South Shore vs. Metro West (Boston, Cambridge: apartments, private school, living)

[cmd0618]

Okay, so I grew up and have lived all my life in Dedham, spent my summers in Marshfield, and one side of my family is all in Quincy/Braintree/Weymouth. I always considered myself living on the South Shore, but I found out just recently that Dedham isn't considered the South Shore?

I don't think we'd be considered the "Metro West" (Needham/Newton/Brookline/Wellesley/etc), that area is rich and way different. And I've seen some maps saying Canton was the South Shore, but not Dedham?

If anything my town seems cut off from everything except Hyde Park/West Roxbury, which is why a lot of people think it's going downhill (I really don't see it, just getting way too built up...) Then there's all the towns south of me along Route 1... so many of these places I don't know what they're called. Does everywhere in the Greater Boston area even have a section?

[MikePRU]

While there are multiple schools of thought on which towns comprise Metrowest, I'm not aware of any of them including Dedham. I wouldn't think Dedham would be considered South Shore either. I recently came across a map with all of the "areas" around Boston outlined. I'll see if I can find it and let you know what it calls the area around Canton & Dedham.

[mdovell]

Huh? I've never hard of Dedham being called south shore, or Canton.

I picture Quincy on south to plymouth and one or two towns in to a point.

[Parsec]

Dedham is part of the "inner core" which is simply Metro Boston. It covers Boston's immediate suburbs including Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, and Dedham among others.

Greater Boston includes a larger area including the towns bordering NH and RI. Also I wouldn't consider any of those towns you mentioned to be in Metrowest.

[CaseyB]

I believe Dedham is located in the area known as The Neponset Valley.

[cmd0618]

The "inner core" would probably be more accurate, but if you lived here, you'd realize everyone thinks of it as a small town. The schools aren't great, so like half the kids go to private school, but most people love it because everyone knows everyone (actually, that part annoys me the most... I just wanna get out of here!) Even more so because most people who grew up here, one or more of their parents did (mine included.)

It's changed so much though, even in the past few years... with Legacy Place and all the apartments going up. Makes me wonder if they're going to turn it into a city soon.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

The Patriot Ledger includes Dedham, Canton, Norwood, etc., in their coverage area, even though it's generally considered primarily a South Shore newspaper. I've never considered them to be part of the South Shore. I've also never heard the term "Neponset Valley" used to describe them, even though geographically that's where they're located. Ergo, I guess...metro Boston, the same as Milton?

[professeurpablo]

There is definitely a "southwest corridor" of sorts, beginning perhaps in Jamaica Plain/Roslindale and extending out Route 1 towards Foxborough. What I mean is that people from the more urban sections seem to gravitate out in that direction much in the way that people from Dorchester or Southie often move to Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree and the like. Not sure if this makes sense, but I'd align Dedham, Norwood, Walpole and other communities in that area into a different, smaller group - just not sure of what to call it!

[raveabouttoast]

Time for some investigation!

Looks like Dedham doesn't make the cut.

Wikipedia Map:




Official Massachusetts Coast Zone Boundary Map:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/czm/czm-regions.pdf

I always thought of Weymouth, Braintree, and Quincy as part of the South Shore. But I guess even those towns aren't officially in the club.

Based on its location, I'd think of Dedham as "Metro Boston".

[BitofEndearment]

You need some CD education! You're a Dedham native and you consider that South Shore?! It may be because North and South Shore are becoming more like a North and South Side, and Dedham is to the south. But I never known it as South Shore (where I'm from), or MetroWest (where I've also lived). In fact none of those towns are MetroWest really. Think Natick, Framingham, Dover, Franklin.

I think Dedham gets sorta shafter the most recognition wise of all the cities and towns bordering Boston because its the farthest from Back Bay and Downtown. So classification goes to the wayside. But it is getting super developed, along with Westwood. That whole Route 1 corridor, down to Patriots Place, is going through a major development phase.