What Boston is known for

The city of Worcester, which is located in the Worcester Destination, is the second-largest city in Massachusetts. The city is often referred to as the "heart of the commonwealth," and the city symbol has a heart because of this. The heart on the logo also represents the fact that Valentine's Day cards were invented in the city. Worcester first became a city in 1848, and it was named after Worcester, England. After its creation, various buildings were built and opened, including the Worcester Art Museum, which opened in 1898. The museum was one of the first museums to exhibit photographs as fine art, and the museum continues to collect photography for displaying.[7] 

Outside of the Worcester Art Museum, there are multiple attractions around the city, such as the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, Mechanics Hall, the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Worcester Historical Museum, Wormtown Brewery, Elm Park, and the Green Hill Park Farm. Mechanics Hall was initially built in 1857 by the Mechanics Association to help their workers develop manufacturing skills. It was later revived in 1977 and turned into a performing arts and concert venue, and is now one of North America's top four concert halls. The Renaissance Revival-style building is now used for concerts, weddings, and galas, along with other events. 

The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated in June 2002, was built to honor the Massachusetts residents and Commonwealth members who served in the war between 1955 and 1975. The memorial is made up of four acres that are decorated with trees and flowers, along with a pond and a few benches. Also within the complex is the Vietnam War Dog Memorial that honors the service and sacrifice of 4,000 dogs. Elm Park was created as early as 1854, possibly being the country's first public park. A recent $4 million renovation was given to the park, transforming it into a more pleasant and cleaner environment. Added during these renovations were pathways, swings, slides, and other child-friendly attractions, along with a bridge that was first built by high school and college students that is now handicapped-friendly.[3] 

Boston, which is also located in the Worcester Destination, is the largest city in the state of Massachusetts. Boston is named after a town in England and is nicknamed "Beantown" because of how much the city's earliest residents loved baked beans in molasses.[8] The famous city is home to multiple parks, museums, breweries, and various other ventures, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Public Garden, Fenway Park, the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, Old North Church, Beacon Hill, the Arnold Arboretum, and the Museum of Science. 

The Boston Public Garden was initially created in 1634 and modified during the Victorian Age, introducing over 80 new species of plants from varied and local locations around the city. Swan boats operated over 100 years ago at the garden and still work today. Other than the plants and swan boats, the park is home to a lake, fountains, trees, and multiple benches where people can sit and relax. Old North Church is the oldest surviving church, being founded in 1722, and it is the city's most visited historical site. 

The location is home to the phrase "One if by land, and two if by sea," a signal that is thought to have been sent from the church. The term relates to Paul Revere's midnight ride of April 18, 1775, that came before the American Revolution battles of Concord and Lexington. The Museum of Science located in Boston is home to over 700 interactive exhibits, along with various live presentations and shows that take place throughout the building. Outside of the displays and interactive exhibits, the museum also houses the Charles Hayden Planetarium and Mugar Omni Theater, along with being part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and containing over 100 rescued and rehabilitated animals.[4] 

Both the cities of Worcester and Boston get a lot of visitors annually. Massachusetts as a whole receives around $24.9 billion from tourists. There are 28.2 million domestic visitors to Massachusetts a year, with 1.8 million overseas visitors and 640,000 visitors from Canada. The money that the visitors contribute supports 155,500 jobs around the state.[10] Boston gets the most visitors through flights, with the total number of flights coming into Boston in 2019 being 427,176. The number of total airport passengers was 42,522,411, with 8,317,993 of the passengers being international travelers. In 2020 there were a total of 206,702 flights, 12,618,128 total passengers, and 1,838,292 international travellers.[9]

Geography

The Worcester Destination is located in the northeast corner of Massachusetts. The north part of the region goes along the border between Massachusetts and New Hamshire and curves above the cities of Newburyport, Haverhill, Lawrence, and Lowell. The south side of the zone touches the state lines that go between Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Massachusetts and Connecticut and goes above Foxborough and Quincy. The east side of the border goes around multiple islands and stretches out into the North Atlantic Ocean. The west end of the sector goes in a straight line past Fitchburg, Leominster, Worcester, and Auburn. The destination is made up of many cities, small forest areas, lakes, and hills. There are many trees in the zone, along with many bodies of water like the Wachusett Reservoir, Teal Pond, Putnamville Reservoir, Ipswich Bay, and Essex Bay. Cities in the area include Worcester, Boston, Waltham, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, and Salem. 

Because of the weather, the best time to visit the city of Worcester is from the middle of May to the beginning of October. The city's average temperature has a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of around 24 degrees. The warmest month is July, while the coldest time of the year is in December. The city gets rain throughout the year (mainly in July and December) but does not get snow that sticks on the ground. The surrounding landscape is relatively humid, with the most humid time of the year being in June, while it is less humid from January to May. The most popular time to visit the city is in July, with other ordinary times being in June and August.[5] Within Worcester county, there are many different species of plants and animals, including common garter snakes, painted turtles, American robins, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, American beavers, northern cardinals, Canadian geese, eastern cottontails, squirrels, mallards, blue jays, chipmunks, common snapping turtles, and bald eagles. Plants that thrive in the county are American beech trees, American pokeweeds, red maples, azure bluets, Christmas ferns, cinnamon ferns, white meadowsweets, white oaks, Japanese barberry, yellow birches, and hay-scented ferns.[6]

History

Worcester, the city the Worcester Destination is named after, is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth" and was established on June 14, 1722. It was chosen to be the county seat of Worcester County in 1731 and was officially incorporated as a city in 1848.[1] Long before it became a city, the area Worcester would be located in was inhabited by the Nipmuc tribe. The native people called the area Quinsigamond and built settlements on Pakachoag Hill in Auburn. The English settlers of John Eliot and Daniel Gookin led an expedition to Quinsigamond to establish a new town in 1673. In 1674, Gookin acquired a deed to eight square miles of land located in Quinsigamond from the Nipmuc people.

Soon after the land was gained, English settlers and traders began to inhabit the area. King Philip's War broke out in 1675, and the Nipmuc Indians went to the aid of the Indian leader King Philip. Because of this, the English settlers completely abandoned Quinsigamond, and the empty buildings were burned by the Indian forces. The town was once again deserted during Queen Anne's War in 1702. Years later, in 1713, Worcester was resettled for a third time by Jonas Rice. The city was named after Worcester, England, and the town was incorporated in 1722. Worcester is a center of American revolutionary activity in the 1770s, and General Thomas Gage was given information about the patriot ammunition stockpiled in Worcester. 

In 1775 one year after General Thomas Gage was given the news, a publisher named Isaiah Thomas moved his newspaper from Boston (which was occupied by the British) to Worcester. He continued to publish his paper, which was called Massachusetts Spy, in the city through the American Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Worchester's economy moved into manufacturing, producing textiles, shoes, and clothing. The industry did not thrive until the opening of the Blackstone Canal in 1828, along with the introduction of the Worcester and Boston Railroad in 1835, after which the city became a transportation hub. Worcester became an official city on February 29, 1848.