City of Worcester

A robust, vibrant City in the heart of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester combines the warmth of a small town with the convenience of a thriving city. A mere hour's distance from Boston, MA, Springfield, MA, Providence, RI and Hartford, CT, Worcester is at the crossroads of several major routes. Worcester has a population of around 93000. A manufacturing and innovation giant for 200 years, Worcester's landscape blends impressive mills and diverse architecture with community-oriented neighborhoods and inviting green spaces.


The Nipmuc people were living in the region when the first European settlers arrived in the 1670s and created a community they called Quinsigamond Plantation. The community was renamed Worcester in 1684, possibly for Worcester, England, as an angry gesture at King Charles II of England, who had suffered defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Hostility from the Nipmuc twice forced the abandonment of the settlement; the first permanent colonization came in 1713. Incorporated as a town in 1722, major industrial development began after the opening of the Blackstone Canal in 1828, linking Worcester with Providence, Rhode Island. Worcester was incorporated as a city in 1848.


There's always something happening in Worcester. Over 35,000 students at more than a dozen area colleges contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the city, which features world-renowned museums and concert halls, theatres, galleries, as well as a wealth of performing groups, ethnic festivals and artists of every discipline. Dine at one of the City's many and varied restaurants, shop until you drop at Worcester's countless specialty shops throughout the city and when you're through, relax and revive yourself at one of the nearly 1,000 hotel rooms in Worcester.