the state include: Norfolk, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, and Plymouth Counties. Barnstable County, which is Cape Cod, functions as a modern regional county government. Suffolk County which is mainly Boston is under the Boston City Council. The Massachusetts General Laws describe this relationship of county government and the options for abolishing county governments and/or chartering regional governmental compacts in subchapter 34 B. Four other new county compacts have been created by the state legislature and these are in Hampshire, Franklin, Barnstable Counties, and a regional planning council level for Berkshire County. Thus 9 of 14 Counties have some form of county regional governments. Worcester County could exercise that option if it chooses for example, for public safety and, or preparedness due to its rather large geography, by a request to and a special act of the legislature, by local referendum or by one of three mechanisms. See the references for the state statute, and the League of Women Voters link. Like all of Massachusetts, Worcester County is a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections. |} Communities Cities Fitchburg Gardner Leominster Southbridge Worcester (traditional county seat) Towns Ashburnham Athol Auburn Barre Berlin Blackstone Bolton Boylston Brookfield Charlton Clinton Douglas Dudley East Brookfield Grafton Hardwick Harvard Holden Hopedale Hubbardston Lancaster Leicester Lunenburg Mendon Milford Millbury Millville New Braintree North Brookfield Northborough Northbridge Oakham Oxford Paxton Petersham Phillipston Princeton Royalston Rutland Shrewsbury Southborough Spencer Sterling Sturbridge Sutton Templeton Upton Uxbridge Warren Webster West Boylston West Brookfield Westborough Westminster Winchendon Census-designated places Athol Baldwinville Barre Brookfield Clinton Cordaville Devens East Brookfield East Douglas Fiskdale Hopedale Lunenburg Milford North Brookfield Northborough Oxford Petersham Rutland South Ashburnham South Lancaster Spencer Sturbridge Upton Warren Webster West Brookfield West Warren Westborough Whitinsville Winchendon Other unincorporated communities Chapinville Cherry Valley East Millbury East Princeton Farnumsville (also called South Grafton) Fisherville Gilbertville Hardwick Ironstone (also known as South Uxbridge) Jefferson Leicester Center Linwood Manchuag Morningdale North Grafton North Uxbridge Oakdale Old Furnace Otter River Pitcherville Rochdale Rockdale Saundersville Spindleville Still River Stoneville Union Chapel West Sutton West Upton Whalom Wheelockville Wheelwright Winchendon Springs Ghost town Dana Notable people Louisa May Alcott, novelist, daughter of Amos Alcott Johnny Appleseed, real name Jonathan Chapman Mike Barnicle, newspaper writer Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross Michael Beasley, NBA player, high school All-American; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School Robert Benchley, writer, theater critic, actor, humorist, and member of the Algonquin Round Table H. Jon