Massachusetts gateway cities

The Massachusetts Gateway Cities are a group of 24 former industrial Massachusetts mill cities. The group initially comprised 11 cities named in a 2007 report co-authored by the Brookings Institution and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth. A legislative definition (Section 3A of Chapter 23A of the General Laws) put in place in 2009 and amendend in 2010 expanded the group to 24 cities.

Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities: Lessons Learned and an Agenda for Renewal revealed 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

• Barnstable
• Brockton
• Chelsea
• Chicopee
• Everett
• Fall River
• Fitchburg
• Haverhill
• Holyoke
• Lawrence
• Leominster
• Lowell
• Lynn
• Malden
• Methuen
• New Bedford
• Pittsfield
• Quincy
• Revere
• Salem
• Springfield
• Taunton
• Westfield
• Worcester

Official Definition

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 or above) below the state average.

Selection Criteria for Report

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

Legislative Supporters

The Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus was founded in 2008 by State Representative Antonio F.D. Cabral and State Senator Stephen J. Buoniconti. As House and Senate co-chairs of the Caucus, they were joined by 58 other representatives and 20 other senators who represent Gateway Cities.

Report Authors

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

Impact of the Report

The Urban Initiative at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was launched by Chancellor Jean MacCormack in direct response to the Gateway Cities report.

In May 2008, the chief executives of the 11 initial cities signed the Gateway Cities Compact for Economic and Community Change, asserting their desire to work cooperatively to address issues of common concern.