Claim: Worcester, Massachusetts is 40 mi north of Providence, Rhode Island.

Worcester -LRB- -LSB- ˈwʊstər -RSB- , -LSB- ˈwʊstə -RSB- -RRB- is a city and the county seat of Worcester County , Massachusetts , United States . Named after Worcester , England , as of the 2010 Census the city 's population was 181,045 , making it the second most populous city in New England after Boston . Worcester is located approximately 40 mi west of Boston , 50 mi east of Springfield and 40 mi north of Providence . Due to its location in Central Massachusetts , Worcester is known as the `` Heart of the Commonwealth '' , thus , a heart is the official symbol of the city . However , the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the mass-produced Valentine 's Day card was invented in the city .   Worcester was considered its own region for centuries ; however , with the encroachment of Boston 's suburbs in the 1970s after the construction of Interstate 495 and Interstate 290 , it now marks the western periphery of the Boston-Worcester-Providence -LRB- MA-RI-NH -RRB- U.S. Census Combined Statistical Area -LRB- CSA -RRB- , or Greater Boston . The city features many examples of Victorian-era mill architecture .