest, Chelmsford on the southwest, and Tewksbury on the east. Lowell is 25 miles north of Boston; 45 miles north of Worcester; 100 miles south of Portland, Maine; and 229 miles from New York City.

 


City of Lowell's website

 

TOWN SERVICES:  

CITY CONTACTS (as of June 2004)

City Council (978) 970 – 4040
Armand Mercier - Mayor
Edward Caulfield
Rodney Elliott
Richard P. Howe
William Martin
Rita Mercier
Eillen M. Donoghue
Jim Milinazzo
Rithy Uong 

City Manager (978) 970 – 4000
John F. Cox 

City Clerk (978) 970 – 4160
Richard C. Johnson 

Assistant. City Manager, Division of Planning & Development (978) 970 – 4256
J. Matthew Coggins 

Assistant City Manager of City Operations.
T.J. McCarthy 

Chief Planner
Adam Baacke 

Planning Board: (978) 970-4252
George Zaharoolis - Chairman
Thomas Linnehan - ViceChairman
Kevin Broderick
Richard Lockhart
Joseph Clermont

Conservation Commission: (978) 970-4252
Louisa Varnum
Christopher Zacherer
Frank McCabe
David Desmarais
Charles Gill
James Breslauer
James Armstrong
John Zagarella

Public Works Department: (978) 970-3300
Edward Walsh - Commissioner

Public Water System:
The City is served 100% by public water. Drinking water source is the Merrimack River. The water treatment plant on Pawtucket Boulevard has design capacity of 30 million gallons per day; average daily usage is approximately 12 million gallons per day (FY 2004). In addition to Lowell, the water utility provides water to the towns of Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Chelmsford.

Trash Collection:
The City has curbside trash collection and recycling. In FY99, the City collected approximately 45,000 tons of trash and 6,000 tons of recyclables. 

Sewer:
The City is served 100% by public sewer. Treatment is at Lowell Waste Water Utility Plant, which has average daily flow of approximately 27 million gallons per day and capacity to handle 32 million gallons per day. 

Library:
Lowell’s Pollard Memorial Library has FY2000 circulation of 193,609. The library is located at 401 Merrimack Street. 

Schools:
Lowell School Systems operates 16 elementary schools, 7 middle schools and one high school. 1999 – 2000 public school enrollment: 16,374 pupils. Lowell is also member community with the Greater Lowell Vocation Technical High School. 

Public Safety:
As of June 2004, 273 permanent officers staff Lowell Police Dept. The Fire Dept. roster totals 210 men and women.   

Chief of Police: Superintendent Edward Davis (978) 937-3200

Chief of Fire Department: Chief William Desrosiers (978) 458-4588

Rail:
Commuter rail service to North Station, Boston is available at Lowell Gallagher Terminal or at the newly renovated North Billerica Station (travel time 40 minutes). Freight rail service is available from the Springfield Terminal Railway, contact number: (978) 663 – 1073. 

Bus:
Lowell is a member of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA). Fixed bus service is provided, and paratransit services, including medical trips to Boston, are available for the elderly and disabled through LRTA’s RoadRunner program.   

TAX RATE FY 2004: Residential - $13.97 per $1,000, Commercial- $29.17 per $1,000

Population Trends – LOWELL  (2000 U.S. Census) 
(Updated May 25, 2002)

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

#Change 1990-2000

%Change 1990-2000   

92,107

94,239

92,418

103,439

105,167

1,728

1.7%

 

Persons by Sex (2000 U.S. Census) 

Male

51,807

Female

53,360

 

Age Distribution (2000 U.S. Census) 

 

Persons

%

Under 5

7,696

7.3%

5 – 14

16,206

15.5%

15 – 44

51,165

48.6%

45 – 64

18,787

17.8%

65 & over           

11,313

10.8%

  

Race and Ethnicity (2000 U.S. Census) 

 

Persons

%

White

72,145

68.6%

Black

4,423

4.2%

Am Indian, Eskimo or Aleut

256

0.2%

Asian or Pacific Islander

17,371

16.5%

Hispanic Origin

14,734

14.0%

 

Households (2000 U.S. Census) 

1980

1990

2000

32,691

37,091

37,887

 

Household Size (2000 U.S. Census) 

2.67 persons per household 

Poverty Status (2000 U.S. Census) 

Persons Below  Poverty Level:

Lowell

Mass.

17,066

573,421

16.8%

9.3%

 

Households by Type (2000 U.S. Census)                                   

 

Households

%

Married Couple/ Family

15,202

40.1%

Female Householder

6,602

17.4%

Non-Family Household 

13,905

36.7%

 

Income Distribution (2000 U.S. Census) 

 

Households

%

Less than $ 10,000

4,858

12.8%

$ 10,000 - $ 14,999

2,733

  7.2%

$ 15,000 - $ 24,999

2,708

11.2%

$ 25,000 - $ 34,999

4,900

12.9%

$ 35,000 - $ 49,999

6,519

17.2%

$ 50,000 - $ 74,999

7,743

20.4%

$ 75,000 - $ 99,999

3,587

9.4%

$ 100,000 - $ 149,999 

2,259

5.9%

$ 150,000 - $199,999

512

1.3%

$ 200,000 or more 

309

0.8%

 

Sources of Income (2000 U.S. Census) 

 

 # Of Households

 Average Income

Wage & Salary

29,837

$50,626

Social Security

8,801

$9,491

Supplemental Security

3,129

$6,600

Public Assistance

2,194

$4,688

Retirement

4,874

$14,020

 

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS 

Housing Units (2000 U.S. Census) 

1970

1980

1990

2000

31,487

34,883

40,302

39,468

 

Median Household Income (2000 U.S. Census) 

 1970

 1980

 1990

 2000

$10,787

$14,415

$33,401

$39,192

 

Median Home Sale Price (Banker & Tradesman) 

 

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

1 – Family

$85,000

$78,250

$85,000

$110,000

$140,000

Condo

$38,175

$27,800

$36,000

$58,000

$85,000

All Sales 

$65,000

$47,000

$63,000

$92,950

$125,000

 

Housing Unit Permit Data 

1990 

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

35

72

53

27

144

92

 

Housing Breakdown by Occupancy (2000 U.S. Census) 

 

 

% Of Total

TOTAL HOUSING UNITS

39,468

100%

Total Occupied Units

37,887

96.0%

Owner Occupied

16,309

43.0%

Renter Occupied

21,578

57.0%

Total Vacant

1,581

4.0%

 

LAND USE CLASSIFICATION (Mass. GIS 1991)

LOWELL LAND USE

ACREAGE

% OF TOTAL

Residential

4,453.37 Acres

47.9%

Commercial

500.67 Acres

5.4%

Industrial

735.82 Acres

7.9%

Agriculture

118.85 Acres

1.3%

Open Space/ Recreation

2,492.96 Acres

26.8%

Transportation/Mining/Waste

505.97 Acres

5.4%

Water

494.22 Acres

5.3%

TOTAL ACREAGE 

9,301.85 Acres

100%

 

RECREATION 

Lowell Parks and Recreation Department
JFK Civic Center
50 Arcand Drive
Lowell, MA 01852
 

Recreational Facilities 

Lowell Dracut Tyngsborough State Forest (1,040 Acres)
Non-motorized boating, cross country skiing, fresh water fishing, hiking, hunting, ice skating, nature observation, organized events, sight seeing, walking/jogging.  ATV and Snowmobiling are not permitted in the State Forest. 

Lowell Heritage State Park (118 Acres)
Bicycling, non-motorized boating, cross country skiing, fresh water fishing, fresh water swimming, hiking, horseback riding, ice skating, nature observation, organized events, picnicking, walking/jogging.
 

University of Massachusetts at Lowell (103 Acres)
Assorted facilities
 

Longmeadow Golf Club (62 Acres)
Golf
 

Leblanc Park (60 Acres)
Camping, general play, hiking, organized events, picnicking, and pool swimming.
 

Shedd Park (52 Acres)
Baseball/softball, basketball, bicycling, cross country skiing, football/soccer, general play, hiking, organized events, other team related activities, pool swimming, tennis, walking/jogging.
 

Fort Hill Park (34 Acres)
Bicycling, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, picnicking, and walking/jogging

Boulevard Park (24 Acres)
Bicycling, non-motorized boating, camping, fresh water fishing, general play, hiking, ice-skating, organized events, picnicking, walking/jogging.
 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

Employment Base – 2000 

LABOR FORCE – 2000

51,078

# Residents Employed

49,403

# Residents Unemployed

1,675

Lowell Unemployment Rate

3.3%

NMCOG Region Unemployment Rate

2.5%

State Unemployment Rate

2.6%

 

Employment by Industry Sector – 2001 (Mass Division of Employment & Training ES - 202 Series)

Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing

     61

Government

 5,825

Construction

    845

Manufacturing

 5,799

TCPU

 1,257

Trade

 5,703

FIRE

 1,770

Services

13,312

Total Employment/Lowell

34,572

TCPU = Transportation, Communication and Public Utilities
FIRE = Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
conf = Data suppressed due to confidentiality

Means Of Transportation To Work  - 2000 (Census Transportation Planning Package 2000)

Subject

1990 Census 2000 Census Change 1990 to 2000
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Workers 16 years & over 44,917 100.0 46,764 100.0 1,847 4.1
Drove alone 32,767 73.0 34,494 73.8 1,727 5.3
Carpooled 7,298 16.2 7,324 15.7 35 0.5
Public transportation (including taxicab) 1,495 3.3 1,603 3.4 108 7.2
Bicycle or walked 2,406 5.4 2,282 4.9 -124 -5.2
Motorcycle or other means 487 1.1 470 1.0 -17 -3.5
Worked at home 473 1.1 591 1.3 118 24.9

  Travel Time To Work - 2000 (Census Transportation Planning Package 2000) 

Subject

1990 Census 2000 Census Change 1990 to 2000
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Workers who did not work at home 44,444 100.0 46,173 100.0 1,729 3.9
Less than 5 minutes 1,481 3.3 1,257 2.7 -224 -15.1
5 to 9 minutes 5,415 12.2 4,489 9.7 -926 -17.1
10 to 14 minutes 8,446 19.0 7,783 16.9 -663 -7.8
15 to 19 minutes 8,498 19.1 7,776 16.8 -722 -8.5
20 to 29 minutes 8,620 19.4 9,457 20.5 837 9.7
30 to 44 minutes 8,045 18.1 9,003 19.5 958 11.9
45 or more minutes 3,939 8.9 6,408 13.9 2,469 62.7
Mean travel time to work (minutes) 20.4 X 24.3 X 3.9 X

MEDIA:

Lowell Sun
15 Kearney Square, Lowell, (978) 458 – 7100
 

Comcast Communications
12 Washer St, Lowell
 

REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY:  

Northern Middlesex Council of Governments
115 Thorndike Street, Lowell MA 01852
Robert W. Flynn, Executive Director
Phone: (978) 454 – 8021
Fax: (978) 454 – 8023



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