Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester, Massachusetts
City
Clockwise from top: the Worcester Skyline; the American Antiquarian Society; Worcester Union Station; Bancroft Tower; Paul Revere Road; a triple-decker house on Catharine Street; and City Hall
Flag of Worcester, Massachusetts
Official seal of Worcester, Massachusetts
Nickname(s): 
The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo
Location within Worcester County
Location within Worcester County
Worcester is located in Massachusetts
Worcester
Worcester
Location within Massachusetts
Worcester is located in the United States
Worcester
Worcester
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 42°16′17″N 71°47′56″W / 42.27139°N 71.79889°W / 42.27139; -71.79889
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyWorcester
RegionNew England
Historic coloniesMassachusetts Bay Colony
Dominion of New England
Province of Massachusetts Bay
Settled1673
Incorporated as a townJune 14, 1722
Incorporated as a cityFebruary 29, 1848
Named forWorcester, Worcestershire
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • City ManagerEric D. Batista
 • MayorJoseph Petty (D)
Area
 • City38.44 sq mi (99.57 km2)
 • Land37.36 sq mi (96.76 km2)
 • Water1.08 sq mi (2.81 km2)
Elevation
480 ft (146 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City206,518 (US: 114th)
 • Density5,527.78/sq mi (2,134.27/km2)
 • Urban
482,085 (US: 87th)
 • Urban density1,852.1/sq mi (715.1/km2)
 • Metro
862,111 (US: US: 69th)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
01601–01610, 01612–01615, 01653–01655
Area code508 / 774
FIPS code 025-82000
GNIS feature ID0617867
GDP$45.393131 billion (as of 2018, in 2012 US chained dollars)[2]
GDP per capita$45,528 per person[2][3]
Websiteworcesterma.gov

Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ WUUST-ər, locally [ˈwɪstə] )[4] is the 2nd most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the 114th most populous city in the United States.[a][5] Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census,[6] also making it the second-most populous city in New England after Boston. Worcester is approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston, 50 miles (80 km) east of Springfield and 40 miles (64 km) north-northwest of Providence. Due to its location near the geographic center of Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth"; a heart is the official symbol of the city. Worcester is the historical seat of Worcester County in central Massachusetts.

Worcester developed as an industrial city in the 19th century due to the Blackstone Canal and rail transport, producing machinery, textiles and wire. Large numbers of European immigrants made up the city's growing population. However, the city's manufacturing base waned following World War II. Long-term economic and population decline was not reversed until the 1990s, when higher education, medicine, biotechnology, and new immigrants started to make their mark. The city's population has grown by 28% since 1980, reaching a new all-time high in the 2020 census and experiencing urban renewal.

Modern Worcester is known for its diversity and large immigrant population, with significant communities of Vietnamese, Brazilians, Albanians, Puerto Ricans, Ghanaians, Dominicans, and others.[7] Twenty-two percent of Worcester's population was born outside the United States.[8] A center of higher education, it is home to eight separate colleges and universities, including the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and Clark University. Architecturally, Worcester is notable for its large number of 19th-century triple-decker houses, Victorian-era mill architecture, and lunch car diners such as Miss Worcester.

Worcester is the principal city of Central Massachusetts, and is a regional government, employment and transportation hub. Since the 1970s, and especially after the construction of Route 146 and interstates 90, 495, 190, 290, and 395, both Worcester and its surrounding towns have become increasingly integrated with Boston's suburbs. The Worcester region now marks the western periphery of the Boston–Worcester–Providence (MA–RI–NH) U.S. Census Combined Statistical Area (CSA), or Greater Boston.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Total Real Gross Domestic Product for Worcester, MA-CT (MSA)". Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. January 2001. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. ^ In 2012 chained US dollars. Calculated on the basis of the 2018 GDP figure, with the 2010 census-recorded population. Formula: 45.393131*10**9/181045.
  4. ^ "How do you say 'Worcester?'". Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2016 Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016—United States—Places of 50,000+ Population". 2016 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. May 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Worcester city, Massachusetts". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Welker, Grant (November 12, 2018). "Coming to Worcester: The city's immigrant population has shifted in the last decade". Worcester Business Journal. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Welker, Grant (November 12, 2018). "City of Immigrants: Foreign-born residents have unusually large impact on Worcester's economy". Worcester Business Journal. Retrieved March 21, 2021.


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