A recent survey we conducted in Crompton Park, in April 2023, showed Green Island residents like their neighborhood but are worried about having to move. While many were enthusiastic about Polar Park, they were very concerned that surrounding development is leading to gentrification that will eventually force them out of Green Island. Former Worcester housing director Scott Hayman acknowledged the problem–Affordable housing is “all at risk in the Crompton Park neighborhood because of gentrification.” But he added, “Polar Park can be positive—it depends what we do as a community.” And that he added, meant curbing gentrification: “You have to continue the affordability to keep the [neighborhood] vibrant.”
Green Island’s “vibrancy” is intertwined with its historic identity as a place where immigrants could afford to live. Irish immigrants first came to the area in the 1820s to construct the Blackstone Canal from Worcester to Providence in order to boost industry in Worcester. As Green Island historian Lorraine Laurie explains, “Not only would these men build a canal that would connect Worcester with Providence, they would lay the foundation for something more lasting. They would start a neighborhood” (Laurie 2). Soon after the Irish came other significant immigrant groups such as the French-Canadians, Lithuanians and Polish. Each group coexisted in a hub of culture and diversity. Lithuanians, for example, brought their holidays such as “Kucia” or the Christmas Eve supper to Green Island where they celebrated them “in the traditional way” (Laurie 27). They combined resources with their Polish neighbors to form and build their own church. Their first pastor, Fr. Jakstis “spoke both Lithuanian and Polish, [so] he could minister to both peoples. The Poles worshipped at 9 a.m. and the Lithuanians had services at 10:30 a.m.” (Laurie 25). Another landmark in Green Island that still exists today is the Polish Naturalization Club. According to the PNI website, “Since its inception in 1906 the Polish Naturalization Independent Club (P.N.I.) has remained on the vanguard of community by developing a preservation and conservation of Polish heritage, culture, traditions, beliefs and helping the Polish youth in the community.” Green Island wasn’t a melting pot so much as a place where different immigrant groups could come together while participating in their respective cultures.
The Green Island neighborhood has now shifted from the Eastern European-dominated community it was in the early and mid-20th century to a largely Hispanic or Latino, Black, and Asian community today. Since the 1990s there has been a surge in African immigrants. Most African immigrants are from Ghana and Kenya. Much of Green Island is still foreign-born. According to Social Explorer census data, Green Island is 24.6% foreign-born. And while Green Island has changed a lot over the years, one thing that hasn’t changed is that it is still home to many families who cannot to afford to live elsewhere.
Our survey of residents showed just how long that can continue is very much on Green Islanders’ minds. Rents are going up, people complained. One couple pointed to nearby “new apartment buildings that are super expensive.” Some more recent residents find the neighborhood to be relatively affordable: one young man moved to the neighborhood from Brooklyn because the three-bedroom apartment he shares with roommates at $2000.00/month, was much less than he paid in New York. Another young woman we spoke to said she too moved here with her young daughter for the reasonable rents and Green Island’s walkability, since she does not own a car. After just two months, however, her rent went up $250.00 to $1750.00/month. She is happy in her new home, but worries now how long she and her daughter will be able to stay.
People were also most upset about rising crime in Green Island. “Too much crime,” one father of two told us. One woman who had grown up in the neighborhood told us that she used to ride her bike at Crompton Park at night without worrying about anything happening to her. People cited violent crimes occurring on the streets surrounding Crompton Park. Now the Park at night and especially its surrounding streets, people complained, do not feel safe. Residents cited the rising homeless population and drug use at night. They have found needles on the ground in Crompton Park where children routinely play.
Despite these problems residents still enjoy the community and most of them wished to stay in Green Island. If rents continue to rise it is likely that residents will be forced to leave the neighborhood and perhaps Worcester altogether, which would take away from the city’s cultural vibrancy and historic identity as a good place for hard working families to make a home. Green Island’s community has long helped to make Worcester special. Generations of immigrants working to build this neighborhood have, it would seem, earned their right to stay.
Works Cited
Laurie , Lorraine. “The Island That Became a Neighborhood .”12 Aug. 2015, https://incitytimesworcester.org/green-island-the-island-that-became-a-neighborhood/.
“ZCTA5 01610.” Social Explorer Profiles, https://www.socialexplorer.com/profiles/essential-report/zcta5-01610.html.
Citino, By: Christina. “UMass Donahue Institute.” UMass Donahue Institute | Foreign-Born Population of Worcester, MA – Assessing the Contributions of a Diverse Community, 1 Sept. 2015, https://donahue.umass.edu/our-publications/foreign-born-population-of-worcester-ma-assessing-the-contributions-of-a-di.
“Polish Naturalization Independent Club Inc.” The Canal District, http://thecanaldistrict.com/business/polish-naturalization-independent-club-inc/. “Home.” Pernet Family Health Service, 11 Aug. 2022, https://www.pernetfamilyhealth.org/ .