Fitchburg, industrial city (1990 pop. 41,194), seat of Worcester co., N Mass., on the north branch of the Nashua River; settled c.1730, inc. as a city 1872. Its important paper industry dates approximately from 1805. Other products include fabricated steel, machinery, textiles, apparel, and plastics. Fitchburg State College is there.
Fitchburg
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| Wikipedia: Fitchburg, Massachusetts |
| Fitchburg, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Nickname(s): River City, The "Burg" | |
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| Coordinates: 42°35′00″N 71°48′10″W / 42.5833333°N 71.80278°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1730 |
| Incorporated | 1764 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-council city |
| - Mayor | Lisa Wong |
| - City Council | AT LARGE: Thomas J. Conry, Jr (President) AT LARGE: Annie K. DeMartino AT LARGE: Marcus DiNatale AT LARGE: Stephan Hay AT LARGE: Dean A. Tran WARD 1: David Clark WARD 2: Norman L. Boisvert WARD 3: Joel R. Kaddy WARD 4: Kevin Starr WARD 5: Joseph Solomito WARD 6: Jody M. Joseph |
| Area | |
| - Total | 28.1 sq mi (72.7 km2) |
| - Land | 27.8 sq mi (71.9 km2) |
| - Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 482 ft (143 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 39,102 |
| - Density | 1,408.5/sq mi (543.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01420 |
| Area code(s) | 351 / 978 |
| FIPS code | 25-23875 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0617121 |
| Website | www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us |
Fitchburg is the second largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,102 at the 2000 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State College as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.
Contents |
History
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
Fitchburg was first settled in 1730 and was officially incorporated in 1764. It is named for John Fitch, a settler. In 1748, Fitch and his family were abducted to Canada by Native Americans, but returned the next year.[citation needed]
Fitchburg is situated on both the Nashua River and a railroad line. The original Fitchburg Railroad ran through the Hoosac Tunnel, linking Boston and Albany, 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 by water power, large mills produced machines, tools, clothing, paper, and firearms. The city is noted for its architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built at the height of its mill town prosperity. As one of two shire towns The Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds, established in 1903, and the county jail on Water Street were two county facilities located in Fitchburg.
The 1961 film Return to Peyton Place was filmed in Fitchburg. [1]
Geography
Fitchburg is located at 42°34′43″N 71°48′12″W / 42.57861°N 71.80333°W (42.578689, -71.803383)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 square miles (72.7 km²), of which, 27.8 square miles (71.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (1.07%) is water. The city is drained by the Nashua River. Fitchburg is very hilly and is often referred to as the second hilliest city in the United States after San Francisco, though North Bergen, New Jersey actually is. North Bergen is the city with the second most hills per square mile in the United States behind San Francisco.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 39,102 people, 14,943 households, and 9,369 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,408.5 people per square mile (543.9/km²). There were 16,002 housing units at an average density of 576.4/sq mi (222.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.86% White, 3.65% African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.78% from other races, and 3.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.97% of the population. 16.4% were of French, 12.4% French Canadian, 10.5% Italian, 9.8% Irish and 5.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 77.2% spoke English, 13.4% Spanish, 3.2% French and 1.9% Hmong as their first language.
There were 14,943 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,004, and the median income for a family was $43,291. Males had a median income of $35,855 versus $26,558 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,256. About 12.1% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
| County government: Worcester County | |
|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts: | Dennis P. McManus (D) |
| District Attorney: | Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D) |
| Register of Deeds: | Kathleen R. Daigneault (D) |
| Register of Probate: | Stephen Abraham (D) |
| County Sheriff: | Guy W. Glodis (D) |
| State government | |
| State Representative(s): | Stephen L. DiNatale (D) |
| State Senator(s): | Jennifer L. Flanagan (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Thomas J. Foley (D) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | John W. Olver (D-1st District), |
| U.S. Senators: | John Kerry (D), Paul G. Kirk (D) |
Education
Fitchburg has a rich football tradition, and every year they play cross-town rivals Leominster in the Thanksgiving day game, which is a proud member of a list of high school football rivalries in the United States.
Public Schools:
- Goodrich School
- Crocker Elementary School
- McKay Elementary School
- Reingold Elementary School
- South Street School
- North Central Charter Essential School
- Museum Partnership School
- Arthur M. Longsjo Jr. Middle School
- Memorial Middle School
- Fitchburg High School
- Fitchburg Evening Alternative High School
- Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also called Monty Tech
Private Schools:
- Applewild School
- Notre Dame Preparatory School
- St. Anthony di Padua Elementary School
- St. Bernard's Elementary School
- St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School
- St. Joseph's Elementary School (Closed in 2007)
Colleges:
Transportation
Transportation for Fitchburg is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART has 4 bus routes in Fitchburg, two of which overlap into Leominster.[4]
The MBTA operates a commuter train to Boston's North Station. The commuter rail stop serving Fitchburg is the Fitchburg stop on the Fitchburg Line.
Fitchburg Municipal Airport, located on the border of Fitchburg and Leominster, serves as the air hub of Fitchburg.
Business
* Throughout the early Twentieth Century, Fitchburg was known for its paper industry which occupied the banks of the Nashua 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.
- Founded in 1939, the Wachusett Potato Chip Company, Inc. 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.
- Two truck manufacturing firms, the Wachusett Truck Company and the New England Truck Company operated in Fitchburg during the early twentieth century.
- The Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works made motorcycles for a short time, in addition to their primary products, firearms and bicycles. Iver Johnson firearms were used in the assassinations of President William McKinley and Robert F. Kennedy.
- Assumption Life, a large financial services company was founded in Fitchburg in 1903 before moving to Moncton, New Brunswick.
Media
Newspapers
- Sentinel & Enterprise
- Telegram & Gazette
- Fitchburg Pride
Television
- Fitchburg Access Television
Radio
- WPKZ, AM-1280
Culture
Fitchburg's cultural highlights include:
- Fitchburg Historical Society
- Fitchburg Art Museum
- Coggshall Park
- Wallace Civic Center
- Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
- Cornerstone Performing Arts Center
Use in popular culture
In the fictional Harry Potter universe, Fitchburg is the hometown of the professional Quidditch team the Fitchburg Finches.[5]
Notable residents
- Mike Barnicle, newspaper writer
- Ken Bouchard and Ron Bouchard, NASCAR drivers
- Everett Francis Briggs, Catholic priest, born in Fitchburg, whose life's mission was dedicated to the victims of Monongah Mining Disaster
- George Crowther- American football player
- Bruce Gordon, actor, Ishtar, "Adam-12", "Bonanza", "Get Smart", and "The Untouchables"
- Ripley Hitchcock, prominent editor.
- Art Longsjo, Winter and Summer Olympian; Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is held in his memory
- Pat Moran, Major League ballplayer, and manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and the 1919 World Series Champion Cincinnati Reds.
- James "Nixey" Callahan, Major League Baseball pitcher around the turn of the 20th century, later manager of the Chicago White Sox.
- George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM spent some years in Fitchburg and occasionally mentions the city on his show.
- Amerie, (Amerie Mi Marie Rogers) Singer & Actress
- Marion Rice, Denishawn dancer, teacher, choreographer, producer.
- Carolyn Brown, , author, modern dancer with Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
- Michael Beasley Professional Basketball NBA highschool All-American. Attended Notre Dame Preparatory School. Draft: 1st round, 2nd overall.
- Ryan Gomes, NBA Attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
Sister cities
Fitchburg has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055370/
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ MART system Map & Schedule, Fitchburg/Leominster
- ^ Whisp, Kennilworthy (2001). Quidditch Through the Ages. WhizzHard Books. pp. 31-46. ISBN 1551924544.
External links
- Fitchburg official website
- Fitchburg Economic Development Office
- Fitchburg Riverfront Park
- Fitchburg Pride
- Fitchburg Access Television
- Sentinel & Enterprise
- Fitchburg in 1885, article in the Bay State Monthly, from Project Gutenberg
- Fitchburg, Massachusetts is at coordinates 42°34′43″N 71°48′12″W / 42.578689°N 71.803383°WCoordinates: 42°34′43″N 71°48′12″W / 42.578689°N 71.803383°W
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