New Residents: Now that you've moved to Mass, do you have any regrets? (Boston: sales, house)

[1979]

Now that you've moved to Mass, do you have any regrets? What do you miss? What did you not anticipate?

[dgbos]

Love mass - the main regret is the cost of living for us. I miss having an old renovated house 10mins from downtown for $250k!

[brent s]

I moved up from Long Island, so I don't really have any regrets haha. MA is cheap as hell compared to where I'm coming from.

[thenewNewEnglander]

Welcome to New England Brent!


Dont forget... we're ALL Yankees. But around here there's only ONE baseball team just kidding!

Thanks for coming to Mass!

Originally Posted by brent s

I moved up from Long Island, so I don't really have any regrets haha. MA is cheap as hell compared to where I'm coming from.

[2happy]

Originally Posted by thenewNewEnglander

Welcome to New England Brent!


Dont forget... we're ALL Yankees. But around here there's only ONE baseball team just kidding!

Thanks for coming to Mass!

That's hilarious!!!

[jdinma]

I wouldn't call them 'regrets' but maybe a 'wish list' for when we move to a new place? The small town we moved to seems more than the mere 30 miles to Boston. In fact, most of the people I've met here in town (I'm not a church goer either, so that number I can count on both hands) never go into Boston at all. Also, we're considered a bit of a freak since people rarely move to this town from out of state (or move at all) so add more diverse backgrounds to that wish list as well.

I would also keep in mind that the towns/cities carry the financial brunt of keeping up schools and other government offices where I come from there are school districts and counties to help share the load a bit more. So before balking at the tax base (ours is very low, go figure) take a long hard look at the schools, activities, etc. available for the residents.

[lrfox]

^Good advice. It seems you have experienced some of the provincial nature of New England. There are many cities and towns in New England that are open minded as you could ever imagine, but there certainly are some Provincial ones, even close to Boston.

I grew up in a town like that, (but left) so I understand. Many cities and towns are considering regionalizing school districts here now that budgets are being slashed left and right. The problem is that, particularly in Eastern MA, the "small towns" have too many kids to combine with another district or else you'll have MASSIVE schools. I still think it'll happen (and it NEEDS to) to help areas with budget woes.

Diversity in small towns is hard to find in MA, it's aggravating at times and often over looked because even the smaller cities (of which there are many) have a good amount of diversity.

I'd say your wish list is and should be common among most people coming into this state.

[brent s]

Originally Posted by thenewNewEnglander

Welcome to New England Brent!


Dont forget... we're ALL Yankees. But around here there's only ONE baseball team just kidding!

Thanks for coming to Mass!

I've been a Red Sox fan my whole life

My parents are from MA, and I was born here and lived here until I was 5. Came back 22 years later.

[clevedark]

I miss fantastic sales and good buys in home furnishings, clothes, everything. I miss seeing really bizarre and interesting things at yard sales and antique shops. Specialty manufacturers having warehouse sales, I miss my decorator who only bought mill ends and never let me spend more than 20 buck an yard on fabric. I miss cheap gas and cheap food at the supermarket. I miss certain ethnic foods that aren't found in my neck of the woods, although I'm sure it's in some other towns.

I miss not having a history and knowing where the heck everything is and where to go and remember going there 15 years ago with my MIL before she had a stroke, or that my father brought us to this place or that place when we were kids and now I'm bringing my kids there, or pointing at a really cool building and saying that's where your grandpa used to work, or that's where Mom worked, and that's where dad used to live without having to drive four hours to show it to them.... I miss having a friend from middle school living two blocks away, and being really good friends with my next door neighbor.. Stuff like that. Yah, easy stuff.

Well, I'm a Taurus so I'm sentimental. And I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself today. Because our life here is probably better in many ways that it would be there--schools, commute, job, recreation--but for the emotional and historical connections....

And I lived in a place where mostly everybody was from somewhere else, and a lot of people who grew up there moved somewhere else, so I always secretly felt like a loser for not getting up and moving somewhere else like those adventurous people. So there, we did it.

[gamsauer]

I absolutely have NO regrets. Moving to MA has been the best thing I have ever done in my life.