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Old 11-02-2016, 02:22 AM
 
837 posts, read 1,217,186 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4 View Post
Well the western towns in Worcester County are a lot more like Western Mass than the eastern 1/2 of Worcester County.
I can attest to this. I lived in Ware for a short time back in the '80s. Even though it's within Worcester County my neighbors considered that entire region (Ware, Palmer, No. Brookfield, Berlin, Hardwick, etc.) as the divide between central and western MA.
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Old 11-02-2016, 04:08 AM
 
Location: North Quabbin, MA
1,025 posts, read 1,516,000 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xo_kizzy_xo View Post
I can attest to this. I lived in Ware for a short time back in the '80s. Even though it's within Worcester County my neighbors considered that entire region (Ware, Palmer, No. Brookfield, Berlin, Hardwick, etc.) as the divide between central and western MA.
Ware is actually in Hampshire County. Berlin is just off 495 next to Marlborough. Do you mean Barre?

Ware is probably more western oriented but definitely in the ambiguous divide zone, while the Brookfields and such are more Central Mass oriented with commuting patterns toward Worcester.
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Old 11-02-2016, 06:25 AM
 
Location: North Quabbin, MA
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I once (before smart phones and such) had to explain to someone who insisted there was only Eastern and Western Mass that we were going to Central Mass, where I was from. But, he said, I have atlases for eastern and western Mass, so I'll have your town in it, it'll be in the Western Mass atlas (he was referring to Gardner). He looked and couldn't find it. He looked in the eastern Mass one as well and couldn't find it. He was very confused. That's when I pulled the Central Mass atlas out of my bag and put it between his two atlases to emphasize the point. Look in here, I said. My Massahole bro pal from Weymouth finally understood and I think it blew his mind a little that I wasn't making up my region.
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Old 11-02-2016, 07:23 AM
 
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One regional note is that the towns in middlesex county on the nh border (Dunstanle, pepper ell, Townsend, Ashby) are more connected to southern nh than Worcester county. Some did their shopping in Leominster but most went to Nashua and worked in Bedford/Lexington/Burlington/Westfield
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Old 11-02-2016, 07:32 AM
 
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,940 posts, read 36,716,568 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tightlines View Post
This is quite zany. Anyone growing up in the Berkshires thought of the Berkshires as Western Mass. And, frankly the part of Western mass that dominated sports.

Within the Berkshires, the distinction was always Northern Berkshires and Southern Berkshires, with Pittsfield playing the city in the middle. Never new where to put it.
In the trash?

I kid, I kid, I actually like the bones there.
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Old 11-02-2016, 08:51 AM
 
571 posts, read 556,382 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs View Post
One regional note is that the towns in middlesex county on the nh border (Dunstanle, pepper ell, Townsend, Ashby) are more connected to southern nh than Worcester county. Some did their shopping in Leominster but most went to Nashua and worked in Bedford/Lexington/Burlington/Westfield
So, maybe a better way of defining regions is whre residents tend to go for things like shopping and airports and services. Dividing east and west, if you were looking up a flight, what would be your first choice of airport - Boston, Providence, or Bradley?
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Old 11-02-2016, 10:15 AM
 
837 posts, read 1,217,186 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FCMA View Post
Ware is actually in Hampshire County. Berlin is just off 495 next to Marlborough. Do you mean Barre?

Ware is probably more western oriented but definitely in the ambiguous divide zone, while the Brookfields and such are more Central Mass oriented with commuting patterns toward Worcester.
Whoops, I meant Barre And sheesh, I honestly thought it was in Worcester County, not Hampshire.

Memory tells me that No. Brookfield is next to Ware? Maybe that's what I was thinking...
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Old 11-02-2016, 01:39 PM
 
571 posts, read 556,382 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xo_kizzy_xo View Post
Whoops, I meant Barre And sheesh, I honestly thought it was in Worcester County, not Hampshire.

Memory tells me that No. Brookfield is next to Ware? Maybe that's what I was thinking...
Yes. Ware is an oddball in that Hampshire County sticks out underneath Hardwick, which is in Worcester County. As for Ware, when I was growing up in the 70s I think it was a little more of a "city", but also more closely related to Worcester than it is now. I think with more highways and better roads, people from Worcester tend to not stray so far west as they used to. The Quabbin used to be a dividing line, but more and more people don't know the towns west of Oakham/Barre/The Brookfields.
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Old 11-02-2016, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Springfield and brookline MA
1,348 posts, read 3,082,298 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tightlines View Post
This is quite zany. Anyone growing up in the Berkshires thought of the Berkshires as Western Mass. And, frankly the part of Western mass that dominated sports.

Within the Berkshires, the distinction was always Northern Berkshires and Southern Berkshires, with Pittsfield playing the city in the middle. Never new where to put it.
What sports has the Berkshire county towns ever dominated in?? Since I have been out here they have all been pushovers. The High school sports in the Berkshires are not on par with most of the Valley towns.
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Old 11-02-2016, 02:21 PM
 
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,940 posts, read 36,716,568 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by western mass and love it View Post
What sports has the Berkshire county towns ever dominated in??
Now this thread is getting nasty
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