Yesterday’s news that the Commonwealth will lose a Congressional seat as a result of the 2010 census adds another element of drama to the 2012 state election. Not only will the presidency and the US Senate seat held by Scott Brown be on the ballot, but now we have the potential of incumbent Congressmen running against each other in Democratic primaries. Congressional redistricting is the domain of the state legislature and even in 1992 and 2002, both years in which there was no contraction of districts, the process was exceedingly controversial. For the Merrimack Valley, the process was always exceedingly precarious as the geographic integrity of the Lowell-centric Fifth District was put at serious risk both times. But both times the Fifth dodged the bullet. We won’t know for a while if history will repeat itself. In the meantime, here’s an inventory of the communities that comprise the Fifth District over the past few decades:

Fifth District in 2002
(Gained Berlin and Haverhill; Lost Ashland, Lincoln, Lunenburg, Marlborough and Pepperell)
Acton – Andover – Ayer – Berlin – Billerica – Bolton – Boxborough – Carlisle – Chelmsford – Concord – Dracut – Dunstable – Groton – Harvard – Haverhill – Hudson – Lancaster – Lawrence – Littleton – Lowell – Maynard – Methuen – Shirley – Stow – Sudbury – Tewksbury – Tyngsborough – Wayland – Westford

Fifth District in 1992
(Gained Ashland, Billerica, Bolton, Hudson, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Shirley, Stow, and Tewksbury. Lost Ashburnham, Ashby, Bedford, Framingham and Weston)
Acton – Andover – Ashland – Ayer – Billerica – Bolton – Boxborough – Carlisle – Chelmsford – Concord – Dracut – Dunstable – Groton – Harvard – Hudson – Lancaster – Lawrence – Lincoln – Littleton – Lowell – Lunenburg – Marlborough – Maynard – Methuen – Pepperell – Shirley – Stow – Sudbury – Tewksbury – Tyngsborough – Wayland – Westford

Fifth District in 1982
(Gained Ashburnham, Ayer, Framingham, Harvard, Lincoln, Lunenburg, Maynard, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston. Lost Ashby, Bedford, Billerica, Lexington, North Reading, Tewksbury, Wilmington)
Acton – Andover – Ashburnaham – Ashby – Ayer – Boxborough – Carlisle – Chelmsford – Concord – Dracut – Dunstable – Framingham – Groton – Harvard – Lawrence – Lincoln – Littleton – Lowell – –Lunenburg – Maynard – Methuen – Pepperell – Sudbury – Townsend – Tyngsborough – Wayland – Westford – Weston

Fifth District in 1972
Acton – Andover – Ashby – Bedford – Billerica – Boxborough – Carlisle – Chelmsford – Concord – Dracut – Dunstable – Groton – Lawrence – Lexington – Littleton – Lowell – Methuen – North Reading – Pepperell – Tewksbury – Townsend – Tyngsborough – Westford – Wilmington