People are leaving Massachusetts in droves. Who are they?

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Key word is HIS situation. If he phrased it like that, there would no issue. The problem is telling others how they should live, if they even have a choice in the matter.

I don't agree with telling others how to live...but i still think if people want to be closer to Boston to get all the benefits of the city they need to figure that out and not expect affordable housing to be built for their needs.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

Yes, I believe you were living in Maine north of Bangor for a while. I spent close to a decade living outside Ellsworth and I have lived in a range of places from Quincy to Lowell as well as New Hampshire and Maine. It may be ironic but as an outsider moving around, the most difficult place to bond with people was Quincy as an apartment dweller. In smaller communities the people are more curious and show more willingness to get to know you once you hang around a little bit. Urban people generally ignore strangers and newcomers.

Another big part is the transient nature of the city and how people tend to be so dispersed (a big part due to the cost of living). In a smaller town, most of my friends were all "right there" for the most part and I saw them all the time. Back here, they are all scattered throughout eastern MA, RI and southern NH (those who haven't left the region altogether). People I might have been close with at one point, but now rarely see due to people's schedules and how much of a pain it is to get around. I was in Charleston, SC for work a little while ago, met this woman (transplanted from New Jersey) who shared a similar experience moving down there to a smaller (less hectic) city. Saying that people just have more time for each other in a place like that.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

It's not so simple since places in cheaper parts of the country also pay less.

so people are basically stuck here for their jobs. The pay is not necessarily good enough here...but better than somewhere else.

I think most people know that other states might pay less but the cost of living is also less...I'm guessing it's hard for people to take a lesser salary somewhere else even if it means a much cheaper house/rental situation.

[msRB311]

And I'll say it again - corporations and foreign investors are a huge reason why Boston prices are the way they are. Many of these Boston corporations also have the ability pay people insanely high salaries and bonuses which has brought in many people from all over the world the past decade and half. Good for them...but not so good for the people who will never have a chance to be SVP of Global whatever at BCG or Fidelity.

[Iced_Coffee]

Originally Posted by msRB311

And I'll say it again - corporations and foreign investors are a huge reason why Boston prices are the way they are. Many of these Boston corporations also have the ability pay people insanely high salaries and bonuses which has brought in many people from all over the world the past decade and half. Good for them...but not so good for the people who will never have a chance to be SVP of Global whatever at BCG or Fidelity.

There's some truth here, regarding the ability of some companies around here being able to sling money around like it's nothing, which then impacts everyone else downstream. The rich (nationally, not just locally) have gotten SO MUCH richer over the last few decades, while the rest of us have mainly lost ground. The middle class, to whatever extent it exists today, is significantly diminished in scope from what it may have been a generation ago. Finding a reasonable balance between rich, middle-class, and lower-class, etc is extremely difficult, especially when politicians seem to be increasingly stacking the deck against the regular folk in favor of the obscenely wealthy.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by Iced_Coffee

There's some truth here, regarding the ability of some companies around here being able to sling money around like it's nothing, which then impacts everyone else downstream. The rich (nationally, not just locally) have gotten SO MUCH richer over the last few decades, while the rest of us have mainly lost ground. The middle class, to whatever extent it exists today, is significantly diminished in scope from what it may have been a generation ago. Finding a reasonable balance between rich, middle-class, and lower-class, etc is extremely difficult, especially when politicians seem to be increasingly stacking the deck against the regular folk in favor of the obscenely wealthy.

I'm surprised this isn't addressed more often. At the same time these companies really don't hire 'lower level' people anymore. Many of those jobs are gone thanks to AI or having one person do the job of about 3 or 4 people. It's enabled these companies to keep the majority of the money to themselves or for the people at the top...and this happens at all companies. The entry level jobs mainly go to the recent college grads.

[bostongymjunkie]

It's actually addressed all the time among people who read and think critically and outside the box, as opposed to those who sit at home consuming the garbage that passes for news. All of which is produced by the referenced big corporations.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

It's actually addressed all the time among people who read and think critically and outside the box, as opposed to those who sit at home consuming the garbage that passes for TV or social media news. All of which is produced by the referenced big corporations.

well it isn't mentioned much in this thread oh wise one.

[bostongymjunkie]

This topic has been discussed repeatedly in multiple threads. Maybe if you listen/read as much as you speak/post you would have seen it?

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I'm surprised this isn't addressed more often. At the same time these companies really don't hire 'lower level' people anymore. Many of those jobs are gone thanks to AI or having one person do the job of about 3 or 4 people. It's enabled these companies to keep the majority of the money to themselves or for the people at the top...and this happens at all companies. The entry level jobs mainly go to the recent college grads.

Companies seem to lay on more responsibility but don't increase salaries to account for the extra work plus cost of living on top of that. My take is do a good job but do bare min (what you were hired to do or push back if it's largely in excess of that), don't be one of these folks who think putting in extra hours way above and beyond for corporate America is going to get you something special b/c most likely it won't and you're a sucker if you think it will.