Quincy's reputation? (Boston, Cambridge, Somerville: live, restaurants, price)

[Whatsnext75]

Yeah I think theres a rehab center or something in quincy ctr. I grew up in milton and there was definitely an unspoken class distinction between milton and quincy folk. I can recall catty milton girls referring to quincy girls as trashy. Milton girls tended to be more preppy whereas the quincy girls were on the wild side with lots of makeup , a thicker boston accent and a tougher attitude. Similar to girls from southie I guess.

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Yeah I think theres a rehab center or something in quincy ctr. I grew up in milton and there was definitely an unspoken class distinction between milton and quincy folk. I can recall catty milton girls referring to quincy girls as trashy. Milton girls tended to be more preppy whereas the quincy girls were on the wild side with lots of makeup , a thicker boston accent and a tougher attitude. Similar to girls from southie I guess.

Well, there are no homeless centers and rehab centers anywhere in Milton either. It's a social problem "exporter" town because nobody wants to deal with it. I grew up in Milton and it is not immune to the drug problem of the South Shore. Quincy is a city with four T stops, which is a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how you see the issues.

[Guineas]

The drug problem is not just the south shore, it's everywhere in New England. The south shore has just been more vocal about it in an effort to control the problem. The Patriot Ledger has been running almost weekly stories.

The north shore from Winthrop to Gloucester has it just as bad. And don't get me started about MetroWest towns like Waltham and Framingham.

We have a whole class of people lost in the tech and skilled labor economy, who also happen to live in one of the most expensive places in the country. Add that to the isolationist culture of its people and wooded environs, it's a recipe for escapism via drugs.

[495neighbor]

One of my post college roommates was from Quincy, college educated and pretty much a middle class person.

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by Guineas

The drug problem is not just the south shore, it's everywhere in New England. The south shore has just been more vocal about it in an effort to control the problem. The Patriot Ledger has been running almost weekly stories.

The north shore from Winthrop to Gloucester has it just as bad. And don't get me started about MetroWest towns like Waltham and Framingham.

We have a whole class of people lost in the tech and skilled labor economy, who also happen to live in one of the most expensive places in the country. Add that to the isolationist culture of its people and wooded environs, it's a recipe for escapism via drugs.

Quincy and Milton are both in Norfolk County, and it looks to me like Norfolk is actually less impacted than Middlesex and many other counties. Aren't Metro West towns like Natick and Weston etc all in Middlesex County, which is a heavy heroin death zone?

Thanks for the enlightening image.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by pennyone

Quincy and Milton are both in Norfolk County, and it looks to me like Norfolk is actually less impacted than Middlesex and many other counties. Aren't Metro West towns like Natick and Weston etc all in Middlesex County, which is a heavy heroin death zone?

Thanks for the enlightening image.

Middlesex County covers a huge land area.

It does include many of the more affluent towns like Weston.

Do keep in mind, it also includes Lowell, Tewksbury, Wilmington.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by pennyone

Quincy and Milton are both in Norfolk County, and it looks to me like Norfolk is actually less impacted than Middlesex and many other counties. Aren't Metro West towns like Natick and Weston etc all in Middlesex County, which is a heavy heroin death zone?

Thanks for the enlightening image.

Middlesex County also has 1.5-1.6 millions people, but has slightly less Heroin Deaths than Bristol County with 550K.
Middlesex county is about double the next largest County (Essex at about 750k) so keep that in mind.
Norfolk County has 660K and 15 Heroin Death, Middlesex County has 1.5 million and 30 herion deaths, per-capita Norfolk is in worse shape.

[pandas&presents]

For the record, I went to Porter Square for the first time last weekend. Who in the hell would take that over Quincy (unless you go to the area colleges)?

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by pandas&presents

For the record, I went to Porter Square for the first time last weekend. Who in the hell would take that over Quincy (unless you go to the area colleges)?

Yes, both Cambridge and Somerville have the benefit of great higher learning institutions to boost their desirability. They don't have much else, especially Somerville which is very small and incredibly dense. Cambridge does have a lot of charm and it is full of vibrant intellectual types, at least in certain parts. Though I live in Quincy and love the city, I have friends in Harvard sqaure and Porter S and we visit each other. I like the urban feel of Cambridge and the nice not-too-dense vibe of the city. But Quincy has the space and better geography along with architecture. To each his/her own.

Cambridge is far more expensive overall, and that's a good thing for the city because the RE prices tend to keep things nice. Quincy is much more affordable and the PC in me say that's good, but the realist in me want the place to be more expensive to keep out the riff raff. Cambridge and Quincy are similarly rated for crime.

[jetle25]

Interesting thread. I'm moving to Quincy from Brooklyn, NY. I grew up in Newton, parents (no college education) moved there before it became a hot place to live. I'm 2nd Gen Asian American , college educated with a degree in Graphic Design, Had a great job in NYC but leaving here to living near family in Boston with local family business. My wife is white, a little bit of Irish (who isn't these days). My daughter has a Gaelic name and a Chinese last name. I live currently in a predominantly Black American and West Indian and Hassidic neighborhood, before i lived in a predominantly Greek with some Italian neighborhood of Astoria. I've met Snobby Chinese who look down on you if you can't even speak the language yet they hang around only with other Chinese yet live in the USA. I've seen Chinese that live like animals, gambling, smoking, spitting, trashing buildings (you have to see it to believe it) What i know is that there are nice people and terrible people, despite their looks. Doesn't matter what ethnicity. Unfortunately people like to band together. There is Gentrification going on in every town that is somewhat affordable near a major city. My wife gets looks, usually when I'm not with her. Other times we have great interactions with the locals that have lived here a long time. We've had just as terrible treatment from snobby hosts and baristas at the new trendy coffee shops. We got jumped by some black and hispanic kids in Astoria and the locals didn't do diddly. My wife saw a lady open the blinds and hide or a man stood across the street stood watching while smoking a cigarette only to say to us afterwards "I thought you knew them". I don't know if it's something in the water or people are just flipping ignorant and stupid. But when you stick out you stick out. Unfortunately it becomes racial and I don't think you can avoid it. The whites townies pick on the asians, here it seems like black vs white. I think it's simply who has the money. It's unregulated capitalism. Who has the money of course are people who happen to be a group of people with similar looks, upbringing etc. You can look at charts, numbers and graphs and start grouping people on a block or storefronts. It comes down to the individual. The original poster of this thread, the lady you met is ignorant and probably not from Boston but who knows. Sommerville used to be called Slummerville and Porter Square I wouldn't even consider as Cambridge in my eyes. I'd love to live in Cambridge, but it would have to be a large condo with a yard. If you had enough money to throw around wouldn't you want to live in a very desireable neighborhood? Everyone is priced out these days, even me. That is why I'm moving with the help of family. My wife grew up in Manhattan, she lived on a whole floor growing up, her parents lost the place because they couldn't afford the maintenance costs when it became a co-op. She can't stand that rents keep rising for a tiny closet. The people with an education and a job have the luxury of choosing a less desirable neighborhood but the ones without any don't know where they'll live if the rents go up just a tiny bit. If you were in that situation I'm sure you would get angry and maybe start lumping people into groups. I dont' have the answers but I think as we become a more educated and connected world we can hopefully be more conscious and compassionate and realize we are all in the same boat.