living in Worcester (Boston, Amherst, Shrewsbury: middle-class, apartment, crime)

[msmelis]

I am looking for a job in MA- a single 50 yr old so want an area that is safe but viable for meeting people- is Worcester a good area? to live and or work? what do you suggest as options if I end up with a job in Worcester as to where to live that is still close enough to commute- want to be close to restaurants, culture, gyms, parks, etc- and affordable

[blehman]

I'm a little late on this:

Worcester has it's good points and it's bad. As a commute point it is OK. You can be to Boston in 60 minutes, NYC in three hours, Providence in 45 minutes. You get the idea. The west side of Worcester is very desirable and safe. Avoid the Grafton Street, Kelly Square, and Lincoln Street/Square area. Worcester has never been a great restaurant town(has gotten much better over the last few years)but has great diners such as the Parkway, Boulevard, and Miss Worcester. Culture is a very objective term. No symphony, a good community theater, a wonderful art museum. The upside is a performing arts center that used to house Showcase Cinema on Main Street just opened and is bringing some great things to the city that previously would have slipped by. For parks, Elm Park is one of the best anyplace I have ever been. After that it gets a little sketchy.

Here's the deal though. If you are expecting Worcester to act as some segregated, autonomous city it simply doesn't. After years of telling everyone who would listen it was the second biggest city in New England it has finally begun to knuckle under and act as it is, and that is a large distant suburb to Boston. If you look at smaller cities that are in a similar approximation to Boston such as Manchester, NH and Providence. They have functional commercial airports, broadcast television stations, and in city shopping facilities. All things that to some degree define a city that Worcester doesn't have.

After all is said and done Worcester is not a bad place, but it's the sum whole of the area and not the city alone that makes the area good and passable. I would live out of Worcester in a town like Holden, Millbury, or Shrewsbury as a good alternative.

[scarletfire]

Well said blehman! An apt description.

[VlyRoadKid]

Originally Posted by msmelis

I am looking for a job in MA- a single 50 yr old so want an area that is safe but viable for meeting people- is Worcester a good area? to live and or work? what do you suggest as options if I end up with a job in Worcester as to where to live that is still close enough to commute- want to be close to restaurants, culture, gyms, parks, etc- and affordable

Short answer: (Stifles knowing snickers!) NO! NO...a thousand times NO! Living in Worcester is NEVER...EVER good, at least in my opinion. I DO know some crazed people who love it, such as half my relatives (Dad's side)...and to this day, I have NO clue why they stay there! MY theory is that they're too scared and insulated to move anywhere else. It has a unique culture (for average, middle-class whites- the only group I know well)...that's like the 1950's. I used to hang out there in the 1960's with my older cousin, with the hippies on Highland Ave., but it's SO different now! There are no love-ins, or concerts (The Stones gave out free tickets there in the early '70's)...no concerts anymore (they used to be almost free, in the park)...and so on...just drug dealers and gangs. I taught high school there (in the supposed NICE part of town) for 4 yrs. and had to split. I couldn't take the numbness and violence. If you REALLY want to live in Mass., go the the Amherst/Northampton area, in W. Mass. It's beautiful and GREAT for meeting people. There is culture galore and MANY colleges that bring in interesting, diverse AND tolerant people! Think of it as a mini-San-Francisco! As for meeting anyone, for anyTHING...people in the Worcester (and Central MA in general) are SO xenophobic..as in: if you weren't BORN here, you're nothing!...you will be lucky to meet ANYONE, even for a cup of coffee! GO WEST, young person! Forget Worcester...like those commercials, it really IS a DEAD ZONE.

[speakofblue]

Hi, msmelis. I am originally from Worcester, and truly like this city. I'd like to give you a more full response, but I have to shoot off to work. Hopefully I can write you one later.

As for commuting, there is a commuter rail station in Worcester. This is near Shrewsbury St., which has a lot of good restaurants. Lots of triple deckers in this area. So, you could find yourself a nice apartment. The area is very blue-collar, but there are a lot of cool people living there. One of my very groovy arts professors lives in the area.

Good luck.

[speakofblue]

Yes. So, I am back. I will be a bit rambling. But, hey...at least you'll get a little lowdown.

Worcester gets a worse rap than it deserves. I don't know why... Sure, it's no Boston. But, there are a lot of great things going on here.

Culturally, Worcester is very diverse. For example, there are many Latinos and Asians, especially Vietnamese. You know what that means? Lots of great restaurants! The Worcester area has an enormous amount of restaurants, especially ethnic. There are a couple Indian places, quite a few Vietnamese, many Chinese (including a health-conscious Nancy Chang's). If you've never had Vietnamese food, Worcester is the place to start. There are also a couple Vietnamese Buddhist temples...one of which I know (at least a couple of years ago), put on a New Year's festival.

Actually, there is a lot in the way of music and theater. To start, there's the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra in Worcester, which plays out of Tuckerman Hall (I believe). There's also Mechanics Hall on Main St., which hosts a wide range of performances. I remember going to brown bag concerts (not sure if they do this anymore) and even seeing a Chinese acrobatic troupe there. There's Foothills Theater, which puts on a whole season of shows.

You'll be happy to know that there are quite a few colleges in town, in which you'd be able to attend many free or low cost events. For example, Clark University hosts Cinema 320, which plays a season of international and domestic independent films.

As far as the spiritual life, there are many outlets here. There is a mosque, many Christian churches, numerous synagogues, several Buddhist temples/groups, and even an Eckankar center. There are probably more religions represented in Worcester that I'm unaware of.

As far as museums, the Worcester Art Museum is splendid. Recently, there was a nice exhibit on the beginnings of photography. They also have many important pieces of work from very well-known artists, such as Winslow Homer's "The Gale." Secondly, there's the Ecotarium, a kind of science/nature museum. Every summer, they host a "Jazz at Sunset" series of musical performances. Third, just for fun, there's the American Sanitary Plumbing Museum, dedicated to the ever-loyal toilet.

As far as parks, Elm Park is great, as well as Institute Park, Green Hill Park, the running track around Worcester State, Quinsigamond State Park, the Audoban Society's Broad Meadow Broook, and on and on. And, come on. Worcester is in the heart of Massachusetts. You don't have to go very far to get to great parks. One of my favorites is in Paxton, MA: Moore State Park.

As far as xenophobia is concerned, everywhere in MA is xenophobic to some extent. Why, there was recently a supposed hate crime at UMass Amherst...look up Justice for Jason. Go to Boston, and you'll see some real xenophobia. I will admit, however, that Worcester residents could be more culturally open. But, you know what? It really comes down to who your friends are, and whether they're educated. You will find plently, I repeat, plenty of educated, open, caring, and compassionate people in Worcester.

There are 2 more things you have to keep in mind about Worcester, though:

1) You need a car or some other means of personal transportation, because everything is so spread out. The public transportation is not very good.
2) It might take some getting used to. If you're used to a huge city, or are expecting a huge city...you may be let down. Many people who come to Worcester don't like it at first. Many college students who come to Worcester hate it at first. But, over time, many students come to love it and stay for a few more years. Some of them stay forever.

So, Worcester is very nice, and is getting better. Please, please, please...be your own judge. Don't let naysayers ruin what could be a good move for you.

Good luck.

[speakofblue]

By the way, Worcester housing is very affordable. I wish I could pay the rents out in Worcester that I pay in the Boston area.

[gypsy lady]

any thoughts on Lincoln Village in worcester. i used to live there years and years ago and have thought recently of going back. is it still a good place to live. i called about getting a townhouse there and the price is great. the swimming pool is still up and running warm. so ... what do you think of lincoln village. i would be commuting to boston for work as well.

[morrisnechama]

hi evry body
my name is morris and recently i've got a post doc possition in UMMS.
me and my familly are planning to move there soon
could any body give some points about the neighborhoods and ereas ishould look in to
thanks alot
morris

[Lowerdeck]

What type of setting do you like? Urban, suburban, rural? Price range? How far are you willing to commute?