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Something interesting for the Boston MSA is that Suffolk county which is 58 square miles and contains Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop has accounted for 26% of the growth seen in the Boston MSA while containing only 16% of the population. If the rest of the Boston MSA started building more housing even if it only occurred in the denser more urban communities where it is more likely I think Boston would see huge increases in population compared to what it is seeing now. Unfortunately this is unlikely and could lead to prices in Boston starting to reach similar levels to SF eventually.
Also the fastest growing town in Middlesex County is Everett, followed by Somerville and Watertown. So the Core areas are growing much faster than the suburbs.
Eventually areas like Worcester, Providence, Manchester, and the like will serve as further flung nodes of the Greater Boston region as a whole. I think this is good for the area in general, it needs more binding culturally speaking, in my personal opinion. A more conformed and general "regional identity" within the CSA. It is important because a lot of these areas will go from the CSA and be absorbed into the MSA over time. Starting right in 2023 and moving forward.
By the way, any plans for regional infrastructure projects and/or expansions from Boston MSA to areas in its CSA? I think the region should start moving in that direction.
This is very insightful. Manchester might be a bit too far, but it’d be great if Providence and Worcester could alleviate some of the strain on Boston. They both have the “urban bones” for it.
Worcester, Providence and Manchester already serve as nodes for Boston with commuter rail, airports, less expensive housing and commercial areas, etc. (Manchester airport is named Boston/Manchester airport for a reason). People forget metro areas are defined by commuting not population density, urban area, or stature of the city or region. A place like Atlanta for example, with no major urban nodes round it, will get all of the population in its vicinity included in its single Metro making many think it is a very large metropolis or city. Places like Boston, that might have higher population density over a greater area, but have larger cities with their own business districts that attract commuters, will by definition have smaller metros even though the population density, urban area, or stature of the city or region might be higher than other cities. Its not that people from Providence Worcester and NH don't commute to greater Boston in large numbers, they do. It's just that the percentage is to low to meet the arbitrary definition of metro.
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