What do people in western mass think of people in eastern mass (Boston: home, movies)

[western mass and love it]

Western Mass is Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. The Berkshires are just that , The Berkshires. People in the 3 counties consider them as their own region.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by BSB1

Smith, of course, I knew I'd forgotten one.

>>(Williams College is not in WMass, btw, but it is in the western part of the state.)<<

Now, I hesitate to ask, but is there a difference?

The WMass debate has been done here before, driven into the ground, but anyway I'll take a shot at it.

To people from EMass, WMass means something different than what it means to people from WMass. To us, WMass generally means the Pioneer Valley or the area the runs along both sides of the Connecticut River, probably from Longmeadow up to around Greenfield to the north. That area includes Springfield, Northampton, Easthampton, Hadley, Amherst and other neighboring areas.

(Someone will probably correct me or fill in what I have left out.)

Williams College is in Williamstown, MA. It's out somewhere towards--or in--the Berkshires. People from WMass are not usually familiar with the Berkshires out in the far western part of the state, separate from what is called "WMass" or western MA. Got it? It's a local distinction just as there are probably local distinctions out in EMass that we don't get. (To some of us, anything east of our area is just thrown in together and called "Boston.")

[LexWest]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

That's right. I'm from WMass but lived on the north shore in EMass for quite a few years and have recently absconded to CT. And they talk just the same as I do! (Well, actually, in CT there is a Boston type accent when you go east of the river and there's a NYC type accent down in Fairfield County adjacent to NYC.)

But central CT, and the CT River Valley and CT to the west of the river (with the exception of NYC based FF County) talk just the way we do. They even order "grinders." I have always thought that the CT River is the dividing line. It also divides Vermont from NH and Vermont speaks as we do; NH tends to have that "Boston" accent.

People originally from MA or having family from MA may sound that way, but most of native NH has a different accent—e.g. pronouncing their "R"s.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

Western Mass is Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. The Berkshires are just that , The Berkshires. People in the 3 counties consider them as their own region.

I'm just imagining the looks my friend from Pittsfield would give, if you told her she's not from Western Mass...

[western mass and love it]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I'm just imagining the looks my friend from Pittsfield would give, if you told her she's not from Western Mass...

She is from the Berkshires, that's how it goes around here.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

She is from the Berkshires, that's how it goes around here.

OK next time she forgets where she's from, I'll tell her to ask someone in Springfield.

Btw. I've never once heard her say she's from the "Berkshires", nor has anyone else in her family.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I'm just imagining the looks my friend from Pittsfield would give, if you told her she's not from Western Mass...

You don't want to incite this debate, no matter how objective your perspective might be. I personally can tolerate it even less than those who insist on differentiating between Cambridge and Boston when in conversation some 30 miles west of either city - just let them be 'right'.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by FCMA

I'll add a classic statement about Mass geography once spoken to me, when I was discussing where I live on the Route 2 brink of Western Mass -- "Oh so you're out by Framingham and the Quabbin Reservoir."

This person actually managed to use both of those places in the same sentence, implying that (only in her mind) the two places must be in close proximity, both being beyond 128.

To a Texan, Framingham and the Quabbin are close together.

[BSB1]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

The WMass debate has been done here before, driven into the ground, but anyway I'll take a shot at it.

To people from EMass, WMass means something different than what it means to people from WMass. To us, WMass generally means the Pioneer Valley or the area the runs along both sides of the Connecticut River, probably from Longmeadow up to around Greenfield to the north. That area includes Springfield, Northampton, Easthampton, Hadley, Amherst and other neighboring areas.

(Someone will probably correct me or fill in what I have left out.)

Williams College is in Williamstown, MA. It's out somewhere towards--or in--the Berkshires. People from WMass are not usually familiar with the Berkshires out in the far western part of the state, separate from what is called "WMass" or western MA. Got it? It's a local distinction just as there are probably local distinctions out in EMass that we don't get. (To some of us, anything east of our area is just thrown in together and called "Boston.")

Ok. Well, I'm 70 plus, was born in Boston, and have lived here 90% of my life and that's news to me. So you learn something new every day.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by turf3

To a Texan, Framingham and the Quabbin are close together.

To a Texan, Pittsfield would just about be a suburb of Boston! In Mass, people often talk as if a place 20 or 30 miles away is in a different and inaccessible universe.