Worcester is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after the historic city of Worcester in England. The city's population is around 180,000, making it the second largest city in New England, after Boston, which lies around 40 miles (65km) to the east. Worcester is situated on the Blackstone River, which runs under the city center, and is noted for its mill era Victorian architecture. Historically, Worcester's economic roots were tied to the river, which connected the city to the port of Providence in Rhode Island. Shoes, textiles and finished clothing were some of the first industries to flourish in the city, however, eventually wire and machinery became the economic strengths. Since 1941, the David Clark Company has been the pioneer in aeronautical protective equipment, ranging from anti-gravity suits to space suits. They designed the full-pressure suits for X-15 test pilots flying to record speeds and altitudes and the spacesuits worn by the Apollo astronauts on lunar missions. The company still produces the suits worn by modern space shuttle astronauts. Worcester’s Foundation for Experimental Biology gave the world the oral contraceptive pill in 1951 and pioneered significant research on in vitro fertilization. It was also where in 1880 Lee Richmond of the Worcesters pitched the first perfect game in major league baseball history. The city boasts a number of galleries and museums, among which are the Worcester Art Museum, containing among others, works by El Greco, Rembrandt and Matisse, the Higgins Armory Museum and the EcoTarium science museum.

Accommodation in Worcester’s student residences

The city's oldest higher education institution, founded in 1843, is the Jesuit College of the Holy Cross. Others include the Worcester State University (1874), Clark University (1887), where Sigmund Freud spoke exclusively during his only trip to the US, and Assumption College (1904), which at 175 acres, has the largest campus in Worcester. It should be understood that the student residences provided by these are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the halls do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting to Worcester

Worcester is connected by several interstate highways. It is also the western terminus of the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line, with the Union Station serving as the hub for all commuter railway traffic. The local bus system provides a good service in the city and its surroundings. Worcester Regional Airport is the city’s nearest airport.

The Pakachoag tribe of the Nipmuc nation of Native Americans were the indigenous settlers of the area. They called it Quinsigamond, meaning "fishing place for pickerel." Worcester was first settled by the English in 1673. The town was subsequently incorporated in 1684 and in September of that year the town's name officially changed from Quinsigamond to Worcester. When Queen Anne's War started in 1702, the town was abandoned by its English inhabitants. In 1713, Worcester was resettled for the third time, this time permanently. Worcester was incorporated as a town in 1722 and chartered as a city in 1848. As political tensions rose in the months before the Revolution, Worcester served as a center of revolutionary activity. Because it was an important munitions depot, the city was targeted for attack by Loyalist general Thomas Gage. In 1775, determining that Boston was too dangerous, Isaiah Thomas decided to move his newspaper, the Massachusetts Spy, to Worcester and it remained one of the few papers published continuously during the Revolution. In July 1776, the city saw the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence ever in front of Worcester City Hall. Ichabod Washburn, an early industrialist, developed a process for extruding steel wire. In 1840, Loring Coes invented the monkey wrench. An early female entrepreneur, Esther Howland, designed and manufactured the first American Valentine’s Day cards in 1847. In December 1999, the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire received national attention. It was one of the worst firefighting tragedies of the late 20th century. President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and other local and national dignitaries attended services and a memorial program held in the city.