Preferable State: Pennsylvania or Massachusetts (living, best, cost, better)
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Aren't they both a "Commonwealth"? I don't know much about Pa. but Massachusetts might tick all the boxes except for "Secondary cities" Kinda high crime rates. I lived there for about 14 years. Worcester, Lowell and many others are less than desirable. If you've got the income the hub area (inside 128) should be ok.
Aren't they both a "Commonwealth"? I don't know much about Pa. but Massachusetts might tick all the boxes except for "Secondary cities" Kinda high crime rates. I lived there for about 14 years. Worcester, Lowell and many others are less than desirable. If you've got the income the hub area (inside 128) should be ok.
Ohh, Indeed
Sorry
Preferable Commonwealth: Pennsylvania or Massachusetts
- Preferred Location
- Brighter Future
- Best Major Cities
- Best Secondary Cities
- Topography & Landscapes
- Economy
- Higher Education
- Weather
- The Commonwealth I Prefer is?
Aren't they both a "Commonwealth"? I don't know much about Pa. but Massachusetts might tick all the boxes except for "Secondary cities" Kinda high crime rates. I lived there for about 14 years. Worcester, Lowell and many others are less than desirable. If you've got the income the hub area (inside 128) should be ok.
The Mass crime rate isn't terrible. Before Covid, it had one of the lowest murder rates in the country and even now, it's rates haven't gone up by very much.
Both are great which is what I voted for. Mass has a bit more of a unified identity due to it being a much smaller state geographically. Massachusetts has the ocean, but the weather is noticeably colder for a few months out of the year, which I feel cancels that out.
- Preferred Location: Pennsylvania i like the proximity to things in PA
- Brighter Future: Massachusetts MA has 40% of all lab space U/C in the country
- Best Major Cities: Massachusetts Boston>Philadelphia+Pittsburgh, easily
- Best Secondary Cities Pennsylvania
- Topography & Landscapes Massachusetts Beaches, Mountains, Hills, Ocean, Cliffs you got it all.
- Economy Massachusetts
- Higher Education Massachusetts Harvard/MIT/Tufts/BU/BC/Northeastern etc>UPenn, Penn State, Drexel, Temple etc
- Weather WEast PA>East MA>West MA>West PA. So a Draw
- The State I Prefer is? Massachusetts
- Preferred Location: PA - very centrally located to other cities in the NE corridor, whereas in MA you are at the bookend of the corridor. The population centers of PA are also closer to nicer beaches on the NJ shore, somewhat ironically since PA does not border the ocean (I realize MA has great beaches, but farther from the Boston area where most people live).
- Brighter Future: MA - it's been the strongest performing economy in the northeast for a while, and I don't see that slowing anytime soon. The Boston area is a magnet for the highly educated, and the already strong biotech sector certainly won't be hurt by our "new normal"
- Best Major Cities: PA - if it was just Philly vs. Boston I would have gone tie, because I think they are more similar than different (Philly a little larger, Boston a little more polished). But when you add in Pittsburgh, MA doesn't have a compare.
- Best Secondary Cities: MA - Certainly Lancaster has become really nice, but MA has an army of really nice cities & towns outside of Boston (Northampton, Newburyport, etc.) Maybe these are too small to consider, I dunno... But outside of the primary urban areas, MA seems much nicer than PA overall (I went to college in the middle of PA).
- Topography & Landscapes: MA - Between the Berkshires (which I think are nicer than the Poconos), the north shore and Cape Cod/MV/Nantucket, I'd give this easily to MA. It packs a lot in a small area.
- Economy: MA - Same reason as "brighter future" above.
- Higher Education: MA - although this one is somewhat close. But with Harvard & MIT alone, tough to beat MA here. PA does seem to have a better state college system FWIW.
- Weather: PA - Since PA is physically larger there is more variation (Erie has worse weather than anywhere i in MA), but Philly has a milder winter than Boston so that's how I decided it.
- The State I Prefer is?: MA - If I had to pick one of them to move to tomorrow, I'd probably pick MA. But cost of living may negate that as I do think the Main Line is one of the best values in the northeast. Since the question was for preference though, I'm removing cost of living from the equation.
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