where are the gay friendly places to live outside of boston? (Worcester: real estate, houses)

[bkidd]

What are the gay friendly places outside of boston? What about Quincy? North shore vs south shore? Just looking for a little advice. I'm really not to interested in living in boston itself but would like to be close so I can go when I want. Thanks for your help!

[1979]

Throughout much of New England being gay is not a big deal, in fact, in most of the metro areas its probably not much different than being left-handed. The areas that are most gay friendly would be Boston, Providence, and Providencetown. Worcester and Springfield are OK too. Provincetown is a gay resort. Providence,RI probably has the biggest per capita amount of gay bars/nightclubs plus other gay establishments, such as coffee houses; the city has about 175,000 people with about 9 or 10 clubs. There are gay churches, contra-dancing, support groups. Usually, the more rural you go, the more isolated you'll be. Also, keep in mind this is a non-smoking area. There is one gay club in Randolph that does allow smoking because it is considered a private club, but that might have changed...

[scarletfire]

I think most suburban areas of Boston you'd feel welcomed but I can only speak to the metrowest and north shore. I know several same-gender couples who live near me in Sherborn (west of Boston). Because our small community has a UU church and the Peace Abbey it tends to draw many progressive-minded, socially active people. Not that there aren't a smattering of McCain signs in town (yikes!) but our town tends to lean liberal. It's a terrific town with large lot sizes, lots of hiking trails and preservation of conservation land, and a quaint town center. We're about 40 minutes west of Boston. I have friends that are same-gender couples who live in Wellesley and like it a lot because they can walk to everything. Prices are high but you have easy access to Boston and lovely restaurants & shops.

ps. I don't know much about Quincy except to say my friends live in Wollaston and it's very pretty and they like having access to public transit and walking on the beach (although I doubt they actually swim at Wallaston Beach). Lot sizes are small but the houses are cute and well maintained in their neighborhood. There are other parts of Quincy that are a bit grittier so just be careful.

[bkidd]

I would love to take a vacation in province town I've read about that. Providence seems like where I keep comming back to put of all the other places. Is dealing with the snow difficult?

[cathy70.3]

Hi , Think about Northampton, MA or Brattleboro, Vt. You will find a warm community of like minded people and residents open to all. They are both about two hours from Boston.

[lrfox]

bkidd, the snow situation is actually a lot better in Providence than it is in Boston even though they're relatively close. It's proximity to Long Island Sound (warmer waters than those north of Cape Cod in the Gulf of Maine) probably keeps the temperature is slightly higher so the snow isn't all that bad.

[bkidd]

How often does it snow in providence? Lol I'd like to see some. do you still get the great change of seasons?

[VlyRoadKid]

This is a bit of a tough question. OVERALL, Massachusetts is more than tolerant...I'd say outright accepting of gays and Lesbians (1st state to legalize marriage---and proud of it! CT just did).

That being said, there are "pockets" of conservativism in places where you would expect them (such as rural towns in the Berkshires, where old Hippies haven't had much influence), but even in the CT River Valley (just minutes from the VERY open-minded Northampton), you've got Hatfield--which is like stepping back 100 yrs. in time, in many respects, and places like S. Deerfield.

Much of it has to do with the ethnic and/or religious makeup of the areas. In places like Hatfield, you're dealing with what my Dad used to call "Old Swamp Yankees"--Very uptight! And...AVOID WORCESTER! The % of Catholics there (I should know...my dad grew up there and half my Catholic relatives live there) are RABIDLY anti-gay, as well as anti-sex-ed, anti-choice and so on!

I'd stick to the college towns, like Northampton (widely known for its Lesbian population), Amherst, and the Easternmost towns, but NOT working-class ones on the North or South Shore, such as Gloucester (much as I love the place--again with the Catholics). Unless it's for vacation, stay away from coastal, fishing towns like New Bedford, Fall River, on the S. Shore (I'm not sure about the others...). Those old towns tend to be VERY conservative!

Provincetown, or pretty much anywhere on the outer Cape will be quite friendly. MV, I noticed, is also quite accepting (the Kennedys live there...and despite their religion, are known for tolerance! lol They kind of have to be!).

P.S. Regarding snow...are you avoiding it, or looking for it? If so, good news! Vermont is pretty liberal about being gay--though they're rather split on gay marriage and civil unions. When traveling up to see my sister in the Northeast Kingdom a few yrs. ago, I kept seeing signs saying "Take Back Vermont". I asked my sister what they meant & was told, in short, "Well, there's a ballot question about civil unions for gays. About half the state's in favor of it and the other isn't." Half is good, even in this days...when you're out in the country!

[brightdoglover]

Unless I read incorrectly, people are referring to Provincetown (the summer mecca town on the Cape) and Providence (the main city in Rhode Island) because someone referred to "Providencetown."
Certainly Provincetown is a gay mecca, men and women. It's just that there's absolutely no work, real estate is very high, and likely you can only live there if you come in with significant outside money, plus have some sort of software job where you work from home. Or have a trust fund.
Providence, RI, is a good little city, with a fair amount of redevelopment, a great theater company (Trinity Rep) and wonderful restaurants- the culinary school Johnson & Wales is there, plus there's the legacy of the Italian and Portuguese immigrants.
They are two totally different places, but I imagine a couple or individual would be fine in Providence, too.

[bkidd]

I'm definitely not trying to avoid the snow being from the south all we see is ice and the entire city shuts down! People actually fight over bread at the store they act like the world is ending its rediculous! I work in retail so it will be hard for me to stay away from suburbs unless I can find something else to do. I would love to go back to floral design. Anyone out there need help? Hehe