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Located in the geographic center of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester is about 40 miles west of Boston. It is the only major industrial city in the United States not located on a lake, river, or sea coast. The city is also the center of an urbanized metropolitan area that includes the towns of Auburn, Boylston, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, and Shrewsbury. Worcester, the hub of Worcester County, is situated on a series of rolling hills overlooking the Blackstone River. Lake Quinsigamond, seven miles long and one of the many lakes and ponds within the city limits, marks the eastern boundary of the city.
Its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, and the Berkshire Mountains creates rapidly changing weather conditions in Worcester. While the mild weather is typical of New England, storms can blow in, depositing rain, snow, sleet, and fog. These storms are known locally as northeasters.
| 38 square miles (2000) | |
| 473 feet above sea level (mean elevation) | |
| January, 23.3° F; July, 69.9° F; annual average, 46.8° F | |
| 47.60 inches of rain; 67.4 inches of snow |
