Woerster cost of living/quality of life? (Boston, Worcester: for rent, houses)

[Roadismyhome]

While not one of my favorite places to go into, Worcester (aka Wormtown) does have some of what you are looking for.

It has several good collegiate options - WPI, Holy Cross, Worcester State, Assumption, Becker, Anna Maria, Clark University, all either in the city or nearby.

Clark has a program, the University Park Partnership, whereby they offer free tuition for those who invest in the nearby community. Find more about it here and here.

Finding housing should not be a problem, though as of late it appears the predominant developments are condos in old mill buildings. I have seen some townhouses going up in some very strange locations, too.

[GetReakboutMA]

Avoid this town at all costs. Central MA has,generally speaking, the ugliest community I've ever experienced. The people are miserable, rude, low class narrow minded sheep. Their view of the world is so small people will move from Auburn to Oxford to be closer to their parents house. The 2 towns are 5 minutes drive apart: rediculous
So many people are hyping up even the surrounding areas, and I'm just flabbergasted. MA is an insanely expensive, horrible socialized state with a government that sticks its nose in everything the populace does. West and East MA have some good people, but central areas... wow. They're the cockroaches that were rejected by the literate communities of Boston. I can't express how low I think of them. Sure,there are some wonderful folks. But they're the exception, not the rule.
Here's a good reference. Dennis Leary has made his career off being an *******. It's not a coincidence that he's from Worcester.

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by GetReakboutMA

Avoid this town at all costs. Central MA has,generally speaking, the ugliest community I've ever experienced. The people are miserable, rude, low class narrow minded sheep. Their view of the world is so small people will move from Auburn to Oxford to be closer to their parents house. The 2 towns are 5 minutes drive apart: rediculous
So many people are hyping up even the surrounding areas, and I'm just flabbergasted. MA is an insanely expensive, horrible socialized state with a government that sticks its nose in everything the populace does. West and East MA have some good people, but central areas... wow. They're the cockroaches that were rejected by the literate communities of Boston. I can't express how low I think of them. Sure,there are some wonderful folks. But they're the exception, not the rule.
Here's a good reference. Dennis Leary has made his career off being an *******. It's not a coincidence that he's from Worcester.

Wow. That's quite a strong opinion. I have lived in Worcester for the past five years and have worked in Worcester for the past ten years. Worcester has more than ten colleges and tons of college kids--a wonderful influence on any town. UMass Med School has a Nobel prize winning medical researcher, Dr. Craig Mello, who is one of the finest minds in the world. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is an amazing college which positively impacts the local community and industry. Worcester has relatively affordable housing (for MA). Worcester has Mechanics Hall--a beautiful cultural place with concerts and plays, the Worcester Art Museum--a world class collection of art from many cultures and time periods, lots of green space in the city including an incredible Audubon Society Preserve.

Worcester is a city and has city problems, but it's one of the safest cities its size in the entire country. The police and fire department are excellent. The outlying towns each have their own personalities--some are classic suburbs (like Shrewsbury or Auburn), others are quaint New England small towns (like Paxton), others are just simple small towns (like Leicester). If you want a country setting you can find it. If you want an urban setting, here you are.

Worcester is within commuting distance to Boston, a quick drive to Providence, RI, Hartford, CT or up to NH. It's a diverse city culturally and the economy is stable. Worcester has much going for it and many friendly, intelligent, well-educated people with plenty of common sense.

I strongly disagree with the previous post.

[seldomseen]

None of the small independent cities in Ma, e.g. (New Bedford, Lowell, Springfield, Lowell, Worcester) are sought after! All of these cities are infested with: crime, drugs, poverty, and prostitution. Don't get me wrong there are a few better sections in the city, but as a whole Worecester is a dump. It just offers affordable housing options for people. And the fact of the matter is, most of the folks that live in these cities, don't want to live there themselves, but are only there because they can't afford to live anywhere else, because of the high-cost of housing/rent in the outlying suburan towns. Worcester definately isn't the best place to raise a family!!!

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by seldomseen

None of the small independent cities in Ma, e.g. (New Bedford, Lowell, Springfield, Lowell, Worcester) are sought after! All of these cities are infested with: crime, drugs, poverty, and prostitution. Don't get me wrong there are a few better sections in the city, but as a whole Worecester is a dump. It just offers affordable housing options for people. And the fact of the matter is, most of the folks that live in these cities, don't want to live there themselves, but are only there because they can't afford to live anywhere else, because of the high-cost of housing/rent in the outlying suburan towns. Worcester definately isn't the best place to raise a family!!!

Areas of Worcester (Main South for example) are rough, inner city with drug abuse and crime. However, if you live in other parts of the city, they definitely aren't dumpy. That generalization is way too broad. Cities are cities and have their bad parts and good parts. If you have enough money you can choose where to live that is safe and clean and affordable and you don't worry about crime or drugs. I feel very safe in my neighborhood and it's one of the "entry level" middle class neighborhoods in Worcester. There are lots of people here who can't afford to live anywhere else because prices in MA are outrageous. But the people are not unwashed or ignorant. They are decent family people with good jobs, nice yards, nice cars and education.

If you can afford to start your entry level housing at 400K for a fixer-upper, by all means move closer to Boston. Boston is also a real city with big city problems, by the way. And the suburbs are pricey and overinflated.

[GetReakboutMA]

Originally Posted by Micah Girl

Wow. That's quite a strong opinion. I have lived in Worcester for the past five years and have worked in Worcester for the past ten years. Worcester has more than ten colleges and tons of college kids--a wonderful influence on any town. UMass Med School has a Nobel prize winning medical researcher, Dr. Craig Mello, who is one of the finest minds in the world. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is an amazing college which positively impacts the local community and industry. Worcester has relatively affordable housing (for MA). Worcester has Mechanics Hall--a beautiful cultural place with concerts and plays, the Worcester Art Museum--a world class collection of art from many cultures and time periods, lots of green space in the city including an incredible Audubon Society Preserve.

Worcester is a city and has city problems, but it's one of the safest cities its size in the entire country. The police and fire department are excellent. The outlying towns each have their own personalities--some are classic suburbs (like Shrewsbury or Auburn), others are quaint New England small towns (like Paxton), others are just simple small towns (like Leicester). If you want a country setting you can find it. If you want an urban setting, here you are.

Worcester is within commuting distance to Boston, a quick drive to Providence, RI, Hartford, CT or up to NH. It's a diverse city culturally and the economy is stable. Worcester has much going for it and many friendly, intelligent, well-educated people with plenty of common sense.

I strongly disagree with the previous post.

Have you lived else where? I've been fortunate to call multiple states and even another another country home. And Worcester is at the bottom. The years I lived there were spent begging for conversation. I don't know how many times I'd call a place of business, start the convo with a friendly,' How are you doing", and receive a pause followed by an aggravated, "Whut do ya want". You're telling me that this is normal? I've been from Santiago to London, San Diego to Miami , Montreal to Mexico, and never once experienced the same level of general morose cynicism that I did in Worcester. Boston is culturally diverse. Worcester is ethnically segregated. I know what Auburn and Shrewsbury are all about. I have family that live there. Whats so classic about it? The same angry, blue collar unionized sheep call it home. My family are not native to the area, but have lived there near 6 or 7 years now. They are some of the friendliest, most inviting folk one could spend time with. Yet, they've only spoken to their neighbors once. Yea, classic.

Look, if you're happy in Worcester I'm happy for you. A niche can be found anywhere given enough time. But if one is not native to the region like myself, it's dishonest to hype the city as some secret epicenter of free-thought and culture because that's just not true. The city is underdeveloped and gritty with a population that is sullen and down right mean. Calling Worcester cultured for having a museum is like calling a desert wet because it has a spring. A city culture is in its people. And the overwhelming number of people I met required a serious attitude adjustment. Conversation that didn't include unions, getting cocked, and Red Sox were near impossible to find.

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by GetReakboutMA

Have you lived else where? I've been fortunate to call multiple states and even another another country home. And Worcester is at the bottom. The years I lived there were spent begging for conversation. I don't know how many times I'd call a place of business, start the convo with a friendly,' How are you doing", and receive a pause followed by an aggravated, "Whut do ya want". You're telling me that this is normal? I've been from Santiago to London, San Diego to Miami , Montreal to Mexico, and never once experienced the same level of general morose cynicism that I did in Worcester. Boston is culturally diverse. Worcester is ethnically segregated. I know what Auburn and Shrewsbury are all about. I have family that live there. Whats so classic about it? The same angry, blue collar unionized sheep call it home. My family are not native to the area, but have lived there near 6 or 7 years now. They are some of the friendliest, most inviting folk one could spend time with. Yet, they've only spoken to their neighbors once. Yea, classic.

Look, if you're happy in Worcester I'm happy for you. A niche can be found anywhere given enough time. But if one is not native to the region like myself, it's dishonest to hype the city as some secret epicenter of free-thought and culture because that's just not true. The city is underdeveloped and gritty with a population that is sullen and down right mean. Calling Worcester cultured for having a museum is like calling a desert wet because it has a spring. A city culture is in its people. And the overwhelming number of people I met required a serious attitude adjustment. Conversation that didn't include unions, getting cocked, and Red Sox were near impossible to find.

I am not a native Worcesterite. I've lived many places including Manhattan, Providence, RI and Dublin, Ireland. I've also lived on the North Shore of Boston and in Metrowest. I'm not saying that Worcester is the center of the universe--I'm just saying that it has much more to offer than you described. I think that we need to agree to disagree--I just could not let your statements go unanswered.

[ccsengineering]

I would suggest to not move to Worcester, but rather as a previous poster mentioned, look at surrounding towns to the east.

I have grown up in the city of Worcester and it is steadily declining in condition, job market, and quality of life.

[Jonny94]

Originally Posted by ccsengineering

I would suggest to not move to Worcester, but rather as a previous poster mentioned, look at surrounding towns to the east.

I have grown up in the city of Worcester and it is steadily declining in condition, job market, and quality of life.

Condition declining? The seeds are planted for a major revitalization of downtown. It's come a long way in just 15 years, and it's going to change a lot more with CitySquare. Shrewsbury St. is vibrant. Bars/restaurants full of people on a Tuesday night. The Green Island area is coming around also, with plenty of new bars and restaurants.

Worcester gets a bad rap because it's a CITY. It has city problems, but most areas are fine.

That said, I am relocating out of New England, but it's not because I don't like Worcester. I like it here and will be looking for a Worcester-type city in my new location.

[LeavingMA]

Avoid this town at all costs. Central MA has,generally speaking, the ugliest community I've ever experienced. The people are miserable, rude, low class narrow minded sheep. Their view of the world is so small people will move from Auburn to Oxford to be closer to their parents house. The 2 towns are 5 minutes drive apart: rediculous
So many people are hyping up even the surrounding areas, and I'm just flabbergasted. MA is an insanely expensive, horrible socialized state with a government that sticks its nose in everything the populace does. West and East MA have some good people, but central areas... wow. They're the cockroaches that were rejected by the literate communities of Boston. I can't express how low I think of them. Sure,there are some wonderful folks. But they're the exception, not the rule.
Here's a good reference. Dennis Leary has made his career off being an *******. It's not a coincidence that he's from Worcester.

Yea, and your opinion wasn't narrow minded at all.

I wouldn't disagree that Worcester isn't the best place, but it really isn't that bad. Lots of people live in central MA because they like it, not because they couldn't afford living next to Boston. I have no desire to live in Boston and know many that feel the same. That attitude is the snobby Boston area attitude where everything west of 128 or 495 isn't important. I can't say that i've found people in the Boston area to be any nicer than people in central MA. They can both be tough people to talk to and are often reserved. I wouldn't call Boston with its drunken college kids and obsession with the red sox necessarily culture. I grew up in MA and am a red sox fan, but hearing Yankees suck during many home games gets quite annoying, especially when they aren't even playing the Yankees.

Actually in the past few years Worcester and areas west of Boston have done better for employment. While Boston is losing jobs, Worcester added some. When i was researching jobs, some of the same jobs with the same company were paying the same and even more around Worcester than in Boston.

I would say that Worcester is a city struggling with its identity, but has lots of potential. It is also the 2nd largest city in population in New England.