About the Gateway Cities

Gateway Cities are midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state.

Gateway Cities are midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state. For generations, these communities were home to industry that offered residents good jobs and a “gateway” to the American Dream. More recently, Gateway Cities have been reinventing themselves—at times in the face of considerable economic and social challenges.

MassINC believes in a bright future for these communities. They retain many assets with unrealized potential, including walkable neighborhoods and downtowns; young people and essential workers; existing infrastructure and transportation networks; and anchor institutions such as museums, hospitals, and universities.

These legacy cities are home to 27% of Massachusetts residents and nearly 40% of our state’s foreign-born population. Collectively, they are majority-minority since 2020.

Our Gateway Cities Innovation Institute works with local leaders to identify solutions to their unique challenges, compile data and research, and effect policy change by building a stronger voice at the state level.