The joint committee on redistricting released its proposed Congressional redistricting map today. Contrary to what was reported in the Globe last week, Lawrence stayed in the same district as Lowell, only it’s no longer the Fifth, it’s now the Third. Lost were two Greater Lowell communities, Billerica and Tewksbury, which both joined the Essex County dominated Sixth District which is now represented by John Tierney. The new Third District also pushes out into Northern Worcester County. Viewed from west to east, more or less, here are the communities in the new Third District:

Winchendon, Ashburnham, Gardner, Westminster, Ashby, Fitchburg, Townsend, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Groton, Shirley, Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Clinton, Berlin, Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Sudbury, Concord, Acton, Boxborough, Littleton, Westford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dunstable, Tyngsborough, Lowell, Dracut, Andover (part), Methuen, Lawrence and Haverhill.

While the power of Greater Lowell is somewhat diluted by stripping away Tewksbury and Billerica, the other populations centers in the district suffer a similar fate with North Andover separated from Lawrence, Leominster from Fitchburg, and Southborough/Northborough from Marlborough. And Lowell still is the approximate geographic center of the district, and the largest single community, population-wise. It certainly could have been worse.