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Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,303 at the 2000 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston.
History
Before European settlement, various divisions of the Pennacook or Nipmuc tribes inhabited the area, with a settlement nearby called Nashua. Leominster was first settled in 1653 and was officially incorporated in 1740. Leominster is now known as "The Pioneer Plastics City" because of its thriving plastics industry from the early part of the twentieth century to present day. Leominster and Fitchburg are commonly known as the twin cities in the area because of their similar populations and shared history of industry, and also because they are on opposite sides of the Nashua River.
Villages
The city is divided into a few "villages" such as French Hill, a large hill covered in planned blocks of "triple decker" apartment houses on first through twelfth streets. It is called French Hill because this is where the large immigrant French population took root. In the early 1900's, on Lincoln Terrace, the Italians moved in as a group and built up a semi-closed society which existed for many years. The French had built a new church and moved closer to it. Other areas are Morse Hollow, the Village of North Leominster, Rice Hill, The Flats, The West Side, and The Car Barn area along the Fitchburg border.Nicknames
Leominster is commonly referred to as "Frenchtown" because of its large French Canadian population. This name was coined by author Robert Cormier who grew up on French Hill in his book, Frenchtown Summer. Leominster is also called the "Pioneer Plastics City" because of its early role in plastics manufacturing. It was also called the "Comb City". The National Plastics Center & Museum is located in Leominster. You'd be hard pressed to walk through a large department store or supermarket today and not find some plastic product from Leominster.The city name is often pronounced as spelt, "Leo" followed by "minster" but locals refer to the city as Lemsta or Lemonstah in the Eastern New England dialect, but is commonly also referred to in standard pronunciation as Lemon-stir.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 41,303 people, 16,491 households, and 10,900 families residing in the city. The population density was 552.2/km² (1,430.3/mi²). There were 16,976 housing units at an average density of 227.0/km² (587.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.12% White, 3.70% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.32% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.00% of the population.
There were 16,491 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,893, and the median income for a family was $54,660. Males had a median income of $41,013 versus $30,201 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,769. About 7.2% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Landmarks
Kendall Hall (which currently houses a branch of the local fire department) and City Hall are two major landmarks in the city. Others can be seen in this slide show of local places.
Sholan Farms
Sholan Farms is the latest tourist attraction to the city. This apple orchard offers a large variety of apples, a great view, and a historic and scenic look into the areas agricultural history. This orchard is home to festivals and functions. It is one of the largest sources of local pride. Sholan Farms is 123 years old, purchased from Chief Sholan of the Nashaway (Nashua) tribe in 1701.Education
Public Schools:
- Bennett
- Fall Brook
- Johnny Appleseed
- Leominster Ctr Tech Educ
- Leominster Senior High
- Lincoln School
- Northwest
- Priest Street School
- Samoset School
- Sky View Middle School
- Southeast Middle School
- Julie Country Day
- St Anna School
- St Leo School
- Lipton Academy
Parks
Other than the triangle-shaped common in downtown, and the various parks like Barett and Carter, Leominster is home to two large forest parks. One, The Doyle Reservation, is home to the local branch of the Trustees of The Reservation.
The other large forest park is the Leominster State Forest. This is a very large state forest and is home to a plethora of paths and trails, some of which eventually hook up to the Mid State Trail. Leominster is a very hilly city and provides plenty of hiking with great views.
Trivia
- Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, MA. The city holds an annual autumn fair and parade in his honor, and a local elementary school bears his name.
- The plastic flamingo traces its origins to Leominster.
- Leominster High School's football rivalry with Fitchburg High School is the oldest Thanksgiving Day rivalry in the state of Massachusetts (although Boston Public and Boston Latin hold the record for most consecutive Thanksgiving Day meetings).
- Noted fantasy/science-fiction author R.A. Salvatore resides in Leominster.
External links
"Leominster, Massachusetts"