Do you feel that Massachusetts is Boston-centric?

[robr2]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Funny store.. but Ive been to Europe over 20 times now and Ive learned not many people actually know what Massachusetts is. The name is kind of detering. Boston is much more well known. In parts of Portugal, Fall River was actually known over Boston by a few people.


Its strange, people will know what Harvard or MIT is. Probably know what Boston is too. Massachusetts? Nope... but its literally the first letter in MIT lol.

...because Fall Reevah is the home of many of their relatives.

[mdovell]

That also reminds me in China many will know of KFC but probably don't know where Kentucky is. KFC came over with soldiers in Japan during the 50's occupation but it didn't really show up with maps.

Of course the funny thing is how some people take things. When I was in China I meant to say "I know of Yau Ming". They thought I said I actually know him.

I think most are more apt to identify the country first and then the part.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Of course MA is Boston-centric. The Commonwealth is about the size of two Texas counties.

It's also in between the size of Houston metro and DFW!

Houston = 5k sq mi
MA = 7840 mi^2 of land
DFW = 9250 mi^2

[jxzz]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

I say, "Western Mass, not the Boston part." But long ago on a trip to Europe I would say New York because no one had ever heard of Massachusetts. So...I'm standing on a street in Belgium looking at a store window and the people next to me asked where I was from. "American, New York area" (assuming that they probably would know where that was.)

They said they were from Massachusetts. Then I said I was actually from Massachusetts. WHERE in Massachusetts? and so it goes...turned out they were friends of my parents! From my own town! You never know.

Very few people in Europe knew Northeast states. When I was in Paris dining in restaurant for vacation, I told waiter there for the question where are you from? I said "Connecticut state of USA", don't know where. I said "New England", don't know either. Then I said, "near New York", Oh yeah, New York city, famous city with skyscrapers.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by jxzz

Very few people in Europe knew Northeast states. When I was in Paris dining in restaurant for vacation, I told waiter there for the question where are you from? I said "Connecticut state of USA", don't know where. I said "New England", don't know either. Then I said, "near New York", Oh yeah, New York city, famous city with skyscrapers.

I mean, how many people in New England know where Lower Saxony or Galicia are?
With the exception of people with specific interests few people know subdivisions of other countries.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

It's also in between the size of Houston metro and DFW!

Houston = 5k sq mi
MA = 7840 mi^2 of land
DFW = 9250 mi^2

In fairness metro areas in Texas tend to be calculated very liberally.
Of the 13 counties included in Dallas MSA only 3 have a higher population density than the average of MA and 2 of those counties have a lower density than Franklin county (lowest density in MA).

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Lampert

There is also another big difference, both Chicago and NYC are very liberal cities while both upstate NY and the rest of IL are conservative. MA is quite uniform politically. I feel in today's hyper-political world this play a big in role in how the big city is seen.

I think MA and VT may be the only 2 states with "large" white liberal rural areas.

Maine does, and some parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa do , too...

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Maine does, and some parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa do , too...

I thought the most rural part of Maine was the most red.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I thought the most rural part of Maine was the most red.

It is: https://www.politico.com/2016-electi...esident/maine/

[bolehboleh]

Here in Malaysia, I find it really depends on who I'm talking to. For some reason, Malaysians haven't heard of Billerica , so I usually just say I'm from the Boston area.

Some people know of Massachusetts, but others do not. As for my European friends, they all seem to know Massachusetts and Boston, but nobody knows of Billerica lol