Surly Pacer,

Apparently only people who live in or next to Worcester say "Wister." I worked in Shrewsbury (Shoosbry to some) and that was the first time I heard that pronounciation. I spent some time in Worcester as a kid, my mom's family was from there, and none of them said that! Yes, my dad worked in Hayvril when I was a kid... I used to make fun of my husband when we first moved back here. He would pronounce everything like an outsider "Haver-hill."
When I had been here a week, I called a bakery in Lowell for directions to get there from Rt. 3 (I was living on the NH border at the time). First, all I heard was a muffled "blah, blah, blah." Then when I asked for the nearest cross street, the woman said "What's that?" I hung up in frustration. Here I was, a native New Englander, and I could not understand her. I was not used to giving directions by land marks. In AZ, especially in the east valley, people give directions by, well, direction; like I live one block south of Elliiot Rd., between Rural and McClintock. Well, now after 17 years, I am used to it! But, I have to say, around where I live, very few people have the Boston accent anymore.