Worcester ('wus-ter): the Heart of New England

Nicknames: Woo-town, Woostah, The Woo

Big-city life that's intimate, affordable, manageable

Worcester is one of those rare cities blessed with a rich history yet energized by an ambitious vision for its future. The second-largest city in New England was a gritty player in the Revolutionary War, found its footing as an industrial giant, and has since evolved into a hub for eclectic cultural offerings, dynamic professional opportunities, and a collection of 10 colleges and universities that offer a vibrant student experience.

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Worcester gives its residents the best of both worlds: the intimate, affordable and manageable scale of a small city balanced with the pulse and rhythms of big-city life. It's where Worcester native/comedian Denis Leary delivered his first punchline and 1960s radical Abbie Hoffman, another local boy, raged for social justice. Major League Baseball's first perfect game was thrown here, and Mark Twain and Charles Dickens once lectured in fabled Mechanics Hall, which still hosts concerts, galas and important speakers.

The gateway city

This former factory town lays claim as a center for biotechnology research, health care, financial services, higher education and green energy—an ideal setting for landing the right internship or job, and launching an enduring career. Worcester's location in central Massachusetts is one of its greatest assets, since the cities of Boston, Providence, Hartford and Springfield—and the terrific prospects they offer in the media, financial, medical and insurance fields—are only a short drive away.

A community to embrace

Above all, Worcester is a community: its diverse, tightly knit neighborhoods are a broad mix of immigrants dating back to the Yankee settlers and continuing with the arrival of Armenian, Irish, French-Canadian, Vietnamese, Brazilian and many other groups, whose distinctive cultures continue to shape and flavor the city.

Many Clark faculty and students engage with the city as true partners, especially in the harder-hit areas, where they work toward solutions for issues like urban poverty and lack of opportunity. Of particular note is the University Park Partnership, a longstanding collaboration between Clark and its surrounding community, that is a national model for how a university should work to revitalize its neighborhood.

Currently, the first LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) Pioneers are applying their intellectual talents to major Worcester-based projects involving such matters as land preservation, art history and literacy education. Students are meshing their academic skills with real-world work experience to produce outcomes that will have tangible benefits for the city. Clark's Community Engagement and Volunteering Center, which maintains a comprehensive database of agencies and volunteer needs, is a further example of how the University prides itself on being a good neighbor.

Dine out, relax, explore

Worcester offers boundless cultural and recreational opportunities. The city's restaurants, from the fine-dining establishments of Shrewsbury Street to the neighborhood diners that serve hearty appetites into the wee hours, are a food-lover's dream. Broadway-quality shows hit town at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, and the hiking trails in the Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary carve out a natural oasis within the city limits.* If you want more, you can be at the foot of Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire, or dive into the surf at Narragansett Beach in Rhode Island, or make a dinner run to Boston's North End—all within an hour's time.

*Tip: Turn your Clark OneCard ID into a Woo Card to take advantage of discounts and special offers at local venues.

Worcester Art Museum. One of the best small art museums in the country. Open to the public since 1898, it was one of the first museums to exhibit photography as a fine art, and the first in the nation to purchase works by impressionist Claude Monet.	DCU Center. The Central Massachusetts venue for everything from rock concerts to circus performances to sporting events.	Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts. A beautifully restored venue for Broadway tours and nationally recognized performers.
Mechanics Hall. Internationally regarded as one of the world's great concert halls for its superb acoustics and inspirational beauty.	American Antiquarian Society. Founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas. One of the premier repositories of documents relating to U.S. history before 1876.	Higgins Armory Museum. Dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of arms and armor.
Ecotarium. Established in 1825 as the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History. Notable for being the first in the nation to offer a tree canopy walkway open to the public, and as the birthplace of the first polar bear born and raised in New England.	Worcester Historical Museum. Unique documents and artifacts vital to the study of Worcester history.	Tuckerman Hall. Home of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and an important historic structure designed by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of this country's earliest woman architects.
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. A 400+ acre Audubon sanctuary in the city.	Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Beautiful gardens and horticultural exhibits available for viewing year-round. Home to the Worcester Horticultural Society.	Wachusett Mountain. Hike, ski and snowboard just a short drive northwest of Worcester.
The Worcester Common Oval, a new 12,000-square-foot public skating rink, is located behind Worcester City Hall.	Quinsigamond State Park, located on Worcester's Lake Quinsigmond, offers facilities for sailing, swimming, picnicking and fishing..	Located southwest of Worcester is Old Sturbridge Village, one of the country's oldest and largest living history museums. It depicts early New England life from 1790-1840.