Worcester is a city located in Worcester County in the US state
of Massachusetts. It is located about 65 km west of Boston. In
the 2010 census it had a population of 181,045 inhabitants and a
population density of 1,817.71 people per km².
It
received that name from the city of Worcester in England.
It is the second most populous city in Massachusetts and the
principal city of the Central Massachusetts region. It was very
prominent during the industrial revolution in the United States,
being the northern link of the Blackstone Canal, which connected
it to the Atlantic Ocean in Providence, Rhode Island, and
through which the products of the textile factories of the city
were transported to trade with the rest of the world. Later,
plastics, metal weapons, and clothing came to be produced in the
city, but Worcester's industrial greatness went into a slow
decline from the Great Depression (1929-39) until the 1980s. -40
years, the city has struggled to diversify its economic
activity, attracting several biotech and pharmaceutical
companies during the 1990s, which have given some impetus to its
regeneration. In addition, Worcester has a large student
population, since ten institutions of higher education are
located in it. The Worcester Sharks of the professional ice
hockey league are based in this city.
Before the settlement by Europeans, the Nipmuck Indians lived in the
area of the city. Worcester was settled in 1673 and officially founded
in 1684. The settlement was named after the city of Worcester in
England. In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and changed its
economic structure: the agricultural sector gave way to the industrial
sector. Many Irish-born immigrants settled in Worcester, who were mainly
employed in the construction of the Blackstone Canal and the railway. In
1950, Worcester reached its peak population of 200,000. In 1953, a
severe tornado killed 94 people. A large part of the city was also
destroyed.
Established businesses
The city's major employers
include several hospital operators, the city government, and the
University of Massachusetts campus located here. From the private
sector, Hanover Insurance and Saint-Gobain also have larger branches.
The large Wyman-Gordon forge was founded in Worcester in 1883, but today
only employs around 145 people at this location.
Worcester is home to the American Antiquarian Society, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester State College, Clark University and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The renowned Worcester Academy is also in the city.
buildings
Built in 1975, Worcester Plaza is the tallest building
in the city, along with the Sky Mark Tower.
A total of 282
structures, sites and districts in the city are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as of October 22, 2020, with the
American Antiquarian Society Library Building and Liberty Farm having
National Historic Landmark status.
Worcester has been home to the American Hockey League franchise, the Worcester Sharks, since the summer of 2006. Previously, the Worcester IceCats were at home there from 1994 to 2005.
As of the 2010 census, Worcester had a population of 181,045 (48.7%
male and 51.3% female) with 68,613 households and 39,987 families. There
were 74,645 buildings on the territory of the city with an average
density of 746.5 buildings per square kilometer of land. The racial
makeup was 69.4% White, 11.6% African American, 6.1% Asian, and 0.4%
Native American.
The population of the city according to the age
range according to the 2010 census was distributed as follows: 22.1% -
residents under 18 years old, 7.3% - between 18 and 21 years old, 58.9%
- from 21 to 65 years old and 11.7% - aged 65 and over. The average age
of the population is 33.4 years. For every 100 women in Worcester, there
were 94.9 men, while for every 100 adult women there were already 92.2
men of comparable age.
Of the 68,613 households, 58.3% were
families: 35.1% married couples living together (15.1% with children
under 18); 17.6% are women living without husbands and 5.6% are men
living without wives. 41.7% did not have a family. On average, 2.46
people run a household, and the average family size is 3.14 people.
31.8% of the population lived alone, 10.6% were lonely elderly people
(over 65 years old).
In 2014, out of 150,503 people over the age of 16, 84,941 had a job. At the same time, men had a median income of $47,583 per year versus $40,663 of the average annual income for women. In 2014, the median income for a family was $58,604 and for a household was $45,599. Per capita income - $25,224 per year