Editing Worcester, Massachusetts

{{Use American English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Worcester
| settlement_type                 = City
| image_skyline                   = {{multiple image
  | total_width              = 280
  | border                   = infobox
  | perrow                   = 1/2/2/1/1
  | caption_align            = center
  | image1                   = Downtown Worcester, Massachusetts.jpg
  | alt1                     = Downtown Worcester
  | caption1                 = Worcester city skyline
  | image2                   = WorcesterMA AntiquarianSociety 2.jpg
  | alt2                     = Worcester Antiquarian Society
  | caption2                 = [[American Antiquarian Society]]
  | image3                   = Union Station November 2012.JPG
  | alt3                     = Union Station
  | caption3                 = [[Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Union Station]]
  | image4                   = Fenwick DSC 1272.jpg
  | alt4                     = College of the Holy Cross
  | caption4                 = [[College of the Holy Cross]]
  | image5                   = HarringtonHouseClarkUniversity.JPG
  | alt5                     = Woodland Street
  | caption5                 = [[Woodland Street Historic District|Woodland Street]] 
  | image6                   = City Hall - Worcester, Massachusetts USA.JPG
  | alt6                     = Worcester City Hall
  | caption6                 = [[Worcester City Hall and Common]]
  }}
| image_flag                      = Flag of Worcester, Massachusetts.svg
| image_seal                      = Seal of Worcester, Massachusetts.svg
| nickname                        = The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo
| image_map                       = Worcester County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Worcester highlighted.svg
| mapsize                         = 260px
| map_caption                     = Location within Worcester County
| pushpin_map                     = Massachusetts#USA
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location within Massachusetts##Location within the United States
| pushpin_relief                  = 1
| pushpin_label                   = Worcester
| coordinates                     = {{WikidataCoord||region:US-MA_type:city(207,000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = United States
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[Massachusetts]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester]]
| subdivision_type3               = [[List of regions of the United States|Region]]
| subdivision_name3               = [[New England]]
| subdivision_type5               = [[Colony|Historic colonies]]
| subdivision_name5               = [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]]<br/>[[Dominion of New England]]<br/>[[Province of Massachusetts Bay]]
| established_title               = Settled
| established_date                = 1673
| established_title2              = Incorporated as a town
| established_date2               = June 14, 1722
| established_title3              = Incorporated as a city
| established_date3               = February 29, 1848
| named_for                       = [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], [[Worcestershire]]
| government_type                 = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| leader_title                    = [[City Manager]]
| leader_name                     = Eric D. Batista
| leader_title1                   = Mayor
| leader_name1                    = [[Joseph Petty]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| area_total_km2                  = 99.57
| area_total_sq_mi                = 38.44
| area_land_km2                   = 96.76
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 37.36
| area_water_km2                  = 2.81
| area_water_sq_mi                = 1.08
| elevation_m                     = 146
| elevation_ft                    = 480
| population_total                = 206518 (US: [[List of United States cities by population|113th]])
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]] 
| population_density_km2          = 2134.27
| population_density_sq_mi        = 5527.78
| population_urban                = 482,085 ([[List of United States urban areas|US: 87th]])
| population_density_urban_km2    = 715.1
| population_density_urban_sq_mi  = 1,852.1
| population_metro                = 862111 (US: [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|US: 69th]])
| timezone                        = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset                      = &minus;5
| timezone_DST                    = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = &minus;4
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code                     = 01601–01610, 01613–01615, 01653, 01655
| area_code                       = [[Area code 508|508]] / [[Area code 774|774]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
0
| blank_info                      = 25-82000
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = 0617867
| website                         = {{URL|worcesterma.gov}}
| footnotes                       = 
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| blank_name_sec2                 = GDP
| blank_info_sec2                 = $45.393131&nbsp;billion&nbsp;(as of '''2018''', in 2012 US [[chained dollars]])<ref name="RGMP49340">{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RGMP49340 |title=Total Real Gross Domestic Product for Worcester, MA-CT (MSA) |publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |access-date=November 25, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227162805/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RGMP49340 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |date=January 2001 }}</ref>
| blank1_name_sec2                = GDP per capita
| blank1_info_sec2                = $45,528 per person<ref name="RGMP49340" /><ref>In 2012 chained US dollars. Calculated on the basis of the 2018 GDP figure, with the 2010 census-recorded population. Formula: <code>45.393131*10**9/181045</code>.</ref>
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|population_footnotes = 
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_25.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
}}

'''Worcester''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Worcester.ogg|ˈ|w|ʊ|s|t|ər}} {{respell|WUUS|tər}}, {{IPA|en|ˈwɪstə|label=locally|audio=Worcester Pronunciation.ogg|generic=yes}}<ref name="Holy Cross">{{cite web|title=How do you say 'Worcester?' |url=http://offices.holycross.edu/studentlife/worcester/about/say |access-date=August 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504072113/http://offices.holycross.edu/studentlife/worcester/about/say |archive-date=May 4, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>) is the [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts|second-most populous city]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Massachusetts]] and the [[list of United States cities by population|113th most populous city]] in the [[United States]].{{efn|name=PopRanknote|Louisville's "balance" population is considered in determining rank among cities in the U.S.}}<ref name=PopEstCities>{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2016/PEPANNRSIP.US12A |title=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 |work=2016 Population Estimates |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=May 2017 |access-date=July 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912031647/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk |archive-date=September 12, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Named after [[Worcester, England]], the city had 206,518 people at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref>{{cite web| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Worcester city, Massachusetts| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US2582000| url-status=dead| access-date=March 6, 2013| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212060601/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US2582000| archive-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref> also making it the second-[[List of cities in New England by population|most populous city]] in [[New England]], after [[Boston]], Massachusetts. Worcester is about {{convert|40|mi|km}} west of Boston, {{convert|50|mi|km}} east of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], and {{convert|40|mi|km}} north-northwest of [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. Because it is 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 [[county seat|seat]] of [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]].

Worcester developed as an industrial city in the 19th century because the [[Blackstone Canal]] and railways facilitated the import of raw materials and the export of such finished goods as machines, textiles, and wire. Many European immigrants made up the city's growing population. After [[World War II]], manufacturing there waned; economic and population decline was not reversed until the 1990s, when higher education, medicine, [[biotechnology]], and new immigrants started making their mark. The population has grown by 28% since 1980, reaching its all-time high in the 2020 census and effecting [[urban renewal]].

Modern Worcester is known for its diversity and large immigrant population, with significant communities of [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]], [[Brazilian Americans|Brazilians]], [[Albanian Americans|Albanians]], [[Stateside Puerto Ricans|Puerto Ricans]], [[Ghanaian Americans|Ghanaians]], [[Dominican Americans|Dominicans]], [[Irish Americans|Irish]], [[English Americans|English]], [[Italian Americans|Italians]], [[Greek Americans|Greeks]], and others.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Welker|first=Grant|date=2018-11-12|title=Coming to Worcester: The city's immigrant population has shifted in the last decade|url=https://www.wbjournal.com/article/coming-to-worcester-the-citys-immigrant-population-has-shifted-in-the-last-decade|access-date=2021-03-21|website=Worcester Business Journal|language=en-US}}</ref> Twenty-two percent of Worcester's population was born outside the United States.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Welker|first=Grant|date=2018-11-12|title=City of Immigrants: Foreign-born residents have unusually large impact on Worcester's economy|url=https://www.wbjournal.com/article/city-of-immigrants-foreign-born-residents-have-unusually-large-impact-on-worcesters-economy|access-date=2021-03-21|website=Worcester Business Journal|language=en-US}}</ref> A center of higher education, it is home to eight colleges and universities, including the [[College of the Holy Cross]], [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]] (WPI), [[Clark University]], and [[Worcester State University]]. Worcester has many 19th-century [[Three-decker (house)|triple-decker]] houses, [[Victorian architecture|Victorian-era]] [[mill town|mills and related buildings]], and lunch-car diners, such as [[Miss Worcester Diner|Miss Worcester]].

Worcester is the principal city of [[Central Massachusetts]], and is a regional hub of government, industry, and transportation. Since the 1970s, and especially since the construction of [[Massachusetts Route 146|Route 146]] and interstates [[Massachusetts Turnpike|90]], [[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|495]], [[Interstate 190 (Massachusetts)|190]], [[Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)|290]], and [[Interstate 395 (Connecticut–Massachusetts)|395]], both Worcester and its surrounding towns have become more 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]].

==History==
{{For timeline}}

===Colonial era===
The area was inhabited by members of the [[Nipmuc]] tribe at the time of European contact. The native people called the region ''Quinsigamond'' and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in [[Auburn, Massachusetts|Auburn]].<ref>Lincoln, William (1862). ''History of Worcester, Massachusetts'', pp. 22–23. Worcester: Charles Hersey.</ref>

In 1673, English settlers [[John Eliot (missionary)|John Eliot]] and [[Daniel Gookin]] led an expedition to Quinsigamond to establish a new Christian Indian [[praying town]] and identify a new location for an English settlement. On July 13, 1674, Gookin obtained a deed to eight square miles of land in Quinsigamond from the Nipmuc people and English traders and settlers began to inhabit the region.<ref name=Indian>{{cite web|title=Hassanamisco Indian Museum History|publisher=Hassanamisco Indian Museum|year=2013|url=http://nipmucmuseum.org/history|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=August 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823080037/http://nipmucmuseum.org/history|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1675, [[King Philip's War]] broke out throughout New England with the Nipmuc Indians coming to the aid of Indian leader [[Metacomet|King Philip]]. The English settlers completely abandoned the Quinsigamond area and the empty buildings were burned by the Indian forces. The town was again abandoned during [[Queen Anne's War]] in 1702.<ref name="Indian" />

Finally, in 1713, Worcester was permanently resettled for a third and final time by [[Jonas Rice]].<ref name="WSA">Worcester Society of Antiquity (1903). ''Exercises Held at the Dedication of a Memorial to Major Jonas Rice, the First Permanent Settler of Worcester, Massachusetts, Wednesday, October 7, 1903.'' Charles Hamilton Press, Worcester. 72pp.</ref>  Named after the city of [[Worcester, England]], the town was incorporated on June 14, 1722.<ref name="City of Worcester, Massachusetts">{{cite web | url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | title=History, Trivia, Vital Stats & More! | publisher=City of Worcester, Massachusetts | access-date=March 3, 2007 | archive-date=March 4, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304224655/http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 2, 1731, Worcester was chosen as the county seat of the newly founded [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]] government. Between 1755 and 1758, future U.S. president [[John Adams]] worked as a schoolteacher and studied law in Worcester.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |website= Worcester County Bar Association |url=https://www.worcestercountybar.org/our-history/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-04 |title=John Adams: Life Before the Presidency |url=https://millercenter.org/president/adams/life-before-the-presidency |first1=C. James |last1=Taylor |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Miller Center |language=en}}</ref>

Worcester also had a role in the start of the [[American Revolution]], with an event that is oft-forgotten. On September 6, 1774, 4,622 militiamen from 37 towns in Worcester County assembled and marched on Main Street, Worcester; they sought to shut down the Crown's court before it could sit for a new session. The event was dubbed the [[Worcester Revolt|Worcester Revolution]], or the Worcester Revolt. Having seized the courthouse, the militiamen waited for the 25 appointees from the Crown to arrive, where they were denied entry and later forced to disavow their appointments by King George III. Bloodshed and violence was avoided, with not a shot fired. British authority had been demonstrably overthrown in the American colonies for the first time.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Raphael
| first = Ray
| date = February 12, 2013
| title = The True Start of the American Revolution
| newspaper = The Journal of the American Revolution
| page =
| url = https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/the-true-start-of-the-american-revolution/
| access-date = September 7, 2023
| quote =
}}</ref>

===Growth and industry===
In the 1770s, Worcester became a center of [[American Revolution|American revolutionary]] activity. The [[Worcester Revolt]] on September 6, 1774, was an early successful attempt to throw off British rule. British [[General Thomas Gage]] was given information of patriot ammunition stockpiled in Worcester in 1775. That same year, ''[[Massachusetts Spy]]'' publisher [[Isaiah Thomas (publisher)|Isaiah Thomas]] moved his radical newspaper out of British occupied [[Boston]] to Worcester. Thomas would continuously publish his paper throughout the [[American Revolutionary War]]. On July 14, 1776, Thomas performed the first public reading in Massachusetts of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] from the porch of the Old South Church,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hutchins|first1=Fred L.|title=Fixing the Spot|journal=Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity|date=1899|volume=16|page=88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1gZFAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA88}}</ref> where the 19th-century Worcester City Hall stands today. He would later go on to form the [[American Antiquarian Society]] in Worcester in 1812.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanantiquarian.org/media/factsheet.doc|title=American Antiquarian Society Fact Sheet|access-date=April 25, 2013|archive-date=April 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418163449/http://www.americanantiquarian.org/media/factsheet.doc|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the turn of the 19th century, Worcester's economy moved into manufacturing. Factories producing textiles, shoes and clothing opened along the nearby [[Blackstone River]].

However, the manufacturing industry in Worcester would not begin to thrive until the opening of the [[Blackstone Canal]] in 1828 and the opening of the [[Boston and Albany Railroad|Worcester and Boston Railroad]] in 1835. The city transformed into a transportation hub and the manufacturing industry flourished.<ref name=trains>{{cite web|title=Transportation|publisher=Worcester Historical Museum|year=2013|url=http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcester-in-the-19th-century/transportation/|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231003441/http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcester-in-the-19th-century/transportation/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Worcester was officially chartered as a city on February 29, 1848.<ref name="City of Worcester, Massachusetts"/> The city's industries soon attracted immigrants of primarily Irish, Scottish, French, German, and Swedish descent in the mid-19th century and later many immigrants of Lithuanian, Polish, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Armenian, Syrian, and Lebanese descent.<ref name=Washburn />  Immigrants moved into new [[Three-decker (house)|three-decker]] houses (which originated in Worcester) <ref name="Charles Nutt p. 473">Charles Nutt, ''History of Worcester and its people'', pg. 473</ref> lining hundreds of Worcester's expanding streets and neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web|title=Three Deckers|publisher=Worcester Historical Museum|year=2013|url=http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcesters-own/three-deckers/|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231010235/http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcesters-own/three-deckers/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1831, [[Ichabod Washburn]] opened the [[Washburn & Moen Company]]. The company would become the largest wire manufacturing in the country and Washburn became one of the leading industrial and philanthropic figures in the city.<ref name=Washburn>{{cite web|title=Washburn and Moen Worcester's Worldwide Wire Manufacturuer|author1=Dan Ricciardi|author2=Kathryn Mahoney|publisher=College of the Holy Cross|year=2013|url=http://college.holycross.edu/projects/worcester/immigration/northworks.htm|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=June 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629051540/http://college.holycross.edu/projects/worcester/immigration/northworks.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Worcester, MA Driving Tour & Guide to Blackstone Canal Historic Markers|url=http://www.nps.gov/blac/home.htm|access-date=July 23, 2007|archive-date=February 4, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204124242/http://www.nps.gov/blac/home.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Worcester would become a center of machinery, wire products and power looms and boasted large manufacturers, including Washburn & Moen, [[Wyman-Gordon]] Company, American Steel & Wire, Morgan Construction and the [[Norton Company]]. In 1908, the [[Royal Worcester Corset Company]] was the largest employer of women in the United States.<ref>Gaultney, Bruce (2009). ''Worcester Memories'', pg. 21.
</ref>

Worcester would also claim many inventions and firsts. New England [[Candlepin bowling]] was invented in Worcester by Justin White in 1879. [[Esther Howland]] began the first line of [[Valentine's Day]] cards from her Worcester home in 1847. [[Loring Coes]] invented the first [[monkey wrench]] and Russell Hawes created the first envelope folding machine.<ref name=1880s>Gaultney, Bruce (2009). ''Worcester Memories'', pg. 7 (1880s).</ref> On June 12, 1880, [[Lee Richmond]] pitched the first perfect game in Major league baseball history for the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] at the [[Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds]].<ref name=1880s /> The first [[Three-decker (house)|three-decker homes]] were built by Francis Gallagher (1830–1911) in Worcester.<ref name="Charles Nutt p. 473"/>

===Urban changes and recovery===
After World War II, Worcester began to fall into decline as the city lost its manufacturing base to cheaper alternatives across the country and overseas. Worcester felt the national trends of movement away from historic urban centers. The city's population dropped over 20% from 1950 to 1980. In the mid-20th century, large [[urban renewal]] projects were undertaken to try to reverse the city's decline. A huge area of downtown Worcester was demolished for new office towers and the {{Convert|1,000,000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} [[Worcester Center Galleria]] shopping mall.<ref name=Mall>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=WT&Date=20040520&Category=MALL&ArtNo=520001&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1|title=City Square Slideshow|date=December 30, 2013|work=Worcester Telegram & Gazette|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231053235/http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=WT&Date=20040520&Category=MALL&ArtNo=520001&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1|url-status=live}}</ref> After only 30 years, the Galleria would lose most of its major tenants and its appeal to more suburban shopping malls around Worcester County.

On June 9, 1953, an [[Fujita scale|F4]] tornado touched down in [[Petersham, Massachusetts|Petersham]], northwest of Worcester. The tornado tore through {{convert|48|mi|km}} of Worcester County including a large area of the city of Worcester. The tornado left massive destruction and killed 94 people. The [[1953 Worcester tornado|Worcester tornado]] would be the deadliest tornado ever to hit Massachusetts.<ref>Gaultney, Bruce (2009). ''Worcester Memories'', pg. 79 (1950s).</ref>  Debris from the tornado landed as far away as [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]].<ref name="parr">{{cite book|last=Parr|first=James L.|title=Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales From Shiretown|publisher=The History Press|year=2009|isbn=978-1-59629-750-0}}</ref>

In the 1960s, [[Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)|Interstate 290]] was built right through the center of Worcester, permanently dividing the city. In 1963, Worcester native [[Harvey Ball]] introduced the iconic yellow [[smiley]] face to American culture.<ref name="nyt2001">{{cite news |first=William H. |last=Honan |author-link=William H. Honan |title=H. R. Ball, 79, Ad Executive Credited With happy Face |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/h-r-ball-79-ad-executive-credited-with-smiley-face.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 14, 2001 |access-date=August 29, 2009 |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629121520/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/14/us/h-r-ball-79-ad-executive-credited-with-smiley-face.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Adams">{{cite web |first=Cecil |last=Adams |work=The Straight Dope |title=Who invented the smiley face? |date=April 23, 1993 |access-date=April 18, 2011 |url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/961/who-invented-the-smiley-face |archive-date=May 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518141340/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/961/who-invented-the-smiley-face |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the late 20th century, Worcester's economy began to recover as the city expanded into [[biotechnology]] and [[healthcare]] fields.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|title=Enterprise Timeline|publisher=Worcester Historical Museum|year=2013|url=http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcesters-industrial-heritage/enterprise-timeline/|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231012631/http://www.worcesterhistory.org/worcesters-history/worcesters-industrial-heritage/enterprise-timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[University of Massachusetts Medical School|UMass Medical School]] has become a leader in biomedical research and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Research Park has become a center of medical research and development.<ref name=bio />  Worcester hospitals [[Saint Vincent Hospital]] and [[UMass Memorial Health Care]] have become two of the largest employers in the city. Worcester's many colleges, including the [[Quinsigamond Community College]], [[College of the Holy Cross]], [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]], [[Clark University]], UMass Medical School, [[Assumption University (Worcester)|Assumption University]], [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]], and [[Worcester State University]], attract many students to the area and help drive the new economy.

On December 3, 1999, a homeless couple accidentally started a five-alarm fire at the [[Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire|Worcester Cold Storage & Warehouse Company]]. The fire took the lives of six firemen and drew national attention as one of the worst firefighting tragedies of the late 20th century.<ref name=fire>Gaultney, Bruce (2009). ''Worcester Memories'', pg. 113 (1970s, '80s & '90s).</ref> President [[Bill Clinton]], Vice President [[Al Gore]] and other local and national dignitaries attended the funeral service and memorial program in Worcester.<ref name=fire />

===Since 1997===
In recent decades, a renewed interest in the city's downtown has brought new investment and construction to Worcester. A Convention Center was built along the [[DCU Center]] arena in downtown Worcester in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|title=Facility Info|publisher=DCU Center|date=September 25, 2005|url=http://dcucenter.com/facility.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125093052/http://www.dcucenter.com/facility.php|archive-date=November 25, 2005}}</ref> In 2000, Worcester's [[Union Station (Worcester)|Union Station]] reopened after 25 years of neglect and a $32&nbsp;million renovation. [[Hanover Insurance]] helped fund a multimillion-dollar renovation to the old Franklin Square Theater into the [[Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts]].<ref name=theatre>{{cite web|title=Restoration|publisher=Wrcester Center for the Performing Arts|year=2013|url=http://www.thehanovertheatre.org/restoration|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231051438/http://www.thehanovertheatre.org/restoration|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2000, the [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]] built a new campus in downtown Worcester.<ref name=MCPHS>{{cite news|url=http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20100428/NEWS01/304289988 |title=College of Pharmacy To Buy Crowne Plaza Property|last=Brown|first=Matthew|date=April 28, 2010 |work=Worcester Business Journal|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231044340/http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20100428/NEWS01/304289988|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, WPI opened the first facility in their new Gateway Park center in Lincoln Square.<ref name=gateway>{{cite web |title=Gateway Park at WPI |publisher=Worcester Polytechnic Institute |year=2013 |url=http://www.gatewayparkworcester.com/ |access-date=December 30, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102181418/http://gatewayparkworcester.com/}}</ref> In 2004, Berkeley Investments proposed demolishing the old Worcester Center Galleria for a new mixed-used development called '''City Square'''. The ambitious project looked to reconnect old street patterns while creating a new retail, commercial and living destination in the city.<ref name=citysquare>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20100317/NEWS/3170418/1116|title=Hanover buys into CitySquare |last=Kotsopoulos|first=Nick |date=March 17, 2010|work=Worcester Telegram & Gazette|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170423/https://www.telegram.com/article/20100317/NEWS/3170418/1116|url-status=live}}</ref>  After struggling to secure finances for a number of years, Hanover Insurance took over the project and demolition began on September 13, 2010. [[Unum]] Insurance and the Saint Vincent Hospital leased into the project and both facilities opened in 2013. The new Front Street opened on December 31, 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20100317/NEWS/3170418/1116 |title=Front St. connection planned by end of year in Worcester|date=December 13, 2012|work=Worcester Telegram & Gazette|access-date=December 30, 2013 |archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170424/https://www.telegram.com/article/20100317/NEWS/3170418/1116|url-status=live}}</ref>

Worcester has become home to many refugees in recent years. The city has successfully resettled over 2,000 refugees coming from over 24 countries. Today, most of these refugees come from the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Iraq]], [[Somalia]], [[Bhutan]], [[Syria]], [[Ukraine]] and [[Afghanistan]].<ref>Fabos, A.,&nbsp;Pilgrim, M., Said-Ali, M., Krahe, J.,&nbsp;Ostiller, Z. 2015. Understanding refugees in Worcester, MA. Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise.</ref>

In 2025, Worcester City Council passed a resolution to become a sanctuary city for the transgender community.<ref>{{cite news | last = Aitken | first = Madeleine | date = February 12, 2025 | title = It's official: Worcester is a 'sanctuary city' for transgender community | url = https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/02/12/worcester-sanctuary-city-transgender-community/ | work = Boston.com}}</ref>

==Geography==

Worcester has a total area of {{convert|38.6|sqmi|km2}}: {{convert|37.6|sqmi|km2}} of land and {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, comprising roughly 2.59%, of water. Worcester is bordered by the towns of [[Auburn, Massachusetts|Auburn]], [[Grafton, Massachusetts|Grafton]], [[Holden, Massachusetts|Holden]], [[Leicester, Massachusetts|Leicester]], [[Millbury, Massachusetts|Millbury]], [[Paxton, Massachusetts|Paxton]], [[Shrewsbury, Massachusetts|Shrewsbury]], and [[West Boylston, Massachusetts|West Boylston]].

Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth" because of its proximity to the center of Massachusetts. The city is about {{convert|40|mi|km}} west of [[Boston]], {{convert|50|mi|km}} east of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], and {{convert|38|mi|km}} northwest of [[Providence, Rhode Island]].

The [[Blackstone River]] forms in the center of Worcester by the confluence of the Middle River and Mill Brook. The river courses underground through the center of the city, and emerges at the foot of College Hill. It then flows south through Quinsigamond Village and into Millbury. Worcester is the beginning of the [[Blackstone Valley]] that frames the river. The [[Blackstone Canal]] was once an important waterway connecting Worcester to Providence and the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]], but the canal fell into disuse at the end of the 19th century and was mostly covered up. In recent years, local organizations, including the Canal District Business Association, have proposed restoring the canal and creating a Blackstone Valley [[National Park]].<ref name=blackstone>{{cite news|first=Steven|last=Jones-D'Agostino|title=Worcester's Canal District Banks On National Park Designation|url=http://www.golocalworcester.com/news/canal-district-boosters-push-for-national-historic-park/|publisher=GoLocalWorcester|date=September 3, 2013|access-date=January 2, 2014|archive-date=January 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103141222/http://www.golocalworcester.com/news/canal-district-boosters-push-for-national-historic-park/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Worcester is one of many cities claimed, like [[Rome]], [[List of cities claimed to be built on seven hills|to be found on seven hills]]: Airport Hill, Bancroft Hill, Belmont Hill (Bell Hill), [[Grafton Hill]], Green Hill, Pakachoag Hill and Vernon Hill. However, Worcester has more than seven hills, examples of which include Indian Hill, Newton Hill, Poet's Hill, and Wigwam Hill.

Worcester has many ponds and two prominent lakes: [[Indian Lake (Massachusetts)|Indian Lake]] and [[Lake Quinsigamond]]. Lake Quinsigamond (also known as Long Pond) stretches {{Convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} across the Worcester and Shrewsbury border and is a very popular [[rowing (sport)|competitive rowing]] and boating destination.

===Climate===
Worcester's [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfb'') is typical of [[New England]]. The weather changes rapidly owing to the confluence of warm, humid air from the southwest; cool, dry air from the north; and the moderating influence of the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east. Summers are typically hot and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Snow typically falls from the second half of November into early April,<ref name = NOAA/> with occasional falls in October; May snow is much rarer. The [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] classifies the city as straddling [[hardiness zone]]s 5b and 6a.<ref>{{cite web |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |author=United States Department of Agriculture |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]] |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |accessdate=February 19, 2015 |authorlink=United States Department of Agriculture |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html }}</ref>

The hottest month is July, with a 24-hour average of {{convert|70.2|°F|1}}, while the coldest is January, at {{convert|24.1|°F|1}}. There are an average of only 3.5 days of highs at or above {{convert|90|°F|0}} and 4.1 nights of lows at or below {{convert|0|°F|0}} per year, and periods of either extremes are rarely sustained. The all-time record high temperature is {{convert|102|°F|0}}, recorded on July 4, 1911,<ref>{{cite web
  | url= http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/orhjul.shtml
  | title= Daily temperature records
  | publisher= National Weather Service
  | year= 2007
  | access-date= January 7, 2008
  | archive-date= May 12, 2009
  | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090512100728/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/orhjul.shtml
  | url-status= live
  }}</ref> the only {{convert|100|°F|0}} or greater temperature to date. The all-time record low temperature is {{convert|−24|°F|0}}, recorded on February 16, 1943.<ref>{{cite web
  | url= http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/orhfeb.shtml
  | title= Daily temperature records
  | publisher= National Weather Service
  | year= 2007
  | access-date= January 7, 2008
  | archive-date= May 12, 2009
  | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090512100723/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/orhfeb.shtml
  | url-status= live
  }}</ref> The lowest daily maximum temperature on record is {{convert|-2|°F|0}} on January 8, 1968, while the highest daily minimum is {{convert|80|°F|0}} on July 4, 1911.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=box
  | title = NOWData
  | publisher = National Weather Service
}}</ref>

Worcester is known for being particularly snowy in the cold months, sometimes even experiencing intense autumn blizzards. The city averages {{convert|48.07|in|mm|sigfig=3}} of [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] a year, as well as an average of {{convert|64|in|cm}} of snowfall a season,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weather averages Worcester, Massachusetts |url=https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/worcester/massachusetts/united-states/usma0502 |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.usclimatedata.com |language=en}}</ref> receiving far more snow than coastal locations less than {{convert|40|mi|km}} away.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sami |first=Isabel |title=Why Worcester gets more snow than most |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2021/02/01/storm-central-heres-why-worcester-gets-more-snow-than-most/4340701001/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Weather averages Boston, Massachusetts |url=https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/boston/massachusetts/united-states/usma0046 |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.usclimatedata.com |language=en}}</ref> Massachusetts' geographic location, jutting out into the [[North Atlantic]], as well as Worcester's elevation relative to the surrounding terrain, makes the city very prone to [[Nor'easter]] weather systems that can dump heavy snow on the region. Extreme winters have brought up to {{Convert|120|in|cm}} of snowfall, as happened in 2005. In late January 2015, a blizzard traversed over the city as it shed almost {{Convert|32|in|cm}} of snow. This was the highest single-day snowfall total for anywhere in Massachusetts since data collection began in 1892.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stucker |first=Kyle |title=Record snowfalls: Here are the largest single-day snowstorms in Massachusetts history |url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/regional/massachusetts/2022/01/28/massachusetts-weather-winter-storm-total-history-blizzard-78/9241463002/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Wicked Local |language=en-US}}</ref>

While rare, the city has had its share of extreme weather. On September 21, 1938, the city was hit by the brutal [[New England Hurricane of 1938]]. Fifteen years later, Worcester was hit by a [[1953 Worcester tornado|tornado]] that killed 94 people. The deadliest tornado in New England history, it damaged a large part of the city and surrounding towns. It struck [[Assumption Preparatory School]], now the site of [[Quinsigamond Community College]].

{{Weather box
| location = [[Worcester Regional Airport]] (elevation {{convert|1000|ft|m}}), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1892–present
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 67
| Feb record high F = 71
| Mar record high F = 84
| Apr record high F = 91
| May record high F = 94
| Jun record high F = 98
| Jul record high F = 102
| Aug record high F = 99
| Sep record high F = 99
| Oct record high F = 91
| Nov record high F = 79
| Dec record high F = 72
| year record high F = 102
| Jan avg record high F = 55
| Feb avg record high F = 54
| Mar avg record high F = 64
| Apr avg record high F = 78
| May avg record high F = 85
| Jun avg record high F = 88
| Jul avg record high F = 90
| Aug avg record high F = 88
| Sep avg record high F = 84
| Oct avg record high F = 75
| Nov avg record high F = 66
| Dec avg record high F = 58
| year avg record high F = 91
| Jan high F = 32.3
| Feb high F = 35.1
| Mar high F = 43.0
| Apr high F = 55.7
| May high F = 66.6
| Jun high F = 74.5
| Jul high F = 79.8
| Aug high F = 78.1
| Sep high F = 70.7
| Oct high F = 58.9
| Nov high F = 47.9
| Dec high F = 37.5
| year high F = 56.7
| Jan mean F = 24.7
| Feb mean F = 27.0
| Mar mean F = 34.5
| Apr mean F = 46.1
| May mean F = 56.7
| Jun mean F = 65.2
| Jul mean F = 70.8
| Aug mean F = 69.3
| Sep mean F = 61.9
| Oct mean F = 50.6
| Nov mean F = 40.2
| Dec mean F = 30.5
| year mean F = 48.1
| Jan low F = 17.1
| Feb low F = 18.9
| Mar low F = 26.0
| Apr low F = 36.5
| May low F = 46.8
| Jun low F = 55.9
| Jul low F = 61.7
| Aug low F = 60.5
| Sep low F = 53.2
| Oct low F = 42.2
| Nov low F = 32.5
| Dec low F = 23.4
| year low F = 39.6
| Jan avg record low F = −2
| Feb avg record low F = 1
| Mar avg record low F = 9
| Apr avg record low F = 25
| May avg record low F = 36
| Jun avg record low F = 45
| Jul avg record low F = 54
| Aug avg record low F = 52
| Sep avg record low F = 40
| Oct avg record low F = 29
| Nov avg record low F = 18
| Dec avg record low F = 7
| year avg record low F = −4
| Jan record low F = −19
| Feb record low F = −24
| Mar record low F = −6
| Apr record low F = 9
| May record low F = 27
| Jun record low F = 33
| Jul record low F = 41
| Aug record low F = 38
| Sep record low F = 27
| Oct record low F = 19
| Nov record low F = 3
| Dec record low F = −17
| year record low F = -24
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 3.52
| Feb precipitation inch = 3.26
| Mar precipitation inch = 4.19
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.08
| May precipitation inch = 3.56
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.22
| Jul precipitation inch = 3.93
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.14
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.24
| Oct precipitation inch = 4.84
| Nov precipitation inch = 4.00
| Dec precipitation inch = 4.28
| year precipitation inch = 48.26
| Jan snow inch = 18.2
| Feb snow inch = 21.2
| Mar snow inch = 13.7
| Apr snow inch = 1.9
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 1.1
| Nov snow inch = 1.9
| Dec snow inch = 14.9
| year snow inch = 72.9
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 12.2
| Feb precipitation days = 10.9
| Mar precipitation days = 12.4
| Apr precipitation days = 12.6
| May precipitation days = 13.2
| Jun precipitation days = 11.8
| Jul precipitation days = 11.0
| Aug precipitation days = 10.3
| Sep precipitation days = 9.5
| Oct precipitation days = 11.5
| Nov precipitation days = 10.8
| Dec precipitation days = 12.2
| year precipitation days = 138.4
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 7.5
| Feb snow days = 7.6
| Mar snow days = 4.9
| Apr snow days = 1.2
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.3
| Nov snow days = 1.0
| Dec snow days = 5.6
| year snow days = 28.1
| source 1  = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = May 30, 2021
| archive-date = November 13, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170419/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name = Extremes>
{{cite web 
| url = http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ 
|website=threadex.rcc-acis.org
| title = Threaded Extremes 
| access-date = November 9, 2010 
| archive-date = March 5, 2020 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200305195121/http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ 
| url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="NOAA KORH">
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00094746&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Worcester RGNL AP, MA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| access-date = May 30, 2021}}</ref>
}}

===Neighborhoods===
{{Main|Neighborhoods in Worcester, Massachusetts}}

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Worcester Massachusetts.jpg|Worcester and the surrounding areas in 2006, looking north from {{convert|3700|ft|m}}. [[Massachusetts Route 146|Route 146]] can be seen under construction.
File:WorcesterMA DodgeParkGazebo.jpg|Dodge Park
File:Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA - Washburn Shops.JPG|Washburn Shops, 1868
File:Cristoforo Colombo Park lion statue.jpg|Cristoforo Colombo Park
File:Cristoforo Colombo Park Belmonte Brothers memorial.jpg|Cristoforo Colombo Park
</gallery>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|type= USA
|1790|2095
|1800|2411
|1810|2577
|1820|2962
|1830|4173
|1840|7497
|1850|17049
|1860|24960
|1870|41105
|1880|58291
|1890|84655
|1900|118421
|1910|145986
|1920|179754
|1930|195311
|1940|193694
|1950|203486
|1960|186587
|1970|176572
|1980|161799
|1990|169759
|2000|172648
|2010|181045
|2020|206518
|2024|211286
|footnote=source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing (1790–2000)|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 9, 2012|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=December 13, 2024 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Worcester, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Worcester city, Massachusetts|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US2582000|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Worcester city, Massachusetts|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2582000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Worcester city, Massachusetts|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2582000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|122,211
|107,814
|style='background: #ffffe6; |101,039
|70.79%
|59.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48.93%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|10,762
|18,501
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28,378
|6.23%
|10.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.74%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|550
|427
|style='background: #ffffe6; |336
|0.32%
|0.24%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|8,336
|10,927
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,562
|4.83%
|6.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.05%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|48
|52
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48
|0.03%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|824
|1,289
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,642
|0.48%
|0.71%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.28%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|3,762
|4,217
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,777
|2.18%
|2.33%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.25%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|26,155
|37,818
|style='background: #ffffe6; |50,736
|15.15%
|20.89%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |24.57%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''172,648'''
|'''181,045'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''206,518'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
[[File:Vietnamese community of Worcester, Massachusetts.jpg|thumb|right|Vietnamese community float in the Worcester Saint Patrick's Day Parade]]
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Worcester had a population of 206,518, of which 104,911 (50.8%) were female and 101,607 (49.2%) were male. In terms of age, 81.0% were over 18 years old and 13.6% were over 65 years old; children under 5 made up 5.2% of the city's population.<ref name=":3" />

In terms of race and ethnicity, Worcester's population as of 2020 was 67.7% [[White American|White]] (including Hispanics), 13.0% Black or [[African American]], 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.2% Asian, &lt;0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 5.2% from Some Other Race, and 6.4% from Two or More Races.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] and Latinos of any race made up 24.6% of the population<ref name=2020CensusP2/> (of whom nearly half were Puerto Rican).<ref>[https://archive.today/20190521214830/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table American FactFinder] . Factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved on August 2, 2013.</ref> [[Non-Hispanic Whites]] were 48.93% of the population in 2020,<ref name=2020CensusP2/> down from 96.8% in 1970.<ref>{{cite web|title=Massachusetts – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010, 19.7% of Worcester's population are below the [[Poverty thresholds (United States Census Bureau)|poverty threshold]].<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Worcester (city), Massachusetts |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2582000.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505125105/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2582000.html |archive-date=May 5, 2012 |access-date=22 March 2022 |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

Worcester is known for its diversity and large immigrant population, with significant communities of [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]], [[Brazilian Americans|Brazilians]], [[Albanian Americans|Albanians]], [[Stateside Puerto Ricans|Puerto Ricans]], [[Ghanaian Americans|Ghanaians]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2017/03/worcesters_ghanaian_community.html#:~:text=By%20the%201990s%2C%20large%20swaths,over%2020%2C000%20strong%20in%20Worcester.|title=Worcester's Ghanaian community celebrates 60 years of independence |work=Masslive.com |last=Murtishi |first=Alban |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2023}}</ref> [[Dominican Americans|Dominicans]], along with [[Chinese Americans|Chinese]] and [[Indian Americans|Indian]] Americans.<ref name=":1" /> 22% of Worcester's population in 2018 was born outside the United States.<ref name=":2" />

===Income===
{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}
Data is from the 2015–2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.<ref>{{cite web|title=SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2015–2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSDP1Y2019.DP03&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP03&hidePreview=true|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503174231/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSDP1Y2019.DP03&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP03&hidePreview=true|archive-date=May 3, 2021|access-date=May 3, 2021|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2015–2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504124801/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true|archive-date=May 4, 2021|access-date=May 3, 2021|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2015–2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSST1Y2019.S1101&tid=ACSST5Y2019.S1101&hidePreview=true|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504125153/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSST1Y2019.S1101&tid=ACSST5Y2019.S1101&hidePreview=true|archive-date=May 4, 2021|access-date=May 3, 2021|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- valign=bottom
! Rank
! ZIP Code (ZCTA)
! Per capita<br />income
! Median<br />household<br />income
! Median<br />family<br />income
! Population
! Number of<br />households
|-
|
| ''[[Massachusetts]]''
| $43,761
| $81,215
| $103,126
| 6,850,553
| 2,617,497
|-
|
| ''[[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]]''
| $37,574
| $74,679
| $96,393
| 824,772
| 309,951
|-
| 1
| 01602
| $36,792
| $64,942
| $87,092
| 22,900
| 9,498
|-
| 2
| 01606
| $35,354
| $65,708
| $82,592
| 19,896
| 8,159
|-
|
| ''United States''
| $34,103
| $62,843
| $77,263
| 324,697,795
| 120,756,048
|-
| 3
| 01609
| $31,337
| $45,992
| $84,844
| 21,628
| 7,859
|-
| 4
| 01604
| $29,183
| $55,665
| $66,482
| 38,191
| 14,825
|-
|
| ''Worcester''
| $27,884
| $48,139
| $63,893
| 185,143
| 71,595
|-
| 5
| 01607
| $25,319
| $39,928
| $66,875
| 8,167
| 3,702
|-
| 6
| 01603
| $24,415
| $42,904
| $56,630
| 19,731
| 7,327
|-
| 7
| 01605
| $23,003
| $40,390
| $46,641
| 28,533
| 10,673
|-
| 8
| 01610
| $18,452
| $33,695
| $39,928
| 22,023
| 7,729
|-
| 9
| 01608
| $17,598
| $31,384
| $30,077
| 4,471
| 1,916
|-
|}

==Economy==
By the mid-19th century, Worcester was one of New England's largest manufacturing centers. The city's large industries specialized in machinery, wire production, and power looms. Although manufacturing has declined, the city still maintains large manufactures, like [[Norton Abrasives]], which was bought by [[Saint-Gobain]] in 1990, Morgan Construction Company, since bought by Siemens and then bought by Japanese company PriMetals Technologies, and the David Clark Company. The [[David Clark Company]] pioneered aeronautical equipment including anti-gravity suits and noise attenuating headsets.

Services, particularly education and healthcare, make up a large portion of the city's economy. Worcester's many colleges and universities make higher education a considerable presence in the city's economy.
[[Hanover Insurance]] was founded in 1852 and retains its headquarters in Worcester. [[Unum|Unum Insurance]] and [[Fallon Community Health Plan]] have offices in the city. [[Polar Beverages]] is the largest independent soft-drink bottler in the country and is in Worcester.
[[File:Umass Medical School Lazare Research Building.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Massachusetts Medical School]]'s Lazare Research Building]]

Worcester is home to the largest concentration of digital gaming students in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegram.com/news/20170417/wall-amp-main-worcesters-rising-as-startup-hub|title=Wall & Main: Worcester's rising as a startup hub|access-date=February 15, 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170432/https://www.telegram.com/news/20170417/wall-amp-main-worcesters-rising-as-startup-hub|url-status=live}}</ref> The Memorial Auditorium, built as a tribute to World War I veterans of Worcester, is undergoing a renovation and may cater to these Digital Students as a future multimedia and digital center, in conjunction with the twelve Worcester colleges and universities.

As one of the top ten emerging hubs for tech startups,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.axios.com/the-next-start-up-hubs-1513301262-11b4a196-3937-4829-9c91-97ddec7d8d88.html | title=The next start-up hubs | date=March 30, 2017 | access-date=May 3, 2018 | archive-date=November 13, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170433/https://www.axios.com/the-next-start-up-hubs-1513301262-11b4a196-3937-4829-9c91-97ddec7d8d88.html | url-status=live }}</ref> the city's biotechnology and technology industries have helped spur major expansions at both the University of Massachusetts Medical School and [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]. The Massachusetts Biotechnology Research Park hosts many innovative companies including [[Advanced Cell Technology]] and [[AbbVie Inc.|AbbVie]]. The Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in nearby [[Shrewsbury, Massachusetts|Shrewsbury]] developed the oral [[contraceptive pill]] in 1951.

Downtown Worcester used to boast major Boston retailers [[Filene's]] and [[Jordan Marsh]] as well Worcester's own department stores Barnard's and [[Denholm & McKay]]. Over time most retailers moved away from downtown and into the suburban [[Auburn Mall (Auburn, Massachusetts)|Auburn Mall]] and [[Greendale Mall]] in North Worcester.

In 2010,<ref>{{cite web|title=American FactFinder|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP03&prodType=table|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160213193529/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP03&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 13, 2016|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 14, 2012}}</ref> the median household income was $61,212. Median family income was $76,485. The [[per capita]] income was $29,316. About 7.7% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. In October 2013, Worcester was found to be the number five city for investing in a rental property.<ref>Novinson, Michael. " Index: Central Mass. #5 in U.S. For Owning Rental Property." ''Worcester Business Journal''. October 8, 2013.</ref>

In January 2017, [[Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor]] [[Charlie Baker]] signed a law allowing 44 acres of unused [[Public land#United States|state-owned land]] on the former [[Worcester State Hospital]] campus to be converted into a [[biomanufacturing]] [[industrial park]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dumcius|first=Gintautus|title=Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker signs bill allowing unused Worcester land to become biomanufacturing site|website=[[The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)|MassLive.com]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications]] |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2017/01/mass_gov_charlie_baker_signs_b.html|date=January 6, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170517/https://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/2017/01/mass_gov_charlie_baker_signs_b.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Top employers===
According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref name="cafr">{{cite web|url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/85/5c/855cbbc97b673dd5b185aef939436fd3/auditor-report-2018.pdf|title=City of Worcester 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|website=worcesterma.gov|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170434/http://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/85/5c/855cbbc97b673dd5b185aef939436fd3/auditor-report-2018.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> the top ten employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
| 1
|[[UMass Memorial Health Care]]
|13,745
|-
|2
|City of Worcester
|5,473
|-
|3
|[[University of Massachusetts Medical School]]
|4,172
|-
|4
|Reliant Medical Group
|2,680
|-
|5
|[[Saint Vincent Hospital]]
|2,450
|-
|6
|[[Hanover Insurance]]
|1,800
|-
|7
|[[Saint-Gobain]]
|1,652
|-
|8
|Seven Hills Foundation
|1,445
|-
|9
|[[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]
|1,283
|-
|10
|Community Healthlink
|1,200
|}

==Arts and culture==
{{See also|List of people from Worcester, Massachusetts}}
[[File:US Navy 110316-N-2257C-002 Capt. Brian Walden, commanding officer and leader of the U.S. Navy Band, leads the Concert Band during a performance at.jpg|thumb|left|Mechanics Hall concert]] [[File:Bankroft Tower.jpg|thumb|[[Bancroft Tower]] stands atop Bancroft Hill and was erected in 1900 by [[Stephen Salisbury III]] in honor of his childhood friendship with [[George Bancroft]].<ref>[http://www.worcesterma.gov/dpw/parks-rec/city-parks/salisbury-park DPW Parks, Recreation & Cemetery – Salisbury Park<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728121644/http://www.worcesterma.gov/dpw/parks-rec/city-parks/salisbury-park |date=July 28, 2010 }}.</ref> ]]

Much of Worcester's culture is synonymous with broader [[New England]] culture. The city's name is notoriously mispronounced by people unfamiliar with the city. As with the city in England, the first syllable of "cester" (''castra'') is left entirely unvoiced. Combined with a traditionally [[non-rhotic]] [[Eastern New England English]] accent, the name can be transcribed as "WOOS-tuh" or "WISS-tuh" (the first syllable possibly having a [[near-close central unrounded vowel]]).<ref name="Holy Cross"/>

Worcester has many traditionally ethnic neighborhoods, including Quinsigamond Village (Swedish), Shrewsbury Street (Italian), [[Kelley Square]] (Irish and Polish), Vernon Hill (Lithuanian), Union Hill (Jewish), and Main South (Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Vietnamese).

[[File:Boulevard Diner.jpg|thumb|Boulevard Diner]]Shrewsbury Street is Worcester's traditional "Little Italy" neighborhood and today boasts many of the city's most popular restaurants and nightlife.<ref name=shrewsbury>{{cite web|title=Shrewbury Street: A Mecca for the Diverse Palate|publisher=GoLocalWorcester|year=2013|url=http://www.golocalworcester.com/food/shrewsbury-street-a-mecca-for-the-diverse-palate/|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=January 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102115305/http://www.golocalworcester.com/food/shrewsbury-street-a-mecca-for-the-diverse-palate/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Canal District was once an old Eastern European neighborhood, but has been redeveloped into a very popular bar, restaurant and club scene.<ref name=canal>{{cite web|title=History|publisher=the Canal District of Worcester|year=2013|url=http://www.thecanaldistrict.com/history.html|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=December 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208094714/http://thecanaldistrict.com/history.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Worcester is also famously the former home of the [[Worcester Lunch Car Company]]. The company began in 1906 and built many famous lunch car diners in New England. Worcester is home to many classic lunch car diners, including [[Boulevard Diner]], [[Corner Lunch]], [[Chadwick Square Diner]], and [[Miss Worcester Diner]].

There are also many dedicated community organizations and art associations in the city. ''stART on the Street'' is an annual festival promoting local art. The [[Worcester Music Festival]] and [[New England Metal and Hardcore Festival]] are also held annually in Worcester. The Worcester County St. Patrick's Parade runs through Worcester and is one of the largest [[St. Patrick's Day]] celebrations in the state. The city also held the second oldest [[First Night]] celebration in the country each [[New Year's Eve]] until 2017. Since 1916, Worcester has also been the home of the [[Worcester Kiltie Pipe Band]], one of the oldest pipe bands in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |author=Richard Duckett |date=Feb 7, 2016 |title=Kiltie Pride |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/entertainment/fashion/2016/02/07/kiltie-pride/32558921007/ |work=Worcester Telegram & Gazette}}</ref>

Worcester is also the state's largest center for the arts outside of Boston. [[Mechanics Hall (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Mechanics Hall]], built in 1857, is one of the oldest concert halls in the country and is renowned for its pure acoustics.<ref name=Mechanics>{{cite web|title=About Mechanics Hall|publisher=Mechanics Hall|year=2013|url=http://www.mechanicshall.org/about/about.html|access-date=December 31, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008194212/http://mechanicshall.org/about/about.html|archive-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> In 2008 the old Poli Palace Theatre reopened as the [[Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts]].<ref name=hanover>{{cite web|title=Restoration|publisher=Worcester Center for the Performing Arts|year=2013|url=http://thehanovertheatre.org/restoration|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231051438/http://www.thehanovertheatre.org/restoration|url-status=live}}</ref>  The theatre brings many Broadway shows and nationally recognized performers to the city. [[Tuckerman Hall]], designed by one of the country's earliest woman architects, [[Josephine Wright Chapman]], is home to the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. The [[DCU Center]] arena and convention holds many large concerts, exhibitions and conventions in the city. The Worcester County Poetry Association sponsors readings by national and local poets in the city and the [[Worcester Center for Crafts]] provides craft education and skills to the community. Worcester is also home to the Worcester Youth Orchestras.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worcesteryouthorchestras.org|title=The Worcester Youth Orchestras Founded in 1947 – Home|work=The Worcester Youth Orchestras Founded in 1947|access-date=October 4, 2014|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092804/http://www.worcesteryouthorchestras.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1947 by Harry Levenson, it is the 3rd oldest youth orchestra in the country and regularly performs at Mechanics Hall.

Mechanics Hall is also home to the Worcester Symphony Orchestra formerly known as the New England Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://telegram.com/story/entertainment/2022/04/01/new-england-symphony-orchestra-from-new-world-mechanics-hall/7132508001/|title=New England Symphony Orchestra 'From the 'New World'' in Mechanics Hall}}</ref> Founded in 1974 the Worcester Symphony Orchestra performs classical works regularly at Mechanics Hall in downtown Worcester.

[[File:Mechanics Hall, Worcester.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mechanics Hall (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Mechanics Hall]]]]
The nickname "Wormtown" is synonymous with the city's once large underground rock music scene. The nickname has now become used to refer to the city itself.<ref>[http://www.worcestermag.com/night-and-day/catch-and-release/95555339.html Wormtown at 20 – Timeline of events] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928222237/http://www.worcestermag.com/night-and-day/catch-and-release/95555339.html |date=September 28, 2011 }}. The Worcester Phoenix, June 19–26, 1998.</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Williamson| first=Chet| title=Wormtown at 30| newspaper=[[Worcester Magazine]]| date=June 3, 2010| url=http://www.worcestermag.com/night-and-day/catch-and-release/95555339.html| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928222237/http://www.worcestermag.com/night-and-day/catch-and-release/95555339.html| archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>O'Connor, Andrew. [http://vimeo.com/3412828 A Wormtown Gimmick] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170521/https://vimeo.com/3412828 |date=November 13, 2020 }}.</ref>

Due to its location in [[Central Massachusetts]], Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth"; a heart is the official symbol of the city. However, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the Valentine's Day card, although not invented in the city, was first [[Mass production|mass-produced]] and popularized by Worcester resident [[Esther Howland]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Valentines weren't invented in Worcester, but they have special history here|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20130708/NEWS/307089987/1101|year=2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170441/https://www.telegram.com/article/20130708/NEWS/307089987/1101|archive-date=November 13, 2020|access-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref> Similarly, the invention of the classic yellow "smiley face" design by Worcester native Harvey Ball has gained it an iconic status in the city. This design is now commonly seen in art and merchandise relating to Worcester, including murals, t-shirts and stickers.

===Sites of interest===
[[File:turtle boy love statue.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The ''[[Burnside Fountain]]'', also known as the ''Turtle Boy'' statue, is a local landmark on the Worcester Common.]]
[[File:Elm Park Iron Bridge Worcester Massachusetts.jpg|thumb|alt=Elm Park Iron Bridge Worcester Massachusetts|The Elm Park Iron Bridge]]
Worcester has 1,200 acres of publicly owned property. Notable parks include [[Elm Park (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Elm Park]], which was laid out by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] in 1854, and the City Common laid out in 1669. Both parks are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="City Parks">{{cite web
  | url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/dpw/parks-rec/city-parks
  | title=City Parks
  | publisher=City of Worcester, Massachusetts — Public Works and Park
  | year=2007
  | access-date=August 16, 2010
  | archive-date=July 28, 2010
  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728071329/http://www.worcesterma.gov/dpw/parks-rec/city-parks
  | url-status=live
  }}</ref> The largest park in the city is the 549 acre [[Green Hill Park]]. The park was donated by the Green family in 1903 and includes the [[Green Hill Park Shelter]] built in 1910. In 2002, the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Green Hill Park. Other Parks, include Newton Hill, East Park, Morgan Park, Shore Park, Crompton Park, Hadwen Park, [[Institute Park]] and [[University Park (Worcester, Massachusetts)|University Park]]. Though not within city limits, [[New England Botanic Garden|New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill]] is operated by the [[Worcester County Horticultural Society]] and is a 20-minute drive northeast of the city in [[Boylston, Massachusetts|Boylston]]. The Horticultural Society's former headquarters is now the [[Worcester Historical Museum]], dedicated to the cultural, economic, and scientific contributions of the city to American society. As a former manufacturing center, Worcester has many historic 19th century buildings and on the National Register of Historic Places, including the old facilities of the [[Crompton Loom Works]], [[Ashworth and Jones Factory]] and [[Worcester Corset Company Factory]].

The [[American Antiquarian Society]] has been in Worcester since 1812. The national library and society has one of the largest collections of early American history in the world. The city's main museum is the [[Worcester Art Museum]] established in 1898. The museum is the second largest art museum in New England, behind the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts]] in Boston.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tfaoi.org/newsmu/nmus52.htm|title=Worcester Art Museum|website=tfaoi.org|access-date=January 1, 2014|archive-date=July 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713023557/http://tfaoi.org/newsmu/nmus52.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1931 to 2013, Worcester was home to the [[Higgins Armory Museum]], which was the sole museum dedicated to arms and armor in the country.<ref name=BGHigginsClose>{{cite news|last=Edgers|first=Geoff|title=Higgins Armory Museum to close|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2013/03/08/higgins-armory-museum-close-arms-and-armor-worcester-art-museum/3Y4p45OpkfMrQxSGmlP3NP/story.html|access-date=July 31, 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=March 8, 2013|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170438/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2013/03/08/higgins-armory-museum-close-arms-and-armor-worcester-art-museum/3Y4p45OpkfMrQxSGmlP3NP/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Its collection and endowment were transferred and integrated into the Worcester Art Museum, with the collection now being shown in a new gallery which opened in 2015. The non-profit [[Veterans Inc.]] is headquartered at the southern tip of Grove Street in the historic [[Massachusetts National Guard]] Armory building.

The [[Worcester Memorial Auditorium]] is one of the most prominent buildings in the city. Built as a [[World War I]] [[war memorial]] in 1933, the multipurpose auditorium has hosted many of Worcester's most famous concerts and sporting events, and is{{when|date=April 2023}} undergoing a renovation to become a multimedia and event center.

===Religion===
[[File:Trinity Lutheran Church (Worcester, Massachusetts).jpg|thumb|Trinity Lutheran Church]]
According to the U.S. Religion Census 2020, most inhabitants of Worcester County report no religious affiliation. Following None, the largest reported religious denomination is Catholicism. The first Catholics came to Worcester in 1826. They were chiefly Irish immigrants brought to America by the builders of the Blackstone canal. As time went on and the number of Catholics increased, the community petitioned Bishop Fenwick to send them a priest. In response to this appeal, the bishop appointed the Reverend James Fitton to visit the Catholics of Worcester in 1834. A Catholic Mass was first offered in the city in an old stone building on Front Street. The foundation of Christ's Church, the first Catholic church in Worcester (now St. John's), was laid on July 6, 1834.<ref>F.P. Rice "The Worcester of 1898"</ref> The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester was canonically erected on January 14, 1950, by Pope Pius XII. Its territories were taken from the neighboring Diocese of Springfield. The fifth and current bishop is Robert Joseph McManus.<ref>[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester]]</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! colspan="6" |Religious Adherence Worcester County 2020<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congregational Membership Reports {{!}} US Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&t=0&c=25027 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=www.thearda.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Congregational Membership Reports {{!}} US Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2010&t=0&c=25027 |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>
|-
!'''Religion'''
!'''Number of adherents (2020)'''
!'''Percentage (2020)'''
!'''Number of adherents (2010)'''
!'''Percentage (2010)'''
!Change from 2010 to 2020
|-
|Catholic
|         278,698
|32.3%
|         306,925
|38.4%
| -9%
|-
|Evangelical Protestant  Christian
|            39,282
|4.6%
|            37,511
|4.7%
|5%
|-
|Mainline Protestant Christian
|            29,886
|3.5%
|    43,326
|5.4%
| -31%
|-
|Orthodox Christian
|               9,689
|1.1%
|               7,935
|1.0%
|22%
|-
|Islam
|               6,184
|0.7%
|                    616
|0.1%
|904%
|-
|Jehovah's Witnesses
|               5,726
|0.7%
|
|0.0%
|n/a
|-
|Buddhism
|               4,080
|0.5%
|               7,051
|0.9%
| -42%
|-
|Judaism
|               3,269
|0.4%
|               4,068
|0.5%
| -20%
|-
|Hinduism
|               2,924
|0.3%
|               1,151
|0.1%
|154%
|-
|Latter-day Saints
|               2,856
|0.3%
|               2,772
|0.3%
|3%
|-
|Unitarian Universalist
|               2,325
|0.3%
|               3,068
|0.4%
| -24%
|-
|Black Protestant
|               1,172
|0.1%
|                    497
|0.1%
|136%
|-
|Baha'i
|                    205
|0.0%
|                    190
|0.0%
|8%
|-
|Zoroastrian
|
|
|                       15
|0.0%
| -100%
|-
|None
|         475,815
|55.2%
|         383,427
|48.0%
|24%
|}
The Unitarian-Universalist Church of Worcester was founded in 1841.
Worcester's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, St. Spyridon, was founded in 1924.

The [https://isgw.us/ Islamic Society of Greater Worcester] established Masjid Al-Arkham as the first mosque in Worcester with less than 50 congregants in 1979 at 57 Laurel Street in an abandoned church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HISTORY |url=https://www.wicmasjid.org/history |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=WIC MOSQUE |language=en}}</ref> As the congregation grew, the size of the original mosque no longer adequately met its needs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History – ISGW Mosque |url=https://isgw.us/about/our-history/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=isgw.us}}</ref> The community built the [[Worcester Mosque|Worcester Islamic Center, also known as the Worcester Mosque]], and moved there in 2005-07.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HISTORY |url=https://www.wicmasjid.org/history |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=WIC MOSQUE |language=en}}</ref> After a period of renovations, Masjid Al-Arkham was re-opened in 2008.

Worcester is home to three Buddhist Centers: [https://boundlessway.org/ Boundless Way Zen Temple], [https://www.facebook.com/people/Chua-Pho-Hien/100064260686600/ Chua Pho Hien], and [https://www.nebvmc.org/ New England Buddhist Vihara & Meditation Center]. 

The small [https://worcesterbahais.org/ Worcester Baha'i Community] has a long history, having been established in 1920.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Worcester County Bahá'í Community |url=https://worcesterbahais.org/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=The Worcester County Bahá'í Community |language=en}}</ref> Prior to this, in 1912 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh and then leader of the Bahá'í Faith, visited the city and spoke at Clark University.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Worcester County Bahá'í Community |url=https://worcesterbahais.org/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=The Worcester County Bahá'í Community |language=en}}</ref> 
[[File:Temple Emanuel Worcester 2012 2.JPG|left|thumb|[[Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Temple Emanuel Sinai]]]]
Worcester is home to a Jewish population who attend five [[Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts)#Worcester West Side Synagogue history|synagogues]], including [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] congregation [[Temple Emanuel Sinai (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Temple Emanuel Sinai]], [[Congregation Beth Israel (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Congregation Beth Israel]], a [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] [[synagogue]] founded in 1924,<ref name="About us">[http://www.bethisraelworc.org/aboutus.htm About us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512184511/http://www.bethisraelworc.org/aboutus.htm |date=May 12, 2009 }}, Synagogue website. Accessed July 17, 2008.</ref> and [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] Congregation Tifereth Israel – Sons of Jacob ([[Chabad]]), home of Yeshiva Achei Tmimim Academy. Beth Israel and its [[rabbi]] were the subject of the book ''And They Shall be My People: An American Rabbi and His Congregation'' by [[Paul Wilkes]].
[[File:Armenian Church of Our Savior, Worcester.jpg|thumb|right|Armenian Church of Our Savior]]
The first Armenian Church in the Western Hemisphere was built in Worcester in 1890 and consecrated on January 18, 1891, as "Soorp Purgich" (Holy Savior). The current sanctuary of the congregation, now known as [[Church of Our Savior, Worcester|Armenian Church of Our Savior]], was consecrated in 1952.<ref name="DigitalWPI">{{cite web |last1=McAfee |first1=Andrew Bryce |title=Digital History Display: A Legacy for The Worcester Armenian Community |url=https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1746&context=iqp-all |website=Worcester Polytechnic Institute Digital WPI |publisher=Worcester Polytechnic Institute |access-date=10 July 2020 |date=December 2015 |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713105517/https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1746&context=iqp-all |url-status=live }}</ref>

Worcester is home to America's largest community of [[Mandaeans]], numbering around 2,500. Most Mandaeans in Worcester arrived as refugees from instability in [[Religion in Iraq|Iraq]] during the early 21st century.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-10-06/these-iraqi-immigrants-worship-john-baptist-theyre-not-christians|title=These Iraqi immigrants revere John the Baptist, but they're not Christians|work=Public Radio International|access-date=December 15, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170505/https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-10-06/these-iraqi-immigrants-worship-john-baptist-theyre-not-christians|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Worcester, Massachusetts}}

Since 2021, Worcester has been the home of the [[Worcester Red Sox]], the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] affiliate of the [[Boston Red Sox]]. They play their home games at [[Polar Park (baseball park)|Polar Park]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/11/sports/worcesters-polar-park-debuts-today-with-woosox-home-opener/ |title=Photos: Polar Park, Worcester's sparkling new $159-million ballpark, is officially open |first=Katie |last=McInerney |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |url-access=limited |date=May 11, 2021 |access-date=May 11, 2021}}</ref>

Worcester was home to [[Marshall Taylor|Marshall Walter ("Major") Taylor]], an [[African American]] cyclist who won the world one-mile (1.6&nbsp;km) track cycling championship in 1899. Taylor's legacy includes being the first African American and the second [[Black people|black]] athlete to be a world champion ([[Canadians|Canadian]] boxer [[George Dixon (boxer)|George Dixon]], 1892). Taylor was nicknamed the ''Worcester Whirlwind'' by the local papers.
[[File:Holy Cross vs. Brown Football 2007.jpg|thumb|right|The [[College of the Holy Cross]]' football team (purple)]]
[[Lake Quinsigamond]] is home to the [[Eastern Sprints]], a premier [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] event in the United States. [[Rowing (sport)|Competitive rowing]] teams first came to Lake Quinsigamond in 1857. Finding the long, narrow lake ideal for such crew meets, avid rowers established boating clubs on the lake's shores, the first being the Quinsigamond Boating Club. More boating clubs and races followed, and soon many colleges (local, national, and international) held regattas, such as the [[Eastern Sprints]], on the lake. Beginning in 1895, local high schools held crew races on the lake. In 1952, the lake played host to the National Olympic rowing trials.

In 2002, the Jesse Burkett Little League all-stars team went all the way to the [[Little League World Series]]. They made it to the US final before losing to [[Owensboro, Kentucky]]. Jesse Burkett covers the West Side area of Worcester, along with Ted Williams Little League.

The city hosts the [[Worcester Railers]] of the [[ECHL]], which began play in October 2017. Prior to the Railers, the [[American Hockey League]] team [[Worcester Sharks]] played in Worcester from 2006 to 2015, before relocating to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]. The Sharks played at the [[DCU Center]] as a developmental team for the [[National Hockey League]]'s [[San Jose Sharks]]. The AHL was formerly represented by the [[Worcester IceCats]] from 1994 to 2005. The IceCats were chiefly affiliated with the [[St. Louis Blues]]. The city hosted the [[Worcester Blades]] of the [[Canadian Women's Hockey League]] (CWHL) for one season, playing their 2018–19 home games in the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center for that [[2018–19 CWHL season|league's final season]].

Worcester has hosted the [[Massachusetts Pirates]], an [[Indoor American football|indoor football]] team in the [[Indoor Football League]] starting in 2018 at the [[DCU Center]]. The team moved to the [[Tsongas Center]] in [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] for the 2024 season. The city previously was home to the [[New England Surge]] of the defunct [[Continental Indoor Football League]].

The city's former professional [[baseball]] team, the [[Worcester Tornadoes]], started in 2005 and was a member of the [[Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball]] League. The team played at the [[Fitton Field|Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field]] on the campus of the [[College of the Holy Cross]] and was not affiliated with any major league team. The Tornadoes won the 2005 Can-Am League title. The team's owner ran into financial difficulties, and the team disbanded after the 2012 season. The [[Worcester Bravehearts]] began play in 2014 as the local affiliate of the [[Futures Collegiate Baseball League]], and won the league championship in their inaugural season.

[[Candlepin bowling]] was invented in Worcester in 1880 by Justin White, an area bowling alley owner. The Worcester County Wildcats,<ref>{{cite web|title=Worcester County Wildcats|url=http://www.worcestercountywildcats.com/|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170519/https://www.worcestercountywildcats.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> part of the [[New England Football League]], is a semi-pro football team, and play at [[Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium]].

[[Golf]]'s [[Ryder Cup]]'s first official tournament was played at the Worcester Country Club in 1927. The course also hosted the [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] in [[1925 U.S. Open (golf)|1925]], and the [[U.S. Women's Open]] in 1960.

Worcester's colleges have long histories and many notable achievements in collegiate sports. The [[College of the Holy Cross]] represents NCAA Division 1 sports in Worcester. The other colleges and Universities in Worcester correspond with division II and III. The [[Holy Cross Crusaders]] won the [[1947 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA men's basketball champions in 1947]] and [[1954 National Invitation Tournament|NIT men's basketball champions in 1954]], led by future NBA hall-of-famers and Boston Celtic legends [[Bob Cousy]] and [[Tom Heinsohn]].

==Government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts}}

{{Worcester County politicians |
| align = right
| wraparound     = yes
| county         = Worcester
| state_rep      = [[Jim O'Day]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])<br /> [[David LeBoeuf]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])<br />[[Dan Donahue]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])<br />[[John J. Mahoney|John Mahoney]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])<br />[[Mary Keefe]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])
| state_sen      =[[Robyn Kennedy]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]]-[[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Worcester district|1st Worcester district]]) 
[[Michael O. Moore]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]]-[[Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Worcester district|2nd Worcester district]])
| gov_councilors = [[Paul M. DePalo]] ([[Massachusetts Democratic Party|D]])
| fed_rep        = [[Jim McGovern (American politician)|Jim McGovern]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts District 2|MA-02]])
| fed_sen        = [[Elizabeth Warren]] (D)<br />[[Ed Markey]] (D)}}

Worcester is governed by a [[council–manager government]], with a popularly elected [[mayor]]. A [[city council]] acts as the legislative body, and the council-appointed manager handles the traditional day-to-day chief executive functions.

City councilors can run as either a representative of a city district or as an at-large candidate. The winning at-large candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for mayor becomes the mayor (at-large councilor candidates must ask to be removed from the ballot for mayor if they do not want to be listed on the mayoral ballot). As a result, voters must vote for their mayoral candidate twice, once as an at-large councilor, and once as the mayor. The mayor has no more authority than other city councilors, but is the ceremonial head of the city and chair of the city council and school committee. Currently, there are 11 councilors: 6 at-large and 5 district.

Worcester's first [[charter]], which went into effect in 1848, established a Mayor/[[Bicameralism|Bicameral]] form of government. Together, the two chambers—the 11-member Board of [[alderman|Aldermen]] and the 30-member Common Council—were vested with complete legislative powers. The mayor handled all administrative departments, though appointments to those departments had to be approved by the two-chamber City Council.

Seeking to replace the 1848 charter, Worcester voters in November 1947 approved a change to [[Government of Massachusetts#Form of government: city vs. town|Plan E municipal government]]. In effect from January 1949 until November 1985, this charter (as outlined in chapter 43 of the Massachusetts General Laws) established City Council/City Manager government. This type of governance, with modifications, has survived to the present day.

Initially, Plan E government in Worcester was organized as a 9-member council (all at-large), a ceremonial mayor elected from the council by the councilors, and a council-appointed city manager. The manager oversees the daily administration of the city, makes all appointments to city offices, and can be removed at any time by a majority vote of the council. The mayor chairs the city council and the school committee, and does not have the power to veto any vote.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.wrrb.org/reports/99-2charterq.pdf | title=Considering Worcester's Charter | date=April 20, 1999 | publisher=Worcester Regional Research Bureau | access-date=June 17, 2004|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070616175906/http://www.wrrb.org/reports/99-2charterq.pdf |archive-date = June 16, 2007}}</ref>

From 1949 through 1959, elections were by the [[single transferable vote]]. Voters repealed that system in November 1960. Despite [[Nonpartisanism|non-partisan]] elections, two groups alternated in control of council: the local Democratic Party and a [[Slate (elections)|slate]] known as the Citizens' Plan E Association (CEA). CEA members included the Republican Party leadership and other groups not affiliated with the regular Democratic Party.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Santucci|first=Jack|date=April 2018|title=Evidence of a winning-cohesion tradeoff under multi-winner ranked-choice voting|journal=Electoral Studies|volume=52|pages=128–138|doi=10.1016/j.electstud.2017.11.003|issn=0261-3794|url=http://osf.io/qjtwn/|access-date=November 24, 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170459/https://osf.io/qjtwn/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:WorcesterMA Downtown.jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Worcester, with [[Worcester City Hall and Common|City Hall]] (built 1898) at right]]

In 1983, Worcester voters again decided to change the city charter. This "Home Rule" charter (named for the method of adoption of the charter) is similar to Plan E, the major changes being to the structure of the council and the election of the mayor. The 9-member Council became 11, 6 at-large and 1 from each city district. The mayor is chosen by popular election, but must also run and win as an at-large councilor.

===Politics===
{{See also|Mayoral elections in Worcester, Massachusetts}}

[[File:Massachusetts Vietnam Memorial-entrance.jpg|thumb|right|Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, erected in 2002]]
Worcester's history of [[social progressivism]] includes a number of [[temperance movement in Massachusetts|temperance]] and [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] movements. It was a leader in the [[women's suffrage]] movement: The first national convention advocating women's rights was held in Worcester on October 23–24, 1850.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | title=Worcester, MA History | publisher=City of Worcester, Massachusetts | year=2007 | access-date=March 3, 2007 | archive-date=March 4, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304224655/http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | url-status=live }}</ref>

Two of the nation's most radical abolitionists, [[Abby Kelley|Abby Kelley Foster]] and her husband Stephen S. Foster, adopted Worcester as their home, as did [[Thomas Wentworth Higginson]], the editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'' and [[Emily Dickinson]]'s avuncular correspondent, and Unitarian minister Rev. [[Edward Everett Hale]].

The area was already home to [[Lucy Stone]], [[Eli Thayer]], and [[Samuel May Jr]]. They were joined in their political activities by networks of related Quaker families such as the Earles and the Chases, whose organizing efforts were crucial to the anti-slavery cause in central Massachusetts and throughout New England.

Anarchist [[Emma Goldman]] and two others opened an ice cream shop in 1892. "It was spring and not yet warm," Goldman later wrote, "but the coffee I brewed, our sandwiches, and dainty dishes were beginning to be appreciated. Within a short time, we were able to invest in a soda-water fountain and some lovely colored dishes."<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldman/peopleevents/p_frick.html American Experience | Emma Goldman | People & Events] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712130323/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldman/peopleevents/p_frick.html |date=July 12, 2015 }}. PBS. Retrieved on July 15, 2013.</ref>

On October 19, 1924, the largest gathering of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] (KKK) ever held in New England took place at the Agricultural Fairgrounds in Worcester. Klansmen in sheets and hoods, new Knights awaiting a mass induction ceremony, and supporters swelled the crowd to 15,000. The KKK had hired more than 400 "husky guards", but when the rally ended around midnight, a riot broke out. Klansmen's cars were stoned and burned, and their windows smashed. KKK members were pulled from their cars and beaten. Klansmen called for police protection, but the situation raged out of control for most of the night. The violence after the "Klanvocation" had the desired effect: Membership fell off, and no further public Klan meetings were held in Worcester.<ref name="klanvocation">{{cite web|title=Ku Klux Clan Rallies in Worcester: October 19, 1924|url=http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=302|website=Mass Moments| date=August 27, 2007 |access-date=June 21, 2017|archive-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004160748/http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=302|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Robert Waring Stoddard|Robert Stoddard]], owner of ''The Telegram and Gazette'', was one of the founders of the [[John Birch Society]].

Sixties era radical [[Abbie Hoffman]] was born in Worcester in 1936 and spent more than half of his life in the city.
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of November 24, 2024 – Worcester<ref>{{cite web |title=Registered Voters and Party Enrollment as of October 26, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Elections Division |access-date=November 24, 2024 |url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/download/research-and-statistics/enrollment_count_20241105.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 33,090
| style="text-align:center;"| 27.82%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 7,545
| style="text-align:center;"| 6.34%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unenrolled
| style="text-align:center;"| 76,884
| style="text-align:center;"| 64.64%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| Political Designations
| style="text-align:center;"| 439
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.37%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 118,940
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

==Education==
[[File:Durkin Administration Building Worcester, Irving St side.jpg|thumb|right|Durkin Administration Building]]

===Primary and secondary education===
[[Worcester Public Schools]] educate more than 25,000 students in [[pre-kindergarten]] through 12th grade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=03480000&orgtypecode=5|title=Worcester – Enrollment/Indicators|year=2019|publisher=Massachusetts Department of Education|access-date=July 11, 2019|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170453/https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=03480000&orgtypecode=5|url-status=live}}</ref> The system consists of 34 [[elementary schools]], four [[middle schools]], eight [[high schools]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/home.asp?mode=o&so=-&ot=5&o=1906&view=dir | title=Worcester – Directory Information | publisher=Massachusetts Department of Education | year=2007 | access-date=March 3, 2007 | archive-date=July 5, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705205148/http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/home.asp?mode=o&so=-&ot=5&o=1906&view=dir | url-status=live }}</ref> and several other learning centers such as [[magnet schools]], [[alternative schools]], and [[special education]] schools. The city's public school system also administers an adult education component called "Night Life", and operates a [[Public-access television]] [[cable TV]] station on channel 11.

[[Worcester Technical High School]] opened in 2006, replacing the old Worcester Vocational High School, or "Voke". The city's other public high schools include [[South High Community School]], [[North High School (Worcester, Massachusetts)|North High School]], [[Doherty Memorial High School]], [[Burncoat High School|Burncoat Senior High School]], [[University Park Campus School]], and Claremont Academy.

The [[Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI|Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science]] was founded in 1992 as a public secondary school at the [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]].

One notable charter school in the city is [[Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School]], which teaches kindergarten through 12th grade. It is granted status by Massachusetts as a Level 1 school.  It is the one of 834 schools in the United States to offer the [[International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme]].

Twenty-one private and [[parochial schools]] are also found throughout Worcester, including the city's oldest educational institution, [[Worcester Academy]], founded in 1834, and [[Bancroft School]], founded in 1900.

===Higher education===
Worcester is currently home to eight colleges and universities.
* [[Assumption University (Worcester)|Assumption University]] is the fourth oldest [[Roman Catholic]] college in New England and was founded in 1904. At {{convert|175|acre|km2}}, it has the largest campus in Worcester.
* [[File:Fenwick DSC 1272.jpg|thumb|Fenwick Hall, [[College of the Holy Cross]]]][[Clark University]] was founded in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the country; it now also educates undergraduates and is noted for its strengths in psychology and geography. Its first president was [[G. Stanley Hall]], the founder of organized psychology as a science and profession, father of the child study movement, and founder of the [[American Psychological Association]]. Well-known professors include [[Albert A. Michelson]], who won the first American Nobel Prize in 1902 for his measurement of light. [[Robert H. Goddard]], a pioneering rocket scientist of the space age also studied and taught here, and, in his only visit to the United States, [[Sigmund Freud]] delivered his five famous "Clark Lectures" at the university. Clark offers one of only two programs leading to a Ph.D. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, the other is offered by [[Gratz College]].
* [[College of the Holy Cross]] was founded in 1843 and is the oldest [[Roman Catholic]] college in New England and one of the oldest in the United States. Well-known graduates include [[Anthony Fauci]], Director of the [[National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases]], [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel laureate]] [[Joseph E. Murray]]; former [[United States Poet Laureate|Poet Laureate of the United States]] [[Billy Collins]]; [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Basketball Hall of Fame]] member [[Bob Cousy]]; attorney and professional sports' team owner [[Edward Bennett Williams]]; [[College Football Hall of Fame]] member [[Gordie Lockbaum]]; and [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court Justice]] [[Clarence Thomas]].
* The [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]] Worcester Campus houses the institution's Doctor of Optometry program, accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy, Post-Baccalaureate Bachelor's in Nursing; Master's in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner, Master's program New England School of Acupuncture, as well as the Master's program in Physician Assistant Studies for post-baccalaureate students.
* [[Quinsigamond Community College]] was founded in 1963 and provides associate degree and professional certificate options to its 13,000 students per year. In addition to its main campus, students train and study at multiple program sites throughout Worcester as well as one in [[Marlborough, Massachusetts|Marlborough]] and one in [[Southbridge, Massachusetts|Southbridge]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=https://www.qcc.edu/about |website=Quinsigamond Community College |date=September 27, 2010 |access-date=11 October 2020 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170443/https://www.qcc.edu/about |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:wpi boytonhall.JPG|thumb|right|Boynton Hall, 1868, designed by Worcester architect Stephen Earle, [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]]]
* The [[University of Massachusetts Medical School]] (1970) is one of the nation's top 50 medical schools. [[Craig Mello]] won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine. 
* [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]] (WPI) is a [[Private university|private]] [[research university]], focusing on the instruction and research of technical arts and applied sciences.<ref>{{cite news|title=Points of Distinction|url=http://www.dsa.csupomona.edu/visitors/Distinction.asp|access-date=September 20, 2012|agency=Admissions & Outreach Office at [[Cal Poly Pomona]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821165807/http://www.dsa.csupomona.edu/visitors/Distinction.asp|archive-date=August 21, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now has 14 academic departments with over 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. [[Robert Goddard]], the father of modern rocketry, graduated from WPI in 1908 with a Bachelor of Science in [[physics]].
* [[Worcester State University]] (WSU) is a public liberal arts and sciences university located on the city's west side. Founded in 1874 as the State [[Normal School]] at Worcester, it was the fifth of nine public teacher training colleges in the commonwealth. Today WSU offers 34 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate programs and includes a student body of 6400.[[File:Worcesteracademy3.jpg|thumb|right|Warner Memorial Theater, opened 1932, designed by [[Drew Eberson]], [[Worcester Academy]]]]

Many of these institutions participate in the [[Colleges of Worcester Consortium]]. This independent, non-profit collegiate association includes academic institutions in Worcester and other communities in Worcester County, such as [[Anna Maria College]] in neighboring [[Paxton, Massachusetts|Paxton]]. It facilitates cooperation among the colleges and universities. One example of this being its inter-college shuttle bus and student cross registration. Worcester is also the home of [[Dynamy]], a "residential internship program" in the United States. The organization was founded in 1969.<ref>Hopewell, Brian: [http://www.collegegapyear.com/233.shtml] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070419224059/http://www.collegegapyear.com/233.shtml|date=April 19, 2007}} College Gap Year website, Dynamy.</ref> The city is also home to many trade schools such as the Peterson School, [[Porter and Chester Institute]], the Fieldstone School, and the Rob Roy Academy, among others. Additionally, the [[Worcester Technical High School]] offers adult education classes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adult Education |url=https://worcesterschools.org/academics/adult-education/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Worcester Public Schools, Massachusetts |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Defunct institutions===
[[Becker College]] was a private college with campuses in Worcester and neighboring [[Leicester, Massachusetts|Leicester]] that closed at the end of the 2020–21 academic year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Becker College in Worcester Closing After 237-Year Run |first=Katie |last=Lannan |date=March 29, 2021 |access-date=March 29, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Daily News of Newburyport]] |location=Newburyport, Mass. |url=https://www.newburyportnews.com/coronavirus/becker-college-in-worcester-closing-after-237-year-run/article_0b1095da-90c9-11eb-9741-dfd250fb6479.html}}</ref> The college was formed in 1977 out of the merger of Leicester Junior College (Founded 1784 as Leicester Academy) and Becker Junior College (1887). Clark University started an equivalent program, Becker School of Design & Technology, hiring the majority of the faculty from the original program at Becker College and offering transfers to Becker students.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cote|first=Jackson|date=2021-03-29|title=Clark University launches new school after announcement about Becker College closure|url=https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2021/03/clark-university-responds-to-closure-of-becker-college-by-launching-becker-school-of-design-technology-at-clark.html|access-date=2021-10-01|website=MassLive|language=en}}</ref>

Worcester Junior College started as a private junior college in 1905 as a branch of Worcester Youth Men's Christian Association Institute, then its only offering was in auto mechanics. From 1926 to 1942 the college was affiliated with Northeastern University. In 1972 it was merged with the new Central New England College of Technology [CNEC].{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

The [[Oread Institute]] was an early women's college that closed its doors in 1934. Founded in 1849 by [[Eli Thayer]] it counted among its graduates the founders of [[Spelman College]].

==Media==
{{Main|Media of Worcester, Massachusetts}}

The ''[[Telegram & Gazette]]'' is Worcester's only daily newspaper. The paper, known locally as "the Telegram" or "the T and G", is wholly owned by [[GateHouse Media]] of [[Fairport, New York]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dankennedy.net/2014/11/20/gatehouse-parent-buys-tg-and-its-parent-chain/ | title=GateHouse parent buys T&G — and its parent chain | publisher=Media Nation | year=2014 | access-date=January 14, 2015 | archive-date=January 3, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103025220/http://dankennedy.net/2014/11/20/gatehouse-parent-buys-tg-and-its-parent-chain/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

The commonwealth's [[UniMás]] station, [[WUTF-TV]], channel 27, is licensed to Worcester, but operates from [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]]. The region's version of [[Spectrum News 1 (Massachusetts)|Spectrum News 1]], which over the years has expanded from a community access channel to a regional cable news channel, is based in the community.

Radio stations based in Worcester include [[WCHC]], [[WCUW]], [[WSRS]], [[WTAG]], [[WWFX]], [[WICN]], [[WORC-FM]] and [[WXLO]]. WCCA-TV shows on channel 194 and provides Community Cable-Access Television as well as a live stream of the channel on the station's website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wccatv.com|title=WCCA TV 194|website=www.wccatv.com|access-date=November 13, 2020|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170529/https://www.wccatv.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
===Transportation===
Worcester is served by several interstate highways. [[Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)|Interstate 290]] (I-290) connects central Worcester to [[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495]] in [[Marlborough, Massachusetts|Marlboro]], the [[Massachusetts Turnpike|Mass Pike]] and [[Interstate 395 (Connecticut–Massachusetts)|I-395]] in nearby Auburn and the [[Connecticut]] city of [[Norwich, Connecticut|Norwich]]. [[Interstate 190 (Massachusetts)|I-190]] links Worcester to [[Massachusetts Route 2|Route 2]] and the cities of [[Fitchburg, Massachusetts|Fitchburg]] and [[Leominster, Massachusetts|Leominster]] in northern Worcester County. The Pike can also be reached via a connecting segment of [[Massachusetts Route 146|Route 146]] from [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]].

[[File:Union Station November 2012.JPG|thumb|left|[[Worcester (MBTA station)|Union Station]], 1911, designed by [[Watson & Huckel]] of Philadelphia]]
Worcester is also served by several smaller Massachusetts state highways. [[Massachusetts Route 9|Route 9]] links the city to its eastern and western suburbs, [[Shrewsbury, Massachusetts|Shrewsbury]] and [[Leicester, Massachusetts|Leicester]]. [[Massachusetts Route 9|Route 9]] runs almost the entire length of the state, connecting Boston and Worcester with [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], near the [[New York (state)|New York]] state border. [[Massachusetts Route 12|Route 12]] was the primary route north to Leominster and Fitchburg until the completion of [[Interstate 190 (Massachusetts)|I-190]]. [[Massachusetts Route 12|Route 12]] also connected Worcester to [[Webster, Massachusetts|Webster]] before [[Interstate 395 (Connecticut–Massachusetts)|I-395]] was completed. It still serves as an alternative local route. [[Massachusetts Route 146|Route 146]], the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, connects the city with the similar city of [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. [[U.S. Route 20|Route 20]] touches the southernmost tip of Worcester near the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]. [[U.S. Route 20|Route 20]] is a coast-to-coast route connecting the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] to the [[Pacific Ocean]], and is the longest road in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/longest.cfm | title=Ask the Rambler – What Is The Longest Road in the United States? | publisher=US Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration | date=January 18, 2005 | access-date=March 2, 2007 | archive-date=March 11, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311234220/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/longest.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>

Worcester is the headquarters of the [[Providence and Worcester]], a [[Class II railroad]] operating throughout much of southern New England. The city is a significant intermodal shipping hub for CSX's [[Boston Subdivision]]. Worcester is also the western terminus of the [[Framingham/Worcester Line|Framingham/Worcester]] [[MBTA Commuter Rail|commuter rail]] line run by the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]]. [[Worcester (MBTA station)|Union Station]] serves as the hub for commuter railway traffic. Built in 1911, the station has been restored to its original grace and splendor, reopening to full operation in 2000. It also serves as an [[Amtrak]] stop on the ''[[Lake Shore Limited]]'' from Boston to [[Chicago]]. In October 2008, the MBTA added 5 new trains to the Framingham/Worcester line as part of a plan to add 20 or more trains from Worcester to Boston and also to buy the track from [[CSX Transportation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20081011/NEWS/810110338/1101 |title=MBTA board OKs beefed up train service |publisher=Telegram.com |access-date=March 23, 2012 |archive-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213084045/http://www.telegram.com/article/20081011/NEWS/810110338/1101 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Worcester Airport.JPG|thumb|right|[[Worcester Regional Airport]]]]
The [[Worcester Regional Transit Authority]], or WRTA, manages the municipal bus system. Buses operate intracity as well as connect Worcester to surrounding central Massachusetts communities. Worcester buses became [[Free public transport in Massachusetts|fare-free]] in 2020 amidst the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and remain so as of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bass |first=Adam |date=2025-04-18 |title=Worcester’s record-setting free bus program takes another victory lap |url=https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2025/04/worcesters-record-setting-free-bus-program-takes-another-victory-lap.html |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=[[Masslive]] |language=en}}</ref> Worcester is also served by [[OurBus]], [[Peter Pan Bus Lines]] and [[Greyhound Bus Lines]], which operate out of Union Station.

Worcester Regional Airport (KORH), owned and operated by [[Massport]] since 2010, lies at the top of Tatnuck Hill, Worcester's highest point. The airport has two runways, whose lengths are {{convert|7000|ft|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on}}, and a $15.7&nbsp;million terminal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massport.com/media/3215/2019-6-worcester_regional_fact_sheet.pdf |title=Worcester Regional Airport Fact Sheet |publisher=[[Massachusetts Port Authority]] |website=massport.com |date=July 2019 |access-date=April 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170508/http://www.massport.com/media/3215/2019-6-worcester_regional_fact_sheet.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The airport was serviced by numerous airlines from the 1950s through the 1990s. After that, the airport encountered years of spotty commercial service, but it has since been given new life with the arrival of [[jetBlue]], [[Delta Air Lines]], and [[American Airlines]].
{{main|Worcester Regional Airport}}

===Healthcare===
[[File:UMass-Worcester-medical-school-hospital.jpg|thumb|right|UMass-Worcester Medical School Hospital]]
In 1830, state legislation funded the creation of the [[Worcester State Hospital|Worcester State Insane Asylum Hospital]] (1833) and became one of the first new public asylums in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Osborn|first=Lawrence A.|title=From Beauty to Despair: The Rise and Fall of the American State Mental Hospital|journal=Psychiatric Quarterly|volume=80|issue=4|pages=219–231|doi=10.1007/s11126-009-9109-3|pmid=19633958|year=2009|s2cid=11812547}}</ref> Prior the Worcester State Insane Asylum hospital, all other treatment centers were funded by private philanthropists which neglected treatment for the poor.<ref name=":0" />

Worcester is home to the [[University of Massachusetts Medical School]]. The medical school is in the top quartile of medical schools nationally in research funding from the NIH and is home to highly respected scientists including a Nobel laureate, a Lasker Award recipient and multiple members of the National Academy of Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The school is closely affiliated with [[UMass Memorial Health Care]], the clinical partner of the medical school, which has expanded its locations all over Central Massachusetts. St. Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center in the downtown area rounds out Worcester's primary care facilities. Reliant Medical Group, formerly Fallon Clinic, is the largest private multi-specialty group in central Massachusetts with over 30 different specialties. It is affiliated with St. Vincent's Hospital in downtown Worcester. Reliant Medical Group was the creator of Fallon Community Health Plan, a now independent HMO based in Worcester, and one of the largest [[health maintenance organization]]s (HMOs) in the state.

===Utilities and public services===

Worcester has a municipally owned water supply. Its water filtration plant is located in Holden near two of the reservoirs.<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Water Quality Report |url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/11/31/11313f0e1f1051b6495f519d7699d1c9/water-quality-report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123042734/http://www.worcesterma.gov/uploads/11/31/11313f0e1f1051b6495f519d7699d1c9/water-quality-report.pdf |archive-date=2021-11-23 |url-status=live |publisher=City of Worcester |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref> Sewage disposal services are provided by the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, which services Worcester as well as some surrounding communities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kotsopoulos|first=Nick|title=Worcester sewer use rates may rise 4.5%|url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/worcester/2020/05/08/worcester-may-see-45-sewer-use-rate-hike/1224900007/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Telegram & Gazette|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[National Grid (USA)|National Grid USA]] is the exclusive ''distributor'' of [[electric power]] to the city, though due to deregulation, customers now have a choice of electric ''generation'' companies. [[Natural gas]] is distributed by [[NSTAR (company)|NSTAR Gas]]; only commercial and industrial customers may choose an alternate natural gas supplier. [[Verizon New England|Verizon]], successor to New England Telephone, [[NYNEX]], and [[Bell Atlantic]], is the primary wired telephone service provider for the area. Phone service is also available from various [[List of United States mobile phone companies|national wireless companies]]. [[Cable television]] is available from [[Charter Communications]], with [[broadband Internet access]] also provided, while a variety of [[digital subscriber line|DSL]] providers and resellers are able to provide broadband Internet over Verizon-owned phone lines.{{citation needed|reason=No cits at all in the section|date=January 2015}}

===Public safety===
For public safety needs, the City of Worcester is protected by both the [[Worcester Fire Department]] and the Worcester Police Department.

UMass Memorial Medical Center provides emergency medical services (EMS) under contract with the city. Originally operated by Worcester City Hospital and later by the University of Massachusetts Medical School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umassmemorialems.com/index.php/ems-personal/item/17-stephen-haynes-emtp-chief-of-ems|title=Personnel—EMTP Chief of EMS|publisher=UMassMemorial Emergency Medical Services|quote=…one of the first EMTs to staff the Worcester City Hospital ambulance service when it began providing care to the community in 1977.|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170433/https://www.umassmemorialems.com/index.php/ems-personal/item/17-stephen-haynes-emtp-chief-of-ems|url-status=live}}</ref> "Worcester EMS" operates exclusively at the advanced life support (ALS) level, with two paramedics staffing each ambulance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umassmemorialems.com/index.php/emergency-response1|title=Emergency Response|publisher=UMassMemorial Emergency Medical Services|access-date=25 March 2018|quote=…one of the few remaining EMS services in Massachusetts that maintain a two-paramedic crew configuration on our advanced life support ambulances.|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170513/https://www.umassmemorialems.com/index.php/emergency-response1|url-status=live}}</ref> UMass Memorial EMS maintains two community EMS stations and operates a fleet of 18 ambulances (including spares), as well as a special-operations trailer, several other support vehicles, and a bike team; the agency responds to an average of 100 emergencies each day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umassmemorialems.com/index.php/faq-s2|publisher=UMassMemorial Emergency Medical Services|title=FAQ's|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170512/https://www.umassmemorialems.com/index.php/faq-s2|url-status=live}}</ref> UMass Memorial EMS operates the EMS Communications Center, which is a secondary PSAP and provides emergency medical dispatch (EMD) services to Worcester and other communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://umassmemorialems.com/index.php/what-we-do2/9-1-1-call-taking2|title=9-1-1 Call Taking|publisher=UMassMemorial Emergency Medical Services|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113170516/https://www.umassmemorialems.com/index.php/what-we-do2/9-1-1-call-taking2|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{Main|List of people from Worcester, Massachusetts}}

==Sister cities==
<!--Citations needed for year of sisterhood.-->
Worcester has the following [[Sister city|sister cities]]:<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Cities Directory: Worcester, Massachusetts|url=http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Worcester,%20Massachusetts|website=Sister Cities Intl.|access-date=June 20, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], United Kingdom (1998)
* [[Afula]], Israel
* [[Piraeus]], Greece (2005)
* [[Pushkin, Saint Petersburg]], Russia (1987)

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[Greater Worcester Land Trust]]
* [[List of mill towns in Massachusetts]]
* [[List of people from Worcester, Massachusetts]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Worcester, Massachusetts]]
* ''[[McCullen v. Coakley]]''
* [[Worcester, Massachusetts firsts]]
* [[Worcester Public Library]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester, Massachusetts]]
* [[USS Worcester|USS ''Worcester'']], 3 ships
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Worcester, Massachusetts#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Worcester, Massachusetts}}
* Dubay, Debby (2014). ''Worcester, Massachusetts: "The Heart of the Commonwealth."'' Atglen, PA: Schiffer, Publishing.
* {{Cite book | author=Erskine, Margaret A. | title=Heart of the Commonwealth: Worcester | year=1981 | publisher=Windsor Publications, Inc | isbn=978-0-89781-030-2 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/heartofcommonwea00ersk }}
* {{Cite book| author=Flynn, Sean | title=3000 Degrees: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men who Fought It | location=New York | publisher=Warner Books |year=2002}}
* {{Cite book | author=Lincoln, William | title=''History of Worcester, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to September 1836''  | url=https://archive.org/details/historyworceste01lincgoog | year=1837 | publisher=M. D. Phillips}}
* {{Cite book | author=Moynihan, Kenneth J. | title=A History of Worcester, 1674–1848 | year=2007 | publisher=The History Press | isbn=978-1-59629-234-5 }}
* Wall & Gray. 1871 [https://web.archive.org/web/20080404033909/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_results.asp?ImageType=index&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871 ''Atlas of Massachusetts''.]
* {{Citation |publisher = Sampson & Murdock Co. |location = Worcester, Mass. |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hwIDAAAAYAAJ |title = Worcester Directory |date = 1920 }}
* {{Cite book | author=Sandrof, Irving | title=Your Worcester Street | year=1948 | publisher=The Franklin Press | url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Your-worcester-street.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702235821/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Your-worcester-street.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-02 |url-status=live }}
* "[http://www.umass.edu/umpress/title/bondage-belonging From Bondage to Belonging: The Worcester Slave Narratives]", B. Eugene McCarthy & Thomas L. Doughton, editors.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080404035120/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0010_0011.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Map of Massachusetts.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040616/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0002_0003.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= USA]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040624/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0006_0007.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= New England]. Counties – [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040629/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0014_0015.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Berkshire], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040634/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0017.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Franklin], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040638/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0020_0021.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Hampshire and Hampden], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040644/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0024_0025.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Worcester], [https://web.archive.org/web/20080404034546/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0044_0045.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Middlesex], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040745/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0058_0059.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Essex and Norfolk], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040557/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0048_0049.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Boston – Suffolk], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003632/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0032_0033.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Plymouth], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003646/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0028_0029.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Bristol], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003657/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0036_0037.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Barnstable and Dukes (Cape Cod)]. Cities – [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003711/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0077.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Springfield], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003718/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0078.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Worcester], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003726/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0079.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Lowell], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003759/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0080.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Lawrence], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003809/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0081.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Haverhill], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003814/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0082.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Newburyport], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003819/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0083.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Salem], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003827/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0084.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Lynn], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003832/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0085.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Taunton], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003846/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0086.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= Fall River]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003854/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PAGE_0087.jpg&atlastype=MassWorld&atlastown=&atlas=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&atlas_desc=MASSACHUSETTS+1871&pageprefix= New Bedford]. These 1871 maps of the Counties and Cities are useful to see the roads and rail lines.
* Beers, D.G. 1872 ''Atlas of Essex County'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208040523/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0005.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= Map of Massachusetts Plate 5]. Click on the map for a very large image. Also see map of [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208035817/http://www.salemdeeds.com/atlases_pages.asp?ImageName=PLATE_0007.jpg&atlastype=Atlases&atlastown=ESSEX+COUNTY&atlas=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&atlas_desc=ESSEX+COUNTY+1872&pageprefix= 1872 Essex County Plate 7].

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Worcester, Massachusetts|voy=Worcester (Massachusetts)}}
* {{official website|http://www.worcesterma.gov/}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|1844209}}
* [http://www.worcesterchamber.org/ Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce]

{{Worcester Nav}}
{{Blackstone Valley}}
{{Worcester County, Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts}}
{{New England}}
{{All-American City Award Hall of Fame}}
{{Greater Boston}}
{{Northeast Megalopolis}}
{{Northeast US}}
{{Massachusetts county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Albanian-American culture in Massachusetts]] 
[[Category:Worcester, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cities in Worcester County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:County seats in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1673]]
[[Category:1673 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony]]
[[Category:Worcester, MA–CT metropolitan area]]