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Look at an income heat map in Greater Boston. It’s true.
The entire southern part of Greater Boston, as in Fall River and New Bedford up through Randolph and most areas abound Rt. 24, are the most solidly blue collar, middle class, and in some cases conservative belt of East Massachusetts. Also rapidly diversifying.
As for the North Shore Comparison, you have those. But then you have Manchester by the sea, Marblehead, Rockport, Newburyport. And you have all those suburbs just inland from there - Boxford and Topsfield and whatever other towns (there’s a bunch).
I do agree that the metro west is the most affluent/has the largest expanse of wealth in Greater Boston. Chicago is not too far off, in that way, when you consider the western springs-hinsdale areas up to places like Barrington-Inverness-Long Grove.
This is everything I wanted to say especially the bolded.
I don't need to google mate, I've lived in all three cities and been to all those suburbs. I'll grant you that the North Shore suburbs of Chicago look more the part, but you didn't list those.
It is historical fact that Seattle was founded largely from New England migrants. Much of Seattle proper are suburban areas that were later annexed.
Most of the more notable demographic change in the Boston area is in the Greater Brockton area and Route 24 corridor. Towns like Avon Stoughton Holbrook Randolph Bridgewater Taunton even Weymouth Dedham and Quincy But I guess you may say that not South "Shore"- The Globe did an article on this demographic shift though.
By North Shore maybe he means Northern suburbs because I do think it's true the Northern suburbs are weather and tonier than the southern suburbs of Boston.
Yeah but by the time you start counting like Taunton you’re considering the Merrimack Valley at that distance (25-35 miles) and like Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen etc are more blue collar than your average Plymouth County town. It’s like the Mass Pike to rt 3 which is pretty uniformly wealthy (cause no gateway cities)
Compared to Chicago I find metro Boston really hard to cut into swaths cause historically it’s more of a checkerboard knitted together at a later date. Which Chicago originally boomed around the train so it’s more uniform. So I think they’re hard to compare. But Boston approximation of the North Shore Home Alone/Mean Girls suburbs are not on the shore.
By North Shore maybe he means Northern suburbs because I do think it's true the Northern suburbs are weather and tonier than the southern suburbs of Boston.
The Gold Coast was an actual term to describe the affluent string of areas like Beverly Farms, Magnolia, Manchester by the sea. This is going back centuries.
When I say North Shore, I do mean pretty much anything east of 93 to cape ann and up to Newburyport. It’s imperfect, but the point still stands. Chicago has that too.
Compared to Chicago I find metro Boston really hard to cut into swaths cause historically it’s more of a checkerboard knitted together at a later date. Which Chicago originally boomed around the train so it’s more uniform. So I think they’re hard to compare. But Boston approximation of the North Shore Home Alone/Mean Girls suburbs are not on the shore.
That’s true today, but it wasn’t in the case of Chicago. There was a time when places like Homewood, Flossmoor, Tinley Park, Orland were considered quite nice. Some old and established, while others boomed with the influx of suburbanites well into the 1980s.
The slow demise of the south side crept its way into the southern suburban region. Businesses left, corporate ttaxes became high property taxes, and folks have slowly started moving away. You can see it in the appreciation over the last 30 years. And in the population decrease or stagnancy.
The good news is, though, that some of those southern suburbs are doing just fine and it’s truly the only real level of diversity you see in the suburbs, less a few inner rings towns like Niles or Brookfield.
Yeah but by the time you start counting like Taunton you’re considering the Merrimack Valley at that distance (25-35 miles) and like Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen etc are more blue collar than your average Plymouth County town. It’s like the Mass Pike to rt 3 which is pretty uniformly wealthy (cause no gateway cities).
North or south or west, Massachusetts has those old industrial cities and towns. Certainly, MV was the heart of it.
But as soon as you go south of Lawrence or Lowell, you end is in Andover or Chelmsford and Reading and Burlington and Wilmington and Woburn and Winchester and Arlington and Cambridge.
Going south to north, you go from places like Fall River and New Bedford to Lakeville to Middleborough to Taunton to Brockton to Randolph to Rockland.
The latter group is isolated from many of the jobs in Eastern Massachusetts. And they’re far more affordable than the former pairing for that very reason. It’s no different in Chicago, geographically speaking.
Going south to north, you go from places like Fall River and New Bedford to Lakeville to Middleborough to Taunton to Brockton to Randolph to Rockland.
The latter group is isolated from many of the jobs in Eastern Massachusetts. And they’re far more affordable than the former pairing for that very reason.
Winner Winner chicken dinner. The South Shore is what it is because of the relative isolation from the high-paying jobs. The vibe is just much more regular, conservative, and middle-class. Feels more little more like anywhere USA to me. Northshore is more highs and lows in some ways...
I don't need to google mate, I've lived in all three cities and been to all those suburbs. I'll grant you that the North Shore suburbs of Chicago look more the part, but you didn't list those.
Huh? Who said Park Ridge looked blue blood/collar?
I’m very familiar with Park Ridge aka Pennyville. You know, maybe because I lived there.
The answer is yes, I do think so. Read about its origins and development.
There is some heavy Newtonish influence going on there. And the town center with the church perched over the common? Textbook Massachusetts.
By the way, I did mention a North Shore town. Did you miss my mention of Lake Forest?
EDIT: I might add, Park Ridge is awesome. Love that place. It’s not celebrated by Chicagoans like some other suburbs… And I’ll never understand why. It borders Edison Park, you can catch the El and commuter, and downtown / uptown Park Ridge is gorgeous. I think the fact that it was a dry town (no boose without food) until more recently hurt its reputation. But it’s such a nice place, and plenty of spots to have a few drinks these days. We always go back when we have the time.
The answer is yes, I do think so. Read about its origins and development.
There is some heavy Newtonish influence going on there. And the town center with the church perched over the common? Textbook Massachusetts.
EDIT: I might add, Park Ridge is awesome. Love that place. It’s not celebrated by Chicagoans like some other suburbs… And I’ll never understand why. It borders Edison Park, you can catch the El and commuter, and downtown / uptown Park Ridge is gorgeous. I think the fact that it was a dry town (no boose without food) until more recently hurt its reputation. But it’s such a nice place, and plenty of spots to have a few drinks these days.
I meant blue blood or collar suburb of Boston (like Newton), not blue collar.
The problem with Park Ridge is it's right next to O'Hare. Works well if you have a traveling job though.
In any case, that kind of look in your second Streetview is pretty much everywhere across Seattle neighborhoods, because as I said earlier Seattle is also largely founded by New England migrants. Many cities of that era were also.
I meant blue blood or collar suburb of Boston (like Newton), not blue collar.
The problem with Park Ridge is it's right next to O'Hare. Works well if you have a traveling job though.
In any case, that kind of look in your second Streetview is pretty much everywhere across Seattle neighborhoods, because as I said earlier Seattle is also largely founded by New England migrants. Many cities of that era were also.
Fair enough. We’re talking in circles.
I agree in the grand scheme of the comparisons between the metros, that was probably the stretch one/most useless.
I do think the other similarities are quite striking.
I’ll bow out. The horse is dead, and I’m largely responsible.
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