UPCS is located in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, MA. It’s an incredibly diverse city with a plethora of restaurants and businesses representing different countries all along Main Street. We were able to walk around the neighborhood during the summer institute at Clark, guided by one of the students from the area. I have not explored the neighborhood as much as I’d like to, but I did commute on bike everyday to school and have become thoroughly acquainted with the hills around here. I travel around to various restaurants that cater to vegetarians and am pleasantly surprised. I have yet to find an authentic Chinese restaurant though.
Coming from Baltimore, MD, I immediately started to draw comparisons between the two cities, I started looking up statistics on demographics to compare the two. They are both post-industrial cities with an abundance of old housing and high employment in the public sectors. Baltimore has higher crime rates but Worcester also has its share. Both are cultural hubs with hidden gems spread throughout. Navigating traffic here in Worcester is similarly terrible but is getting easier for me as I learn shortcuts. I have enjoyed a lot of the events for up and coming artists, food, and other community events around the city.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Worcester had a population of 181,045, of which 88,150 (48.7%) were male and 92,895 (51.3%) were female. In terms of age, 77.9% were over 18 years old and 11.7% were over 65 years old; the median age is 33.4 years. The median age for males is 32.1 years and 34.7 years for females.
In terms of race and ethnicity, Worcester’s population was 69.4% White, 11.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.1% Asian (3.0% Vietnamese, 0.9% Chinese, and 0.8% Asian Indian), <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 8.4% from Some Other Race, and 4.0% from Two or More Races (1.2% White and Black or African American; 1.0% White and Some Other Race). Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 20.9% of the population (12.7% Puerto Rican).[38] Non-Hispanic Whites were 59.6% of the population in 2010,[39] down from 96.8% in 1970.[40]
Next Up: Curriculum Responsibilities