The city of Worcester is situated in the state of Massachusetts, United States and is the county seat of the county of Worchester. As of the year 2010, Worcester was named the second biggest city within New England with a population projected to be roughly 181,045. The city of Boston, the largest city within New England, is located roughly 40 miles to the east and the city of Springfield lies about 38 miles to the southwest. Worcester's centralized location in the state of Massachusetts has led to it being nicknamed the "Heart of the Commonwealth." The official symbol of Worcester City is a heart.
Auburn, Grafton, Leicester, Holden, Millbury, Paxton, West Boylston and Shrewsbury all line the border of Worcester. Numerous people who like to escape the feeling of the "big city" prefer to reside within these smaller communities and travel to work within the metropolis during the day.
The Blackstone River runs underneath the center of Worcester beginning in Institute Park. Emerging from underground at the foot of College Hill, the river continues to run through Quinsigamond Village and into Millbury. The center of the "Canal District" is Water Street, that was formerly known as the Blackstone Canal.
The economy in Worcester is very diverse. Science and technology play a huge part in the city, and pioneering companies like Advanced Cell Technology, which is working on developing stem cell research, and Abbott Laboratories, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturing and research company, have preferred to make their home within the biotech park by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Situated in the city of Worcester are numerous headquarters for financial institutions, including the Harleysville Worcester Insurance Company, that is the oldest insurance company based within the state of Massachusetts. Other notable financial businesses headquartered in the city of Worcester comprise Hanover Insurance as well as the Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, that is a subsidiary of Unum.
Other than agriculture, the top employment sectors of the economy comprise: Trade, Education and Health Services, Transportation and Utilities, Government, Finance, Manufacturing and Hospitality and Leisure.
The city is also home to lots of culture and arts places: The American Antiquarian Society, Ecotarium, The Foothills Theatre Company, The Higgins Armory Museum, Musicians of the Old Post Road, Music Worcester, Opera Worcester, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Worcester History Museum are only a few of the cultural and education sites located in the city of Worcester.
The nearby cities of Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut also have a lot of culture and arts offerings. Because Worcester has such a centralized location, these venues are a fairly short drive away.
Due to the Worcester County Poetry Association, the poetic spirit remains strong within the city of Worcester. This group likewise supports Bloomsday, lots of local and national poets, conferences and literary tours of the city. There are several local poets who have competed in the National Poetry Slam and have become really successful.
The Worcester Employment Society was founded in the year 1865. More recently, this site has been transferred in the Worcester Center for Crafts, that offers the community of Worchester with professional level instruction. The original objective of the institution was to teach immigrants the skills and abilities they needed to create and sell crafts. Now, they seek to promote an appreciation for the fine arts by offering education in metalwork, weaving, jewelry-making, woodwork and enameling and various other crafts.