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Timeline of Lowell History

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1931: Harper's Magazine describes Lowell as a "depressed industrial desert."

1936: A major flood ravages Lowell.

1940: Only three major textile mills are left in Lowell; shoe industry is failing; 40 percent of the population is "on relief."

1950: Jack Kerouac publishes his first "Lowell" novel: The Town and the City

1975: First Southeast Asian refugees settle in Lowell, building toward the second-largest Cambodian American enclave in U.S. by 1990.

1976: Computer manufacturer Wang Labs opens its international headquarters in Lowell.

1978: Lowell National Historical Park is created to recognize the beginnings of the American Industrial Revolution.

1986: Charles, Prince of Wales, visits Lowell to see historic preservation in action.

1987-89: Lowell hosts the National Folk Festival three years running.

1988: Jack Kerouac commemorative sculpture and park are dedicated.

1990: First Lowell Folk Festival, now an annual tradition. Preservation magazine hails Lowell as "the relevant precedent emulated by rehabilitated gritty cities worldwide."

1992: Wang Labs files for bankruptcy protection. Lowell native and former U.S. senator Paul Tsongas wins 8 presidential primaries and caucuses.

1996: The Lowell Spinners, a minor-league Red Sox affiliate, begin play.

2000: National Trust for Historic Preservation names Lowell one of America's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations."

2006: UMass Lowell announces a plan to build an $80 million nanotechnology center.

2009: Brazilian, African, and Iraqi families are among Lowell's newcomers.

READ MORE:
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Yankee Classic: Jack Kerouac
Lowell, MA: Where to Go