Worcester Business Journal 12/28/09: The Outlook For MetroWest. The MetroWest Economic Research Center tracks employment in several sub-state regions of the commonwealth. These regions differ from the state and each other in their business cycles and industrial structure. As a result, MERC expects the intensity and length of this recession will differ among the regions. For example, the MetroWest region (including the towns of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, and Wayland) recovered well from the 2001-03 recession, outperforming the state, while the greater Marlborough region recovered more slowly.