Moving and storage go hand in hand. Whether traveling across town or the country, moving is an exciting and fresh start. While Storage Rentals of America is here to help you with all your storage needs, we also want to help you get familiar with the area. That's why we put together this resource guide for Worcester.

About Worcester, MA

Worcester is 40 miles west of Boston and has a population of 206,518 (2020 U.S. Census). The city is the county seat of Worcester County. It is the second-largest city in New England after the city of Boston.

Worcester got its name from a city located in England. Many European immigrants came to Worcester in the 19th Century. The area developed as an industrial manufacturing hub with excellent rail connections, producing wire, textiles, and machinery.

After World War II, the manufacturing base left, causing the city to decline. It was in the 1980s that higher education, health care, and biotech revived the area. The population has grown 28% since 1980 because of the new high-tech jobs that became available.

What to do in Worcester, MA

Worcester has these wonderful amenities and attractions:

• Shopping: The shopping malls include Lincoln Plaza, Webster Square Plaza, The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley, Solomon Pond Mall, and Southwest Commons. The Crompton Collective is for antique shopping, Grime for vintage clothing, and Seed to Stem for plants and home décor.
• Destination: Greenhill Park is an excellent choice for an outing. Hike the nature trails or paddle a canoe on the lake. There is a farm with live animals that kids love. You will also find a nice golf course for those who want to play a round or enjoy a meal in the clubhouse with a nice lake view.
• Features: The Worcester Art Museum has a collection of more than 30,000 pieces of art.
• Events: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts is a spectacularly refurbished event space for enjoying master-class live performances.

Working in Worcester, MA

The Worcester local economy heavily depends on higher education, health care, and biotechnology.

The unemployment rate is 7.6%. This rate is higher than the statewide unemployment rate of 6.2%. The U.S. average unemployment rate is 6%. The median household income is $57,092 per year. Worcester's predicted job growth rate for the next ten years is 37.5%, compared to the national average of 33.5%. For those working in Worcester, their average commute time is 24.3 minutes.

The most popular industries by employment are health care (16.3%), education (11.6%), hospitality/restaurants (6.8%), professional, scientific, technical services (6.0%), building construction (4.6%), social assistance (4.1%), and government administration (4.0%).

Worcester, MA Neighborhoods

Worcester has lovely neighborhoods that are well-established.

These three neighborhoods have the most expensive luxury homes:

• Salisbury Street / Westwood Hills: This neighborhood is just south of Assumption College. The median real estate price is $496,579. This amount is pricier than only 42.3% of the other neighborhoods in the state. Even though most homes are owner-occupied, you may find houses for rent in this neighborhood for about $2,553 per month. Most homes were built between 1940 and 1969. Some historic homes date back to before 1940.
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute: This is the immediate area surrounding the school and is a favorite part of the city for college students. The median real estate price is $442,255, less than 66.9% of the other areas in the state. Some places are available for rent at about $1,637 per month, which is reasonable for this city.
• Beaver Brook: The median real estate price is $428,072. This amount is less expensive than 68.8% of the other communities in Massachusetts. The area has single-family homes mixed with apartment complexes.

Worcester, MA School District

The public school district is Worcester Public Schools. The school district spends around $14,126 per student each year. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14 to one, which is quite good.

The 18 private schools in the area include the top-ranked Bancroft School, St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School, and the Venerini Academy.

There are eight colleges in Worcester and 100 more within a 50-mile radius. Since the city began, Worcester has been known for its focus on higher education. It has well-established colleges and universities.

Historic schools in the area include the College of the Holy Cross, founded in 1843, the oldest Catholic college in New England. Other schools that are more than one hundred years old include the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (opened in 1865), the Worcester State College (opened in 1874), Clark University (opened in 1887), and Assumption College (opened in 1904).

Moving to Worcester, MA

When moving to Worcester, this information will help you settle in at your new home or apartment.

The City of Worcester provides water/sewer and trash pickup services. Electrical power and natural gas are supplied by Nationalgrid. Many companies provide telephone, TV, and internet connections, such as Spectrum and Verizon.

Worcester's Parks and Recreation Department maintains the city parks, spray parks, lakes, beaches, dog parks, Greenhill Park Farm and golf course, recreation centers, nature trails, and sports facilities.

Worcester's municipal government consists of an elected Mayor serving for four years and a City Council with 11 elected members who serve for two years. The City Council has six Councilors-at-Large and five District Councilors.

Worcester, MA Housing

The mean home price in Worcester is $349,000. This price is currently appreciating 16.3% year-over-year. The cost of living in Worcester is 16% lower than in other cities in the state. However, the cost of living in Massachusetts is 30% higher than the national average in the United States. This expense means that living in Worcester will cost you, on average, about 14% more than living in any other part of America. The higher housing expenses are a big factor causing these higher costs.