“A High Quality of Life Made Affordable”

Transportation and Access

• Route I-190 (north/south)
• Routes 2 and 2A (east/west)
• Routes 119, 101, 117 (east/west)
• Routes 12, 13, 31, 110, 140 (north/south)

Local Airports

• Fitchburg Airport (municipally owned, public use)
• Gardner Municipal Airport  
• Orange Municipal Airport
• Shirley Airport (privately owned)
• Sterling Airport (privately owned, public use)

Public Transportation 

• Englander Coach Lines Bus
• Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) Bus
• Mass. Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Rail
• Peter Pan – Trailways Bus
• Vermont Transit Lines

Education

North Central Massachusetts offers some of the state’s best public and private school systems in addition to being home to three colleges: Fitchburg State College; Mt. Wachusett Community College (in Gardner); and Atlantic Union College (in Lancaster). Additionally, the North Central Massachusetts region draws on a dynamic, highly skilled workforce which is the product of the many fine educational institutions and programs in the region as well as metro Boston and New England. Education is of the highest quality in North Central Massachusetts and it is accessible and affordable.

Colleges

• Fitchburg State College
• Mt. Wachusett Community College
• Atlantic Union College

Arts & Culture

North Central Massachusetts is a region rich in arts and culture. With all the attractions that North Central Massachusetts has to offer, you will have a hard time picking what to do. Whatever your interest, and whatever your age, you’ll find many enriching activities and experiencing in North Central Massachusetts. Numerous cultural opportunities are also within reach in Boston (only an hour away) and in Worcester (a half hour away).

Here is just a sampling of the many artistic and cultural institutions in North Central Massachusetts:

• The Johnny Appleseed Trail
• Fitchburg Art Museum
• Fitchburg Historical Society
• Thayer Symphony Orchestra
• Stratton Playhouse
• The Harvard Fruitlands
• National Plastics Museum (Leominster)
• Fitchburg Public Library
• Leominster Public Library
• Gardner Public Library
• Lake Mattawa in Orange for swimming, boating, and fishing
• Doane’s Falls, Spirit Falls, Royalston Falls in Royalston
• Alan Rich Environmental Park in Athol
• Dunn Park in Gardner
• Mt. Jefferson Conservation Area in Hubbardston
• Otter River State Forest in Templeton
• North Central Pathway in Winchendon
• Quabbin Reservoir in Petersham
• Red Apple Farm in Phillipston
• Performing Arts at Barre Players Theatre Inc.
• Performing Arts at Monty Tech
• Performing Arts at the Weston Auditorium, Kent Recital Hall, and Percival Auditorium at Fitchburg State College
• Gardner Museum
• Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum in Fitchburg
• Hammond Art Gallery at Fitchburg State College
• Performing Arts at the Theatre at Mount Wachusett Community College
• Big Chair on Elm Street in Gardner

Recreation

• Leominster State Forest
• Wachusett Mountain
• Coggshall Park
• Ryan C. Joubert Memorial Skatepark (Fitchburg)
• Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary
• Wallace Civic Center
• Fitchburg Cycling Club
• Oak Hill Country Club
• Westminster Country Club
• Gardner Municipal Golf Course
• Willard Brook State Forest
• Nashua River Watershed Association
• Fitchburg Riverfront Park
• Davis’ Farmland
• Marshall Farms
• Petersham State Forest
• Gardner Heritage Park
• Dunn Park (Gardner)
• Fitchburg Sportsmen’s Club
• Crocker Conservation Area
• Orange Riverfront Park
• Jumptown (Skydiving)
• Greater Boston Soaring Club

North Central Massachusetts offers a unique landscape ranging from forests and rivers to rolling hills and Mt. Wachusett.  Additionally the region is only a short distance from the seashore to the east and the Berkshire Mountains to the west.  North Central Massachusetts offers a wide range of recreational activities from the casual outdoor experience to the outdoor enthusiast.  The fresh air, natural environment, and pristine landscape offer something for everyone. 

Here are just some of the recreational resources and activities you will find in North Central Massachusetts:

North Central Massachusetts is strategically located within an hour’s drive from metro Boston and thirty minutes from metro Worcester with accessibility via Rout 2 serving as an east-west corridor with fast connections to Routes 495, 190, and 91 for north-south travel. Commuting is easy within the region and for Boston commuters, the MBTA offers train service from the new intermodal center in downtown Fitchburg extending into Boston with convenient stations in North Leominster, Shirley, and Ayer. Even air travel is convenient in North Central Massachusetts with private jet service at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport. Major international airports in Boston, Providence, R.I. and Manchester, N.H. are no more than 90 minutes away.

Major State/Local Highways