Fitchburg, Massachusetts

File:Fitchburg, Mass. (2674486344).jpg with listing of landmarks]]

Fitchburg was first settled in by Europeans in 1730 as part of Lunenburg, and was officially set apart from that town and incorporated in 1764. The area was previously occupied by the Nipmuc tribe. It is named for John Fitch, one of the committee that procured the act of incorporation.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA126 | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=126}} In July 1748 Fitch and his family, living in this isolated spot, were abducted to Canada by Native Americans, but returned the next year.Ezra S. Stearns, John Fitch: An address with appendix (Fitchburg Historical Society) 1894:31.

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. A few examples of these 19th century buildings are the Fay Club, the old North Worcester County Courthouse{{cite web|url=http://dark-fetus.livejournal.com/125132.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206212859/http://dark-fetus.livejournal.com/125132.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 6, 2016|title=Old Fitchburg Courthouse |date=February 6, 2016}} and the Bullock house.{{cite web|url=http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/home-3/house-for-sale-fitchburg|title=Victorian house for sale Fitchburg MA|date=June 23, 2009}}

In 1922, it was affected by the 1922 New England Textile Strike, shutting down the mills in the city over an attempted wage cut.{{Cite book |last1=Foner |first1=Philip Sheldon |title=History of the labor movement in the United States. 9: The T.U.E.L. to the end of the Gompers era / by Philip S. Foner |last2=Foner |first2=Philip Sheldon |date= 1991 |publisher=Intl Publ |isbn=978-0-7178-0674-4 |location=New York |pages=19–31}}{{Cite journal |last=E. Tilden |first=Leonard |date=1923 |title=New England Textile Strike |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41828627 |journal=Monthly Labor Review |volume=16 |issue=5 |pages=13–36 |jstor=41828627 }}{{Cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Edmund B. Jr.|date=January 1987 |title=The New England Textile Strike of 1922: Focus on Fitchburg |url=https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Thomas-combined.pdf |journal=Historical Journal of Massachusetts |volume=15 |issue=1}}

As the city is one of Worcester County's two shire towns, it has hosted the Northern Worcester County Registry of Deeds, established in 1903, and the county jail on Water Street.

In 1961, two films Return to Peyton Place and By Love Possessed filmed exterior street scenes, town squares and public buildings in Fitchburg.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055370/|title=Return to Peyton Place|date=May 5, 1961|via=www.imdb.com}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|28.1|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|27.8|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.3|sqmi}}, or 1.07%, is water. The city is drained by the Nashua River. The highest point in Fitchburg is the summit of Brown Hill near the northwestern corner of the city, at {{convert|1210|ft}} above sea level.U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 × 15 minute series, Fitchburg quadrangle

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:

• Cleghorn{{Cite web|title=Fitchburg, MA Neighborhood Map – Income, House Prices, Occupations – list of neighborhoods|url=http://www.city-data.com/nbmaps/neigh-Fitchburg-Massachusetts.html|website=www.city-data.com|access-date=December 3, 2015}}
• Crockerville{{Cite web|title=Crockerville Fitchburg, MA|url=http://places.findthehome.com/l/173316/Crockerville-Fitchburg-MA|website=places.findthehome.com|access-date=December 3, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102211404/http://places.findthehome.com/l/173316/Crockerville-Fitchburg-MA|archive-date=January 2, 2016}}
• College Area
• Downtown Fitchburg
• East Side
• Green Acres Village
• North Fitchburg
• The Patch{{Cite web|title=the Patch neighborhood in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (MA), 01420 subdivision profile – real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets|url=http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/the-Patch-Fitchburg-MA.html|website=www.city-data.com|access-date=December 3, 2015}}
• Prichard-Pleasant Street
• South Fitchburg
• Tar Hill{{Cite web|title=Tar Hill Fitchburg, MA|url=http://places.findthehome.com/l/269504/Tar-Hill-Fitchburg-MA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102211404/http://places.findthehome.com/l/269504/Tar-Hill-Fitchburg-MA|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2016|website=places.findthehome.com|access-date=December 3, 2015}}
• Upper Common
• Waite's Corner
• West Fitchburg

Fitchburg's climate is humid continental, which is the predominant climate for Massachusetts and New England.{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ma2806|title = FitchburgG 4 SE, Massachusetts – Climate Summary}} Summers are typically warm, rainy, and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Spring and fall are usually mild, but conditions vary widely and depend on wind direction and jet stream positioning. The warmest month is July, with an average high temperature of about 84 °F and an average low temperature of about 63 °F. The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of about 35 °F and an average low temperature of about 17 °F.

{{Weather box|

| location = Fitchburg Municipal Airport, Fitchburg, Massachusetts (1998–2020 normals); Snow: Fitchburg COOP (2016–2023)

| single line = Y

| Jan record high F = 70

| Feb record high F = 80

| Mar record high F = 89

| Apr record high F = 94

| May record high F = 98

| Jun record high F = 99

| Jul record high F = 103

| Aug record high F = 100

| Sep record high F = 96

| Oct record high F = 87

| Nov record high F = 78

| Dec record high F = 74

| year record high F = 103

| Jan avg record high F = 57

| Feb avg record high F = 57

| Mar avg record high F = 68

| Apr avg record high F = 82

| May avg record high F = 90

| Jun avg record high F = 92

| Jul avg record high F = 94

| Aug avg record high F = 93

| Sep avg record high F = 89

| Oct avg record high F = 79

| Nov avg record high F = 70

| Dec avg record high F = 61

| year avg record high F= 96

| Jan high F = 34.8

| Feb high F = 38.0

| Mar high F = 46.3

| Apr high F = 59.2

| May high F = 70.0

| Jun high F = 78.1

| Jul high F = 83.9

| Aug high F = 82.3

| Sep high F = 75.4

| Oct high F = 62.2

| Nov high F = 50.9

| Dec high F = 40.2

| year high F = 59.5

| Jan mean F = 25.8

| Feb mean F = 28.3

| Mar mean F = 36.4

| Apr mean F = 48.0

| May mean F = 58.8

| Jun mean F = 67.5

| Jul mean F = 73.3

| Aug mean F = 71.6

| Sep mean F = 64.2

| Oct mean F = 51.5

| Nov mean F = 41.2

| Dec mean F = 31.5

| year mean F = 49.3

| Jan low F = 16.9

| Feb low F = 18.6

| Mar low F = 26.5

| Apr low F = 36.8

| May low F = 47.5

| Jun low F = 56.9

| Jul low F = 62.7

| Aug low F = 60.9

| Sep low F = 53.1

| Oct low F = 40.8

| Nov low F = 31.4

| Dec low F = 22.7

| year low F = 39.1

| Jan avg record low F = -2

| Feb avg record low F = 2

| Mar avg record low F = 8

| Apr avg record low F = 25

| May avg record low F = 34

| Jun avg record low F = 44

| Jul avg record low F = 53

| Aug avg record low F = 50

| Sep avg record low F = 38

| Oct avg record low F = 26

| Nov avg record low F = 17

| Dec avg record low F = 4

| year avg record low F= -4

| Jan record low F = −10

| Feb record low F = −15

| Mar record low F = −12

| Apr record low F = 15

| May record low F = 29

| Jun record low F = 36

| Jul record low F = 47

| Aug record low F = 45

| Sep record low F = 28

| Oct record low F = 15

| Nov record low F = 7

| Dec record low F = −7

| year record low F = −15

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 2.62

| Feb precipitation inch = 3.01

| Mar precipitation inch = 3.94

| Apr precipitation inch = 3.79

| May precipitation inch = 3.74

| Jun precipitation inch = 4.59

| Jul precipitation inch = 3.47

| Aug precipitation inch = 3.49

| Sep precipitation inch = 3.97

| Oct precipitation inch = 4.46

| Nov precipitation inch = 3.27

| Dec precipitation inch = 3.41

| year precipitation inch = 44.45

| Jan snow inch = 15.1

| Feb snow inch = 17.8

| Mar snow inch = 18.6

| Apr snow inch = 2.9

| May snow inch = 0

| Jun snow inch = 0

| Jul snow inch = 0

| Aug snow inch = 0

| Sep snow inch = 0

| Oct snow inch = 0.8

| Nov snow inch = 3.1

| Dec snow inch = 17.5

| year snow inch = 70.7

| source 1 = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=box

| source =

| width =

| collapsed = Y

}}

{{Historical populations

|type= USA

|1790|1151

|1800|1390

|1810|1566

|1820|1736

|1830|2169

|1840|2604

|1850|5120

|1860|7805

|1870|11260

|1880|12429

|1890|22037

|1900|31531

|1910|37826

|1920|41029

|1930|40692

|1940|41824

|1950|42691

|1960|43021

|1970|43343

|1980|39580

|1990|41194

|2000|39102

|2010|40318

|2020|41946

|2024|42145

|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}}}

|footnote={{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}{{cite journal |title=1950 Census of Population|volume=1: Number of Inhabitants|at=Section 6, pp. 21-7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920|publisher=Bureau of the Census|access-date=July 12, 2011|year=1952|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073753/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-09 |url-status=live}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190521214830/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 21, 2019 |access-date=April 3, 2012 }} of 2010, there were 40,318 people, 15,165 households, and 9,362 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,450.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 17,117 housing units at an average density of {{convert|615.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 78.2% White, 5.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.6% of the population (14.6% Puerto Rican, 1.8% Dominican, 1.6% Uruguayan, 1.4% Mexican, 0.3% Ecuadorian, 0.2% Colombian, 0.2% Honduran, 0.1% Guatemalan, 0.1% Salvadoran, 0.1% Spanish, 0.1% Peruvian).[https://archive.today/20200212055907/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP10&prodType=table QT-P10 | Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010] 2010 Census Summary File 1

76.9% spoke English, 15.1% Spanish, 4.2% Other Indo-European Language and 2.6% Asian and Pacific Islander Languages as their first language.

There were 15,165 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,019, and the median income for a family was $57,245. Males had a median income of $47,350 versus $37,921 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,972. About 14.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

File:Main Street, Looking East, Fitchburg, MA.jpg

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.{{cite journal|last1=Eggleston|first1=Peter J.|title=Improving Public Access to the Nashua River in Lancaster, MA|date=2013|page=14|url=https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-050313-123430/unrestricted/IQP_Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202083543/https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-050313-123430/unrestricted/IQP_Report.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=live|access-date=January 23, 2017}}

• Founded in 1939, the Wachusett Potato Chip Company 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. It was purchased by UTZ in 2011 and still makes chips for local distribution using the Wachusett name.{{cite web|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20111019/NEWS/111019529/0|title=Wachusett Potato Chip Co. sold|first=Aaron Nicodemus Telegram & Gazette|last=Staff}}
• Two truck manufacturing firms, the Wachusett Truck Company and the New England Truck Company, operated in Fitchburg during the early twentieth century.
• Simonds International, Saw manufacturer founded in Fitchburg in 1832 and still operating on Intervale Road.
• The Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works made motorcycles for a short time, in addition to their primary products, firearms and bicycles.
• Assumption Life, a large financial services company, was founded in Fitchburg in 1903 before moving to Moncton, New Brunswick.
• When completed in June 2014 Great Wolf Lodge New England{{cite web|url=http://www.greatwolf.com/newengland/waterpark|title=Indoor Water Park New England Massachusetts|website=www.greatwolf.com}} will have spent over 70 million dollars in renovations to former Holiday Inn/Coco Key Water Resort There will be over 400 new permanent jobs created from this project.

The Fitchburg Central Steam Plant (locally known by its nickname: the PLT) 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{{cite web|url=http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/gfs/index.cfm?xpg_id=378&display_type=HTML |title=Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet: Fitchburg, MA | Brownfields and Land Revitalization | US EPA |publisher=Cfpub.epa.gov |access-date=February 1, 2012}} to help clean up hazardous substances on the site.

Cleanup{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/news/20100315-Community%20Relations%20Plan.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=July 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005172647/http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/news/20100315-Community%20Relations%20Plan.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2011 }} of the Central Steam Plant started in 2010 and is ongoing as of July 2011. As of December 2015, the Fitchburg Central Steam Plant has been razed. The last structure to fall was its massive smokestack.

The Fitchburg Art Museum was founded in 1925 and includes over {{convert|20000|sqft|m2|sigfig=2}} of gallery and educational space which features a "cross barn" built in 1883, the Simond's building completed in 1989, and 12 galleries feature American, African, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art.{{Cite web |title=Fitchburg Art Museum |url=https://freedomsway.org/place/fitchburg-art-museum/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229170442/https://freedomsway.org/place/fitchburg-art-museum/ |archive-date=2024-02-29 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Freedom's Way National Heritage Area |language=en-US}}

File:Rollstone postcard.jpg

The Rollstone Boulder is a 110-ton specimen of porphyritic granite located in a small triangular public park. The boulder was a feature of the summit of Rollstone Hill; it was exploded and reassembled on the green in 1929 and 1930.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-24 |title=A beloved boulder in Fitchburg, Massachusetts has an intriguing history |url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/a-beloved-boulder-in-fitchburg-massachusetts-has-an-intriguing-history/40382201 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=WCVB |language=en}}

The Fitchburg Historical Society houses more than 200,000 items related to the history of Fitchburg, including Sentinel newspapers from 1838 to 1976, city directories, photographs, scrapbooks, manuscripts, family genealogies, postcards, files on industries in the City, books and pamphlets on Fitchburg's history from the 1700s to the present, a Civil War collection, and a collection on the railroad.{{Cite web |title=Fitchburg Historical Society – Commonwealth Historical Collaborative |url=http://chc.library.umass.edu/blog/fitchburg-historical-society/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |language=en}}

File:Fitchburg WallaceLibrary ca1907 Massachusetts.png

The Fitchburg Public Library was established in 1859.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LusKAAAAYAAJ |title=Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts - Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts - Google Boeken |date=August 6, 2007 |access-date=February 1, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.fitchburgpubliclibrary.org/about/library_history.htm |title=Fitchburg Library |publisher=Fitchburgpubliclibrary.org |access-date=February 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307145248/http://fitchburgpubliclibrary.org/about/library_history.htm |archive-date=March 7, 2012 }} In 1899, a child-specific library service began in one of the country's first children's rooms.{{Cite web |title=Library History {{!}} Fitchburg, MA |url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/239/Library-History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229171519/http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/239/Library-History |archive-date=2024-02-29 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us}} Fitchburg Public Library became the first regional library in the Massachusetts Regional Library System in 1962.{{Cite web |title=Library History {{!}} Fitchburg, MA |url=http://www.fitchburgpubliclibrary.org/239/Library-History |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=www.fitchburgpubliclibrary.org}} In 2008, the library had a budget of $1,111,412.http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repmunicpie/index {{dead link|date=February 2012}} In 2014, the Fitchburg Law Library opened.{{cite web|url=http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/libraries/locations/fitchburg.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112190227/http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/libraries/locations/fitchburg.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 12, 2016|title=This Page Has Moved|date=January 12, 2016}}

Other cultural features include:

• Arthur J. DiTommaso Memorial Bridge
• Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (no longer active){{Cite web |last=Sweeney |first=Sean |date=2020-03-18 |title=Longsjo Classic won't roll out again |url=https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2020/03/18/longsjo-classic-wont-roll-out-again/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Sentinel and Enterprise |language=en-US}}
• The Finnish Center at Saima Park{{cite web|url=http://www.saima-park.org |title=saima-park.org |publisher=saima-park.org |access-date=September 27, 2016}}
• Wallace Civic Center of Fitchburg State University

File:Coggs-Park.jpg

File:Fitchburg Steam Line7.JPG

• Coggshall Park — a {{convert|300|acre|ha|abbr=on|adj=on}} park established in 1894, which features wooded trails, access to Mirror Lake, a walking path, gazebo, stone house, playground, and disc golf course.{{Cite web |title=Coggshall Park |url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/facilities/facility/details/Coggshall-Park-3 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Fitchburg, MA |language=en}}
• Flat Rock Wild Life Sanctuary{{cite web|url=http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/flat-rock/about|title=About Flat Rock|website=Mass Audubon}} — a {{convert|326|acre|ha|abbr=on|adj=on}} wild life sanctuary.
• Fitchburg Abolitionist Park — created in 2017 by volunteers to honor the rich history of anti-slavery activism in the city, including its role in the Underground Railroad.{{Cite web |title=Fitchburg Abolitionist Park |url=https://freedomsway.org/place/fitchburg-abolitionist-park/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Freedom's Way National Heritage Area |language=en-US}}
• West Fitchburg Steam Line Trail{{cite web|url=http://bikeitorhikeit.org/steam_line_trail.htm |title=Steam Line Trail |publisher=Bikeitorhikeit.org |date=May 22, 2010 |access-date=February 1, 2012}} — a bike and walking path located in Fitchburg that is {{convert|0.6|acre|ha|abbr=on}} long and runs along the Nashua River and Flag Brook in the Waites Corner neighborhood.
• Crocker Field — an athletic facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|url=http://www.crockerfield.org/ |title=Crocker Field Restoration Committee welcomes you!|website=www.crockerfield.org}}
• Coolidge Park — a multi-use park located off John Fitch Highway, containing 2 street hockey rinks, 4 baseball/softball fields, a swimming pool and walking path.{{Cite web |title=Coolidge Park |url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/facilities/facility/details/Coolidge-Park-4 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Fitchburg, MA |language=en}}
• Fitchburg Dog Park — a 1-acre fenced, off-leash dog park located off John Fitch Highway within Coolidge Park.{{Cite web |title=Fitchburg Dog Park |url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/facilities/facility/details/Fitchburg-Dog-Park-68 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Fitchburg, MA |language=en}}

• Mayor: Samantha M. Squailia {{Cite web |title=Woman in the news: Fitchburg Mayor-elect Sam Squailia accentuates community |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/15/samantha-squailia-reflects-on-historic-win-as-fitchburg-mayor/71583480007/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}
• State Representative: Michael Kushmerek{{Cite web|url=https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/House|title=House Members|accessdate=2021-12-31|website=malegislature.gov}}
• State Senator: John Cronin (D){{Cite web|url=https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/JJC0|title=Senator John J. Cronin |accessdate=2021-12-31|website=malegislature.gov}}
• Governor's Councilor: Paul DePalo (D)
• U.S. Representative: Lori Trahan (D-3rd District)
• U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

File:State Normal School, Fitchburg, MA.jpg

File:Fitchburg State College Hammond Building.JPG]]

• Crocker Elementary School
• South Street Elementary School
• Reingold Elementary School

• Memorial Middle School
• Longsjo Middle School

• Fitchburg High School{{cite web|url=http://fhs.fitchburg.k12.ma.us/|title=Fitchburg High School}}
• Goodrich Academy
• McKay Arts Academy{{cite web|url=https://mckay.fitchburg.k12.ma.us/about-us|title=McKay Arts Academy}}
• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, also called Monty Tech
• Sizer School

• Applewild School
• Notre Dame Preparatory School
• St. Bernard's Elementary School{{cite web|url=http://www.stbernardselementary.org/|title=St. Bernard's Elementary School - "Deeds not Words"|website=www.stbernardselementary.org}}
• St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School

St. Anthony of Padua School opened {{circa|1951}} and closed in 2017. In its final year it had 144 students. Its closure meant that Fitchburg now has only one remaining Roman Catholic grade school.{{cite web|author=Burke, Amanda|url=https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2017/06/14/saint-anthony-closing-after-strong-66-year-run/|title=Saint Anthony closing after strong 66-year run |work=Sentinel and Enterprise|date=June 14, 2017|access-date=May 2, 2020}}

• Fitchburg State University

Established in 1894 by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, the State Normal School in Fitchburg opened in temporary quarters in the old high school building on Academy Street.{{cite web|url=https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/about-us/history-of-the-university/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506163829/https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/about-us/history-of-the-university/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 6, 2014|title=History of Fitchburg State University – Fitchburg State University|date=May 6, 2014}}

• Raivaaja
• Sentinel & Enterprise

• Fitchburg has its own access TV station, Fitchburg Access Television.{{cite web|url=http://www.fatv.org|title=Home|website=FATV}} The station covers various local events, ranging from local school sports to municipal government meetings. FATV operates three Public, Education, and Government (PEG) channels. FATV channels can be viewed on Comcast (channels 8, 9, & 99) and on Verizon (channels 35, 36, & 37). FATV is not available on satellite TV.

• WPKZ, AM-1280 FM-105.3 Originally licensed in 1941
• WXPL, FM-91.3 Fitchburg State Radio
• WXLO, FM-104.5
• WQPH, FM-89.3 (Queen of Perpetual Help) Shirley/Fitchburg an EWTN Catholic Radio affiliate

The Fitchburg Fire Department employs 81 firefighters, operating out of three stations. It responds to approximately 12,000 emergency calls annually.{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/government/departments/fire/default.cfm |title=Fire Department |access-date=June 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214093642/http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/government/departments/fire/default.cfm |archive-date=February 14, 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/government/departments/fire/roster/default.cfm |title=Roster |access-date=June 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121221324/http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/government/departments/fire/roster/default.cfm |archive-date=November 21, 2013 }}

• Fitchburg Police Department,{{cite web|url=http://www.fitchburgpolice.com/ |title=Fitchburgpolice.com |publisher=Fitchburgpolice.com |access-date=February 1, 2012}} a full-service law enforcement agency responsible for {{convert|28|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} and {{convert|192|mi|km|sigfig=2}} of public road. The department responds to over 40,000 incidents each year.
• Worcester County Sheriff's Office{{cite web|url=http://www.worcestercountysheriff.com/ |title=worcestercountysheriff.com |publisher=worcestercountysheriff.com |access-date=February 1, 2012}}
• Massachusetts State Police

UMass Memorial Health operates a hospital in Fitchburg.{{cite web|url=http://www.umassmemorial.org/HealthAllianceHP.cfm?id=9|title=UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital – UMass Memorial Health Care|website=www.umassmemorial.org}}

File:Jetbeech.JPG ]]

Transportation for Fitchburg is largely supplied by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). MART{{cite web|url=http://www.mrta.us |title=mrta.us |publisher=mrta.us |date=November 17, 2010 |access-date=February 1, 2012}} operates fixed-route bus services, shuttle services, as well as paratransit services within the Montachusett Region. It also provides two connections to the MBTA Commuter Rail line at Fitchburg Station and Wachusett Station. The Fitchburg Station is the second to last stop on the Fitchburg Line from the North Station in Boston and the Wachusett Station is the last stop.

The Fitchburg Municipal Airport occupies {{convert|335|acres|abbr=on}} 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.

• Joseph Palmer, beard enthusiast{{Cite web|date=2017-05-26|title=Joseph Palmer, Fashion Criminal, Persecuted for Wearing a Beard|url=https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/joseph-palmer-persecuted-wearing-beard/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=New England Historical Society|language=en-US}}
• Herbert Adams, sculptor of "WWI, Winged Glory" in the Upper Common of Fitchburg{{cite web|url= http://www.nationalacademy.org/collections/artists/detail/18/|title= Hebert Adams|publisher= National Academy Museum|access-date= December 6, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131211105101/http://www.nationalacademy.org/collections/artists/detail/18/|archive-date= December 11, 2013|url-status= dead|df= mdy-all}}
• Amerie (Amerie Mi Marie Rogers), singer and actress{{cite web|url= http://www.billboard.com/artist/278898/amerie/biography |title= Amerie |publisher= billboard|access-date= December 10, 2013}}
• Jacques Aubuchon, character actor{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U5aiAgAAQBAJ&q=McHales+Navy+Jacques+aubuchon&pg=PA86 |title=Legendary Locals of Fitchburg - Fitchburg Historical Society |page=86 |date=February 17, 2014 |publisher=Arcadia |isbn=9781467101103 |access-date=March 22, 2017}}
• Mike Barnicle, newspaper writerhttp://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/Archive/ViewFile/Item/328 {{bare URL inline|date=February 2024}}
• Michael Beasley, NBA player, high school All-American; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School{{cite web|url= https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/beaslmi01.html|title= Michael Beasley

|publisher= Basketball-Reference.com|access-date= December 10, 2013}}

• Orlando Boss, Medal of Honor recipient from the American Civil War
• Ken Bouchard, former NASCAR driver, 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year{{cite web|url= http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=bouchke01|title= Ken Bouchard|publisher= Racing-Reference.com|access-date= December 10, 2013}}
• Ron Bouchard, former NASCAR driver, 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year,{{cite web|url= http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=bouchro01|title= Ron Bouchard|publisher= Racing-Reference.com|access-date= December 10, 2013}} former owner of many car dealerships
• Everett Francis Briggs, Catholic priest and miners' activist, born in Fitchburg, his life's mission was dedicated to the victims of the Monongah Mining Disaster{{Cite web|url=http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97124316.html|title=LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies: Briggs, Everett Francis|website=Library of Congress|others=The Library of Congress|access-date=February 10, 2018}}
• Carolyn Brown, dancer, choreographer, and writer, danced with Merce Cunningham Dance Company{{cite book|last=Iddon|first=Martin Iddon, and Cage, John|title=John Cage and David Tudor: Correspondence on Interpretation and Performance|year=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=28|isbn=9781107014329|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAunuxUFcFEC&q=Carolyn+Brown+fitchburg+ma&pg=PA28}}
• Henry Sweetser Burrage, clergyman, editor, author, Maine historian{{cite book|last=Powell|first=William Henry|title=Officers of the Army and Navy (volunteer) who Served in the Civil War|year=1893|publisher=L. R. Hamersley & Company|page=241|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O6GhgUsC10IC&q=Henry+Sweetser+Burrage+fitchburg+ma&pg=PA241}}
• James "Nixey" Callahan, Major League Baseball pitcher around the turn of the 20th century, later manager of the Chicago White Sox{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Pete and Gillette, Gary|title=The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia|year=2006|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc|page=828|isbn=9781402736254|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUe37F9gN00C&q=Nixey+Callahan+fitchburg+ma&pg=PT847}}
• Herbert William Conn, zoologist and bacteriologist{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Conn, Herbert William}}
• Marcus A. Coolidge, United States Senator{{cite encyclopedia|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000740|title=COOLIDGE, Marcus Allen, (1865–1947)|dictionary=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= December 10, 2013}}
• Alvah Crocker, manufacturer and railroad promoter, United States Representative{{cite encyclopedia|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000916|title=CROCKER, Alvah, (1801–1874)|dictionary=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= December 10, 2013}}
• George Crowther, football player{{cite web|url= http://brow.psbin.com/sports/hallfame/mtt/crowther_georgem00.html|title= George Crowther|publisher= Brown University Athletics|access-date= December 10, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140801214101/http://brow.psbin.com/sports/hallfame/mtt/crowther_georgem00.html|archive-date= August 1, 2014|url-status= dead}}
• Kenneth Emory, anthropologist
• Donald Featherstone, artist and creator of the plastic flamingo lawn ornament
• Ryan Gomes, NBA player; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School{{cite news|url= http://www.registercitizen.com/general-news/20130719/ryan-gomes-hoops-for-heart-health-basketball-camp-comes-to-harwinton|title= Ryan Gomes' Hoops for Heart Health Basketball Camp comes to Harwinton|date= 19 July 2013|newspaper= The Register Citizen|access-date= December 10, 2013|last1= Wallace|first1= Peter}}
• Bruce Gordon, actor (Ishtar, Adam-12, Bonanza, Get Smart, and The Untouchables){{cite news|url= http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/santafenewmexican/Obituary.aspx?pid=148073435|title= Bruce Gordon|newspaper= Santa Fe New Mexican|access-date= December 10, 2013}}
• Samuel W. Hale, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the 39th Governor of New Hampshire{{cite book|last=Fitchburg, Mass|title=The Old Records of the Town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts: Vital statistics|year=1900|publisher=Sentinel printing Company|page=311|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHINAQAAIAAJ&q=Samuel+Whitney+Hale+Fitchburg%2C+Massachusetts&pg=PA311}}
• Christian Hansen Jr., U.S. Marshal for Vermont{{cite book |author=Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives |date=1985 |title=Witness Protection Act: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties and the Administration of Justice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L79vtCfPZwoC&pg=PA122 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=122 |via=Google Books}}
• Ripley Hitchcock, prominent editor{{cite book|last=Emerson|first=William Andrew|title=Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Past and Present|year=1887|publisher=Press of Blanchard & Brown|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_oWAAAAYAAJ&q=Ripley+Hitchcock+fitchburg+ma&pg=PA111}}
• Lempi Ikävalko, Finnish-born poet, author, journalist; for 30 years, editor at Fitchburg's Raivaaja{{cite web|url=http://www.raivaaja.org/|title=Home Page Raivaaja, Fitchburg, MA USA|first=R|last=Hanninen|website=www.raivaaja.org}} newspaper{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/45306904/|title=Lempi Ikävalko will read poem|date=October 1, 1964|work=Fitchburg Sentinel}}
• George Juskalian, was a decorated Colonel of the United States Army who served for over three decades and fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
• Viola Léger, American-born Canadian actress and politician
• Louise Freeland Jenkins, astronomer
• Iver Johnson, of Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works, located in Fitchburg
• Rob Laakso, a renowned musician, record producer and engineer
• Erika Lawler, member of the 2009–10 United States national women's ice hockey team{{cite web|url= http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/salutetowomen/ci_23765923/salute-women-erika-lawler|title=Salute to Women: Erika Lawler|date=31 July 2013|

publisher=Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise|access-date= December 10, 2013}}

• Ray LeBlanc, ice hockey goaltender
• John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile US
• Art Longsjo, Winter and Summer Olympian; Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is held in his memory
• Caroline Atherton Mason, poet{{cite book|last=Mason|first=Caroline Atherton Briggs|title=The Lost Ring: And Other Poems|year=1891|publisher=Houghton, Mifflin|page=x|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27oYAAAAYAAJ&q=Caroline++Atherton+Mason&pg=PA45}}
• Matti Mattson, American labor organizer, social activist, and Veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil WarMatti Mattson
• Hiram Maxim, inventor of the first self-powered machine gun{{cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Hiram_Stevens_Maxim|title=Hiram Stevens Maxim|publisher= Grace's Guide|access-date= December 6, 2013}}
• Patricia Misslin, voice teacher and soprano{{cite news|url=https://operawire.com/obituary-renowned-teacher-patricia-misslin-dies-at-81/|title=Obituary: Renowned Teacher Patricia Misslin Dies at 81|first=Francisco|last= Salazar|date=January 7, 2022|work=Opera Wire}}
• Pat Moran, catcher and manager in Major League Baseball, managed the Philadelphia Phillies and the 1919 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=moranpa01|title=Pat Moran Stats|publisher= Baseball Almanac|access-date= December 6, 2013}}
• Clara Hapgood Nash (1839–1921), first woman to be admitted to the bar in New England; born in Fitchburg[http://www.actonhistoricalsociety.org/blog/clara-hapgood-nash-a-woman-of-her-time-and-ahead-of-it "Clara Hapgood Nash: A Woman of Her Time and Ahead of It"]. Acton Historical Society website, June 17, 2018.
• George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM; spent some years in Fitchburg and occasionally mentions the city on his show
• Eleanor Norcross, founder of the Fitchburg Art Museum, artist, collector, social reformer{{cite web|url= http://fitchburgartmuseum.org/eleanor-norcross.php|title= Eleanor Norcross|publisher= Fitchburg Art Museum|access-date= December 6, 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131215045438/http://fitchburgartmuseum.org/eleanor-norcross.php|archive-date= December 15, 2013|url-status= dead}}
• Joseph Pilato, actor most known for Day of the Dead
• Benjamin A. Poore, U.S. Army major general{{cite magazine |author=R. B. |date=1941 |title=Obituary, Benjamin Andrew Poore |url=https://usmalibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/aogreunion/id/22534/download |magazine=Seventy-Second Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy |location=Newburgh, NY |publisher=Moore Printing Company |pages=152–154 |type=.pdf Download |via=West Point Digital Library}}
• Marion Rice, Denishawn dancer, teacher, choreographer, producer{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/27/obituaries/marion-b-s-rice-a-dance-teacher-and-producer-90.html|title=Marion B. S. Rice, A Dance Teacher And Producer, 90

|newspaper= The New York Times|date=27 April 1995

|access-date= December 6, 2013|last1=Dunning

|first1=Jennifer

}}

• Charles L. Robinson, physician, journalist and first governor of Kansas{{cite web|url=http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_kansas/col2-content/main-content-list/title_robinson_charles.html|title=Kansas Governor Charles Lawrence Robinson|publisher= National Governors Association|access-date= December 6, 2013}}
• Sylvanus Sawyer, inventor and manufacturer{{cite book|last=Bishop|first=John Leander and Troxell, Edwin|title=A history of American manufactures from 1608 to 1860|year=1868|publisher=E. Young|page=579|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mugJAAAAIAAJ&q=Sylvanus+Sawyer+++fitchburg+ma&pg=PA579}}
• Asa Thurston, Hawaiian missionary{{cite book|last=Hitchcock|first=George A.|title=A History of the Calvinistic Congregational Church: And Society Fitchburg, Massachusetts|year=1902|publisher=Authorized by vote of the Society|page=25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8YMsAAAAYAAJ&q=Asa+Thurston+fitchburg+ma&pg=PA25}}
• Oskari Tokoi, editor of Raivaaja
• Calvin M. Woodward, St. Louis educator{{cite book|last=Hyde|first=William and Conard, Howard Louis|title=Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: A Compendium of History ..., Volume 4|year=1899|publisher=Southern History Company|page=2541|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crUNAQAAMAAJ&q=Calvin+M.+Woodward+fitchburg+ma&pg=PA2541}}
• Samuel Worcester, clergyman noted for his participation in a controversy over Unitarianism{{Cite DAB|title=Worcester, Samuel|author=Harris Elwood Starr|year=1936}}{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Worcester, Noah (clergyman)|display=Worcester, Noah, clergyman|year=1889}}
• Alan Shealy, American rower and Harvard graduate

In Harry Potter universe, Fitchburg is the hometown of the professional Quidditch team the Fitchburg Finches.{{cite book |first=Kennilworthy|last=Whisp|title=Quidditch Through the Ages|year=2001 |publisher=WhizzHard Books|pages=31–46|isbn=1-55192-454-4}}

The children's book Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson is set in Fitchburg.

In 2012, Dark Horse Comics published a comic book series entitled Falling Skies: The Battle of Fitchburg.{{Cite web|url=http://tntnewsroom.com/falling-skies-dark-horse-digital-and-tnt-partner-for-season-two-falling-skies-comic/ |title=FALLING SKIES: DARK HORSE DIGITAL and TNT Partner for Season Two FALLING SKIES COMIC |date=April 13, 2012 |first=Chrissie |last=Eckhardt |work=tntnewsroom.com |access-date=June 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417074233/http://tntnewsroom.com/falling-skies-dark-horse-digital-and-tnt-partner-for-season-two-falling-skies-comic/ |archive-date=April 17, 2012 }}

{{SisterCities|Fitchburg|four}}

• {{flagdeco|DEU}} Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• {{flagdeco|FIN}} Kokkola, Finland
• {{flagdeco|PRC}} Tianjin, China
• {{flagdeco|GEO}} Oni, Georgia

• Fitchburg Trappers
• Liberté de Fitchburg
• List of mill towns in Massachusetts

{{reflist|25em}}

• Rufus C. Torrey, [https://archive.org/details/historytownfitch00torrrich History of the town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts] (1865)

{{Commons category|Fitchburg, Massachusetts}}

{{wikivoyage|Fitchburg}}

{{Wikisource|Fitchburg}}

• {{Official website|http://www.fitchburgma.gov/ }}
• [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/6/8/14689/14689-h/14689-h.htm#toc_9 Fitchburg in 1885], article in the Bay State Monthly, from Project Gutenberg

{{Worcester County, Massachusetts}}

{{Massachusetts}}

{{Greater Boston}}

{{Merrimack River}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Category:Populated places established in 1730

Category:1730 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay

Category:Cities in Massachusetts