Living in Lowell, MA
Brick mills, working canals,and a city still built around its river.
Lowell is a Middlesex County city of 115,554 people (2020 Census), founded as a textile mill town and incorporated in 1826. Most of its housing was built before 1960, with a mix of multi-family buildings, duplexes, single-family homes and converted mills. The MBTA Lowell Line runs from Lowell station to Boston's North Station, and I-495 and US-3 cross the city.
About Lowell
The first large textile mill went up in 1822 on land that would become Lowell, and the town of Lowell was incorporated on March 1, 1826, then chartered as a city in 1836. By the 1850s it had the largest industrial complex in the United States. Much of that landscape survives: Lowell National Historical Park, created in 1978, runs boat tours through the canal system and recreates 19th-century textile work in the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. Along the river, the Vandenberg Esplanade is part of the state's Lowell Heritage State Park.
Lowell's neighborhoods differ widely. Downtown, the Acre and Back Central hold most of the city's rental housing, while parts of Belvidere, Pawtucketville and the Highlands are mostly single-family streets. Beyond the mill core, the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, shared with two neighboring towns, adds about six miles of trails.
Lowell's zoning ordinance dates to 2004, and the city is rewriting it, with Community Scale, Levine Planning Strategies and BBHS Law as consultants; a public forum on data centers in June 2026 was part of that work. The Hamilton Canal District, 15 acres of vacant and underused waterfront land downtown, is governed by a form-based code that the City Council adopted on February 24, 2009, following a 2008 master plan, with Trinity Financial as master developer. As a Gateway City, Lowell offers the state's Housing Development Incentive Program, a tax exemption and credit for market-rate housing created by substantial rehabilitation, and its 2024 to 2028 Housing Production Plan credits conversions of downtown buildings and mills with much of the city's recent production. The state lists Lowell as compliant with the MBTA Communities law, as of October 21, 2026.
Homes in Lowell
Lowell's Housing Production Plan for 2024 to 2028 reports that 77% of the city's housing was built before 1960, with nearly a third predating 1900, and that 45% of units are in buildings of three or more units. Conversions of downtown buildings and mills account for much of recent production, and parts of Belvidere, Pawtucketville and the Highlands are predominantly single-family.
Where you mightlive in Lowell.
Downtown
The mill and canal core, where many older commercial buildings and mills have been converted to housing.
The Acre
A neighborhood where most homes are rentals, the highest renter share outside downtown.
Back Central
One of the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of rental housing, alongside downtown and the Acre.
Belvidere
Includes the Belvidere Hill Neighborhood District, a local historic district; parts of the neighborhood are predominantly single-family.
Centralville
Formerly part of Dracut, brought within Lowell in 1851.
Pawtucketville
Holds the greatest share of newer housing among Lowell's neighborhoods, and parts are mostly single-family.
The Highlands
Divided into the Upper and Lower Highlands, with the lower section closer to downtown.
South Lowell
A section at the city's edge with some of its larger multi-family developments.
Getting around
Commuting from Lowell
Lowell station, at 101 Thorndike Street, is the outer terminal of the MBTA Lowell Line to Boston's North Station. I-495 and US-3 pass through the city, and the Lowell Connector links them to downtown.
- Lowell Line: Lowell
Check current schedules with the MBTA; compare the trip from each address before you buy.
Schools
Public schools
Lowell is served by Lowell Public Schools. Review the district's profile with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and confirm school assignment for any address with the district.
DESE district profilePlaces to knowin Lowell.
Lowell National Historical Park
A National Park Service site created in 1978, with the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, canal boat tours and the Mogan Cultural Center.
Lowell Heritage State Park and the Vandenberg Esplanade
A DCR park established in 1974 that includes the riverside Vandenberg Esplanade.
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
More than 1,000 acres across three towns, with about six miles of trails, ponds and wetlands, entered from Trotting Park Road.
Whistler House Museum of Art
The circa 1825 house at 243 Worthen Street where James McNeill Whistler was born in 1834, now run by the Lowell Art Association.
Lowell Folk Festival
A free festival held downtown on the last full weekend of July, with stages at Boarding House Park and along Market Street.
Pollard Memorial Library
Designed by Frederick W. Stickney and built in 1890 and 1891 as Memorial Hall, renamed in 1981 and renovated in the mid-2000s.
Western Avenue Studios
A converted mill at 122 Western Avenue with studios for more than 300 working artists and musicians.
Pawtucket Falls
A mile-long set of rapids with a total drop of about 32 feet, which powered the city's 19th-century industry.
History
The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was incorporated, and work began rebuilding the Pawtucket Canal.
The Town of Lowell was incorporated on March 1, 1826.
The Boston & Lowell Railroad began service.
Home prices
The Lowell housing market
| Calendar year | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family median sale price | $500,000 | $510,000 | +2.0% |
| Single-family sales | 414 | 412 | -0.5% |
| Condominium median sale price | $326,633 | $332,000 | +1.6% |
Source: The Warren Group, MA December 2025 Sales, Prices by Town. Geography: town of Lowell. Year-to-date figures through December, so calendar years 2024 and 2025. Not live data and not a valuation of any home.
Read it for your own home
A townwide median is a starting point. Your best comparisons are recent closed sales that resemble your home in location, size, condition and style.
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Asked aboutLowell.
More guides in North of Boston
What is the median home price in Lowell, MA?
According to The Warren Group's MA December 2025 Sales, Prices by Town table, the median single-family sale price in Lowell for calendar year 2025 was $510,000, across 412 sales. In 2024 it was $500,000, across 414 sales.
Does Lowell have commuter rail?
Yes. Lowell station on Thorndike Street is the end of the MBTA Lowell Line, which runs to Boston's North Station.
Which school district serves Lowell?
Lowell Public Schools. Review its profile with DESE.
What is the property tax rate in Lowell?
For fiscal year 2026, the Lowell Board of Assessors lists a residential rate of $11.35 per $1,000 of assessed value and a commercial, industrial and personal property rate of $22.04 per $1,000.
What is the Hamilton Canal District?
A downtown redevelopment area that the city describes as 15 acres of vacant and underused waterfront land. It is governed by a form-based code the City Council adopted on February 24, 2009, following a 2008 master plan, with Trinity Financial as master developer.
Thinking about Lowell?
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406-250-7620Sources for this guide
- Town of Lowell
- 2020 Census population
- MBTA commuter rail
- Massachusetts DESE district profile
- The Warren Group, 2025 sales by town
- Housing
- Property tax rates, FY2026
- Belvidere
- Centralville
- Lowell National Historical Park
- Lowell Heritage State Park and the Vandenberg Esplanade
- Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
- Whistler House Museum of Art
- Lowell Folk Festival
Researched by The Oberdorfer Team. Updated . Places and facts can change; check with the source before you rely on them.