Why is Boston not mentioned more when people talk about great cities in the US (Cambridge: murders, rated)

[lrfox]

Guys, Qfkl is right. Boston hasn't seen any population growth since 1950 whereas Baltimore has seen major population growth in recent years. Boston's saving grace, perhaps, is that it's close enough to Washington D.C. that its suburbs benefit from DC's continued growth. Boston's economy has continued to struggle since the exodus of manufacturing whereas Baltimore's economy has diversified and become one of the strongest and most stable in the county. Boston's stuck in the past while Baltimore has the largest technology sector outside of Silicon Valley. Boston also has the same amount of People as Baltimore in twice the area. Baltimore's Urban Area and Metro Area populations are DOUBLE Boston's. I know mental hurdles like understanding that Baltimore is quite a bit larger than Boston by simply observing either city in person or reading fairly straightforward numbers can be difficult to overcome. It's really pretty obvious.

.... or maybe it's the other way around?

Here are those "Mental Hurdles" for those who don't want to look. I know my feeble brain can't comprehend this information, but hopefully someone else out there can.

Boston:
636,000 people in 48 square miles
4.1 million in the urbanized area
4.6 million in the metro area

Baltimore:
621,000 people in 81 square miles
2.2 million in the urbanized area
2.7 million in the metro area

So see! You have to really twist the numbers to get the impression that Boston's a larger city!

And of course, the "rivalry" between Boston and New York isn't just limited to sports. We feeble brained Bostonians really do think that Boston is on the same tier in every regard as New York City. Yes. We truly believe that Boston and New York are neck and neck. It has nothing to do with the fact that Boston and New York are similar in age and geographic proximity so we share some similar traits despite the fact that NYC is far larger and more important on a national and international scale.

[Mr. Joshua]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Guys, Qfkl is right. Boston hasn't seen any population growth since 1950 whereas Baltimore has seen major population growth in recent years. Boston's saving grace, perhaps, is that it's close enough to Washington D.C. that its suburbs benefit from DC's continued growth. Boston's economy has continued to struggle since the exodus of manufacturing whereas Baltimore's economy has diversified and become one of the strongest and most stable in the county. Boston's stuck in the past while Baltimore has the largest technology sector outside of Silicon Valley. Boston also has the same amount of People as Baltimore in twice the area. Baltimore's Urban Area and Metro Area populations are DOUBLE Boston's. I know mental hurdles like understanding that Baltimore is quite a bit larger than Boston by simply observing either city in person or reading fairly straightforward numbers can be difficult to overcome. It's really pretty obvious.

.... or maybe it's the other way around?

Here are those "Mental Hurdles" for those who don't want to look. I know my feeble brain can't comprehend this information, but hopefully someone else out there can.

Boston:
636,000 people in 48 square miles
4.1 million in the urbanized area
4.6 million in the metro area

Baltimore:
621,000 people in 81 square miles
2.2 million in the urbanized area
2.7 million in the metro area

So see! You have to really twist the numbers to get the impression that Boston's a larger city!

And of course, the "rivalry" between Boston and New York isn't just limited to sports. We feeble brained Bostonians really do think that Boston is on the same tier in every regard as New York City. Yes. We truly believe that Boston and New York are neck and neck. It has nothing to do with the fact that Boston and New York are similar in age and geographic proximity so we share some similar traits despite the fact that NYC is far larger and more important on a national and international scale.

To the last paragraph. We don't think we are on par with NYC, we're just bitter and confused. To us, it wasn't supposed to be New York that became the premier America city. It was supposed to be Boston.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Qfkl

I've lived in Baltimore and Atlanta and Boston, and I stand by my statement. The mental gymnastics you have to go through to pretend that Boston is actually bigger than Baltimore when they have a comparable population is hilarious. And I don't know what Wikipedia has to say...I was looking at a US census.

Really, Boston is a shockingly backwards, ignorant, curmudgeonly, dirty, ugly town. With a disproportionate number of unattractive people per capita. You can try to sell me and others on it all you want, but it speaks for itself. I understand that you all love it here--Boston is really lucky to have people like all of you who will defend it in the face of reality. But as to why it never appears on "most beautiful cities" and similar lists...well, let's just say it's no accident.

Someone from bombed-out, slum-dwelling, crime-ridden Bodymore, Murderland calling Boston "dirty"?

That's rich.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by Qfkl

. The mental gymnastics you have to go through to pretend that Boston is actually bigger than Baltimore when they have a comparable population is hilarious.

Baltimore has 600,000 people in 80 square miles.
Atalanta has around 300,000 people in 80 square miles.
Boston has around 1,000,000 people in 80 square miles.

There-fore, Bos-ton is big-ger.

Do you un-der-stand?

I am speak-ing Eng-lish.

(Written in phonetics just in case you had some trouble reading big words.)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Baltimore has 600,000 people in 80 square miles.
Atalanta has around 300,000 people in 80 square miles.
Boston has around 1,000,000 people in 80 square miles.

There-fore, Bos-ton is big-ger.

Do you un-der-stand?

I am speak-ing Eng-lish.

(Written in phonetics just in case you had some trouble reading big words.)

But but, they don't use the correct skin care products!

[sobo16]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Someone from bombed-out, slum-dwelling, crime-ridden Bodymore, Murderland calling Boston "dirty"?

That's rich.

I'm sure this person is just trolling. Ignore him/her.

[Tuna Meowt]

Originally Posted by timberline742

You can't seriously have been to Atlanta or Baltimore and say this with a straight face.

My wife and I *live* in Atlanta, and we would MUCH prefer to spend an evening out in Boston than in Atlanta. Other than sporting events and spotting drunks on the streets, there is *nothing* going on in Midtown Atlanta after regular working hours.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Baltimore has 600,000 people in 80 square miles.
Atalanta has around 300,000 people in 80 square miles.
Boston has around 1,000,000 people in 80 square miles.

There-fore, Bos-ton is big-ger.

Do you un-der-stand?

I am speak-ing Eng-lish.

(Written in phonetics just in case you had some trouble reading big words.)

Boston has 636,000 people, not 1 million.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Boston has 636,000 people, not 1 million.

I think you'll find that if you read the thread he is comparing like size metro areas, since listing purely the population and then the square mileage of that population didn't sink with the anti-Boston person.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by timberline742

I think you'll find that if you read the thread he is comparing like size metro areas, since listing purely the population and then the square mileage of that population didn't sink with the anti-Boston person.

But they claimed Boston is 80 square miles. It seems like they are comparing Boston AND surrounding cities and towns to Baltimore, proper. It should be either/or.