Worcester

Worcester was settled in 1673. The town suffered Native American attacks in 1675 and 1683. During Shays's Rebellion in 1786, the courthouse was besieged by insurgents. In 1828, the Blackstone River was canalized. The event started Worcester's rapid industrial development. The first woman's suffrage national convention was held in Worcester in 1850. áAmerican author Edward Everett Hale served as pastor in Worcester from 1842 to 1856.

Worcester is a port of entry to the United States. Machinery, metal goods, chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, glass, electrical equipment, textiles, clothing and shoes are manufactured in town. There is also a printing and publishing industry and state hospitals add to the city's economy.

Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester State College and the College of the Holy Cross are all based in Worcester. The city has several interesting museums, two zoos and an annual music festival, which was first held in 1858. Also of interest is a huge three-level shopping center with a Plexiglas dome. Lake Quinsigamond and two state parks are in the vicinity.

Worcester is on the Blackstone River in central Massachusetts. It is 60 km west from Boston and 560 km northeast from Washington D.C.