Worcester, Massachusetts

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Worcester, Massachusetts
Downtown Worcester, with City Hall at the right
Seal
Nickname: "The Heart of the Commonwealth, The City of the Seven Hills, croWtown, Wartown, Wormtown"
Location in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°15′45″N, 71°48′10″W
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Worcester County
Settled	1673
Incorporated	1684
Government
- Type	Council-manager also known as Plan E
- City Manager	Michael V. O'Brien
- Mayor	Konstantina B. Lukes
- City Council	Dennis L. Irish Michael C. Perotto Joseph M. Petty Gary Rosen Kathleen M. Toomey Joffrey A. Smith (D1) Philip P. Palmieri (D2) Paul P. Clancy, Jr. (D3) Barbara G. Haller (D4) Frederick C. Rushton (D5)
Area
- City	38.6 sq mi (99.9 km²)
- Land	37.6 sq mi (97.3 km²)
- Water	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km²)
Elevation	480 ft (146 m)
Population (2005)
- City	175,898
- Density	4,678.1/sq mi (1,807.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01601-01610, 01612-01615, 01653-01655
Area code(s)	508 / 774
Website: http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/

This article is about Worcester, Massachusetts. See also Worcester, England or Worcester (disambiguation).

Worcester (pronounced /ˈwʊstər/) is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. A 2005 estimate put the population at 175,898, making it the third-largest city in New England, after Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. It is also the second-largest city in Massachusetts, and the county seat of Worcester County. The city marks the western periphery of the Boston-Worcester-Manchester (MA-RI-NH) Combined Statistical Area (CSA). Citizens of Worcester are called Worcesterites.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Climate 5 Law and government 6 Economy 7 Education 7.1 Primary and secondary education 7.2 Higher education 8 Culture 9 Sports 10 Health and utilities 11 Transportation 12 Sister cities 13 See also 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External links

[edit] History

Before European settlement, Worcester was inhabited by the Pakachoag tribe of the Nipmuc nation of Native Americans. The area hosted only satellite hunting and fishing camps from the main village on Pakachoag Hill in what is now Auburn. During this time, the Worcester area was known as "Quinsigamond."

Worcester was first settled in 1673 and was officially incorporated in 1684. Native American uprisings and other hardships forced Worcester to be abandoned by 1703, but by 1713 Worcester was settled by Jonas Rice atop Union Hill. The community had permanent settlers from this point forward. Worcester was named after the historical city of Worcester, UK. The settlement was established as a town in 1722 and chartered as a city in 1848.^[1] When the government of Worcester County was established on April 2, 1731, Worcester was chosen as its shire town (later known as a county seat). From that date until the dissolution of the county government on July 1, 1998, it was the only county seat.

Worcester served as an ammunition depot immediately before the American Revolution. It was one of two initially targeted by Loyalist general Thomas Gage, but the officers sent to secretly inspect it were discovered by Patriot Timothy Bigelow. General Gage then decided to move on Lexington instead. In 1775, Isaiah Thomas, determining it to be too dangerous to remain in Boston, moved his newspaper, the Massachusetts Spy, to Worcester. It was one of the only papers to continue to be published during the entire Revolution.

The 1800s saw the community develop and grow rapidly. Worcester changed from an agrarian to an industrial economy. Worcester at one time produced over 50% of the wire made in the United States,^{[citation needed]} was the largest employer of women in the United States at the Royal Worcester Corset Factory,^{[citation needed]} and was host to many inventions and innovations. Many Irish immigrants settled in Worcester during this period. They helped build the railroad and the Blackstone Canal, further driving Worcester's economic engine. Worcester was also socially progressive, hosting a number of temperance and abolitionist events. The city was a leader in the women's suffrage movement, hosting the first national convention advocating women's rights from October 23-24, 1850.^[2]

Worcester in the early 1900s continued to grow and expand. Machinery, grinding wheels, weaving looms, and the continued strength of the wire industry brought additional immigrants to the city. The city greatly expanded available housing to its residents during this time: three decker houses were built in many neighborhoods which provided an affordable alternative to many of the city's factory workers.

Worcester reached its maximum population in 1950 with over 200,000 residents. On June 9, 1953, Worcester was hit by a tornado that killed 94 people, the deadliest tornado in New England history, and damaged a large part of the city. It struck the then-campus of Assumption College (currently Quinsigamond Community College). By the 1960s, the city declined economically, but revived in the late 1980s though the 1990s due to the development of the high technology and biotechnology industries in nearby communities.

A human tragedy unfolded in December 1999 with the Worcester Cold Storage Fire. Six firefighters lost their lives in the disaster. The tragedy received national attention, and the memorial service for the fallen firefighters was attended by representatives of fire departments throughout the United States, by then-President Bill Clinton, then vice-president Al Gore, and the area congressional and state political delegations.

The new millennium brought a housing boom to Worcester as home values increased as a consequence of residents in nearby communities fleeing higher living costs. Recently added commuter rail service to Boston also assisted in this resurgence.

See also: Worcester, Massachusetts Firsts

[edit] Geography

Worcester is located at 42°16′8″N, 71°48′14″W (42.268843, -71.803774).^GR1 According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 99.9 km² (38.6 mi²). 97.3 km² (37.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (2.59%) is water. Worcester is bordered by the towns of Auburn, Boylston, Grafton, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Paxton, Shrewsbury, and West Boylston.

The Blackstone River passes through Worcester, but is almost completely covered as it passes through. Water Street and the appearance of the river just south of the city are the only indications of its existence. There are seven very steep hills that distinguish its topography: Airport Hill, Bancroft Hill, Belmont Hill (Bell Hill), Grafton Hill, Green Hill, Pakachoag Hill and Vernon Hill. Lake Quinsigamond, on its eastern border, is frequently the site of rowing competitions.

Worcester counts within its borders over 1,200 acres (5 km²) of publicly owned property. Elm Park, purchased in 1854 and laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, was not only the first public park in the city (after the 8 acre (32,000 m²) City Common from 1669) but also one of the first of its kind in the U.S. Both the City Common and Elm Park are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.^[3] In 1903 the Green family donated the 549 acres (2.2 km²) of Green Hill area land to the city, making Green Hill Park the largest in the city. In June 2002, city and state leaders dedicated the state's Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Green Hill Park grounds.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	7,497		–
1850	17,049		127.4%
1860	24,960		46.4%
1870	41,105		64.7%
1880	58,291		41.8%
1890	84,655		45.2%
1900	118,421		39.9%
1910	145,986		23.3%
1920	179,754		23.1%
1930	195,311		8.7%
1940	193,694		-0.8%
1950	203,486		5.1%
1960	186,587		-8.3%
1970	176,572		-5.4%
1980	161,799		-8.4%
1990	169,759		4.9%
2000	172,648		1.7%

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 172,648 people, 67,028 households, and 39,211 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,774.8/km² (4,596.5/mi²). There were 70,723 housing units at an average density of 727.0/km² (1,882.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.11% White, 6.89% African American, 0.45% Native American, 4.87% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.24% from other races, and 3.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.15% of the population.

There were 67,028 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.11.

The population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median household income is $35,623, and the median family income is $42,988. Males had a median income of $36,190 versus $28,522 for females. The per capita income is $18,614. About 14.1% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over. Of the city's population over 25, 76.7% are high school graduates and 23.3% have a bachelor's degree.

[edit] Climate

Worcester experiences a continental climate that is very common in New England. The weather, like much of New England, changes rapidly. Summers are typically warm and humid, while winters are cold, windy and snowy. It has been known to snow in October. The USDA rates the city at Zone 5 for growing plants.

The hottest month is July, with an average high of 79 °F (26 °C) and a low of 61 °F (16 °C). The coldest month is January, with an average high of 32 °F (-1 °C) and a low of 16 °F (-8 °C). Periods exceeding 90 °F in summer and below 10 °F in winter are not uncommon, but rarely prolonged. The record high temperature is 99 °F (37 °C), recorded in the summer of 1953.^[4] The record low temperature is -13 °F (-25 °C), recorded the winter of 1976.^[5]

The city averages 47.3 in (1,200 mm) of precipitation a year, including averaging 68 in (172 cm) of snowfall a season, receiving more snow than coastal locations less than 40 miles (64 km) away. Massachusetts' geographic location's jutting out into the North Atlantic also make the city very prone to Nor'easter weather systems that can dump more than 20 in (50 cm) of snow on the region in one storm event.

Weather averages for Worcester, Massachusetts

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high °F (°C)	32 (--)	34 (1)	42 (5)	55 (12)	66 (18)	75 (23)	79 (26)	77 (25)	69 (20)	59 (15)	47 (8)	35 (1)	56 (13)
Avg low °F (°C)	16 (-8)	17 (-8)	25 (-3)	35 (1)	46 (7)	55 (12)	61 (16)	59 (15)	51 (10)	41 (5)	32 (--)	21 (-6)	38 (3)
Precipitation in. (cm)	3.6 (9)	3.3 (8)	4.1 (10)	3.9 (9)	4.3 (10)	3.6 (9)	3.7 (9)	4.1 (10)	4.1 (10)	4.1 (10)	4.5 (11)	4.0 (10)	47.3 (120)
Source: Weatherbase[6] Feb 2007

[edit] Law and government

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. Currently, there are 11 councilors: 6 at-large and 5 district.

Worcester's first charter, which went into effect in 1848, established a Mayor/Bicameral form of government. Together, the two chambers — the 11-member Board of 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 old outdated charter, Worcester voters in November 1947 approved of a change to 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.^[7]

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 run as an At-Large Councilor.

County government: Worcester County
Clerk of Courts:	Dennis P. McManus (D)
County Treasurer:	{{{cty_treasurer}}}
District Attorney:	Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Registrar of Deeds:	Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Registrar of Probate:	Stephen Abraham (D)
Sheriff:	Guy W. Glodis (D)
State government
Representative(s) in General Court:	John J. Binenda (D), John P. Fresolo (D), Vincent A. Pedone (D), Robert P. Spellane (D)
Senator(s) in General Court:	Edward M. Augustus, Jr. (D), Harriet L. Chandler (D)
Governor's Councilor(s):	Thomas J. Foley (D)
Federal government
Member(s) of the U.S. House of Representatives:	James P. McGovern (D-3rd District),
U.S. Senators:	Edward Kennedy (D) John Kerry (D)

See also: List of Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts

[edit] Economy

Historically, Worcester's economic roots were tied to the Blackstone River. Textiles, shoes, and finished clothing were some of the first successful industries in the city. A second wave of manufacturing facilities soon came on the scene to further develop Worcester into a manufacturing center. Wire and machinery were the strengths of this economic cycle.

Today, Worcester has a diversified economy. Morgan Construction, a manufacturer of steel rolling mills, has their headquarters in Worcester. Wright Line, a manufacturer of consoles and other workstations for 911/emergency operations centers, server enclosures and racks for data centers, office and computer lab furniture, is also headquartered in the city. Saint-Gobain has a substantial presence in Worcester following its 1990 purchase of the Norton Company, a 100+ year old manufacturer of abrasives, ceramics, and specialty materials.

Worcester has also reinvented itself into a city with a biotechnology, research, education and financial focus. The city has developed a biotechnology industrial park on the east side, with many smaller firms' having facilities there. Abbott Laboratories operates a research center there and is one of Worcester's larger employers. The University of Massachusetts Medical School has extensive medical research facilities, and serves as a medical care facility for area residents. In the financial sector, Hanover Insurance maintains their national headquarters in the city. A subsidiary of UnumProvident, the Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, is also headquartered in Worcester.

Due to Worcester's location outside Greater Boston, the city also functions as a commuter community.

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary education

Worcester's Public School System consists of more than 23,000 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.^[8] The system consists of 33 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 7 high schools,^[9] and 13 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 cable accessible television station, Channel 11. Twenty-one private and parochial schools are also found throughout the city including Worcester Academy and Bancroft School.

[edit] Higher education

Worcester has nine colleges and universities. The oldest, founded in 1843, is the College of the Holy Cross, the oldest Roman Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in the U.S. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1865) has strengths in engineering and biotechnology. Clark University, founded in 1887, is located in the Main South area. It has historic strengths in psychology and geography. The University of Massachusetts Medical School (1970) and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Worcester Campus (2000) are relative newcomers to the city. The University of Massachusetts Medical School is ranked fourth in primary care education among America's 125 medical schools in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report annual guide "America’s Best Graduate Schools."^[10] Other colleges and universities located in Worcester include Worcester State College, Assumption College, and Quinsigamond Community College. Defunct institutions include Oread Institute (closed 1934), Worcester Junior College (merged with Nichols College-1989), and Central New England College (closed 1989).

Many of these institutions participate in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. This independent non-profit collegiate association operates and facilitates cooperation among the colleges and universities. One example is its inter-college shuttle bus and student cross registration. The consortium includes all academic institutions in Worcester County, whether within or outside the city boundaries.

[edit] Culture

"Wormtown" is a regional nickname associated with Worcester, originally used to refer to the ethos of its underground musical subculture, but later applying to the city itself. In September 1981, the rock band the Rolling Stones played an unscheduled performance at local nightclub Sir Morgan's Cove (now The Lucky Dog) before embarking on their national tour that year.^[11] Billed as "Blue Monday with The Cockroaches", the Stones played before a packed house of 350 people who had been given tickets in a promotion by WAAF Radio that day.

"Worcester" is correctly pronounced with two syllables, not three (IPA: [ˈwʊstər]^listen). However, some varieties of the local dialect pronounce "Worcester" roughly to rhyme with "mister", or more precisely IPA: ['wɨstə], since Boston English is non-rhotic. Occasionally, the city's name is misspelled as "Worchester".

Worcester's Union Station, has been recently renovated in the French Renaissance style. The station, once serving 10,000 passengers daily, is now home to an intermodal terminal, a restaurant, and the FDR American Heritage Center Museum and Special Collection showcase.^[12]

Worcester is home to the American Antiquarian Society, Higgins Armory Museum (the largest collection of arms and armor in the western hemisphere), the Worcester Art Museum, and the EcoTarium. Performing arts centers and arenas in the city include Mechanics Hall and the DCU Center (formerly the Worcester Centrum). The city also has its share of quirky landmarks. For example, the American Sanitary Plumbing Museum on Piedmont Street is home to a collection of toilets and sinks from various periods of history.^[13] The Burnside Fountain, located on the south side of the Worcester Common, is known to locals as "The Turtle-Boy Love Statue." The fountain features a boy and a turtle engaged in what many observers believe to be an obscene act.

[edit] Sports

Currently, Worcester is home to two professional sports franchises. The Worcester Sharks play in the American Hockey League, a developmental team for the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks. The season 2006-2007 is the team's inaugural season. The team replaced the Worcester IceCats minor league ice hockey team, when the franchise moved to Peoria, Illinois, in 2005. Professional baseball in Worcester is represented by the Worcester Tornadoes baseball team, playing its first season in 2005. Though not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team, the Tornadoes currently plays its games at Hanover Insurance Park on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross and is a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball League. The team finished its inaugural season by winning the Can-Am championship. The team name was chosen from among 1000 entries in a two-month-long naming contest. The "Tornadoes" refers to the deadly tornado that struck Worcester and central Massachusetts in 1953.

Indoor football will return to the city in April 2007. The New England Surge, a member of the Continental Indoor Football League, will play their home games in the DCU Center. The team is replacing an Arena Football League team called the Massachusetts Marauders which played briefly in 1994.

Worcester has a long storied past with sports teams and sporting events. The Worcesters, a defunct Major League Baseball team, was one of the first teams to play in the nascent National League. This team, which operated from 1880 to 1882, is believed to be the only major league team in history to not have an attached nickname. (There are some references throughout major league history books to the team being called the "Worcester Brown Stockings", "Brownies", and "Ruby Legs".^[14] However, the Worcester Telegram sportswriter Bill Ballou, in conducting thorough research on the team for years, has found no contemporary reference to any of those nicknames.) The team's home field, the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, off Sever Street near the present location of Becker College's Worcester campus, was the site of the first recorded perfect game in professional baseball. Pitcher John Lee Richmond achieved this feat on June 12, 1880, against the Cleveland Blues. Other professional teams that have moved on from the city include the New England Blazers, a Major League Lacrosse team that played at the Worcester Centrum during the 1980s, and the Bay State Bombardiers of the Continental Basketball League, who played in the Worcester Auditorium from 1984 to 1986.

In 2002, Worcester's Jesse Burkett Little League baseball team competed in the Little League World Series's U.S. Final. Though the Burkett team lost to the Little League All-Stars from Louisville, Kentucky, its second-place finish was the best in the history of Massachusetts Little League baseball.^[15]

The Worcester Rugby Football Club (WRFC), a recognized member of the United States Rugby Football Union (USARFU), currently competes in the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) Division I league. The club was founded in 1979 by Rob Anderson, Peter Coz, and the late Mike Minty; joined NERFU in 1980, and was invited to join USARFU Division I league after a very successful 1999 fall season. WRFC is one of the top men's rugby clubs in the U.S., having reached the 2006 Men's Division 1 Club Final Four, before losing to eventual national champion Santa Monica in a close 20-13 match.

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 in 1925, and the U.S. Women's Open in 1960. The Centrum (now DCU Center) was home to the Virginia Slims of New England women's tennis tournament for a few years in the late 1980s. Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf were some of the outstanding players who participated in the tournaments. Various boxing title bouts have been fought in Worcester. The NCAA National Division I hockey and Division I basketball early rounds have been contested here. Charlie's Surplus Road Race fielded many world-class runners before ending in the early 1990s. Candlepin bowling was invented in Worcester in 1880 by Justin White, an area bowling alley owner. Lake Quinsigamond is home to the Eastern Sprints, one of the east coast of the United States premier rowing events.

[edit] Health and utilities

Worcester is home to the University of Massachusetts Medical School, ranked fourth in primary care education among America’s 125 medical schools in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report annual guide "America’s Best Graduate Schools."^[16] The school also operates the UMass Memorial Health Care, the clinical arm of the teaching hospital, which has expanded its locations all over central Massachusetts. St. Vincent Hospital at Medical City in the downtown area rounds out Worcester's primary care facilities. Fallon Clinic, presently the largest private multi-specialty group in central Massachusetts, includes St. Vincent's Hospital in its over 30 locations. Fallon Clinic was the creator of Fallon Community Health Plan, a now independent HMO based in Worcester, and one of the largest health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in the state.

Worcester has a municipally owned water supply. Sewage disposal services are provided by the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, which services Worcester as well as some surrounding communities. National Grid 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 Gas; only commercial and industrial customers may choose an alternate natural gas supplier. 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 national wireless companies. Cable television is available from Charter Communications, with Broadband Internet access also provided, while a variety of DSL providers and resellers are able to provide broadband Internet over Verizon-owned phone lines.

[edit] Transportation

Two interstate highways run through Worcester. Interstate 290 is a spur route off the Mass Pike (I-90). As one of the main toll-free alternatives to the Mass Pike, I-290 currently carries approximately 125,000 vehicles per day in the city, more than the road's design limit of 70,000.^[17] Interstate 190 is a spur from I-290 to Route 2, in the north. I-190 joins I-290 at an interchange in north-central Worcester. I-190 links Worcester to the twin cities of Fitchburg and Leominster of northern Worcester County.

Worcester also serves as a hub for several smaller Massachusetts state highways. Route 9 links the city to its eastern and western suburbs, Shrewsbury, and Leicester. Route 9 runs the entire length of the state, connecting Massachusetts with New York State. Route 12 was the primary route north to Fitchburg until the completion of I-190. Route 12 also connected Worcester to Webster before I-395 was completed. It also still serves as an alternate route. Route 146, the Worcester-Providence Highway connects the eponymous cities. Plans are underway to complete the final sections in Worcester to make the road a divided highway along its entire length. Route 20 touches the southernmost tip of Worcester. It is a coast-to-coast route connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and is the longest road in the United States.^[18]

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. The WRTA also operates a shuttle bus between member institutions of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium.

Worcester is the last stop on the Worcester/Framingham commuter rail line run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Union Station, an early-20th century structure restored to full operation in 2000, serves as the hub for commuter railway traffic. It is also an Amtrak station, serving the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago, Illinois. In addition, the Worcester Bus Station was recently relocated to Worcester Intermodal Center at Union Station. From here, Peter Pan Bus Lines services other points in the Northeast.

The Worcester Regional Airport, managed by Massport for the city, lies at the top of Worcester's highest hill. After a number of successful years of commercial air service, the airport was devoid of airline carriers after US Airways withdrew in February 2003. Attempts to draw commercial service back to the airport were unsuccessful until late September 2005, when Allegiant Air announced plans to create leisure-based routes to Florida. The airline began testing the market by starting a non-stop run from Worcester to Orlando-Sanford Airport on December 22, 2005. However, the airline suspended service September 2006. Currently, many Worcester residents use Logan International Airport in Boston or T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, for their commercial flights.

[edit] Sister cities

Worcester has the following sister cities:

• Worcester, England (1998)
• Piraeus, Greece (2005)

[edit] See also

• Media of Worcester, Massachusetts
• Greater Worcester Land Trust
• Polar Beverages

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Erskine, Margaret A. (1981). Heart of the Commonwealth: Worcester. Windsor Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-89781-030-9. 
• Flynn, Sean (2002). 3000 Degrees: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men who Fought It. New York: Warner Books. 
• Lincoln, William (1837). History of Worcester, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to September 1836. M. D. Phillips. 

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