'Do Bostonians really care about Western MA' Globe article (Worcester: sales, real estate market)

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by FCMA

And Franklin is just a VT extension, obviously. Let's just give our western counties to other states. But what to do with Hampshire? Build a bridge over the Quabbin to connect it to the rest of MA and keep it? Independent nation-state / People's Republic? It doesn't abut another state to give it away to. Hmm.

Seems that since they're all located within the state of MA, they should be Boston extensions. Oh, that's right. Boston never even heard of them, that's how ignorant Bostonians are about their own state!

OTOH, you have CT with its capitol, Hartford at the extreme top edge of the state yet it seems to govern the entire state or does it not? Maybe we should consult with CT to see how it's done.

[Shrewsburried]

Through my living and dealings within Brookline/Boston, I can confirm most Bostonians no little of the state which resides out side of 95/128.

Anecdote which reflects the average Boston centric native:

I have a well educated and traveled friend who grew up in west Concord and now resides in the North shore. When I mention towns like Sterling, Lancaster, Princeton he just stares blankly "where?!". He can recommend a great B&B in northern CA or a restaurant in friggin' Morocco, but ask him to name 6 towns in central or western MA and he'll just shrug, laugh and say things like "well, uh, there's Worcester and, uh, Harvard. Does Carlisle count?"

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Through my living and dealings within Brookline/Boston, I can confirm most Bostonians no little of the state which resides out side of 95/128.

Anecdote which reflects the average Boston centric native:

I have a well educated and traveled friend who grew up in west Concord and now resides in the North shore. When I mention towns like Sterling, Lancaster, Princeton he just stares blankly "where?!". He can recommend a great B&B in northern CA or a restaurant in friggin' Morocco, but ask him to name 6 towns in central or western MA and he'll just shrug, laugh and say things like "well, uh, there's Worcester and, uh, Harvard. Does Carlisle count?"

Though I've already shared these somewhere else at some point on this forum - choice quotes from conversations I've had with people from the Boston area regarding where I live (Orange):

"Oh I have a friend who lives in Framingham - that's right near you out by the Quabbin right?"

"So to get back to the North Quabbin region - which exit off the Pike?" (I replied that the Pike is not practical to get there and to take Route 2 - but he did not know what Route 2 was).

Volunteer coordinator (statewide organization): "Can you cover a volunteer shift next week in Stockbridge?" Me: "Sorry I can't, that's an hour and a half drive for me." Coordinator: "What? I thought you lived fifteen minutes away or something because you said you live in Western Mass - I mean, don't you live in the Berkshires?"

Clearly it would seem that my habit of opening up a map once in awhile is anomalous.

[western mass and love it]

The best for me personally was this little exchange with my sister who has lived in Brookline her whole life.

She called me a few years ago to ask how we were dealing with a snow storm, I was confused because it wasn't snowing in West Springfield and I told her that. She said I just saw on the weather channel that you guys were getting buried with lake effect snow.
Aren't you close enough to Buffalo to get hit too. So my Suffolk university educated sister, a Massachusetts native thought that Hampden county was near Buffalo.

So no most do not care east of Worcester

[jayrandom]

People generally know what they need to know (with some exception made for geography nerds). Why would someone need to know about Princeton, or Athol, or Hinsdale if they didn't live in or near those towns? I don't think "being in the same state" is a good enough reason. I know a ton of coworkers who live in Cambridge who have no idea where Westwood is, in large part because they have no good reason to know. I'm not sure what the problem is with that.

[kingeorge]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

People generally know what they need to know (with some exception made for geography nerds). Why would someone need to know about Princeton, or Athol, or Hinsdale if they didn't live in or near those towns? I don't think "being in the same state" is a good enough reason. I know a ton of coworkers who live in Cambridge who have no idea where Westwood is, in large part because they have no good reason to know. I'm not sure what the problem is with that.

It is called well rounded person. Curiosity is a wonderful thing. Why be automated "know only what I need to know", and how you know what you need to know if you know very little to begin with?

The more you learn and "know", more you understand how much you still do not know. It is great type of humility to acquire, and conscientiously so.

I have no ties with West MA, but I did took some time to visit here and there. It is beautiful part of our state we can be proud to call our own. I am very grateful for West MA forum posters who help us all learn more about it, and keep me, at least, interested about perspectives on MA and life in general from their Western point of view.

I would argue that we are all richer for this exposure here. Even if you live for a long time in MA, you can always learn something new every day on this forum. Cheers.

[timberline742]

Spent the weekend in Great Barrington and the area. It was fun, but you know... A weekend once a year or two is plenty, honestly. It's (that town anyway) expensive for what it is too. I dunno. Most people I know stop at the CT River Valley when going west as there is more to do; you can get the nature and then the culture. Other than a couple of bookstores and antique shops, other than outdoors stuff, there wasn't much. The food was ok. The breweries meh. Other shops meh.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

People generally know what they need to know (with some exception made for geography nerds). Why would someone need to know about Princeton, or Athol, or Hinsdale if they didn't live in or near those towns? I don't think "being in the same state" is a good enough reason. I know a ton of coworkers who live in Cambridge who have no idea where Westwood is, in large part because they have no good reason to know. I'm not sure what the problem is with that.

As Kingeorge suggested, it reflects someone who has observed the world around them and has breadth of knowledge.

I've seen a number of people thoroughly embarrass themselves in client meetings/dinners because they never burdened themselves with 'useless' knowledge. I don't expect a resident of ... say ... Arlington to know the specifics of some small podunk town in western MA, but I do expect that they understand that one would not simply "Swing by Mass MOCA while in Worcester" ... as if being in Worcester somehow puts one on the cusp of western MA. When things like this are uttered from the mouths of seemingly intelligent people (and they are!) I have to pause and think "what a cute little world you live in".

Now, I don't expect someone living in subsidized housing in Roxbury to have this breadth of knowledge, but I expect someone who is well educated and upwardly mobile to have some geographical understanding. It's not as if Bostonians are living in an all consuming environment like NYC.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Spent the weekend in Great Barrington and the area. It was fun, but you know... A weekend once a year or two is plenty, honestly. It's (that town anyway) expensive for what it is too. I dunno. Most people I know stop at the CT River Valley when going west as there is more to do; you can get the nature and then the culture. Other than a couple of bookstores and antique shops, other than outdoors stuff, there wasn't much. The food was ok. The breweries meh. Other shops meh.

Yes, but they are great places to live (Don't think I've ever been to Great Barrington so I don't know about that one) but the Valley/western MA has a lot more to offer than you think and a lot more than you can experience in one weekend. It doesn't have to be tall buildings and cityscape crammed with people, traffic, and more shopping than anyone wants or needs.

Anyway, we pay taxes, we do EXIST, we a part of this state, we support the teams, and we should be represented by the politicians and we should receive help and funding when we need it. I know of no other state that keeps it all for themselves and all in one place for one certain group of people. This state has missed the boat; people wish to remain ignorant and insular and they are proud of it.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Yes, but they are great places to live (Don't think I've ever been to Great Barrington so I don't know about that one) but the Valley/western MA has a lot more to offer than you think and a lot more than you can experience in one weekend. It doesn't have to be tall buildings and cityscape crammed with people, traffic, and more shopping than anyone wants or needs.

Anyway, we pay taxes, we do EXIST, we a part of this state, we support the teams, and we should be represented by the politicians and we should receive help and funding when we need it. I know of no other state that keeps it all for themselves and all in one place for one certain group of people. This state has missed the boat; people wish to remain ignorant and insular and they are proud of it.

I never said it did. I've lived in rural places in Wisconsin and Vermont and there was loads to do, I just never got that feeling from my time in Western MA or from the people that I've known that have lived in Williamstown or Blandford or Heath (the only places where I have had good friends out there). We do some fishing together, some nature photography, and hit some of the fairs in the summer. We're good. Generally though I'll hit VT for something more.

I'm not sure where the attitude comes from. The Western part of the state receives proportionally more funding than it contributes. It's like the Southern and Northern States, the red states in the south receive more tax money than they contribute. Same with Western vs Eastern Ma. The 495 belt is the economic engine that powers the state.