Is Massachusetts a one-trick pony? (Boston: neighborhoods, income, live)

[msRB311]

I don't think the OP was suggesting we should have more than one major metro. Some additional thriving cities in MA beyond the Boston area might be nice though.

[mdovell]

Everyone? The fact of the matter is what I paid for my house would probably require me to get a DeLorean and go up to 88 miles an hour to go back in time at least 20 to 25 years if not 30 for what I paid for in Connecticut. I see jobs in Massachusetts and in Boston in particular that aren't that much more than what I'm seeing in Connecticut. There's quite a bit that made it virtual.

It could also be argued that much of the development in this country was alongside rivers and ports. So of course you're coastal areas are going to have a higher population but I'd also add that if you look at the Connecticut River which flows South you didn't really have a major Metro up north. It's not like Burlington Vermont created all these wonderful things that were then sent down the river. It's nowhere near the size of the Mississippi and doesn't have the same economic impact. Other areas grew off of Boston and technically also off of New York so of course you had proximity. Obviously with population that gives you more power in certain things. For example Boston is the only city that you can take a flight to Asia out of in New England. It's highly doubtful you'd ever see it at a TF Green and Bradley. Through the population it's also where all your major sports teams are although it's technically the Patriots play at a foxboro. I can't see the Whalers coming back the Hartford. I can't see anything beyond Minor League Sports outside of Boston within New England they're just isn't enough of a crowd.

Having said that though there is things that you simply can't put in Boston because there's a lack of space. The largest UMass campus is UMass amherst. The largest state fair in the region and one of the largest in the country is at The Big E in West Springfield.. then there are the historical sites which have not been well preserved. If you go further out of Boston there's a bit of pride in places like the crane estate.

Also argue that a fair amount of people in Boston are trapped in the renting. They make enough to cover the rent and get by but they don't have enough for a down payment of our house because the price is keep growing. So if they try to move further out then Transit becomes an issue and they need to afford a car on top of that.

Sometimes when people want is access to Boston but they don't *really* want to live in boston. I have family that came from the Quincy Braintree area and I also have some from westwood. In both cases Boston is probably within 15 to 20 minutes at most but then you can go back home.

[timberline742]

If Boston is the measure for a city that is "thriving", then most states don't have one, never mind two.

[mdovell]

Boston by itself also changed. The crime rate was much higher in the early 1990's. It was much safer and easier to get around (for the most part) by the end of the decade and certainly by the end of the Big Dig. Values went up and poorer people and things left to other areas (which could argue displaced others etc). Sometimes with growth it depends on what is wanted. Some are never going to be happy. I've heard arguments that there should be more monster truck racing..um. Some are bored with everything.

[msRB311]

Who cares

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Boston by itself also changed. The crime rate was much higher in the early 1990's. It was much safer and easier to get around (for the most part) by the end of the decade and certainly by the end of the Big Dig. Values went up and poorer people and things left to other areas (which could argue displaced others etc). Sometimes with growth it depends on what is wanted. Some are never going to be happy. I've heard arguments that there should be more monster truck racing..um. Some are bored with everything.

There's plenty of monster truck racing...just hop on one of our highways and I'm sure you'll witness one of the many modified/lifted 'monster' trucks. Many seem to be driven by rage filled individuals, some with their Trumpie flags flying high off the back. Whenever I see one they always seem to be right up the caboose of the car in front of them.

[bostongymjunkie]

Boston area thrives not because of anything we did here but because of resources that long predate any of us. It's because of the tech boom which has catalyzed globalization. It's because of its geographical location, its long history in medicine, its educational institutions, its natural resources and its colonial history. It's also due to our history of being generally tolerant of different views (waning in recent years) and because we continue to embrace our tradition of valuing education. This area has a lot going for it which makes it attractive to people from around the world. But we aren't impervious to failure and some of the same features that are resulting in success for some are having negative consequences for many others. Our impending political direction will determine how successful the state will be going forward and how inclusive any future success will be.

[FCMA]

Boston sure has changed a bit. All the “global”/ “world-class” city descriptors flying around on this thread could still be dismissed as cute, provincial, wishful proclamations as recently as 10-15 years ago. Not as easy to dismiss anymore, the economy is booming and inarguably globally connected but the T at least is no better, reminding us all of simpler times. Still a small city by worldwide standards, now full of elite salaries and a high QOL. Not to mention insane COL since the NIMBYism inherent in municipal home rule has smothered sufficient housing growth. Boston’s growth has lifted other smaller cities in the state. For example nobody wanted to live in Lowell or Worcester if they could help it in the 80s or 90s but now folks end up pushed out to wherever they can afford leading to higher levels of investment in such places than in the past, albeit still not thriving.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Economically, it's a diverse state and metro Boston in particular has one of the most stable and diversified economies of any major city in the country. It's the anti-one trick pony. There are pockets of the state that are economic dead zones, but relative to other states, they're a small minority. And even the worst in MA is generally better than the worst of most other places. The cost of living here borders on absurd, but that's because Massachusetts (particularly Eastern MA) is a victim of its own success. That's not to say we couldn't do better on the COL front, but MA is no more a "one-trick pony" than most other places, and far less so than others.

I wouldn't call it a "victim of it's own success", when much of the state looks like this:


https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6919...7i16384!8i8192


https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6526...7i16384!8i8192



Or this:


https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5836...7i16384!8i8192


https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2604...7i13312!8i6656

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I wouldn't call it a "victim of it's own success", when much of the state looks like this:


https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6919...7i16384!8i8192


https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6526...7i16384!8i8192



Or this:


https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5836...7i16384!8i8192


https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2604...7i13312!8i6656

I'm not sure what you are complaining about here.


First off some of your images in that are four years old. It's 2022 not 2018. Quite a bit can happen in four years. Vegetation can grow and unless it's public property or some blight ordinace it can add up. I have a neighbor with a empty lot that let things grow feet. The town might take it back (he only paid 16K for it)

Second the xxx store...yeah but is it doing any harm? How is that any different from some suburbanite doing onlyfans? Not everything is seen in the suburbs. I recall a quite house when I grew up and then I learned the truth. A girl killed herself with her fathers gun (he was a cop). But you wouldn't know that.

Third development varies. A friendly's that turns into a jewelry shop isn't a bad thing. A restaurant closes to reopen as another...that happens every day in America.

Fourth - the vast majority of wealth in the world is not made by physical activity. You cannot make an assumption that a small business that looks rough is somehow doing poorly. Remember Ronald Reed?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald...philanthropist)

How about Earl Crowley

https://www.dividendgrowthinvestor.c...-dividend.html

People that have wealth generally don't show it. Why? Because they don't want to be hit up for it. But at the same time they don't have to be in boston to make it. You make things that make money and go from there.