Massachusetts gateway cities

A group of 11 former industrial Massachusetts mill cities named in a 2007 report co-authored by the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth.

Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities: Lessons Learned and an Agenda for Renewal Media:http://massinc.org/index.php?id=216&pub_id=2061&bypass=1revealed how these communities, which all had a legacy of economic success, struggled as the state's economy shifted toward skills-centered knowledge sectors, which increasingly cluster in and around Boston.

Gateway Cities

Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester.

Selection

The cities were selected based on their having a manufacturing heritage, population greater than 35,000, and high incidence of poverty.

Report Authors

Brookings Institution: Mark Muro, David Warren, Rebecca Sohmer and Benjamin Forman MassINC: John Schneider,Eric McLean-Shinaman, Dana Ansel, and Greg Leiserson