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IMO Boston is easily a metropolis that feels at least 7 -7.5 million and much larger than 4.5 million. The Bay feels like a metropolis of 7.5 million off the bat. I don't see either of these two metros as being only 1/1.5 million larger than the likes of San Diego and Seattle, both the Bay and Boston feel much larger than either of those two metros despite what their 'MSA' stats say.
Curious, I see this 'MSA' and 'CSA' stat always being used for these two places. Sometimes I see folks using MSA and sometimes CSA but these metros can only be one or the other. So which is it? Are Boston and SF Bay closer to their MSA population or their CSA population?
4.4 million/4.5 million vs 7.5 million/7.6 million.
I used to live in the Boston area for 6 years, 4 years at a student housing/apartment/dorm type of place and after graduating I got my own house southwest of Boston near Foxboro where I would come across many folks from Providence going into the 'city' for shopping, airport, entertainment, etc. Inversely Boston area people at times would use PVD as a secondary airport as well. Boston's true metro size feels near 7 million not 4 million IMO.
I used to live in the Boston area for 6 years, 4 years at a student housing/apartment/dorm type of place and after graduating I got my own house southwest of Boston near Foxboro where I would come across many folks from Providence going into the 'city' for shopping, airport, entertainment, etc. Inversely Boston area people at times would use PVD as a secondary airport as well. Boston's true metro size feels near 7 million not 4 million IMO.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you, the thing that always struck me about the Boston metro is the miles and miles of open land one drives through to get to the outer towns/cities around the Boston metro, it felt small to me in a way because I was so used to seeing no breaks in development where I grew up.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you, the thing that always struck me about the Boston metro is the miles and miles of open land one drives through to get to the outer towns/cities around the Boston metro, it felt small to me in a way because I was so used to seeing no breaks in development where I grew up.
I agree with your post but also see it slightly different, I have said this many times before but Boston and Atlanta feel the least dense amongst major metros the further out you go. [On CSA for Boston at least] Some of the suburbs between Providence and Boston drop density to where it feels almost like nothing there but houses still exist between them, they just take more land than compared to some place like LA, SF, Chicago, or DC. The heavily wooded areas and hills/topography of both metros contribute to this type of far flung development style but the people of RI and NH still see Boston as their 'hub' city for their area from my experience.
The commuter rail itself was designed in particular to connect Providence to Boston for this reason
I agree with your post but also see it slightly different, I have said this many times before but Boston and Atlanta feel the least dense amongst major metros the further out you go. [On CSA for Boston at least] Some of the suburbs between Providence and Boston drop density to where it feels almost like nothing there but houses still exist between them, they just take more land than compared to some place like LA, SF, Chicago, or DC. The heavily wooded areas and hills/topography of both metros contribute to this type of far flung development style but the people of RI and NH still see Boston as their 'hub' city for their area from my experience.
The commuter rail itself was designed in particular to connect Providence to Boston for this reason
That may very well be but it doesn't change the fact that everything outside of the immediate metro feels very isolated and no longer connected to the city/metro.
That may very well be but it doesn't change the fact that everything outside of the immediate metro feels very isolated and no longer connected to the city/metro.
This is why this thread topic has me curious how others from the western half of the country and eastern half of the country and especially New England respond. Seems like the biggest difference between metros in the west versus those on the east, the western metros maintain higher string of development and higher density whereas the eastern metros, especially Atlanta and Boston have strong cores, strong inner ring burbs, but outer ring burbs are dis-functionally tied to the metro with low density between the inner ring [or middle ring] and outer ring IMO
However the core 4.6 million of Boston densely built, it just starts withering away fast from 4.6 million towards 7.6 million
This is why this thread topic has me curious how others from the western half of the country and eastern half of the country and especially New England respond. Seems like the biggest difference between metros in the west versus those on the east, the western metros maintain higher string of development and higher density whereas the eastern metros, especially Atlanta and Boston have strong cores, strong inner ring burbs, but outer ring burbs are dis-functionally tied to the metro with low density between the inner ring [or middle ring] and outer ring IMO
it's almost as if everything outside the I95 loop starts to get rural fast, I remember driving to see a friend locked up in Framingham and just that drive I felt isolated from the city.
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