Worcester County, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Worcester County
County
Worcester County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
Founded	April 2, 1731
Named for	Worcester, Massachusetts
Seat	Worcester
Largest city	Worcester
Area
• Total	1,579 sq mi (4,090 km2)
• Land	1,511 sq mi (3,910 km2)
• Water	68 sq mi (180 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	862,111
• Density	570.7/sq mi (220.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

Mount Wachusett, the highest point in Worcester County

Worcester County (/ˈwʊstər/ WUU-stər) is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts. It is also the largest county in Massachusetts by geographic area. The largest city and traditional shire town is Worcester. Worcester County is part of the Worcester, MA–CT metropolitan statistical area and the Boston-Worcester-Providence combined statistical area.

History

Worcester County was formed from the eastern portion of colonial Hampshire County, the western portion of the original Middlesex County and the extreme western portion of the original Suffolk County. When the government of Worcester County was established on April 2, 1731, Worcester was chosen as its shire town (later known as a county seat). From that date until the dissolution of the county government, it was the only county seat. Because of the size of the county, there were fifteen attempts over 140 years to split the county into two counties, but without success.

Initially, Lancaster was proposed as the seat of the northern county; later, Petersham was proposed once and Fitchburg was proposed repeatedly, most recently in 1903. Perhaps as a concession, in August 1884 the Worcester County Registry of Deeds was split in two, with the Worcester Northern registry placed in Fitchburg.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,579 square miles (4,090 km²), of which 1,511 square miles (3,910 km²) is land and 68 square miles (180 km²) (4.3%) is water.

It is the largest county in Massachusetts by area. The county is larger geographically than the entire state of Rhode Island even including Rhode Island's water ocean limit boundaries. The county constitutes Central Massachusetts, separating the Greater Springfield area from the Greater Boston area. It stretches from the northern to the southern border of the state. The geographic center of Massachusetts is in Rutland.

Worcester County is one of two Massachusetts counties that borders three different neighboring states; (New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island); the other being Berkshire County. They are also the only two counties to touch both the northern and southern state lines.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

• Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (part)
• Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, 862,111 people resided in Worcester County.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 798,552 people, 303,080 households, and 202,602 families in the county. The population density was 528.6 inhabitants per square mile (204.1/km²). There were 326,788 housing units at an average density of 216.3 per square mile (83.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 4.2% black or African American, 4.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.2% were Irish, 15.1% were French as well as 6.7% French Canadians, 14.4% were Italian, 11.7% were English, 7.0% were Polish, 6.9% were German, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 303,080 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 26.2% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 39.2 years.

The median household income was $64,152 and the median family income was $79,121. Males had a median income of $56,880 versus $42,223 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,557. About 6.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective of the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Communities

The entire area of Worcester County is incorporated into cities and towns. The U.S. census also defines places inside one or more towns for statistical purposes. On this map, cities are shaded in gray.

Cities

• Fitchburg
• Gardner
• Leominster
• Southbridge
• Worcester (traditional county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• Dana, disincorporated due to the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir

Notable people

• Louisa May Alcott, novelist, daughter of Amos Alcott
• Johnny Appleseed, real name Jonathan Chapman
• Mike Barnicle, newspaper writer
• Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross
• Michael Beasley, NBA player, high school All-American; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
• Robert Benchley, writer, theater critic, actor, humorist, and member of the Algonquin Round Table
• H. Jon Benjamin, actor and comedian
• Ezra T. Benson, Mormon pioneer, missionary, Quorum of Twelve, and Utah territorial legislator
• Ken Bouchard and Ron Bouchard, NASCAR drivers
• Luther Burbank, horticulturalist; developed russet potato used in French fries by McDonald's
• William Cullen Bryant, poet, journalist and editor of the New York Evening Post
• Effingham Capron, woolen and cotton mill scion who liberated slaves from the 1830s; led local, state and US anti slavery societies
• George M. Cohan, entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director
• Robert Cormier, novelist and columnist
• Ron Darling, professional baseball pitcher, World Series player; local St. Johns High School star from Millbury, born in Honolulu
• Dorothea Dix, social reformer; activist
• Ralph Earl, famous portrait painter, artist of early America
• Fannie Farmer, cookbook author
• Abby Kelley Foster, radical abolitionist, women's suffrage
• Robert H. Goddard, father of American rocketry
• Ryan Gomes, NBA player; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
• Gabby Hartnett, greatest baseball catcher before Johnny Bench
• Abbie Hoffman, activist
• Elias Howe, invented the sewing machine
• Elliott P. Joslin, pioneer diabetes researcher and clinician; founded Joslin Clinic
• Walker Lewis, black abolitionist, Masonic Grand Master of African Grand Lodge #1, Mormon elder
• Connie Mack, baseball great and long-time baseball manager
• Nora Marlowe, character actress; best known for role on The Waltons
• Agnes Moorehead, actress
• William T. G. Morton, contributor to modern anaesthesia
• Francis Patrick O'Connor, associate justice on Massachusetts Supreme Court
• Frank O'Hara, avant-garde poet and playwright
• Jeannine Oppewall, Hollywood producer, film art, four Academy Award nominations including Bridges of Madison County
• Joe Perry, songwriter and guitarist with Aerosmith; he was from Hopedale, and played his first gig at Mendon
• Amos Singletary, Anti-Federalist mill operator, justice for the peace, and state representative
• Brian Skerry, underwater photographer for National Geographic
• Steve Spagnuolo, former head coach of the St. Louis Rams, currently the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants
• Lysander Spooner, pamphleteer, lawyer, abolitionist and political theorist
• Lucy Stone, famous suffragist, women's rights advocate, abolitionist, public speaker, first woman college grad in Massachusetts; first woman to retain her own name after marriage
• Lydia Chapin Taft, America's first woman voter; first colonial woman who voted legally in America
• Earl Tupper, a New Hampshire native, who pioneered Tupperware in Farnumsville, South Grafton, in the 1940s
• Hiram Walker, distillery founder
• Artemas Ward, major general of the American Revolution; the first Supreme Allied Commander of the Continental Army
• Daniel B. Wesson, co-founder of Smith & Wesson, a major firearm manufacturer
• Eli Whitney, invented the cotton gin
• Scott Young, NHL professional hockey player, two-time Stanley Cup champion, United States Olympian; attended St. Mark's and Boston University
• Geoffrey Zakarian, Iron Chef and restaurateur
• Rich Gedman, Catcher for Boston Red sox, Born Worcester, Ma

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Worcester (Massachusetts) para niños