Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster, Massachusetts Downtown Leominster Downtown Leominster Flag of Leominster, Massachusetts Flag Official seal of Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster, Massachusetts is positioned in the US Leominster, Massachusetts - Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster (/ l m nst r/ lem- n-st r) is a town/city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
It is the second-largest town/city in Worcester County, with a populace of 40,759 at the 2010 census.
Leominster is positioned north of Worcester and west of Boston.
Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster.
Leominster is bounded by Fitchburg and Lunenburg to the north, Lancaster to the east, Sterling and Princeton to the south, and Westminster to the west.
Probably taking the name from Leominster, Herefordshire, England, the region was originally inhabited by various divisions of the Pennacook or Nipmuc Native Americans, who lived along the Nashua River.
The river provided fertile soil for the cultivation of corn, beans, squash and tobacco. European pioneer began arriving in the mid-17th century and in 1653, the region of Leominster was first established as part of the town of Lancaster. North Leominster train depot in 1915 By 1737, the region of Leominster had attained enough inhabitants to be incorporated as a separate town.
The town of Leominster was officially incorporated on July 4, 1740. Around the time of the Civil War, Leominster was a primary contributor in the Underground Railroad.
In Leominster's early existence, the town was primarily a small farming community, but towards the beginning of the 19th century, the economy quickly shifted into manufacturing. The town became a county-wide transit hub around 1800, with the opening of the Fifth Massachusetts Turnpike and the connections of the Union Turnpike and Cambridge and Concord Turnpikes in 1808. However, manufacturing in Leominster was truly made possible by the opening of the Fitchburg Railroad that ran through North Leominster and into Boston, and the Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad that ran through the center of town. By the 1850s, paper mills, piano manufacturers, and comb manufacturers had established factories along the Monoosnoc Brook and Nashua River. While the earliest pioneer in Leominster were primarily of British ancestry, many immigrants soon gathered to work in Leominster's expanding factories. The first group of immigrants was primarily Irish, followed by the French and the Italians into the early 20th century. These new waves of immigrants caused the populace to surge from just 2,069 in 1840 to 19,744 by 1920. In 1915, Leominster was officially chartered as a city. While many different industries established themselves in Leominster, it was the comb trade that especially flourished. Construction of combs was a time-consuming and painstaking process, involving preparation of the natural materials such as animal horn, roughing out of a basic form, and finally, individual cutting of the teeth. By 1853, there were already 146 employees working in 24 different comb factories athwart the town. By the mid-1800s, however, availability of the natural materials used to make combs, such as animal horns and hooves, was diminishing rapidly, and an alternative material was needed. The solution would come in a new material called celluloid invented in 1868. The new plastic would revolutionize the comb trade and give Leominster the nickname the "Comb City." The second invention to revolutionize plastic manufacturing in Leominster was the evolution of undivided injection molding. Samuel Foster, a Leominster resident of German ancestry, first worked for the Viscoloid Company, then established his own business, Foster Grant.
In 1931, Foster visited Jack Goodman's New York factory and learned about an injection molding machine, invented in Germany in the early 1920s. Foster ordered a several of the new machines, and had them secretly shipped via Worcester to his Foster Grant manufacturing factory in Leominster, where his mechanics concentrated on getting them to work and modifying them. Molding technology made it possible for Foster Grant to make not only combs, but a wide range of other articles, including plastic sunglasses, selling 20 million pair in 1937. The new technology would pay great dividends for the plastic trade in the town/city and the country. Soon the town/city would be coined the "Pioneer Plastics City" for its meaningful history in the plastics industry. Leominster was also the home of Tupperware, established in 1938 by Earl Tupper.
Leominster also boasted large manufactures Standard Tool Company, Selig Manufacturing Co.
In 1956, the plastic pink flamingo lawn-ornament was invented in Leominster for Union Products.
Although the Great Depression slowed the plastic trade in Leominster, it was not until the late 20th century that there was a full-scale diminish in plastic manufacturing.
Following the nationwide trend, manufactures were moving out of the metros/cities to cheaper alternatives athwart the nation and overseas. Even with the changing landscape, the populace of Leominster would continually rise into the 21st century, surpassing her twin town/city of Fitchburg in 2000 as the second biggest city in Worcester County.
The Latino communities of Leominster also saw huge expansion towards the later half of the 20th century. In recent decades, Route 2 and the building of I-190 have further altered the town/city into a more commercial and suburban landscape. The assembly of the Twin City Plaza, Mall at Whitney Field and other shopping centers have all contributed to momentous commercial expansion in the town/city and have made Leominster one of Central Massachusetts' biggest retail destination.
Inexpensive territory cost has also made the town/city an attractive living destination for commuters to both Worcester and Boston. Nevertheless, Leominster still preserves some of its manufacturing tradition and many plastic manufactures retain establishment in the city. View athwart Monument Square in downtown Leominster, the site of the city's traditional New England common According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 29.8 square miles (77 km2), of which 28.9 square miles (75 km2) is territory and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), or 2.96%, is water.
Leominster is primarily positioned on a plateau above the Nashua River. The river runs through the easterly proportion of the town/city and then cuts through the northern part of the town/city as it meanders towards Fitchburg. Northern and Western Leominster have a more rugged terrain defined by scattered hills. The most prominent hills are both the North and South Monoosnoc Hills in the part of the city.
The South Monoosnoc Hill is the highest point in the town at 1,020 feet. In the 19th century, the south hill was quarried for granite used in home foundations. West of the two hills lies the No town Reservoir and Leominster State Forest.
Other areas include Morse Hollow, North Leominster, Rice Hill, the Flats, the Bowery, the West Side, and the Car Barn area, positioned along the Fitchburg border, so-called because the Fitchburg & Leominster Railway street car cars were stored and maintained in this area.
As of 2000, the management and experienced fields were the city's biggest sector, and working over 32% of Leominster's workforce. 26.8% of the workforce is working in revenue and office occupations, and 20.2% are working in education, community and civil services. Manufacturing constitutes 25.5% of the city's employees. 84.3% of workers commute alone to the workplace, and 9.1% carpool.
Leominster has a long cultural history including various theatres, performance groups, exhibits and entertainment affairs.
The Leominster Colonial Band, established by Italian immigrants in 1910, has presented a no-charge summer concerts series since the 1930s.
Since 1973, the Thayer Symphony Orchestra has been performing in Central Massachusetts. Composed of orchestra professional, improve volunteers, and student musicians, Thayer Symphony Orchestra's popularity forced them to move to the Straos Dukakus Performing Arts Center at Montachusett Regional Vocational School in Fitchburg in 2000. The Orchestra's concerts sell-out annually. Since 1996, the Central Massachusetts Repertory Theater has performed at the Congregation Agudat Achim Jewish house of worship in Leominster. The Leominster Art Association promotes the arts in Leominster from their home on Route 13. Every spring, the Association holds a three-day exhibition of small-town art downtown at St.
The Starburst Festival is held every June at Doyle Field. The festival includes live entertainment, concessions, musical presentations, and a band concert by the Starburst Orchestra and fireworks, drawing over 8,000 visitors each year. The Leominster "citizens of the Year" awards are also presented to one man and one woman resident amid the festival. In September, Leominster hosts the Johnny Appleseed Festival in celebration of the fall season and city's small-town hero Johnny Appleseed. Held at Monument Square since 1994, the festival features crafts, booths, entertainment and a parade.
Leominster was formerly home to the National Plastics Center and Museum, until the exhibition closed in 2008. The Leominster Recreation Department maintains 103 acres of property in Leominster, including various parks and playgrounds. Notable parks include Monument Square, Arthur A.
Doyle Field, positioned downtown on Priest Street, is the city's chief athletic complex, including eight tennis courts, a soccer field and track, baseball field, playground, combination football-soccer stadium, and clubhouse. Dedicated in 1931, Doyle field opened with a seating capacity of 6,200 and temporary bleachers for nearly 10,000 spectators. In 2005, the field went under a huge renovation universal to be instead of in 2020. The universal was broken up into 3 phases and phases 1 and 2 have been mostly instead of through 2012. The renovation has costs $5 million through 2012. The renovation includes replacing bleachers, installing new turf, new locker rooms, concessions, press box, entertainment pavilion, ticket booths and expanding seating capacity from 4,572 to 6,912 seats. Crow Hill Pond at Leominster State Forest The town/city is also home to the 4,300-acre Leominster State Forest, a prominent hiking destination. Within the state forest are Crow Hill Pond and Paradise Pond, both prominent summer picnic and swimming getaways.
Leominster High School has a long tradition of excellence in sports, and success is a huge focal point for the city.
The Leominster High Blue Devils Football is one of the most prosperous high school football programs in the state including a record 12 State Super Bowl titles. The Leominster Blue Devils chief rival is the Red Raiders of Fitchburg High School.
Legendary Leominster Football players and coaches include Lou Little, Ronnie Cahill, and Frank Novak. The team was one of three expansion squads to the league in 2012. The Dirt Dawgs play at the newly renovated Doyle Baseball Field. Leominster hosts New England Football League semi-pro team, The Leominster Razorbacks. City Hall in downtown Leominster Leominster operates under a mayor-council form of government in which the mayor holds sole executive power. The town/city is divided into five wards and voters select a mayor, a council member representing their ward and four at-large council members. The mayor has the power to appoint department heads and members of town/city boards, subject to approval by the town/city council. The current mayor of Leominster is Dean J.
Mazzarella. Mazzeralla was sworn in on January 3, 1994 and is serving his eleventh term as mayor. He is the longest running mayor in Leominster history. View of Downtown Leominster Public education in the town/city is directed by the Leominster Public School District.
Leominster has four neighborhood elementary schools that serve students in grades K-5 (Fall Brook, Johnny Appleseed, Northwest, Frances Drake), two middle schools (Samoset and Skyview) for grades 6 8, and Leominster High School for grades 9 12.
Leominster High school is composed of an academic unit and a vocational unit called the Center for Technical Education.
Leominster Public Library, 2010 Leominster is also home to two private schools, St.
Leo's School is part of Leominster's St.
Post-secondary education opportunities include the Leominster ground of Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State University in neighboring Fitchburg. The Leominster Public library is the city's chief enhance library.
Established in 1856, the enhance library moved from different locations until a permanent structure opened in 1910. In order to secure finances for the new structure, a library trustee applied for aid from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie donated $27,500, citing only if the town would appropriate 10 percent of that amount annually for the support of the library. In fiscal year 2008, the town/city of Leominster spent 1.39% ($1,183,076) of its budget on its enhance library some $28 per person. The Sentinel & Enterprise, a daily paper based in Fitchburg, is the chief source of printed media in Leominster.
The paper formed in 1973 by the consolidation of the Fitchburg Sentinel and the Leominster Enterprise, which dated back to 1873. The paper maintains a satellite news agency in Leominster.
Locally, the Leominster Champion serves as a weekly improve paper.
On The Scene Magazine serves greater Leominster as a monthly entertainment publication. Leominster Access Television (LATV) is the city's enhance access tv station providing inhabitants with small-town programs and meetings.
Commuter rail service from Boston's North Station is provided by the MBTA with a stop in North Leominster on its Fitchburg Line. This service operates specifically in Leominster, Fitchburg, and Gardner.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
History of Leominster.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
"1950 Enumeration of Population" (PDF).
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
History of Leominster.
History of Leominster.
"1990 Enumeration of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF).
"1980 Enumeration of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF).
"Leominster city, Massachusetts Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000".
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
Leominster Art Association.
Leominster Champion.
"Leominster Recreation Department".
City of Leominster, Massachusetts.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
"Leominster State Forest".
"Razorbacks are best kept secret in Leominster | September 18, 2009 | www.leominsterchamp.com | Leominster Champion".
City of Leominster, Massachusetts.
City of Leominster, Massachusetts.
Leominster Historical Commission Book Committee; Tremblay, Gilbert P.
Combing through Leominster's History.
"Leominster Champion".
Leominster Champion.
Leominster's first family of modern | April 27, 2007 | www.leominsterchamp.com | Leominster Champion".
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Leominster, Massachusetts - Cities in Massachusetts - Cities in Worcester County, Massachusetts - Populated places on the Underground Railroad
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