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If you read what I said, I said look at the census. To my knowledge, we don't do censuses in any year ending in 5.
The census goes in 10 year increments I believe. Whatever it says, what you said is inaccurate in that MA has never lost population "as long as we have been keeping track of it". I just wanted to clarify that (if you go year by year), the state had in fact lost people in 2005.
Look, Boston is okay at best. It has never been, and will never be, one of the great cities. It's main distinction is that it was one of the first places settled, but that was by mere geographical coincidence. Then people left for better places, and they continue to do so today.
Growing up in the western inland provinces of the southern states along the Atlantic (not the east coast, mind you), I always thought of Boston as one of the big, important US cities. Since moving here, I've been underwhelmed to say the least. Maybe after a few years I'll lower my standards like the rest of you and start to believe that it has something going for it.
In the meantime, trust me, I'm trying to do what a couple of you half-morons have suggested: go back to where I came from. Or anywhere else for that matter.
I'm not going to automatically rush to defend Boston, because maybe what's going on here is just that Boston does not happen to be a good fit for you. Even if you might have some criticisms based on something other than your personal taste in cities, no one can give a reasoned response to your post without some information on why you view Boston this way. Your post offers no details about why you feel "underwhelmed." I'd be interested in reading those reasons.
The census goes in 10 year increments I believe. Whatever it says, what you said is inaccurate in that MA has never lost population "as long as we have been keeping track of it". I just wanted to clarify that (if you go year by year), the state had in fact lost people in 2005.
I thought it was pretty obvious I was refering to the census. Thank you for your tremendous insight. So now that invalidates my point. You're right, people are leaving Massachusetts by the truckload. At least they were. For like a week. In 2005. Great point!
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Originally Posted by masonbauknight
@9162. If you don't know about the Boston Eurokid phenom, I am shocked. I do agree with the rest of your post though: Students want to stay in Boston after graduation -- the quality of life is that good. But the stayers (and the newcomers AND the Boston-Cambridge elite itself) make the city too expensive for most anyone to consider. You had better land a very nice job indeed. And those Boston winters. Br-r-r-r!
That sounds good on its face, but the reality is the data doesn't show the graduates leaving for less expensive places. If anything, they're leaving for locations that as expensive or more expensive. It is about opportunity. That is why we need to keep investing in and expanding our start up culture.
Look, Boston is okay at best. It has never been, and will never be, one of the great cities. It's main distinction is that it was one of the first places settled, but that was by mere geographical coincidence. Then people left for better places, and they continue to do so today.
Growing up in the western inland provinces of the southern states along the Atlantic (not the east coast, mind you), I always thought of Boston as one of the big, important US cities. Since moving here, I've been underwhelmed to say the least. Maybe after a few years I'll lower my standards like the rest of you and start to believe that it has something going for it.
In the meantime, trust me, I'm trying to do what a couple of you half-morons have suggested: go back to where I came from. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Someone has tiny d*ck syndrome. You need to live in a "great city" in order to feel good about yourself. So the only times you were happy about Boston were the years 2004 and 2007 when the Red Sox won the World Series...
I hope that you realize that where you live doesn't affect your identity and worth as a human being. Living in a "great city" doesn't suddenly make your life better and super models willing to date you.
Please go on ranting against Boston and blaming the city for your subpar quality of life.
Boston has somewhat of a lack of cultural draw in terms of things like compelling festivals and activities to draw people from outside there, or iconic buildings in the skyline ala NYC, Chicago, or Seattle (space Needle is silly but people know of it). What is Boston's calling card to attract other outsiders to care we are here?
I don't really see this as a significant thing. Boston is known for being a great city to live in, not really being a tourist attraction. I could ask the same question of plenty of other major cities. What's Atlanta's calling card? Or Houston's? Vancouver is often called a great city, but it doesn't really have some specific draw either.
Boston I would say is known for history and architecture, unlike most of the rest of the US. The narrow (and poorly laid out) streets and alleys, the old buildings, etc.
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Boston, why is your public transit outdone by semirural college towns in western MA, stifling your young and shallow and exciting and convenience factor versus many other large cities?
College towns are a bit of a different story with transport needs, just to point out. They have a very short list of destinations they need to serve at specific times to fit almost the entire student public transport-riding population's needs.
During the day: Off-campus student housing district to/from campus. Campus to/from wherever the main couple clusters of stores students visit for shopping/basic needs. At night: Off-campus student housing district, campus, bars.
I'd personally prefer the T running just an hour later at night than some 3AM bus system or the like, and it'd be much better patronized and more useful.
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What is shiny and iconic and new and shallow about you that would draw the average a-hole in?
I think what's iconic about Boston is that it isn't shiny and new.
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Originally Posted by Qfkl
Look, Boston is okay at best. It has never been, and will never be, one of the great cities. It's main distinction is that it was one of the first places settled, but that was by mere geographical coincidence. Then people left for better places, and they continue to do so today.
Growing up in the western inland provinces of the southern states along the Atlantic (not the east coast, mind you), I always thought of Boston as one of the big, important US cities. Since moving here, I've been underwhelmed to say the least. Maybe after a few years I'll lower my standards like the rest of you and start to believe that it has something going for it.
In the meantime, trust me, I'm trying to do what a couple of you half-morons have suggested: go back to where I came from. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Cite something specific if you have something to complain about. Otherwise it's impossible to have any reasonable argument besides "I don't like it", "You're wrong".
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Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan
Boston's population growth has been anemic over time. Massachusetts has lost a US Representative in three of the last four decades as a result of the censuses.
That's largely true of the Northeast as a whole though. Why is this a major negative for Boston and not NYC or Philly?
It's adorable to me that Boston has a rivalry with New York City, because it's really a one way street--NYC doesn't have a rivalry with Boston. Boston is basically an out of shape guy in his late 30s who's like, "I don't understand why nobody acts like I'm the shizzle anymore. I was a star quarterback in high school." Except he went to high school in the early 1700s.
Boston does not have a rivalry with New York and really has no interest in becoming like New York or any other city as far as I can tell. Boston is very secure with who it is and its regional history and culture is part of its charm. Boston is far from a washed up athlete too....it is very progressive with among the highest incomes and productivity in the world. As far as I'm concerned, Boston is unique is its ability to celebrate its history (like a European city) yet remain progressive and modern like other great American cities.
Boston has everything good going for it, but then it has those deficiencies that keep it middling.
Public transit deficiencies that the T refuses to fix - decent nightlife but the damn T ends at 12:30. As a proud resident of westernish MA, it gives me sick pleasure to point out that Amherst and Northampton have bus service running til 3 AM on the weekends. Up your game, Boston, and maybe people would stay out late en masse for culture, instead of scurrying back into your holes at 11:30 or worse, paying ripoff cab fares to stay out past then, or even worse, driving drunk.
I'm curious about when the PVTA's five-colleges routes were extended to 3AM on weekends. Those are later hours than they had when I lived in that area in the '90's. In fact, during the time I lived in that area, the hours were cut back to some degree, especially during breaks between semesters.
The limitations in service during school breaks mean that the five-colleges transit, while nice to have, is not an extensive service that is highly useful to year-round residents. Anyway, I'm curious about when the weekend hours were extended to 3AM, and I do agree that it would be a plus if the T ran later than it does.
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Originally Posted by FCMA
Other western cities have access to fantastic mountain landscapes, are exciting with their growing rather than stagnant economic prospects and relative affordability, LA has Hollywood glitz and all that BS. New York is simply frenetic all the time and a truly insane and renowned world-dominating metropolis. Miami is cocaine and beaches and hard bodies and clubs. DC is the nation's hallowed capitol with its ridiculous classical revival monuments. Philly has cheesesteaks, Rocky, and the Liberty Bell and the Constitution and all that. What is Boston known for besides people's vague knowledge of our historical sites and universities? A certain kind of tourist (but only a certain kind) will come for the history, and students are transient largely.
What is Boston's calling card to attract other outsiders to care we are here? Sure Boston offers a nice quality of life and has plenty of cultural vitality, and is beautiful, and farking expensive, but what is its identity in the national mind that would make the average joe want to visit, or know much about it besides that America was largely born there and it's cold, and we're a bunch of unAmerican commie pinko liberal elite latte sipping college professor types letting the terrorists win and we have funny accents and are the closest thing the USA has to sports hooligans? The colleges are a valid point, and the jewel in Boston's crown, but what else?
I might make a trip to Washington specifically for the museums and monuments, but Philly? I think it's a nice city, nicer than people sometimes give it credit for, and the last time I was there I made a point of hunting up a little eatery that was supposed to sell especially good cheesesteaks, but I wouldn't make a special trip there just to sample that cuisine, or to see the Rocky statue.
I do find it interesting that the stereotypes of Boston's populace include the contradicting images of the latte-sipping far-left academic types and the blue collar bunch that "the closest thing . . . to sports hooligans" element is drawn from. That contrast involves stereotypes, though. Yes, there is some truth to both images, but the stereotypes are exaggerations. At any rate, that's more a matter of local color than something to draw visitors.
A key question, though, is why a city has to have some big tourist magnet. I think you're downplaying the significance of Boston's history as a draw to tourists, but even if that were only a minor attraction, why does a city have to suck in the tourists to be regarded among the great cities? In terms of national or international renown, are economic and cultural impact less important than touristy glitz?
I'm curious about when the PVTA's five-colleges routes were extended to 3AM on weekends. Those are later hours than they had when I lived in that area in the '90's. In fact, during the time I lived in that area, the hours were cut back to some degree, especially during breaks between semesters.
The limitations in service during school breaks mean that the five-colleges transit, while nice to have, is not an extensive service that is highly useful to year-round residents. Anyway, I'm curious about when the weekend hours were extended to 3AM, and I do agree that it would be a plus if the T ran later than it does.
I might make a trip to Washington specifically for the museums and monuments, but Philly? I think it's a nice city, nicer than people sometimes give it credit for, and the last time I was there I made a point of hunting up a little eatery that was supposed to sell especially good cheesesteaks, but I wouldn't make a special trip there just to sample that cuisine, or to see the Rocky statue.
I do find it interesting that the stereotypes of Boston's populace include the contradicting images of the latte-sipping far-left academic types and the blue collar bunch that "the closest thing . . . to sports hooligans" element is drawn from. That contrast involves stereotypes, though. Yes, there is some truth to both images, but the stereotypes are exaggerations. At any rate, that's more a matter of local color than something to draw visitors.
A key question, though, is why a city has to have some big tourist magnet. I think you're downplaying the significance of Boston's history as a draw to tourists, but even if that were only a minor attraction, why does a city have to suck in the tourists to be regarded among the great cities? In terms of national or international renown, are economic and cultural impact less important than touristy glitz?
Same thing with DC. The Mall is nice, but DC is so much more than simply 'Washington'. Take a look: //www.city-data.com/forum/washi...ng-2-days.html Not gonna derail this thread but just something that I think you should check out.
NYC of course. LA, sure. I hear people talk about Boston just as much as they do Chicago. The only thing anyone says about Chicago these days how its population is declining and how high the crime is.
The entire Midwest looks up to Chicago just as Boston looks up to NYC and NYC runs the East Coast. So yes, people talk about Chicago. Chicago is the defacto capital of an entire region of America. You have to get out of your NE bubble. Boston may run New England but, NE is so off the map in the minds of most Americans that most Americans cannot even name 3 states in NE plus NE is just a subregion whereas the Midwest is a legit region. I took geography in college, trust me. And your ascertain of people talking about Boston more than Chicago is pure BS, first of all Boston is really only treated as a significant city in white American culture. Many non-whites in America view New York as the edge of the country and treat Boston and NE like it doesn't even exist. Secondly, Boston is only mentioned nationally due to sports. Literally nothing is said about Boston outside of sports. Thirdly, Boston is a medium sized city in a apart of the country that is forgotten by most. Just put into prospective the fact that the part of Chicago I live in, the Southside is bigger than Boston ALONE not even including the rest of the city and has nearly double the population of Boston despite destroying some of the largest housing projects in the country. So yes Boston is small/medium in comparison to NYC, LA, CHI. And the Southside alone is arguable more famous or more in the news than the city of Boston altogether.
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and we have funny accents and are the closest thing the USA has to sports hooligans? The colleges are a valid point, and the jewel in Boston's crown, but what else? 
