About College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross (Holy Cross) is a private Jesuit innovative arts intellectual in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic moot in New England and one of the oldest in the United States.

Opened as a scholastic for boys below the auspices of the Society of Jesus, it was the first Jesuit scholarly in New England. Today, Holy Cross is ration of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and the Colleges of Worcester Consortium (COWC). Holy Cross sports teams are called the Crusaders and their sole color is purple; they compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League.

Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ (listen) WUUS-tər) is a city in, and county seat of, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, Worcestershire, 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 nearly 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston, 50 miles (80 km) east of Springfield and 40 miles (64 km) north of Providence. Due to its location near the geographic middle of Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the “Heart of the Commonwealth;” a heart is the recognized symbol of the city.

Worcester developed as an industrial city in the 19th century due to the Blackstone Canal and rail transport, producing machinery, textiles and wire. Large numbers of European immigrants made stirring the city’s growing population. However, the city’s manufacturing base waned subsequently World War II. Long-term economic and population stop was not reversed until the 1990s, when well ahead education, medicine, biotechnology, and additional immigrants started to make their mark. The city’s population has grown by 15% since 1980, and it has experienced urban renewal.

Modern Worcester is known for its diversity and large immigrant population, with significant communities of Vietnamese, Brazilians, Albanians, Puerto Ricans, Ghanaians, Dominicans, and others. 22% of Worcester’s population was born outside the United States. A middle of well ahead education, it is house to nine sever colleges and universities, including Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and Clark University. Architecturally, Worcester is notable for its large number of 19th century triple-decker houses, Victorian-era mill architecture, and lunch car diners such as Miss Worcester.

Worcester is the principal city of Central Massachusetts, and is a regional government, employment and transportation hub. Since the 1970s, and especially after the construction of Interstate 495 and Interstate 290, both Worcester and its surrounding towns have become increasingly integrated with Boston’s suburbs. The Worcester region now marks the western periphery of the Boston-Worcester-Providence (MA-RI-NH) U.S. Census Combined Statistical Area (CSA), or Greater Boston.