Fitchburg, Massachusetts
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Fitchburg is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,102 at the 2000 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State College.
History
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.
Situated on both the Nashua River and the railroad line which runs through the Hoosac Tunnel between Boston and Albany, NY, Fitchburg was a 19th century industrial center. Operated by water power, large mills produced machines, tools, clothing and paper. The city is noted for its architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built at the height of its mill town prosperity. The Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds, established in 1903, was the only county function located in Fitchburg; all other functions were housed in Worcester, until the abolishment of the county government system in Massachusetts in 1998.
Geography
Fitchburg is located at (42.578689, -71.803383)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 72.7 km² (28.1 mi²). 71.9 km² (27.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.07%) is water. The city is drained by the Nashua River. Fitchburg is the second hilliest city in the United States following San Francisco.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 39,102 people, 14,943 households, and 9,369 families residing in the city. The population density was 543.9/km² (1,408.5/mi²). There were 16,002 housing units at an average density of 222.6/km² (576.4/mi²). 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.
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.
Education
- Applewild School
- Academy Middle School
- Fitchburg State College
- Fitchburg High School
- Crocker Elementary
- Reingold Elementary
- McKay Elementary
- South Street School
- South Fitchburg School (kindergarten)
- Goodrich Kindergarten
- B.F. Brown Middle School
- Memorial Middle School
- Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also called Monty Tech
Museums
Famous residents
- Ken Bouchard and Ron Bouchard, NASCAR drivers
- George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM spent some years in Fitchburg and occassionally mentions the city on his show.
Sister Cities
Fitchburg has three sister cities, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]:
External links
- [Fitchburg official website]
- [Fitchburg State College]
- [Sentinel & Enterprise]
- [FitchburgLeominster.net]
- [Flickr pictures of Fitchburg folks & places]
- [Fitchburg in 1885], article in the Bay State Monthly, from Project Gutenberg
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