Close. Piedmont Street ends two streets over on Pleasant Street, but regardless, the area of Highland Street is a mix of WPI kids and crap. You get off Highland Street heading towards Elm and you have some sketchy areas. Becker College used to be over there, which probably helped to keep things a little more under control, but they're gone.
Reality is that the entire city has become a bigger cesspool than it was before. The rag of a newspaper Telegram & Gazette works hard with the city council to depict Worcester as "Mayberry with a new ballpark" Hell, I think three restaurants in the Canal District announced they're closing! Green Street, Millbury Street, the Common, all strewn with homeless people, drunk or ODing, aggressively panhandling. Can't imagine it would be good for business.
I work dead in the middle of Main South, so I'm able to get a front seat view to the shenanigans that go on there and that area, but never make the paper. Shootings, stabbings, etc. I know of several fatal and near fatal shootings that didn't get reported, as well as a failed hit on some shitbag inside of a gym!!