the factories are pretty much on the outer side of town (i think the south area but dont quote me). im not aware of any industry buildings near the center of town. Definitely try to steer away from the campus areas. The streets with lots of student residents have the most trash in the street. id recommend using google street view and if the neighborhood has lots of trees its probably a nicer part of town.

the air quality here is quantifiably bad, especially compared to other parts of Mass. I never notice it when I’m here but on days that it rains and when i get off the train from Boston it genuinely makes me gag. not in like a “it smell bad” way but just like an immediate unexplained nausea kinda way. At least for me personally. From what i know there’s a fair bit of factory air pollutant, auto shops have gotten in trouble for improper waste disposal, certain areas have VERY few trees (i have approximately 2 trees on my street and both are less than 8ft tall) and the trash/recycling collectors throw bags around and let trash fill the streets. It’s not the worst city but it aint exactly a nature preserve.

there’s a good deal of stuff to do but I wouldn’t let a 15y/o wander around certain parts of worcester. My go to activity is actually taking the commuter rail into boston or natick (the natick mall is really nice and they have an arcade). the Massachusetts train system has a weekend pass that lets you ride the commuter rail as much as you want for 10$ on saturday and sunday. Within Worcester theres a couple of strip malls to go to but nothing particularly interesting. The library we have is actually pretty nice and they give out coupons that you can use at popular Massachusetts museums/zoos/aquarium. If your mom drives you theres a lot of stuff in the surrounding area too (ice cream, movie theatre, etc). My only advice for you personally is to be careful where you walk alone, and to avoid the homeless in worcester. Most will leave you alone but theres a couple of nasty ones that will pickpocket or aggressively follow you around for money (like 20$, not just pocket change) and you can never tell which are which.

personally i think its not worth the cost. The grilled pastrami was delicious but the latke (emphasis on there only being one) was burnt, the knish was cold on the inside, and the prices are kinda ridiculous.

Saigon Restaurant has great pho and a killer bun bo hue.

Rice violet is great for thai food and all their curries slap