| Fitchburg, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Downtown Fitchburg as seen from Riverfront Park | |
| Nickname(s): River City, The "Burg" | |
| Location in Worcester County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Worcester |
| Settled | 1730 |
| Incorporated | 1764 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council city |
| • Mayor | Lisa Wong |
| • City Council | AT LARGE: Stephan Hay AT LARGE: Rosemary Reynolds AT LARGE: Marcus DiNatale AT LARGE: Jeffrey Bean AT LARGE: Dean A. Tran WARD 1: David Clark WARD 2: Norman L. Boisvert WARD 3: Joel R. Kaddy WARD 4: Dolores Thibault-Muñoz WARD 5: Nicholas Carbone WARD 6: Jody M. Joseph (President) |
| 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 (2010) | |
| • Total | 40,318 |
| • Density | 1,436.4/sq mi (554.6/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.fitchburgma.gov |
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.
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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.
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 the city is 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]
Fitchburg is located at (42.578689, -71.803383)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 square miles (73 km2), of which 27.8 square miles (72 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 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. The highest point in Fitchburg is the summit of Brown Hill near the northwestern corner of the city, at 1,210 feet (370 m) above sea level.[3]
Fitchburg is bordered by Ashby to the north, Lunenburg to the east, Leominster to the south, Westminster to the west, and a small portion of Ashburnham to the northwest.
Fitchburg is divided into multiple different neighborhoods/villages, including:
Fitchburg is noted for the "Rollstone Boulder", a 110-ton specimen of porphyritic granite, which is in a small triangular park adjacent to the city green. The boulder was a feature of the summit of Rollstone Hill; it was exploded and reassembled on the green in 1929 and 1930. A plaque attached to the boulder today reads, in part:
| “ | This boulder, carried by the last glacier from Mt. Monadnock, New Hampshire to the summit of the hill whose name commemorates it, was for centuries a land mark to Indian and Settler. Threatened with destruction by quarrying operations, it was saved by popular subscription... | ” |
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1790 | 1,151 | — |
| 1800 | 1,390 | +20.8% |
| 1810 | 1,566 | +12.7% |
| 1820 | 1,736 | +10.9% |
| 1830 | 2,169 | +24.9% |
| 1840 | 2,604 | +20.1% |
| 1850 | 5,120 | +96.6% |
| 1860 | 7,805 | +52.4% |
| 1870 | 11,260 | +44.3% |
| 1880 | 12,429 | +10.4% |
| 1890 | 22,037 | +77.3% |
| 1900 | 31,531 | +43.1% |
| 1910 | 37,826 | +20.0% |
| 1920 | 41,029 | +8.5% |
| 1930 | 40,692 | −0.8% |
| 1940 | 41,824 | +2.8% |
| 1950 | 42,691 | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 43,021 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 43,343 | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 39,580 | −8.7% |
| 1990 | 41,194 | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 39,102 | −5.1% |
| 2010 | 40,318 | +3.1% |
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] |
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As of the census[15] 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 per square mile (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, 14.2% 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.
| 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: | Lew Evangelidis (R) |
| State government | |
| State Representative(s): | Stephen L. DiNatale (D) |
| State Senator(s): | Jennifer L. Flanagan (D) |
| Governor's Councilor(s): | Jen Caissie (R) |
| Federal government | |
| U.S. Representative(s): | John W. Olver (D-1st District), |
| U.S. Senators: | John Kerry (D), Scott Brown (R) |
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 15, 2008[16] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 7,529 | 34.42% | |||
| Republican | 2,305 | 10.54% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 11,810 | 53.99% | |||
| Minor Parties | 229 | 1.05% | |||
| Total | 21,873 | 100% | |||
There are four law enforcement agencies that serve Fitchburg, two at the city level, one at the county level, and one at the state level.
There is one medical facility in Fitchburg, HealthAlliance Hospital (Burbank Campus). Fitchburg is also served by HealthAlliance Hospital (Leominster Campus), which is located in neighboring Leominster.
The Fitchburg public library was established in 1859.[17][18] In fiscal year 2008, the city of Fitchburg spent 1.34% ($1,111,412) of its budget on its public library—some $27 per person.[19] In fiscal year 2009, the city of Fitchburg spent .48% ($388,977) of its budget on its public library -- $9.23 per person.[20] This represents a year over year drop in municipal funding of 65% between FY2008 and FY2009. The Fitchburg Public Library does not meet Massachusetts minimum standards of public library services and is not eligible to be certified by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.[21]
Fitchburg has a rich football tradition, and every year its team plays cross-town rival Leominster in the Thanksgiving Day game, which is a proud member of a list of high school football rivalries in the United States.
Transportation for Fitchburg is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART[22] operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as paratransit services within the Montachusett Region. It also provides connections to the MBTA Commuter Rail line at Fitchburg Station. The Fitchburg Station is the last stop on the Fitchburg Line from the North Station in Boston.
The Fitchburg Municipal Airport occupies 335 acres off Airport Road in Fitchburg near the Leominster border. In 1940, the airport land was donated to the City of Fitchburg and serves the greater Fitchburg area.
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.
The Fitchburg Central Steam Plant was built in 1928 to provide steam and electricity to the many local paper mills. As the paper mills were abandoned or improved the Central Steam Plant fell into disuse and was abandoned. In 2008, the EPA designated the Central Steam Plant a brownfield site due to contamination of the site soil and groundwater with metals and inorganic contaminants. The EPA provided the City of Fitchburg $50,500 in grant money to help clean up hazardous substances on the site.
Clean up of the Central Steam Plant started in 2010 and is ongoing as of July 2011.
The Fitchburg Steam Line Trail is a bike and walking path located in Fitchburg on Route 2A. It is 0.6 miles long and runs along the Nashua River and Flag Brook in the Waites Corner neighborhood. The path is gravel and is relatively easy terrain. The trail is the first contracted part of a planned project to build a mixed use bike and walking trail through Fitchburg. This trail will eventually connect with trails in the neighboring towns of Leominster and Westminster. Additional parts of the proposed trail are in the Riverfront and Gateway Parks.
The Fitchburg Steam Line Trail is located near the junction of Route 31 (Princeton Rd) and Route 2A (Westminster St) at 465 Westminster Street. The trail parking lot is marked with signs, and is on the south side of 2A approximately 1/4 mile East of Route 31.
As of July 2011 the trail is currently closed to use due to the cleanup of the Fitchburg Central Steam Plant.
Fitchburg's cultural highlights include:
In the fictional Harry Potter universe, Fitchburg is the hometown of the professional Quidditch team the Fitchburg Finches.[23]
Fitchburg has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
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