Why is Boston considered urban/vibrant on city data? (Cambridge: to live in, restaurants)

[scratchie]

Edward, I didn't choose my words very carefully and shouldn't have implied that there's still any active pressure keeping black people out of Arlington. I lived there for nine years and found it to be mostly a very liberal, tolerant town.

My main point, though, was that for whatever reason, such a town is still noticeably less diverse than any town I've found down here in the Triangle.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

I am glad you had a positive experience in your interaction with people in the Arlington and Lexington area. I wholeheartedly believe what you describe to be true. However, I also believe that there is still racism in parts of Massachusetts. I think you would still find racist tendencies in some of the lower socioeconomic towns of the Merrimack Valley, especially the Lowell suburbs.

I am definitely not in the camp that thinks racism is dead, so I realize it still exists in Massachusetts. But I am in the camp that thinks some level of racism still exists everywhere on this planet and probably will exist until the day I die.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by scratchie

Edward, I didn't choose my words very carefully and shouldn't have implied that there's still any active pressure keeping black people out of Arlington. I lived there for nine years and found it to be mostly a very liberal, tolerant town.

My main point, though, was that for whatever reason, such a town is still noticeably less diverse than any town I've found down here in the Triangle.

Thank you for the clarification scratchie. Spacial racism as I mentioned definitely exists, but I just wanted to share my personal experience, anecdotal or not, but a positive experience nonetheless.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by GoldCountry80

The scary part is that when Boston completes its gentrification, then all the mostly white middle class towns will be over run. Billerica will start to face nonwhite immigration and they are starting now even with that prison they plan to build that George Simolaris protested. Towns like Billerica and Tewksbury are going to take the brunt of it I feel and along with the Casinos will come a whole new crowd with it. I see where things are going now.. well and clear. Boston runs the state so how Boston goes, will dictate outer areas but seems when people get pushed out of Boston, they go north, not so much to places like Randolph, Stoughton or Holliston. More Billerica/Tewk.. I wonder why that's been but its weird how everyone goes north. The poor white inner city people in the past, now the nonwhites are headed north too.

Your assessment of Massachusetts is wrong because the situation is not as clear cut as you make it out to be. It is my opinion that the current non-white people you reference are an improvement over the poor whites that they replaced. Many of the poor whites moved out of the ghettos around the time the Kennedys rose to power. With the rise to power of the Kennedys these low class whites were able to move into positions in state government. Coincidentally the early 1970s is when MA government turned majority Democrat. One word that is often affiliated with MA state government is nepotism and that is because the low class whites have maintained power in the state by hiring their relatives and keeping competing interests out of state government.

Now birthrates among whites, even poor whites has dropped significantly since the 1950s and 60s. I see the non-white immigrants gaining control of the state at some point and that is when things will turn around. From a personal standpoint, the percentage of my friends that are non-white has been growing steadily over the years. I see the eventual shrinking of the white population in MA as a beacon of hope for Massachusetts.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

The Hispanics (and Latinos/as) are the future of the US. If anyone thinks non-Hispanic whites will exist in any meaningful numbers anywhere on the planet 100 years from now, they are living in a fantasy world.

What is New England going to do to stay relevant in a continent dominated by Hispanic/Latin culture?

? Maybe Northern New England wont be relevant but Southern New England has plentyyy of Latinos. All States are above 10% Latino with Mass.. at this point 10-11%, RI at about 13-14%, CT at 14-15%. Theres about 675,000 Latinos in Mass. alone and well over a million in the three southern New England states.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by scratchie

I thought he said something about "moving back to Boston" at one point. "I went back to MA not long ago and I got repulsed going near Boston." The other town names he drops make it sound like he's certainly familiar with the area.

Oh yeah, he/she's definitely familiar with the area, but I took this to mean that he/she doesn't live here anymore. (+1 for MA).:

Originally Posted by GoldCountry80

I was going to opt for NH if I stayed to be honest.

Pretty much all of it? Is this a trick question?

Fair enough, for some reason I thought you meant signs with street names on them. We have those.

Though in general I guess I don't pay too much attention to signs or lack there-ofs. I can't think of a time when I should've had a sign, but didn't. Then again, I guess I'm familiar with the area.

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Fair enough, for some reason I thought you meant signs with street names on them. We have those.

Sure. The thing is, though, in most places, it's considered standard to mark *both* streets in any particular intersection.

Though in general I guess I don't pay too much attention to signs or lack there-ofs.

Problem is, a lot of the staff at the DCR and the state Highway Department seem to take a similar attitude towards traffic engineering.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by scratchie

Problem is, a lot of the staff at the DCR and the state Highway Department seem to take a similar attitude towards traffic engineering.

Haha, oh well.

I tend to take buses and subways more than I drive.

At least I have something of an excuse!

[mdovell]

Um...bringing race into this is an odd concept. Of course on the inverse here what happens when hispanic/latino is considered white? Irish was not always considered white as was Italian and Arab.

Gentrification is a fact of life in Ma. Professionalism took away from any type of working class. Blue collar is nearly gone. If you want a job in the trades or manufacturing expect to get a degree first.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by scratchie

One big difference: In a lot of those cities, they actually put up signs to tell you where you are, and where you're going. So even if you're not from that city, you can find your way around. Boston doesn't do that. Boston doesn't tell you the name of the street you're on, ever, and in a lot of places, you're lucky to get a street sign with just a town name on it; no street name, no route number, no cardinal direction. Don't know whether to go towards Newton or Watertown to get to Brighton? Tough luck, buddy. Go back where you came from.

Whoa! This is so true. I can't tell you how many times we've had the following conversation in Boston:

Me: Excuse me, ma'am. Do you live here?

Resident: Yes.

Me: Okay, what's the name of this street?

Resident: I don't know.

Me: What do you mean you don't know?

Resident: I don't know.

Me: Okay. How do I get to Dudley Square from here?

Resident: I don't know.

Me: You know where Dudley Square is, right?

Resident: I know where it is. I just don't know how to get there.

Me: Alright. Can you at least tell me how to get back to Downtown?

Resident: You take that long twisty road over there. Then you're going to make a right turn at some point. Not sure what street that is. But it'll get ya there for sure. But I think there might be construction on the long twisty road, so I'm not sure.

Me: