Massachusetts gateway cities are "midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state", facing "stubborn social and economic challenges" while retaining "many assets with unrealized potential." These communities, which all had a legacy of economic success, have struggled as the state's economy shifted toward skills-centered knowledge sectors (increasingly clustered in and around Boston). [1]
The designation was initially applied to eleven cities named in a 2007 report co-authored by the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC). In May 2008 the chief executives of the eleven Gateway Cities gathered at the Old State House in Boston "to sign a compact to unite their administrations in future efforts aimed at economic and community development," asserting their desire to work cooperatively to address issues of common concern. [2]
The original eleven cities are: Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester.
A legislative definition (Section 3A of Chapter 23A of the General Laws of Massachusetts) put in place in 2009 and amended in 2010 expanded the designation of gateway cities with fifteen more locations, for a total of 26 cities. Under the General Laws, gateway cities have a population between 35,000 and 250,000, with an average household income below the state average, and an average educational attainment rate (bachelor's degree or above) below the state average. Updates to the Census data in 2013 led to the addition of two cities (Attleboro and Peabody) for a total of 26 communities.
These additional cities are: Attleboro, Barnstable, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Leominster, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, Peabody, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Taunton, and Westfield.
The Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus was founded in 2008 by State Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford and State Senator Stephen Buoniconti of Springfield. As House and Senate co-chairs of the Caucus, they were joined by 58 other representatives and 20 other senators who represent Gateway Cities. In 2012, Senator Benjamin Downing of Pittsfield replaced retiring Senator Buoniconti as the Senate chair. In 2017, Senator Eric Lesser of Springfield/Longmeadow replaced retiring Senator Downing as the Senate Chair. When Senator Lesser left the legislature in 2023, he was replaced by Senator John Cronin of Fitchburg.
The Urban Initiative at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was launched by Chancellor Jean MacCormack in direct response to the Gateway Cities report.
In October 2012, MassINC launched the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute. In 2021, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston tracked residents who moved from high-poverty neighborhoods and found that while the majority of gateway city residents moved to lower-poverty neighborhoods, they did so less frequently than residents of high-poverty neighborhoods in the city of Boston or elsewhere in the state of Massachusetts; in the fact, the probability of moving to a lower-poverty neighborhood was significantly lower in the gateway cities (60.8%) than in high- poverty neighborhoods in Boston (69.6%) or high-poverty neighborhoods elsewhere in Massachusetts (77.6%.) [3]
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield’s population was 43,927 at the 2020 census. Although its population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third-largest municipality in Western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.
Windsor is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 831 at the 2020 census.
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial history.
Massachusetts is the 7th smallest state in the United States with an area of 10,555 square miles (27,340 km2). It is bordered to the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, to the west by New York, to the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Maine. Massachusetts is the most populous New England state.
The Massachusetts Highway Department was the highway department in the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1991 until the formation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2009.
Karen Eileen Spilka is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the towns of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway and Natick in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts. She has served as the 95th President of the Massachusetts Senate since July 2018. Previously she served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.
Eileen Donoghue is an American politician who is the former city manager of Lowell, Massachusetts (2018–2022), a former member of the Massachusetts Senate, where she has represented the First Middlesex District from 2011 to 2018, as well as a former city councilor (1996–2008) and mayor (1998–2002) of Lowell. She ran in the Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District special election in 2007 to fill the United States House of Representatives seat vacated by Marty Meehan, narrowly losing the Democratic primary to Niki Tsongas. In the Massachusetts Senate, Donoghue has been a staunch advocate for small businesses, economic development in gateway cities, and public higher education. She has spearheaded efforts to reduce student loan debt and create pathways to stable jobs.
Patricia Deats Jehlen is a former teacher and current Massachusetts State Senator of the Democratic Party. She represents the Second Middlesex District. That includes the cities of Cambridge, wards 9 to 11, inclusive, Medford and Somerville, and the town of Winchester, precincts 4 to 7, inclusive, in the County of Middlesex. She has served the Massachusetts State Senate since 2005. She also served the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1991 to 2003. She resides in Somerville, MA.
Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. served as a Democratic State Senator from January 1, 1997, until January 3, 2007, representing the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden and Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin Massachusetts Senate districts in western Massachusetts. He is an attorney, having practiced law with a focus on commercial real estate, health care, education and business litigation. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination of the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts's newly drawn 1st congressional district on September 6, 2012.
The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment) was created in 1998 under Chapter 23G of the Massachusetts General Laws, which merged the Massachusetts Government Land Bank with the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency. Both a lender and developer, MassDevelopment works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. Through these collaborations the agency helps create jobs, increase the number of housing units, revitalize urban environments, and address factors limiting economic growth including transportation, energy, and infrastructure deficiencies. MassDevelopment's first president and CEO was Michael P. Hogan, from 1993 to 2003, followed by Robert L. Culver from 2004 to 2011, Marty Jones from 2011 to 2017, and Lauren A. Liss, from 2017 through 2020. Since January of 2021 the agency has been led by Dan Rivera, who is under appointment until 2026. MassDevelopment is headquartered in Boston, with regional offices in Devens, Fall River, Lawrence, Springfield, and Worcester.
Nick Collins is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Senate, representing First Suffolk District. Collins serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and the Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses. Additionally, he serves a member of the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading, and a member on the Joint Committee's on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets; Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery; and Public Service. He is a Boston resident and a Democrat. Elected into the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2010, he served four terms in the House representing the 4th Suffolk District.
Eric Philip Lesser is an American lawyer and politician who served in the Massachusetts State Senate. Before representing his hometown of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and neighboring communities in the Greater-Springfield area, he worked as a White House aide during the Obama administration. Lesser is one of the originators of the White House Passover Seder. In the 2022 Massachusetts race for Lieutenant Governor, Lesser lost the Democratic primary to Kim Driscoll.
The 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito sought reelection to a second term in office, facing Democratic challengers Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey, respectively. Candidates were selected in the primary election held on September 4, 2018.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. On September 1, incumbent Senator Ed Markey defeated U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination, and Kevin O'Connor defeated Shiva Ayyadurai for the Republican nomination. Markey went on to win the general election with 66.2% of the vote, and was thus re-elected to a second full term in a landslide.
The 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Massachusetts. Republican former state representative Geoff Diehl, Democratic state attorney general Maura Healey, and Libertarian Kevin Reed sought to succeed incumbent Governor Charlie Baker, who did not seek re-election after two terms. The race was one of six Republican-held governorships up for election in 2022 in a state carried by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election and the only race in which the incumbent was retiring despite being eligible for re-election.
The 155th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met from January 1, 1947, to June 18, 1948, during the governorship of Robert F. Bradford, in Boston.
Elections to the Massachusetts Senate were held on November 4, 1908 to elect 40 State Senators to the 130th Massachusetts General Court. Candidates were elected at the district level, with many districts covering multiple towns or counties.
East-West Rail is a proposed passenger rail project that would provide new service between Boston and Western Massachusetts, with stops including Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, Chester, and Pittsfield. The 151-mile (243 km) route would use the former mainline of the Boston and Albany Railroad, which is now owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and CSX Transportation.
