Forty-five miles from both Boston and Providence, Worcester (locals say "Wuss-ter" and call it the Woo) is central Massachusetts' biggest city, with about 214,000 people spread over hills. It has a working city feel, and it has been polishing itself. Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox, anchors the Canal District, where the dining scene has grown, and Shrewsbury Street is the other food strip. The Worcester Art Museum, the EcoTarium, the Hanover Theatre and Lake Quinsigamond round out a visit.
Costs are moderately above the national average, though cheaper than Boston, and the market is tight with rents climbing. Winters bring heavy snow, nor'easters and icy hills, and ticks show up in summer. Street crime and drug activity are higher in parts of Main South, Piedmont and Grafton Hill, while downtown and the Canal District are fine with normal awareness.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- City of Seven Hills; Heart of the Commonwealth; Wormtown; The Woo; Woo-town
- Founded
- 1673 settled; 1722 incorporated as town; 1848 incorporated as city
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Portuguese; Vietnamese; Albanian; Twi and other West African languages
- Airports
- Worcester Regional Airport (ORH), about 5 miles west of downtown, limited commercial service; Boston Logan (BOS) about 45 miles; Providence T.F. Green (PVD) about 45 miles; Bradley International (BDL) about 60 miles; Manchester-Boston (MHT) about 65 miles
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20% for table service; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-3 per bag; barbers and salons 15-20%
