Why Did The Hat of Red Hat Become Red?

With the groundbreaking for 's expansion project this morning, today's Patch Answers comes from a reader asking why the hat in Red Hat is red and not blue or lavender or some other color.

Ultimately there's no one true answer. In an interview with Red Hat magazine, Red Hat co-founder Bob Young gave two answers.

The first was that a red hat has long been a symbol of freedom, dating back to the days of the U.S. and French Revolutions.

However, it is also possible that the name came from a red lacrosse hat that Young frequently wore while attending Carnegie Mellon University.

Regardless of how it came to be, the fact remains that Red Hat is now one of Westford's largest employers.

According to Red Hat spokesperson John Flannagan, the company first came to the area with offices at Tyng's Tarry just across the Westford/Tyngsborough border.

They stayed there for three months in 2002 before moving to Lan Drive (2002 to 2004), Technology Park Drive (2004 to 2008), and their current location near the corner of Concord and Littleton Road.

They'll remain at their current location, it's just going to be getting a little bigger thanks to the TIF agreement with the town and state.

Red Hat can earn additional tax breaks if they bring 100 new jobs to the campus in the next two years and 181 in the next five years.