Submitted by FumyLikes t3_124tla7 in WorcesterMA
I’m doing a photography project on the gentrification in Worcester. I’m looking for some areas that have been gentrified but also some areas that would be considered the ghetto. The only place I can think of right now is Kelly square and around main south as I’ve moved out of Worcester.
Appreciate it. You’re right, I do need to upgrade my terminology. I grew up in the “ghetto” part of Worcester so I that’s what I’ve always called it,
That person is trying to gentrify your vocab
What is the up-to-date term for "ghetto"? Asking for a boomer.
Ghetto has been replaced with "residential area of lower socioeconomic status."
Laurel and Clayton area was affected decades ago. Had a large amount of the Black population of Worcester at the time. I think there is a decent lil doc on YouTube about it
Main South has gotten pretty gentrified.
[deleted]
Kelly Square is “gentrified” in the sense that there are a lot of new buildings and shops that are more or less owned by people not from the city, but strictly speaking, gentrification implies a population replacement of some kind. There’s no significant population to speak of in Kelly Square. Maybe the old factories that were turned into lofts? They still look nasty anyway. And if you go down Millbury street, there’s no kind of gentrification there. Drug dealers and their houses all down that road. Mostly Hispanic all the way past Quinsig. Ave too. I wouldn’t say Green Island is all the way gentrified. Definitely the tip of the iceberg tho. It’s a complicated scenario, because the new development isn’t replacing anyone per se, as Kelly Square/Polar Park areas of Green Island didn’t have a high population to begin with because the housing simply didn’t exist before. When it does, I wonder how that will change the surrounding areas.
If you want to see current gentrified neighborhoods, you’ll have to look a little bit further north, at downtown. 145 Front St. and The Grid changed the face of downtown, as well as the demographics. Didn’t do the city or its residents many favors, as I haven’t heard great things about either (mostly The Grid).
Kind of sucks because Union Station is the hub of public transportation, and people with cars simply don’t need to live near it the same way low-income families do. In addition, a good indicator in Worcester of gentrification or soon-to-be are the dispensaries. Look where the dispensaries are, and you’ll find gentrification of some kind nearby. Just lost my place near mayflower due to a predatory landlord from out of state.
You want to see “ghetto” areas too, but idk if Worcester has what can actually be called ‘ghettos’ technically speaking. If you want to see low-income neighborhoods with majority renters, then try Millbury St., Union Hill, look around Main South (west side) , and drive around the streets off Vernon-Winthrop or Grafton. You’ll see some rough looking areas. Anywhere between Vernon Hill and Grafton street, but each block is different. Don’t forget to take pictures of Worcester East Middle. That shit is prisonlike. Some of the roads off Shrewsbury street up behind cristoforo colombo might make good photos (especially since the rough areas are so close to a district like Shrewsbury st.) hope this helps.
Every year I see these posts about the "ghetto" and "places to avoid in Worcester"
Kelley Square may be all you need. Park side vs Milbury/Harding St out to Vernon Hill
Oxford and pleasant street are geto
Great brook valley is geto and dangerous
Plumley is geto but only dangerous at night
The neighborhoods around “I love Frankie’s pizza” are geto, 6 gun shots fired last week
Gentrified is around WPi university, shrewsbury street, white city (plaza), blackstone plaza, Worcester state university area
Lakeside isn't great beaver brook area
Great Brook Valley
There was a diy skatepark/slum area right in the canal district, right by the woo sox stadium is now
Yup. When I lived on Washington street 15 years ago we partied with some train hoppers who hung out there. I also remember the old Salty Dog saloon. Wild times lol.
I don’t know how it would fall into classification, but I live on Blackstone river road in an old building. There’s a big complex being built and some old apartment buildings being gutted and renovated across the street from it. There were a few drug raids there last year and then one of the houses was lost to a fire, and I’m pretty sure the owner sold them after that. I’m mostly worried about the parking as my building already has zero off street parking and there’s tons of traffic from the school nearby.
People don’t want to admit it but… there’s one street in Worcester that for the most part divides “ghetto” from not. Pretty clear to me a lifelong Worcester resident which street it is. I’ll take guesses !
Park ave
Kilby?
Downtown Worcester gentrified somewhat with brand new apartments and the nice restaurants. Piedmont st still “ghetto”
NativeMasshole t1_je0qv9l wrote
"The ghetto"? Bro, you need to update your terminology if you want to be taken seriously.
Anyway, Kelley Square is basically the only part of the city that's been gentrified. Take a walk a block over towards Lafayette St and you still see plenty of run down buildings and such.