History and Location

The Highlands is in the western part of Lowell, with the Merrimack River and the Acre to the North, Back Central and South Lowell to the east, and Chelmsford to the west and east. The Lower Highlands began as a residential cluster near a belt of small factories and sawmills near the railroad line. The upper Highlands was developed in the 1850s, when businessmen bought farmland and built large, elegant estates. Later, the land was subdivided, and homes like those on Livingston and Wilder streets were constructed. Between 1880 and 1920, Jewish immigrants from Russia, Poland, and Germany established a community in the Highlands.

Today, the Highlands, especially Lower Highlands, is home to a large Southeast Asian population, primarily Cambodian. The Highlands is one of the largest neighborhoods and includes distinctive parkways, a golf course, numerous businesses, including the high-rise office complex Cross Point, that was built as the world headquarters of the mid 20^th century computer giant Wang Laboratories.

Demographics

• Population:  29,631(Census 2000)

• Median Household Income: $40,951 (1999 Dollars)

Parks and Recreation

• Sheehy Park
• Edwards Street Park
• Hadley Park
• Tyler Park
• Durkin Park
• Lincoln Square Park
• Highland Park
• Mount Pleasant Golf Club
• Calley Park
• Mulligan Park
• Doane Street Park

Historic Landmarks

• Tyler Park Historic District
• Wilder Street Historic District
• Jerathmell Bowers House, 150 Wood Street. Built 1673.
• Chelmsford Glass Works Long House, 139-41 Baldwin Street. Built  1820.

Neighborhood Groups

• Highlands Neighborhood Association. Meetings vary. If held, meetings are held at the Daley Middle School Cafeteria, 150 Fleming Street at 7: 00 p.m.

• Friends of Tyler Park. Meetings held on the third Thursday of the month at the Bailey Elementary School Cafeteria, 175 Campbell Drive, 7:30 p.m.

Projects

• Plain and Chelmford Intersection Improvement Project