Leominster

History

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 settlers began arriving in the mid-17th century and in 1653, the area of Leominster—which takes it name from the Herefordshire town of Leominster in England, was first founded as part of the town of Lancaster. The European settlers and native people lived peacefully for a number of years, until the start of King Philip's War in 1675. 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. 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. On November 2, 1915, Leominster was officially chartered as a city. While many different industries established themselves in Leominster, it was the comb industry that particularly 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. invented in Germany in the early 1920s. Leominster also boasted large manufactures Standard Tool Company, Selig Manufacturing Co. Inc, C.E. Buckley, Inc. (manufacturer of religious articles) and the Whitney Carriage Company, which was once the largest manufacturer of baby carriages in the world. Although the Great Depression slowed the plastic industry in Leominster, it was not until the late 20th century…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.96%, is water. Leominster is primarily located on a plateau above the Nashua River. 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 western 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. To the east, lies the Monoosnoc Brook which winds through the center of town and was an important power source for early manufacturers. The city is divided into several small "villages" such as French Hill, a large hill covered in planned blocks of "triple decker" apartment houses located from 1st Street to 12th Street. It is called French Hill because this is where the large immigrant French population took root. In the early 20th century, on Lincoln Terrace, immigrating Italian families began to arrive in the area and built a semi-closed society which existed for many years. The French population built a new church and moved closer to it. Other areas include Morse Hollow, North Leominster, Rice Hill, the Flats, the Bowery, the West Side, and the Car Barn area, located along the Fitchburg border, so-called because the Fitchburg & Leominster Railway trolley cars were stored and maintained in this area. It now has buses. A granite marker showing the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed can be found on Johnny Appleseed Lane.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  24,840
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,508
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,911
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  20,143
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,998
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,783
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  17,160
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,721

Largest nearby schools

• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical
  High · Fitchburg · 1,409 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Fitchburg High
  High · Fitchburg · 1,246 students · 13:1 ratio
• Leominster High School
  High · Leominster · 1,034 students · 11:1 ratio
• Sky View Middle School
  Middle · Leominster · 886 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Clinton Elementary
  Elementary · Clinton · 840 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Nashoba Regional
  High · Bolton · 831 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Center For Technical Education Innovation
  High · Leominster · 800 students · 25:1 ratio
• McKay Elementary School
  Elementary · Fitchburg · 727 students · 11:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire