Boundaries of MA's regions (Boston, Worcester: school districts, income, living)

[tomgsinger]

I'm planning on making crowdsourced maps of MA's regions, so I was wondering what you'd consider the boundaries of:
Northeast Massachusetts ,including most or all of:
Merrimack Valley
North Shore

METRO Boston (not greater, as that would encompass a large swath of NE, SE and MetroWest)

Southeast Massachusetts (including the South Coast)
South Coast

South Shore
MetroWest

Central Mass.(including)
South County
Blackstone Valley
North County and/or Johnny Appleseed Trail

Western Mass, including:
Pioneer Valley
Berkshires and Mohawk Trail
Keep in mind that you don't need to do all of them, that the sub-regions (i.e. Pioneer Valley, South Coast etc.) I'm looking for opinions as well, and that the main five regions encompass more than just the region(s) in parentheses.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by tomgsinger

I'm planning on making crowdsourced maps of MA's regions, so I was wondering what you'd consider the boundaries of:
Northeast Massachusetts ,including most or all of:
Anywhere northeast of Route 2
Merrimack Valley
Any towns that border the Merrrimack River
North Shore
Anywhere North of Boston and east of Rt1 and I95.

METRO Boston (not greater, as that would encompass a large swath of NE, SE and MetroWest)
Roughly within I128

Southeast Massachusetts (including the South Coast)
South Coast

South Shore
MetroWest

Central Mass.(including)
South County
Blackstone Valley
North County and/or Johnny Appleseed Trail

Western Mass, including:
Pioneer Valley
Berkshires and Mohawk Trail
Keep in mind that you don't need to do all of them, that the sub-regions (i.e. Pioneer Valley, South Coast etc.) I'm looking for opinions as well, and that the main five regions encompass more than just the region(s) in parentheses.

Meh that's the only parts that I've lived in.

[mdovell]

South coast I consider the fall river and new bedford areas. Wareham might be iffy because that could be considered south coast/south shore and maybe the cape. I consider the cape anything beyond the bridge.

I would agree on 128 being the boston area of the metro.

Berkshires is berkshire county. Anything north adams can be northern. Pittsfield southern although it isn't really the most southern point.

[tovarisch]

Pioneer Valley clearly covers its three counties and nothing else (Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden).

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

Pioneer Valley clearly covers its three counties and nothing else (Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden).

It usually refers to areas of Hampden & Hampshire Counties but I'm fine with including parts of Franklin Cty too. It's the valley of the Connecticut River.

[Cloudship]

There's not even agreement on what the regions are, let alone what the borders are. Metro West, for instance, depends entirely upon where you live - in Boston it is anything beyond 495 up to Worcester, while if you live in Worcester it is within the 495 belt. That is probably why you can't find a definitive map of New England regions - they are all very subjective.

[mdovell]

Technically speaking the knowledge corridor crosses into CT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartfo...%93Springfield

Metro areas tend to be connected more on proximity more than actual state and local lines. If you mention Franklin county and Greenfield it's hard to not try to lump in Brattleboro VT. Southern VT would be totally cut off if it didn't have access to Mass. Burlington is 2.5 hours away. Nashua is 1.5 hours away. The Berkshires are pretty much linked together and there's not much (no offense to anyone) further west in NY until you get to Albany and Troy which are 45 miles away.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by tomgsinger

I'm planning on making crowdsourced maps of MA's regions, so I was wondering what you'd consider the boundaries of:
Northeast Massachusetts ,including most or all of:
Merrimack Valley
North Shore

METRO Boston (not greater, as that would encompass a large swath of NE, SE and MetroWest)

Southeast Massachusetts (including the South Coast)
South Coast

South Shore
MetroWest

Central Mass.(including)
South County
Blackstone Valley
North County and/or Johnny Appleseed Trail

Western Mass, including:
Pioneer Valley
Berkshires and Mohawk Trail
Keep in mind that you don't need to do all of them, that the sub-regions (i.e. Pioneer Valley, South Coast etc.) I'm looking for opinions as well, and that the main five regions encompass more than just the region(s) in parentheses.

I can tackle Central Mass for you.

South County should actually be called Southwest County: Draw the boundary surrounding Oxford, Webster, Dudley, Charlton, Sturbridge and Southbridge.

Blackstone Valley is easy. It's basically all the towns east of South County, but south of Worcester. The boundary would surround Douglas, Sutton, Millbury, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Mendon, Upton, Millville, Blackstone and Hopedale.

Add West County: Leicester, Spencer, The Brookfields, and Warren. Some feel that Brimfield, Wales and Holland should be included because, although it's in the 413 area code and not part of Worcester County, they are part of the Tantasqua school district in Sturbridge. Warren is the only Worcester County town in the 413 area code.

North County: This is a little ambiguous. All of tthe towns in the Leominster/Fitchburg corridor would be included. It would go perhaps as far south as Sterling. Include Leominster, Fitchburg, Lunenberg, Westminster, Ashburnham, Princeton, Winchendon, Gardner, Hubbardston, Templeton, and Lancaster. Maybe include Townsend, Pepperell, and Ashby. Although it's not Worcester County, I would still include it as Central Mass.

There's been some talk of a "Quabbin" region being the ambiguous divide between Central and Western Mass.
Those could be Barre, New Braintree, Hardwick, Oakham, New Salem, Petersham, Ware, Orange, Royalston, and maybe Athol.

Westboro, Southboro, and Northboro are in limbo. They are in Worcester County but are considered part of Metro West. Many also consider it part of Central Mass as well.

Some towns immediately surrounding Worcester were left off. Maybe call it Greater Worcester? Towns like Auburn, Shrewsbury, West Boylston, Boylston, Rutland, Paxton, Holden, Clinton, and (oh yeah....) Worcester might be considered as such.

Maybe the three other posters on the Mass c-d forum with knowledge of anything west of 495 can post their input.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

North County: This is a little ambiguous. All of tthe towns in the Leominster/Fitchburg corridor would be included. It would go perhaps as far south as Sterling. Include Leominster, Fitchburg, Lunenberg, Westminster, Ashburnham, Princeton, Winchendon, Gardner, Hubbardston, Templeton, and Lancaster. Maybe include Townsend, Pepperell, and Ashby. Although it's not Worcester County, I would still include it as Central Mass.

Very ambiguous. Sterling and Lancaster tend to function as a cultural extensions of Bolton/Harvard; i.e., upper income commuter towns for 495/metro west with a pleasant veneer of rural living. Groton is similar in this regard (though distinctly more intellectual/progressive), with the bulk of the town residents tied to higher income jobs east.

[Cloudship]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

I can tackle Central Mass for you.

South County should actually be called Southwest County: Draw the boundary surrounding Oxford, Webster, Dudley, Charlton, Sturbridge and Southbridge.

Blackstone Valley is easy. It's basically all the towns east of South County, but south of Worcester. The boundary would surround Douglas, Sutton, Millbury, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Mendon, Upton, Millville, Blackstone and Hopedale.

Add West County: Leicester, Spencer, The Brookfields, and Warren. Some feel that Brimfield, Wales and Holland should be included because, although it's in the 413 area code and not part of Worcester County, they are part of the Tantasqua school district in Sturbridge. Warren is the only Worcester County town in the 413 area code.

North County: This is a little ambiguous. All of tthe towns in the Leominster/Fitchburg corridor would be included. It would go perhaps as far south as Sterling. Include Leominster, Fitchburg, Lunenberg, Westminster, Ashburnham, Princeton, Winchendon, Gardner, Hubbardston, Templeton, and Lancaster. Maybe include Townsend, Pepperell, and Ashby. Although it's not Worcester County, I would still include it as Central Mass.

There's been some talk of a "Quabbin" region being the ambiguous divide between Central and Western Mass.
Those could be Barre, New Braintree, Hardwick, Oakham, New Salem, Petersham, Ware, Orange, Royalston, and maybe Athol.

Westboro, Southboro, and Northboro are in limbo. They are in Worcester County but are considered part of Metro West. Many also consider it part of Central Mass as well.

Some towns immediately surrounding Worcester were left off. Maybe call it Greater Worcester? Towns like Auburn, Shrewsbury, West Boylston, Boylston, Rutland, Paxton, Holden, Clinton, and (oh yeah....) Worcester might be considered as such.

Maybe the three other posters on the Mass c-d forum with knowledge of anything west of 495 can post their input.

You must be from somewhere around Sutton. This just goes to show you how differently regions are perceived based solely upon the town you live in. I live in North Central.

For me, South County is anything south of Worcester, with the possible exceptions of Grafton, Auburn, Leicester, and maybe Millbury, maybe not. Blackstone Valley is a part of South County, essentially those towns along 146 or east. North County is more than one town north of Worcester, along or west of 190. North Central is the towns one or two north of Worcester. Most people around here forget that Westborough, Milford, Berlin, Hartford etc. are even part of Worcester county. And yes, towns are often part of two or more regions.

Maybe you will have better luck going by school districts. Those are probably much clearer.