South County (Massachusetts) facts for kids

South County is a special area in the middle-south part of Massachusetts. It's not an official region with its own government, so people sometimes have different ideas about exactly where it begins and ends. Think of it like a neighborhood that everyone knows, even if its exact borders aren't on a map!

What is South County?

South County is a name for a group of towns located in the southern part of Worcester County, Massachusetts. Most people understand it to include towns that are southwest, south, or southeast of Worcester, which is the main city in the county.

Different Ways to Define South County

Because South County isn't an official area, its borders can change depending on who you ask!

For example, the Telegram & Gazette newspaper, which is very popular in Worcester, has its own way of defining the region. It says that the eastern edge of South County is around the towns of Auburn, Oxford, and Webster. This newspaper also places towns in southeastern Worcester County into a different area called the Blackstone Valley. However, the Telegram newspaper sometimes includes news from nearby towns in Hampden County, Massachusetts and Windham County, Connecticut in its "South County" news section.

Towns You Might Find in South County

Here are some of the towns that are often considered part of South County. Some of these towns fit into both the common definition and the newspaper's definition:

• Auburn (often included)
• Blackstone
• Charlton (often included)
• Douglas
• Dudley (often included)
• Grafton
• Hopedale
• Milford
• Millbury
• Millville
• Northbridge
• Oxford (often included)
• Southbridge (often included)
• Sturbridge (often included)
• Sutton
• Upton
• Uxbridge
• Webster (often included)

South County vs. North County

There's also a wider way to think about "South County." This idea says that South County includes all parts of Worcester County that are not part of "North County."

In this view, towns that are more connected to cities like Fitchburg and Leominster are called "North County." But towns that are closer to Worcester—and even Worcester itself—are considered "South County." It's all about how different areas connect with their closest big cities!