Ethnic Groups in Lowell

Lowell has been known for its diverse ethnic community. Since the Industrial Revolution, people from all different nations have been flocking to Lowell for work opportunities. Groups of immigrants began to claim parts of the city as their own, since early factories failed to provide housing for their immigrant workers.
The first group of immigrant workers to come to Lowell to work in the mills were the Irish. They were not given housing by the factories that they worked for. Therefore, the Irish, sticking to who they knew and where they came from, stayed together. The Irish population of factory workers moved to a section of Lowell where they could live with other Irish who had left home and came to a foreign country as they had done. While being in a new setting, with a new job, and with all different kinds of people around them, the Irish were happy to live near other Irish, because they were able to keep their culture and customs alive. It was a way to stay connected to their home. Living in an Irish section of Lowell was comforting to the Irish, who had just uprooted their whole lives for work and food. Just because they were all living in an Irish section of Lowell did not mean that everything was alright. They faced many economic troubles and other hardships, but persevered through them. To this day,  Lowell still has a sizable population of Irish descendants. Lowell also takes pride in the fact that the city was once so deeply connected to the Irish.
Other ethnic groups that came to Lowell were the French-Canadians and the Greeks. They all also formed their own sections of Lowell. The French-Canadians lived in "Little Canada" which borders the Northern Canal. It is now where UMASS Lowell's East and North Campus are located. Next to "Little Canada" was the Acre along Market Street, where the Greeks resided. They created the Greek Orthodox Church and parochial schools where children were taught about their heritage and in the native tongue of their Ethnicity so that they would carry on their heritage. The French-Canadians made the French-Canadian Catholic Church, where they had the Franco-American School, which is still a functioning school today. These two populations struggled with working in the factory just as the Irish did.
The next flock of workers to arrive in Lowell were the Jews, Poles, Lithuanians, and Armenians.  The Jews settled in the Highlands of Lowell. Many of the Poles lived in Centralville. The Lithuanians and Armenians also lived in their own ethnic enclaves. In these enclaves they all spoke their native tongue, practiced the same religion, and followed the same customs. These factors made each of these areas a safe place for each ethnic group. Therefore, when they picked up their well-rooted lives in their native country to move out to America, they didn't have such a feeling of loneliness.
However, over the years these ethnic portions of Lowell began to break down. This breakdown lead to the diverse community that embodies Lowell today. Lowell takes pride in all the different ethnicity's that it includes.

Works Cited
1. "Immigrant Communities." National Park Service. N.p., 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.