Where do the Boston suburbs end? (Worcester, Springfield: to live in, cost, housing)

[Corey the Otter]

Hi
I was wondering if I could get a view from any of you on where the Boston suburbs end and the Providence and Worcester suburbs begin. Thank you

[Champ le monstre du lac]

I-495 is generally the best benchmark, though Attleboro (near Providence) and Shrewsbury (near Worcester) still likely have a hefty share of Boston commuters.

[Shizim]

a fair number of people come down from NH too....

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by Desert_SW_77

I-495 is generally the best benchmark, though Attleboro (near Providence) and Shrewsbury (near Worcester) still likely have a hefty share of Boston commuters.

This is pretty much what I was going to say.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by Corey the Otter

Hi
I was wondering if I could get a view from any of you on where the Boston suburbs end and the Providence and Worcester suburbs begin. Thank you

There is no defined "end".

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Desert_SW_77

I-495 is generally the best benchmark, though Attleboro (near Providence) and Shrewsbury (near Worcester) still likely have a hefty share of Boston commuters.

Precisely this. Mansfield is solidly a Boston suburb, while the Attleboros are in the overlap zone. South of there is all Providence.


Going west, I'd say it's 100% Boston burbs until the Boros. Between there and Worcester ie. Shrewsbury, Grafton...MAYBE Millbury and Auburn are overlapping.


Saying that, plenty of people commute from all over RI to Boston, as well as towns west of Worcester like Oxford and Charlton.

[htfdcolt]

If they get the high speed line to Springfield built, the exurbs will extend to Western Mass. That's part of the intention as I understand it...the recognition is the jobs will continue to be concentrated in Greater Boston, but the housing & traffic will be a deterrent to getting those jobs filled. The solution? Get workers to live in lower cost (for now) Springfield / Pioneer Valley.

[jayrandom]

According to the Census Bureau, the Boston MSA consists of Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Plymouth counties in Massachusetts along with Rockingham and Strafford counties in New Hampshire. Realistically, Boston suburbs extend into Bristol and Worcester counties, too.

[scorpio516]

The Boston CSA - defined as economically and socially linked - extends from Laconia, NH to all of Worcester county to all of Windham County, CT, to the entire state of RI.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Precisely this. Mansfield is solidly a Boston suburb, while the Attleboros are in the overlap zone. South of there is all Providence.


Going west, I'd say it's 100% Boston burbs until the Boros. Between there and Worcester ie. Shrewsbury, Grafton...MAYBE Millbury and Auburn are overlapping.


Saying that, plenty of people commute from all over RI to Boston, as well as towns west of Worcester like Oxford and Charlton.

This is just about what I'd say. 495 is a good general rule of thumb.

Obviously there are exceptions - I don't consider Carver or some of those near-Cape sections to be Boston suburbs in spite of being inside 495. Route 44 may be the line where the suburbs end and transition/overlap begins in the South. and to the west, I definitely think the burbs extend beyond 495 (particularly the boroughs/along the route 9 corridor) to about Shrewsbury which is Worcester, but overlapping a bit. I think they extend North along 3 and 93 into New Hampshire too. But if I'm making a quick generalization, it's the 495 belt.