why Massachusetts (Boston) is one of the worst places to live (Worcester: 2013, neighborhood)

[FCMA]

[quote=BitofEndearment;35936848]And let's not skip over that touchy subject of racism. This is a critique, I'm not here to point out the positives (as there are in many ways in regards to race relations) but the negatives. In addition to the desegregation issues (and the rock-throwing of actually not that long ago, within, I'm guessing, most poster's lifetimes) there is racism-by-proxy of zoning laws, lack of new development that might *gasp* increase middle class housing stock (luckily places like Randolph, Malden, Revere, and Quincy exist to become some of the rare stepping stones middle class poc citizens have), and various direct and indirect forms of verbal racism[/QUOTE}

Remember election night, 2008, and the torching of a black church in Springfield?

Or the ongoing harrassment of a black teacher in Amherst? http://www.gazettenet.com/home/11249...-found-amherst

Or that whole Bruins incident? Boston Bruins slam 'racist, classless' PK Subban tweets from fans | Mail Online

This is not to say that most people in MA or Bruins fans are racist, just that we shouldn't deny that these scumbags are out there (HERE!) licking turds off the bottom of the barrel. Sometimes indignant sheltered Cantabrigians or Pioneer Valley folk like to argue with me that overt racism doesn't happen here, but sorry it does! Read the headlines, or come out of your liberal cocoon to Central Mass sometime and I'll give you a fun tour of Confederate flags (again, not prevalent, but HERE!). And I'd argue that our pattern of segregated lily-white suburbs and small towns and concentrating nearly all diversity in crumbling Gateway Cities and the "bad" neighborhoods of Boston, doesn't really help nurture better race relations.

Originally Posted by BitofEndearment

Meanwhile the money gets cycled back and back into Boston, all to the universities and new "innovation distrcits" on the Seaport, and in Kendall Square, and now in Downtown Crossing, and soon in Allston and Dudley Square and most of the investment is highly concentrated. Complete fear of new development outside the "hot" districts (or places where people are too poor to protest)

Yes, complete fear. Poor Western Mass has been trying for years. it has a highly educated workforce of graduates from UMass and surrounding schools, many of whom would love to stay out there (well on the flipside the others can't wait to get back to Baaahston, err I mean mom's basement in Danvahhs...) but with the myopic Boston goggles dominating both the private and public sectors, never even conceiving that one of the most beautiful and cheap parts of the state could also be a good location to set up businesses (fiber optic is there, an educated workforce, and vacant office and industrial park space too, arts and culture too), that opportunity is largely squandered. Same thing with every Gateway City other than maybe Worcester, which does get some economic development scraps here and there.

[foxboro82]

I really tend to agree with the OP on this. I've lived in Cambridge, Medford, West Bridgewater and Foxboro and it is very expensive all around. It's the housing cost combined with the low QOL. I'm from the midwest, ...one of those cities that comes in the top 10 for QOL.

I just think people have been somehow sold the thought that Massachusetts is a great place to be. It's just not so great. Even with a lot of money, it's still just not that great of a place. I've driven all over this state, the big spit and its islands. It's true, there are a some nice things/parts/aspects here and there, but it all just doesn't add up to something cohesively appealing. And I know this is just my POV, but I was shocked when I moved here, not by the high COL (that I was expecting), but the low QOL. I was expecting much more on the QOL side.

So, I'm putting in about 12 more years to get my MA State pension then off I go with my cushy early retirement that will have me set back in the midwest. So it's not all bad I suppose.

[timberline742]

What low QOL? What is missing to you?

I've lived in the Midwest as well, in one of the nicer small cities (Madison for 9 years), and a bigger city (Chicago) and a crud hole city in Indiana (Fort Wayne), and while the first two were very nice, the QOL here in the Boston area is every bit as good.

[Mr. Joshua]

Originally Posted by Shizim

yeah but pretty much year round golf. cant comlain about that.

Sorry but as much as I love golf, I cannot play when the temp is 88 with the humidity to match.

[Mr. Joshua]

Originally Posted by parried

I've been to Lawrence, Lynn, Lowell, Fitchburg, and Dorchester.

Oh I agree, I live in Dorchester and the other day, as a rather large hog trotted by me, I wondered when they were going to pave the streets and actually do something about the open sewer that the local children were collecting their drinking water out of.

[sori_liss]

Originally Posted by timberline742

What low QOL? What is missing to you?

I think lot of it is POV. But, it's true that Boston isn't consistently, if ever (although I'm sure you could find one out there somewhere) on top of those QOL rankings. It's places like Madison....

So why is that? These things are the sum of many, many parts.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by sori_liss

So why is that? These things are the sum of many, many parts.

I think it has very very little to do with the places, and more to do with the general attitudes of the people. NYC is an amazing place, but rates low on QOL and emotional happiness indexes, but few people would say it is anything but a tremendous city.

I loved Madison, and visit in every single year as I really miss it, but there is nothing there I can't find here except for hiking in the prairies. It just takes more money here to have the same QOL and it is considerably denser. The people and the speed are different.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

It would be so nice if CT and NY would put the counties of residence on their license plates. As it stands now I cannot identify Fairfield county residents from the rest of Connecticut. I have to assume the worst, that all CT vehicles are originating out of Fairfield county. Likewise I have to assume the worst with NY, that all vehicles with NY plates are originating out of NYC or its suburbs.

I hold no ill will towards upstate or western New Yorkers. They are more like us than those around NYC.

As well as putting counties on license plates, maybe we should make them wear a yellow, felt patch shaped like their state on their lapels so you can recognnize them and refuse them service when they are not in their cars.

[foxboro82]

Originally Posted by sori_liss

These things are the sum of many, many parts.

I agree.

Things like density of EPA Superfund sites, annual hours of sunshine, time lost commuting, education level of the population, access to the arts, air quality, doctors per person, etc. etc.

Many, many things go into calculating QOL. It's not just the obvious housing costs, school ratings, unemployment.

I don't know if I could even put into words exactly why QOL is higher in many other parts of the nation than here in Mass. but I have felt it first hand. And as I have been watching those types of QOL lists over the past 10 years or so, the balance is definitely tipped away from this part of the country and my 'gut feeling' confirmed.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

As well as putting counties on license plates, maybe we should make them wear a yellow, felt patch shaped like their state on their lapels so you can recognnize them and refuse them service when they are not in their cars.

Hahaha. Rep'd for this.