help! South to North

[georgiacowgirl]

I'm possibly moving from South Georgia, to Worcester Massachusetts. If you're from the surrounding area, please help me out so that I kind of know what to expect. Thanks

[nittanyalum]

Paging ksigkid!

In the meantime:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...worcester.html

[georgiacowgirl]

I don't think I own enough clothes for 29 degree weather! I'm used to 106 degree augusts and 60 degree januarys. Oh, Well. Price to pay for a good education right?

[XAntoftheSkyX]

One thing you can expect is that chart of temperatures to be completely wrong at times.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

I'm possibly moving from South Georgia, to Worcester Massachusetts. If you're from the surrounding area, please help me out so that I kind of know what to expect. Thanks

Know what to expect... in terms of what?

I'm originally from New England... grew up in New Hampshire, moved to Massachusetts... know a lot about the area... but your question is very broad. What do you want to know exactly?

[em_adpi]

I used to live on the Air Force Base there (yes, there is one!) about eleven years ago. Be prepared for cold weather; we moved there from Texas in the middle of a record setting (at the time in 93) blizzard with NO SNOW BOOTS! haha

[agzg]

They say Worcester and it sounds like "Wooster." You have been warned.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Paging ksigkid!

In the meantime:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...worcester.html

Haha, I answer when called.

Georgiacowgirl, feel free to send me a PM with any specific questions you have, and I'll be more than happy to answer them.

And, yes, it's a good start to know that it's pronounced "Wooster."

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

I don't think I own enough clothes for 29 degree weather! I'm used to 106 degree augusts and 60 degree januarys. Oh, Well. Price to pay for a good education right?

Worcester is a very strange community - parts of it are very rough, it's definitely a classic NE blue-collar community in a lot of ways, but WPI (which is where I'm assuming you're going since you said "good education") has a really nice little campus area.

So yeah - there will be an adjustment, and you'll probably want to avoid entire stretches of town after dark, but they're all relatively minor. There will be a language "culture shock" but on the whole it's not much different.

Also, the "Wooster" is much more like "WUSS-ta" in practice. We'll hold off on the ropes course for now, though - just know you're asking for a soda (not a Coke), a "bubbler" is not just a device for marijuana, and the Western Mass kids will just be weirder than anything you've ever seen before, but you'll eventually get used to it.

[catiebug]

Actually, it's pronounced "Wooostah."

They have a wonderful art museum there, with a beautiful Gauguin. There used to be a very decent (indoor) outlet mall there, but that went away a few years ago.

Originally Posted by KSigkid

And, yes, it's a good start to know that it's pronounced "Wooster."

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Also, the "Wooster" is much more like "WUSS-ta" in practice. We'll hold off on the ropes course for now, though - just know you're asking for a soda (not a Coke), a "bubbler" is not just a device for marijuana, and the Western Mass kids will just be weirder than anything you've ever seen before, but you'll eventually get used to it.

Aw, soda. I'm so used to hearing "pop" now. Drives me crazy.

Bubbler is the most entertaining thing to say when you're not in NE. I have had people guess the most unusual things when trying to figure out what that is. Hilarious.

[agzg]

My cousins lived in Worcester growing up and their accents crack me up. But it's ok, because we all picked on their dad's and my mom's accents from the boonies in WNY.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Also, the "Wooster" is much more like "WUSS-ta" in practice.

Originally Posted by catiebug

Actually, it's pronounced "Wooostah."

Haha...fair enough.

KSigRC gave a good rundown of the area; it's definitely a rough city, and you'll want to familiarize yourself with the good and bad parts fairly quickly. The description of it as a classic NE blue-collar community is rather apt, as I would compare it to someplace like Waterbury (in Connecticut) or some of the other industrial towns in MA and RI.

I know a few people who went to college in Worcester (both at WPI and at Clark), and the WPI people really enjoyed it. There are even a couple of friends who commute to Boston for work and have bought homes in the city, as the home prices aren't nearly as steep as those in the immediate Boston area. It will definitely take some getting used to, though.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

I'm possibly moving from South Georgia, to Worcester Massachusetts. If you're from the surrounding area, please help me out so that I kind of know what to expect. Thanks

I lived in MA for 9 years, about 20 minutes from Worcester. Here are some pros/cons/what have you, from my experiences:

1. Worcester itself is a pretty decent size city. The surrounding suburbs are pretty nice. To your west you have Springfield, another city, whose suburbs are more artsy, further west are the Berkshire Mountains, and to your east is Boston, which is a cleaner, smaller version of NYC, and in my opinion, the perfect city. You aren’t too far from NH/MA/VT either.

2. UMass Hospital is a great hospital. I have a serious medical condition and spent a lot of time there.

3. Worcester is on the MBTA commuter rail (train), which brings you right into Boston.

4. MA is a heavily taxed state. However, they do take care of their roads.

5. Some people refer to MA residents as MASS-holes. This is usually bc of the impulsive driving habits. However, they are known to sit at intersections letting hordes of cars turn in front of you, to the chagrin of those cars behind you.

6. You will get quite a bit of snow, which will be on the ground and your roof most of winter. You will be in a kind of snowbelt, where you get “Nor’easters”, which are like winter hurricanes.

* Set aside money for a snow plow service or a snow thrower. And get a Roof Rake to rake the snow off the roof.

7. It can get hot and humid in the summer, but you are about two hours from Cape Cod and the islands (depending on traffic).

8. Clothing wise, try to go for layers of multi-seasonal fabrics. Get a long winter coat, a snow coat, a pair of snow boots, and waterproof shoes for the rainy/slushy days of spring. There has been a tornado, an earthquake and a few hurricanes in its history. Winters are usually in the 20-40s and summers are usually in the 70s-low 80s, with bouts of extremes (as in below 0 or above 100).

9. You will have new allergies to get used to, if you happen to be the allergic sort.

10. According to my husband from the south, the sun seems to set earlier in the day, even in the summer; and during the winter, you may get Seasonal Affective Disorder - "SAD" - a condition in which you get depressed due to lack of sunlight/vitamin d. You can combat this with a special light box, or learn to love winter sports - shoveling, skiing, ice skating, etc.

11. You can get sunburned even in the colder months. Wear sunscreen and lip balm daily. Moisturize deeply in the winter months. Your skin will get scaly.

12. You are close enough to NY and Boston to get good pizza. A huge plus.

13. You can easily get a train to NYC as well.

14. People do and will commute to work – as far east as Boston and as south as in CT.

15. “Worcester” is pronounced “woo-stah” or “wuhh-stu”. Haverhill = “hay-ver-ull”.

16. There are I think 9 colleges in the Worcester area.

17. Dunkin Donuts has the best drive-through coffee.

18. MA is highly Democratic, and has a lot of public resources.

19. There is a lot to do nature-wise.


If you want feedback on specific towns, let me know. Worcester proper (the city itself, the urban areas) have the same issues as any urban area, but I have had to go to many areas of the city and felt decently safe. I can try to offer advice if you cared to provide any other types of info, as detailed below.

Do you know where you will be working (city, industry)?
What towns are you looking for?
Do you have kids?
What town amenities are you looking for?

Best of luck!

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

5. Some people refer to MA residents as MASS-holes. This is usually bc of the impulsive driving habits. However, they are known to sit at intersections letting hordes of cars turn in front of you, to the chagrin of those cars behind you.

In my opinion, MA drivers are aggressive, but it's a controlled aggression, and as you noted, they can also be really polite in certain circumstances.

People complain about MA drivers, but compared with CT drivers (or other drivers around New England), they're actually pretty good.

I also love that you referred to shoveling as a winter sport...haha...I often say that it's the best winter exercise available.