While businesses in Lowell zip codes once centered on the manufacturing and production industries, today the city has changed vastly in scope. This city was once the headquarters of important international computer companies, textile companies, soft drink companies, and even food producers. They had their operations based in the downtown area, near to the Merrimack River which along with a wire rope pulley or two provided easy loading and transportation for produced goods.

Today, all that has changed. Like many of the cities in the Northeastern United States, Lowell's industries suffered some major setbacks after World War II. Competition from southern states and overseas meant that companies could make products cheaper elsewhere, and one by one they began to close down shop in the area. The brick strapping systems and other industrial machinery lay dormant for years until finally being packaged out to make way for renovations to the old buildings. Many of these buildings are today office space for corporations and residential real estate too.

The days of production in Lowell are over, but that does not mean industry is absent. Instead, what you will find in modern Lowell are secondary and smaller industries. You can find a pin mixer or two in some of the university laboratories, but for the most part industry in Lowell is focused on various skilled trades.

Of course, those trades are nothing to sneeze at. It seem as though there is more demand for trained construction workers, electricians, mechanics, and plumbers than ever before. In a world increasingly focused on technology from the point of view of the end user, less people know where to apply heat shrink tubing or other practical applications than at any other point in history. That means in Lowell, as in other places, people with some hands on know how have a chance to make a great living.

How great? Well, a few of the most lucrative businesses in the city started out with little more than a used septic tank truck, a couple apprentices, and some know how. They flourished by offering their services to a city which has seen a considerable revitalization over the last fifteen years.

That revitalization has highlighted the importance of at least one traditional Lowell industry, the high tech industry. Lowell has a strong historical background in this area, as Wang Laboratories did great business here for two decades. Today, that tech focus has been re-established in Lowell.