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Cities: Pennsylvania. (NYC is overrated mostly due to its COL and same goes to Boston). Plus Philadelphia is much larger than Boston.
Suburbs: Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh suburbs are some of the most beautiful in the nation. MA does compete in this category, but the Pennsylvania stone architecture surely outshines MA wood and the topography of the Pittsburgh suburbs is so natural and beautiful, you cannot compare.
Topography: New York. New York definitely wins in this field. Thanks to Long Island. It has a beach. We in Pennsylvania always joke. Blow up New Jersey and get Pennsylvania a beach.
Outdoor Recreation: Tie. NY + MA
Local Culture: Tie. NY + MA + PA
History: Pennsylvania. America started here.
Weekend Trips: Pennsylvania. Close to the shore, the mountains, and the center of the entire East Coast megapolis.
Area Aesthetic: Tie. MA + PA
Food: NY. PA. MA
Education: Massachusetts. PA is not far behind.
Healthcare: Massachusetts. Pennsylvania is not no slouch. UPENN. Jefferson. UPITT.
COL: Pennsylvania
Taxes: Pennslyvania.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 12-02-2019 at 05:52 PM..
None. I have zero desire to live in any of those states. I don't even want to visit them - traveled through NJ and it was a dump. Besides, I hate snow and cold weather in general.
None. I have zero desire to live in any of those states. I don't even want to visit them - traveled through NJ and it was a dump. Besides, I hate snow and cold weather in general.
And what grand state are you from? The North East definitely encompasses most of the top states in the USA.
I'd like to hear more about RI, since it has 0 votes now, and seems the be one of the runts of the group. Anyone want to clarify? Not that I have plans to move there or anything, just curious.
Rhode Island is a great state.
One of my favorites actually.
I think it is a little overshadowed by MA. But there certainly is a lot of beauty in the smallest state!
My favorite place is Newport where its jammed pack with colonial houses, a beautiful cliffwalk and a charming downtown. When I lived in New York City we would always take day trips there... https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4918...7i13312!8i6656 Downtown Newport https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4834...7i13312!8i6656 Shopping Areahttps://www.google.com/maps/@41.4692836,-71.2966011,3a,75y,289.24h,93.23t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMIddME7hP9z4v_6SYZlsNjB-tYJcviHBKvNVeD!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleu sercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMIddME7hP9z4v_6SYZlsNjB-tYJcviHBKvNVeD%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya110.86168-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352 Mansions and CliffWalk https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4559...7i13312!8i6656 TYpical Newport Street
Providence is also a very fun city. They have great nightlife and they are on the Commuter to Boston which makes it very accessible. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8235...7i13312!8i6656 Federal Hill "Little Italy"https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8242323,-71.407792,3a,75y,330.72h,104.11t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1savNxfc9mdoELcgi0pcFX7w!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DavNxfc9mdoELc gi0pcFX7w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D303.7886%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312 !8i6656 The Downtown https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8249...7i13312!8i6656 College Hill
I'd like to hear more about RI, since it has 0 votes now, and seems the be one of the runts of the group. Anyone want to clarify? Not that I have plans to move there or anything, just curious.
I'll take a stab at it:
I'm from the Providence metro but over the line in the Massachusetts South Coast so I grew up with it. Generally, it's the same as where I'm from. Nice place to live but a tough place to earn a living unless you have one of those pays well anywhere jobs like medical, attorney, CPA, teacher, public safety.
Cities - Providence around Brown University is nice, arguably the 2nd best 100K+ population urban place to live in New England. Easily half of Providence is far less desirable. All other RI cities have been in the doldrums since WW II.
Suburbs - Rhode Island has a very short list of gold plated suburbs. Barrington and East Greenwich. Both are on salt water. Both are very car-dependent for your commute. Both are lacking the Whole Foods-level amenities of areas with a higher population of gold plated suburb demographic. On the flip side, you can go sailing or out on the powerboat after work.
Topography - It's the ocean state. Lots of interesting coastline
Outdoor Recreation - Salt water-centric
Local Culture - By New England standards, it's pretty working class in much of the state. Providence and Newport have a pulse.
History - Roger Williams was exiled from Massachusetts. Metacom killed a bunch of settlers. RI was the first colony to rebel against England. Newport was an important port. Prosperous in the Industrial Revolution. Newport became the summer playground for rich New Yorkers in the late 19th century. After WW II, the major events have been mafia-related.
Weekend Trips - Ferry to Block Island. Newport. The South County beaches. I have RI neighbors at my Vermont ski condo. Boston is an hour commuter rail ride from Providence. Some weekend drives are challenging due to the Boston traffic jam being in the way.
Area Aesthetic - Coastal New England. Seagulls. A sailboat or the beach. Natural cedar shingle houses. Inland, downtrodden cities, semi-rural places with pickup trucks and confederate flags
Food - Quahogs. Chowder is clear broth. Coffee milk. Narragansett beer & Del's lemonade is somehow a thing. Italian in the Federal Hill part of Providence is good. Not much Asian immigration so that's limited beyond strip mall Chinese-American.
Education - Brown is strong. RISD is specialized but with a great reputation. K-12 is low-average by New England standards and a problem in the high poverty rate cities
Healthcare - Providence has the Brown teaching hospitals. Anywhere else in the state, if you come into the ER with a real problem, the ambulance rolls to RI Hospital. Small state so that's efficient.
COL - High but property prices are low relative to Boston and NYC tri-state. Natural gas and electricity are expensive in Southern New England due to natural gas pipeline capacity issues.
Taxes - Automobile is expensive. Property taxes are variable from town to town so anywhere on the spectrum from low in Little Compton to very high in the cities. State income tax is graduated and has means-tested exemptions for retirees. First $15K of Social Security and first $15K of everything else, I recall. In a paid-for house in a low tax town, you could retire comfortably on $50K. If you make 6 figures and live near Brown/College Hill or Barrington/East Greenwich, you'll have a pretty high tax burden.
Cities: Pennsylvania. (NYC is overrated mostly due to its COL and same goes to Boston). Plus Philadelphia is much larger than Boston.
Suburbs: Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh suburbs are some of the most beautiful in the nation. MA does compete in this category, but the Pennsylvania stone architecture surely outshines MA wood and the topography of the Pittsburgh suburbs is so natural and beautiful, you cannot compare.
Topography: New York. New York definitely wins in this field. Thanks to Long Island. It has a beach. We in Pennsylvania always joke. Blow up New Jersey and get Pennsylvania a beach.
Outdoor Recreation: Tie. NY + MA
Local Culture: Tie. NY + MA + PA
History: Pennsylvania. America started here.
Weekend Trips: Pennsylvania. Close to the shore, the mountains, and the center of the entire East Coast megapolis.
Area Aesthetic: Tie. MA + PA
Food: NY. PA. MA
Education: Massachusetts. PA is not far behind.
Healthcare: Massachusetts. Pennsylvania is not no slouch. UPENN. Jefferson. UPITT.
COL: Pennsylvania
Taxes: Pennslyvania.
Eh, Pittsburgh has pretty mediocre suburbs away from I-79 and U.S. 19.
Cities: Pennsylvania. (NYC is overrated mostly due to its COL and same goes to Boston). Plus Philadelphia is much larger than Boston.
Suburbs: Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh suburbs are some of the most beautiful in the nation. MA does compete in this category, but the Pennsylvania stone architecture surely outshines MA wood and the topography of the Pittsburgh suburbs is so natural and beautiful, you cannot compare.
Topography: New York. New York definitely wins in this field. Thanks to Long Island. It has a beach. We in Pennsylvania always joke. Blow up New Jersey and get Pennsylvania a beach.
Outdoor Recreation: Tie. NY + MA
Local Culture: Tie. NY + MA + PA
History: Pennsylvania. America started here.
Weekend Trips: Pennsylvania. Close to the shore, the mountains, and the center of the entire East Coast megapolis.
Area Aesthetic: Tie. MA + PA
Food: NY. PA. MA
Education: Massachusetts. PA is not far behind.
Healthcare: Massachusetts. Pennsylvania is not no slouch. UPENN. Jefferson. UPITT.
COL: Pennsylvania
Taxes: Pennslyvania.
Good post, but I'd offer a few counter points from my perspective:
Pittsburgh suburbs are fairly unremarkable in the grand scheme of the US, let alone against areas like Fairfield County, Westchester, MetroWest, and the Main Line.
As for the prominence of stone vs. wood, and your preference. "Traditional Colonials", i.e. wood, are far more popular in broader New England, while the old squares/main street/commercial areas were predominantly brick and cobblestone, with other materials leveraged. That is not to say that stone wasn't and isn't used for residential builds, but it's certainly not as prevalent. You will see stone homes sprinkled throughout the older towns of Massachusetts- Concord, Carlisle, Lexington, Brookline, etc. Also, a ton of brick homes in the inner rings of Boston's suburb. Always seemed to me that wood homes were also the preference of more rural towns in VA, and many areas in the South as well. Maybe there is more stone in VA, but I can't remember that in my travels in the further reaches of DC and beyond.
I personally love the contrast of residential homes with wood, nice framing and paneling, large front porches, sitting next to brick and cobblestone main streets. Though I think, in some ways, PA/NJ/NY have more usable downtowns in their suburbs cores, I'm not sure I have found the majority to stack up in beauty and aesthetic. But, just as you have your preferences, as do I. Ditto on the coastal towns, up and down the Northeast, who's stacked and colorful wooded housing stock is extremely beautiful to me. From Newport to Charlestown to Newburyport to Kittery.
Where some other states shine, NY and MA in particular, is that they do have a big city with a large MSA, but also have beautiful beaches, coastlines, Islands within their borders. That's probably the biggest difference between some other Northeast States and PA- they don't need to blow up NJ to have beaches and coastal towns.
As for history, that's being debated under your own thread. Certainly close.
I choose Connecticut. I think the state is very underrated. Hartford and New Haven are great small cities with a lot to do. You don’t have the overcrowding and annoyances of big cities like Boston, New York or Philadelphia. Still though, you are close enough to these cities for a day and then leave their problems behind.
Connecticut is famous for its suburbs. Whether it’s super affluent towns like Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan or Westport; more diverse towns like Fairfield, West Hartford or Milford; the bucolic beauty of Hartfords Farmington River Valley towns like Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton, Burlington or Granby; the quiet beachy feel of the shoreline towns east of New Haven like Branford, Guilford or Madison; the quiet rural beauty and charm of Litchfield; or the breathtakingly charm of the lower Connecticut River Valley in towns like Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Essex, Lyme, Old Lyme or Old Saybrook, or many many others, their hard to beat.
In Connecticut you have access to beaches, mountains, hills, valleys, cities, farms and just about any type of area you would want. There are tons of really great local restaurants. You have internationally known theater like The Goodspeed a Opera House in East Haddam, the Shubert in New Haven, the Westport Playhouse and Hartford Stage. Hartford is the home of the country’s oldest museum, The Wadsworth Antheneum. There’s also The Peabody in New Haven, the Connecticut Science Center, the Discovery Center, and many others.
Connecticut has great healthcare with a Top 20 hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital. Connecticut places a great importance on education with the top locally administered public schools virtually throughout the entire state and great colleges like Yale, Wesleyan, Fairfield and UConn. I could go on and on. Jay
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