Top Features for Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city located in central Massachusetts. It is known for the EcoTarium, a science and nature museum that features a digital planetarium, animal exhibits, and a railway. Other cultural attractions include the extensive collection at the central Worcester Art Museum, which displays Roman mosaics, Impressionist paintings, and medieval armor. In addition, there is a museum, Salisbury Mansion, located in an 18th-century Georgian-style building. This building has been restored to its 1830s appearance.
Facts
- After Boston, Worcester is the next biggest city in the state of Massachusetts.
- A heart is used as the symbol for Worcester is referred since it is known as the heart of the commonwealth.
- Worcester was a significant contributor to the Industrial Revolution due to its innovation in commerce and industry.
- The first American Valentine’s Day cards were designed by a woman in Worcester, Esther Howland.
- This city is home to the oldest musical festival in the nation, the Worcester Music Festival.
- Worcester was the location of the Worcester State Insane Asylum Hospital, where they first established treatments for mental illness used in the United States.
History/Data
The Pakachoag people were the first ones to inhabit the land. These Native Americans were initially named the area Quinsigamond. In their language, Quinsigamond means “a great place to fish for pickerel.”
The English then settled in Worcester in 1673, with this first settlement only featuring a few homes. During the King Philip’s War in 1675, homes were burned, and the inhabitants were left for dead or run out of town. In 1684, more settlers moved to the area, and they petitioned to change its name.
As a result, Worcester was incorporated in 1722 and named after a historic township in England.
In 2019, the reported population of Worcester was 185,143 residents.
LGBTQ+ Facts
Worcester, Massachusetts, is not much of a significant LGBTQ+ destination. However, you can still find a few LGBTQ+ bars and some others that aren’t gay-specific but have a solid reputation in the queer community. Here are some LGBTQ+-friendly bars in Worcester:
For those looking for a more thriving LGBTQ+ nightlife, you can head to Providence, which is less than an hour away. It has one of the most exciting gay nightlife scenes in the nation.
Mental Health in Worcester, Massachusetts
According to a recent survey, Massachusetts was one of the states that had the most significant decrease in depression rates. These results show that it could be due to excellent mental health care being provided.
Approximately one in five people living in Massachusetts had reported feeling symptoms of depression in this survey. Even though the number has decreased, there are still some concerns about Massachusetts’s treatment and waiting times for mental health care.
In addition, a report by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission in 2017 determined that behavioral health patients with mental illness, like depression, were more likely to wait in the emergency room longer than those with alcohol or drug abuse.
Here are some of the current mental health statistics in Massachusetts:
| METRIC | COUNTY | U.S. | PEER GROUP |
STATE |
| Adults With Frequent Mental Distress | 14.0% | 15.1% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| Deaths of Despair /100k | 42.9 | 43.3 | 38.9 | 41.3 |
| Medicare Beneficiaries With Depression | 23.9% | 18.0% | 18.7% | 23.2% |
To find a psychologist for kids in the Worcester area, be sure to browse through our database at LGBTQ and ALL.