Located in the northeastern part of the state of Massachusetts and a city in Essex County, Larence sits along Merrimack River just 26 miles north of the city of Boston. The area at the Bodwell’s Falls, which was an abundant source of waterpower, was then promoted for the industry by the Essex Company in 1845. The town was set off from Andover and Methuen and Larence was then incorporated as a town which then developed one of the biggest woolen-textile centers in the United States after the completion and the arrival of the Boston and Maine Railroad. Lawrence became the scene of the great strike in 1912 which involves an out-of-town militia and the Industrial Workers of the World, which was then known as the “Bread and Roses” strike. The strike only ended after the settlement of a one-cent hourly increase of the workers. In 1950, the city’s economy was diversified when its manufactures now include textiles, electronics, and computerized systems.