why so much east vs west in such a small state (Boston: buying a house, buying)

[mdovell]

I think that when it comes down to it the development of any area in the world generally dependent on first Rivers where ships were put and also with roads. Roads often followed rivers to a point or at least the coast so it made sense that that's what development happened. the Berkshires is connected more with New York they do receive New York media and one can easily see that going from Albany to Pittsfield isn't really that long of a drive however it's not on the Pike. the Pioneer Valley which is Hampton Hampden and Franklin County is more connected to Southern Vermont and Connecticut. Greenfield to Springfield is 40 miles or 45 minutes. Greenfield to North Adams is 47 miles or 54 minutes. also Pittsfield the largest community in the Berkshires is not exactly on the Mass Pike but you'd have to drive about 20 minutes from Lee to Pittsfield which is on the Pike.

My point being is the further out west you go outside of 91 the harder it is to get to the highway.

with respect to the media I think the general issue with this is that the capital of Massachusetts is Boston had it been in a Worcester perhaps itwould have contributed to broadcasters being more likely a broadcast out of there which would have made it more equal exchange of viewership. without having the range of Western Massachusetts it was generally Connecticut and New York and a bit of local that took over not Boston. You cannot pick up television signals from Western Mass that come out of Boston. With radio sure maybe a few here and there but that's on a.m. but the lower cost structure from what I've seen his allowed for the wise up some in western Mass to be the second tier. Mass Live at this point is the second largest news provider in the state behind the Boston Globe. they are starting a cover events in Eastern Massachusetts and certainly are covering Central Mass.

Getting back to the Quabbin it wasn't so much that divided the state but the fact that much of what you see around it and had to be preserved lion that they don't have any development allow. This is also true of Southern Vermont where much of it is federal and state parks.

There are other areas have divisions. for example New York Buffalo is a significant size city but you wouldn't necessarily say it from New York City because that's much larger and two totally different regions

[MassNative2891]

Originally Posted by Madaly

I have lived in the South Shore all my life and I will admit it, I know next to nothing about parts North or West of Boston. We are a teeny tiny state, yet I have not really traveled any further than West of Worcester, or North of Boston. And to be quite honest, I don't really care to. It just doesn't interest me. Sometimes, I forget that there are other parts of MA. lol

The Western part of Ma is soooo different than where I am from, it is like a totally different state. I know people from out there and I have found the people that I know from there to be a little snobbier than the people I know here. I think that people who live that far west are a little more well off financially than where I am from, and same for most towns up North. So you just see different classes, I guess. I don't know how to explain it.

This. I always felt like the Southern part of the city leaks into the South Shore. Heavy Irish pop in Southie and Dot for example lead to communities like Quincy, Weymouth, Milton etc being more interconnected with this side of the city while North End, Eastie leak into Revere, Everett, Salem, Lynn, etc.

This goes ditto for the black populations of DRM along Rt28 into West Milton, Randolph, Brockton, Holbrook, etc.

For example, I didn't know about the North Shores obsession with roast beef until my 20s.

[johngolf]

IL was the same in many respects. About 90% of the population in IL lives within 50 miles of Chicago. The other 10% are spread out, some as far as 365 miles from Chicago.

[bolehboleh]

Growing up in the Merrimack Valley, my friends who went on vacation would always go to NH or Maine -Western Mass was almost never a consideration.

We used to go to Ashburnham for the summer and friends thought that it was strange that we would stay in Mass for vacation. We would rarely go to the Berkshires for anything. Let's be honest though, the White mountains are far more spectacular than the Berkshires.

Of course, I lived in Cambridge for 2 years, my parents' home in the Merrimack Valley seemed like it was a million miles away

I'm just thankful that my dad was obsessed with the Quabbin Reservoir and the Hoosac Tunnel, so we did actually get to see some parts of the West - just never the Berkshires.

(and yes, the Berkshires are Western Mass, not some other region)

[Atomicdoug]

I lived in Nutley NJ for 2 years in the late 80s and could not wait to get out of there. As someone who enjoys cycling, hiking and outdoors stuff that was probably the worst place to be. Essex county is choked with traffic, it's very high density population. The plus side was proximity to NYC, but if you want to do outdoor stuff, Essex isn't the place.

You do not need to go 3 hrs though. You can go out Rt 78 straight into Somerset/Hunterdon county NJ (about 90 min maybe?) and that is quite rural with rivers, hiking, fishing, nice for cycling etc. You can also go to the state parks in northern NJ, or to the Delaware water gap.

I was very happy when I left essex county NJ.

Originally Posted by baystater

Dude. I total get what you mean. I'm in Essex County, New Jersey as we speak. Basically I'm 2 seconds from route 3 and could probably be in NYC without traffic in 15 - 20 minutes. Heck on certain hills in the town I live I can see parts of NYC.
To be honest to me this place is rather depressing. This in my mind is the land of urban/suburban sprawl where one town just rolls into another. Yes the town where I'm living has nice small parks. But when you can see traffic around them it just not the same as looking out on the ocean that extends out to the horizon or to be out in the nature hiking trails or rock climbing with out a car or perhaps sometime not another person around. This area that I'm at now is made for people that like cities and want to be in the action all the time. There is plenty of culture to go around as well. But for people that like alot of green and blue. No. This ain't the place.
Even D.C. had more to offer with in a 15 20 minute radius. Rock Creek Park was really nice and Great falls national park was totally awesome, the Potomac was beautiful.
Though I'm complaining here. I wouldn't say it would take as long as 3 1/2 hours to find a nice outdoor spot. Probably closer to an 1 1/2 - 2 hours. But you have to head north or west to find it. There are nice spot in Rockland County and Sussex counties that I've found.









Don't know. Didn't go to school there. I am guessing it is about employment opportunities.

[Atomicdoug]

The east v West is no different than upstate NY vs NYC. In general there is a cultural divide between rural and city. That is no different in Western Mass vs Boston. The reality is 90% of the states population lives in greater boston and most other parts of the state are relatively low density rural areas. So those areas have a different demographic than Boston. More likely to be conservative vs. liberal in the city. More likely to hunt/own guns. More likely to drive a pickup truck. More likely to farm, or do other trades vs the white collar college educated folks in the city.

The issues and needs of the rural counties are much different than those of greater Boston. Much of the state is depressed, as factories/plants have closed up and people are just hanging on.

[GeoffD]

The Connecticut River Valley isn’t isolated. Unless you’re Stockbridge/Tanglewood with the Mass Pike, the Route 7 towns are pretty isolated.

[Shrewsburried]

I don't really perceive an east/west divide. In fact, Bostonians seem adore western MA (and the Berkshires, for those compelled to differentiate) even if their definition of "western Mass" might conflate it with areas of Worcester county.

A more accurate assessment might be that central MA hates everyone, including themselves, and these salty central MA residents are often confused for being either eastern or western MA residents.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

A more accurate assessment might be that central MA hates everyone, including themselves, and these salty central MA residents are often confused for being either eastern or western MA residents.

Sounds about right, haha.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Atomicdoug

I lived in Nutley NJ for 2 years in the late 80s and could not wait to get out of there. As someone who enjoys cycling, hiking and outdoors stuff that was probably the worst place to be. Essex county is choked with traffic, it's very high density population. The plus side was proximity to NYC, but if you want to do outdoor stuff, Essex isn't the place.

You do not need to go 3 hrs though. You can go out Rt 78 straight into Somerset/Hunterdon county NJ (about 90 min maybe?) and that is quite rural with rivers, hiking, fishing, nice for cycling etc. You can also go to the state parks in northern NJ, or to the Delaware water gap.

I was very happy when I left essex county NJ.

I hear what you're saying about Essex County NJ. I like it though. There's nature much closer than 90 minutes and some of those suburban towns although Dense are very pretty, well-manicured and more cohesive than some MA bubrs of comparable price. Some very nice town centers. Nutley, Montclair, Maplewood, West Orange,South Orange, and Short Hills are all very very nice. I like the view of Manhattan coming out of Montclair State University. It is kinda Eastern MA on steroids though. Which is Southern/SWCT on steroids.

THe North Jersey vs South Jersey divide might be even stronger than East vs West here. As much as I enjoy proximity to NYC and tree cover in my wifes native Maplewood, I really really enjoy the levittown esque simplicity,neatness, stillness and quiet of my Aunts home/town in Willingboro NJ and into Mount Laurel NJ. A wegmans amidst leftover parcels of farmland, straight roads with modern athletic fields and schools. sprinkled in here and there. It's a great place to get a clear head.

I enjoy Boston and Environs but sometimes I really do actually like being in Springfield or Easthampton where traffic is essentially nonexistent and I can see valleys and hills.