Gardner
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Gardner is located in north-central Worcester County, 28 miles northwest of Worcester and 59 miles northwest of Boston. The population was 20,770 in 2000, and has remained relatively stable over the past 70 years.
Population: 20,770
Land Area: 22 square miles
Population density: 943 people per square mile
Income per capita: $13,207, state average $17,224
Equalized valuation per capita: $31,469, state average $76,422
Encompassing slightly over 22 square miles, the city is fairly dense with 943 people per square mile, which has led the Massachusetts Department of Revenue to classify Gardner as an Urbanized Center. Income per capita in 1989 was $13,207, compared to the state average of $17,224. In addition, its equalized valuation per capita was $31,469 in 2000, compared to the state average of $76,422.
The city has a strong community identity as Chair Capital of New England, as a result of their furniture-making heritage. Despite the relatively low wealth of Gardner, the city has proven itself to be a truly exemplary community, at least in part due to a very forward-thinking and proactive planning department.
Among the low-income communities we looked at, Gardner was among the most environmentally conscious of the communities. Between 1996 and 1999, the recycling rate has risen drastically from 8% up to 44%. Much of this impressive increase is attributed to the expansion of curbside recycling to over 1300 multi-family homes over a two-year period. The city also established a drop-off site for businesses to recycle office paper and hired a city staff member to deal exclusively with recycling efforts. The city's improvement has resulted in several grants from the Department of Environmental Protection. In addition, over 41% of the city's land is dedicated to open space, and the city recently completed an Open Space Plan.
One of the big recent success stories has been the lowering of the unemployment rate in the city. In the early 1990's the city's unemployment rate was double the national average (14.3%) after losing much of its historic furniture manufacturing to the south and other countries. It has since declined to 3.8%, only slightly higher than the national average. During the same time period, median residential sales prices doubled, although the average sale price is still well below the average in the state.
In the last twenty years, Gardner's economy has diversified, making it less susceptible to downturns in the economy. Although furniture manufacturing is still an important part of the economy and the identity of the community, employing over 500 people, the local economy now also supports a growing number of high-tech and healthcare jobs.
Much of Gardner's recent success has been attributed to the strong local leadership, in the form of Chamber of Commerce, mayor, business community, and a city government who has made a conscious effort to work together to promote the City. Particularly important has been the Planning Director, Robert Hubbard, who heads the joint Planning and Community Development department. Although the city has no comprehensive Master Plan, they recently completed an Open Space Plan in 2001, as well as the regional Growth Management Plan. In addition, they have a fairly simple zoning ordinance to allow for relatively flexible development.
All of these ingredients have combined to make Gardner a city that we can confidently say is truly exemplary. As one local business leader said, Gardner really is a "hidden jewel," one that we are glad to have found.
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