Worcester

Formed April 2, 1731 (10^th county)

Worcester County (862,099), Worcester (206,519)

The Modern red brick and glass courthouse was built in 2007 to replace an 1843 building.  It is located on Main Street at Thomas Street.  The courthouse is one block south of Massachusetts State Highway 9.  There are augmenting courthouses in Clinton, Dudley, East Brookfield, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Millford, Uxbridge, Westborough, and Winchendon.  Worcester County was created on April 2, 1731 from parts of Hampshire, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties as the 10^th county with Worcester as the only county seat.  The architects are Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson, and Abbott.  Worcester has always been the county seat.  The county and county seat are named for Worcester, England.  Worcester County was the birthplace of 8 Massachusetts Governors, Levi Lincoln, Jr., John Davis, Emory Washburn, Alexander H. Bullock, William Claflin, William B. Washburn, Eben S. Draper, and David I. Walsh. 

Worcester County doesn’t have a unified government as each township governs (legislative.)  It does; however, has a sheriff (executive.)  Seventeen District Court Judges and Twelve Probate/Juvenile Court Judges serve Suffolk County (judicial.)  Worcester County is in central Massachusetts.  The geographical center of Massachusetts is 12 miles northwest of Worcester in the county.  Boston, Massachusetts is east and Providence, Rhode Island is south of the county.  The county center is 11.6 miles North of Worcester nearer Jefferson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by New Hampshire and Middlesex and Norfolk counties and Rhode Island and Connecticut and Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. 

The area of the county is 1513 square miles.  It is 1 out of 14 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 14 in population in the state.  It has a density of 569.8 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 14 in the state.  Worcester County has 38.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 originates in the county and heads south into Connecticut.  Interstate Highway 90 crosses east to west from Middlesex County to Hampden County.  United States Highway 20 parallels Interstate Highway 90 from Middlesex to Hampden counties.  United States Highway 202 cuts the northwest corner from New Hampshire, north, to Franklin County, west.  The shape of the county could be described as a piece of broccoli.  Worcester City is in the southeast part of the county.  Worcester is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 24.0% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced WUR-STUR.  This county is in the Worcester Metropolitan Statistical Area.