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Frankly, for all that Boston feels like the world's largest college town, that "typical Bostonian" strikes me as typical only in a certain geographic territory and socioeconomic stratum, or maybe it reflects changes brought about by gentrification in old white-ethnic redoubts like Southie. I sure wouldn't have found the people you describe in Dorchester or Mattapan when I lived there.
Not to be rude, but didn’t you live there like 30 years ago?
Unless it was in the last 10 or 15 years, your experience may be outdated.
If you're like most Americans and consider winter an affront to your senses, then there is a difference between Philadelphia and the other two.
Philly happens to lie on the "warm" side of the jet stream for much of the winter, making winters there not as cold as those in the other two cities.
Also less snowy. We've had one decent snowstorm to our name so far this winter, plus a couple of dustings that were gone almost as soon as the snow stopped falling.
Shoot, we've had temps in the 60s both last month and this one. Yesterday was downright balmy.
Now, we still have a season where it gets cold and snow falls, so if you can't stand even a little of that, then we're still off your list. But if you don't mind a little winter in season, then that's what you will get here now.
It’s been that warm in Boston this year, fwiw. I remember 2017 two days in February at 70-72 degrees. Philly is warmer but it’s not a huge difference.
As someone who lives in Boston, you abolutely do not feel the collegiateness anymore than another city. You definitely see more college flags (ie, Suffolk, Emerson, BU, Tufts, Harvard, Northeastern, MIT, Simmons, etc) than say, New York City... but you dont realllyy feel it as much as you would think.
Id say you feel you are surrounded by more of an intellectual crowd than frat bro college town.
Right. The largest residential areas are pretty much 100% free of college students. You have to know college students and go to them to interact with them. There are no large centra campuses in residential areas, no sports teams of note, basically most of the large colleges are on the northwestern edge of the city or north and west of the city.
The closest a college has to being in the heart of the city is Northeastern. Growing up in The southern reaches of the city everyday concerns for me were with things like bus schedules, my favorite vendors at the train stations, crime, hiking trails and parks, access to shopping Malls south of the city. I never though about college students or their ongoings.
Wentworth Simmons Emerson and Suffolk are all small and have no/little campus, students don’t wear college gear so I can’t tell a student from a non student.
I can appreciate that. An you’re right, it certainly adds some appeal to Philly, but not enough. Chicago isn’t just my fav of these three, it’s one of my favorite places anywhere.
Not to be rude, but didn’t you live there like 30 years ago?
Unless it was in the last 10 or 15 years, your experience may be outdated.
I didn't state so explicitly, but my "maybe it reflects changes brought about by gentrification..." comment was a nod in that direction.
I am aware, for instance, that Southie today is a far cry from the Southie I knew as a college student there - in fact, it's just about 180 degrees opposite its old self, in contrast to the similar Fishtown neighborhood here in Philadelphia. That neighborhood is also not the one I learned about when I moved here 36 years ago, but it's more like a 90-degree turn away rather than a 180; there are still lots of oldtime Fishtowners around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Yea and they’re literally only connected to the city by the Massachusetts turnpike, they don’t even physically touch another neighborhood in the city.
I think that the Boston University campus is technically part of Allston - it was in the 21st Ward, which encompassed all of Allston and Brighton, when I lived there. That thin strip of land between the Charles and the Mass. Pike is the physical connection between Allston and Brighton and the rest of the city, and it's taken up entirely by a university campus.
I didn't state so explicitly, but my "maybe it reflects changes brought about by gentrification..." comment was a nod in that direction.
I am aware, for instance, that Southie today is a far cry from the Southie I knew as a college student there - in fact, it's just about 180 degrees opposite its old self, in contrast to the similar Fishtown neighborhood here in Philadelphia. That neighborhood is also not the one I learned about when I moved here 36 years ago, but it's more like a 90-degree turn away rather than a 180; there are still lots of oldtime Fishtowners around.
I think that the Boston University campus is technically part of Allston - it was in the 21st Ward, which encompassed all of Allston and Brighton, when I lived there. That thin strip of land between the Charles and the Mass. Pike is the physical connection between Allston and Brighton and the rest of the city, and it's taken up entirely by a university campus.
I don’t know, my knowledge of that area is legitimately that limited. Fenway is close to BC and that about as far as I travel in that direction. I understand BU is in Boston but it’s not really in a residential area-from what I understand it’s a lot of retail and ‘BU’. Much of Lower Allston as I have seen it, is entertainment and student tenements.
Point is,the college experience is just a slice of the city experience. It’s not really a factor in 80% of the city’s land area. The lack of sports, public universities, the elite nature of the institutions, small physical foot prints and traditionally oppositional city politics make it far from a college town. 700k people the overwhelmingly majority of whom are not in university. Ad to that it’s an “urban” city like area of ~1.3 million..East Boston Charlestown Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan Roslindale Hyde Park West Roxbury, where the vast majority of people (especially locals) live have little to no interactions with colleges...not to mention Chelsea everett revere Lynn Quincy Milton Dedham etc. many places adjacent to Boston with no university or student presence as well as 90% of the further out suburbs. (Dover Lincoln Sudbury Cohasset Stoughton Rowley Salisbury etc.)
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 02-26-2020 at 06:29 AM..
I don’t know, my knowledge of that area is legitimately that limited. Fenway is close to BC and that about as far as I travel in that direction. I understand BU is in Boston but it’s not really in a residential area-from what I understand it’s a lot of retail and ‘BU’. Much of Lower Allston as I have seen it, is entertainment and student tenements.
Point is,the college experience is just a slice of the city experience. It’s not really a factor in 80% of the city’s land area. The lack of sports, public universities, the elite nature of the institutions, small physical foot prints and traditionally oppositional city politics make it far from a college town. 700k people the overwhelmingly majority of whom are not in university. Ad to that it’s an “urban” city like area of ~1.3 million..East Boston Charlestown Roxbury Dorchester Mattapan Roslindale Hyde Park West Roxbury, where the vast majority of people (especially locals) live have little to no interactions with colleges...not to mention Chelsea everett revere Lynn Quincy Milton Dedham etc. many places adjacent to Boston with no university or student presence as well as 90% of the further out suburbs. (Dover Lincoln Sudbury Cohasset Stoughton Rowley Salisbury etc.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
I didn't state so explicitly, but my "maybe it reflects changes brought about by gentrification..." comment was a nod in that direction.
I am aware, for instance, that Southie today is a far cry from the Southie I knew as a college student there - in fact, it's just about 180 degrees opposite its old self, in contrast to the similar Fishtown neighborhood here in Philadelphia. That neighborhood is also not the one I learned about when I moved here 36 years ago, but it's more like a 90-degree turn away rather than a 180; there are still lots of oldtime Fishtowners around.
I think that the Boston University campus is technically part of Allston - it was in the 21st Ward, which encompassed all of Allston and Brighton, when I lived there. That thin strip of land between the Charles and the Mass. Pike is the physical connection between Allston and Brighton and the rest of the city, and it's taken up entirely by a university campus.
The BU campus and surrounds reminded me of University City, yet Philadelphia isn't referred to as a "college town." Would be interesting to compare:
Last edited by Maddie104; 02-26-2020 at 08:03 AM..
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