Pros and Cons of Massachusetts (Boston: sales, high crime, neighborhoods)

[kmanloup]

The Bay state is always interesting to me especially with so much history. I would like to know what are the pros and cons of living in such a state. What are your thoughts?

[TAM88]

Cons

It snows (yes it's nice in the mountains but I am not a fan of it in everyday life)
There can be days where it's very cold
Taxes are a bit higher than a lot of states
State government is not always the best
Highly Liberal
Some bad drivers
Infrastructure has some issues in certain areas (highways)



Pros

Top notch school systems (I think Mass is top 3 in the country overall)
Great colleges and universities
Right on the ocean with a great coast (North Shore, South Shore, Cape and the Islands)
Seasonal weather
Highly Liberal
Close proximity to a lot of fun areas (Newport, the Berkshires, the Maine Coast, VT and NH Mountains, along with the Cape and the Islands)
Pretty good mass transit (even though a lot of people love to complain about it)
Boston

[gf2020]

Pros: No where else in the country has the same combination of jobs, education, health care and proximity to recreational opportunities in the mountains, ocean and lakes all with a 4 season climate.

Cons: It's expensive to get all that

[in_newengland]

History. Everywhere you go, country or city, there is history. It's not boring and bland and new. That's pro.

Con is the outrageous COL. People are moving away and out of staters with loads of money are replacing them. Won't be the same anymore.

[macalan]

Pro:

As above, and:

Some of the best health care in the world
Good shopping
Pensions and SS are not taxed
Lots of culture

Cons:

RE Prices in a lot of places are out of sight
High Taxes
High crime in some parts of the state
Boston can be a bit parochial compared to other cities around the country

[pennyone]

Lots of culture, intellectual energy and history. Lots of ethnic diversity, and the best seafood around. I also like the relative affluence compared to other places (face it everyone like nice things....get over it).

[BostonMike7]

CON: Everything is illegal in Massachusetts

[FCMA]

PROS: Ocean; seafood; interesting and tangible history and architecture; nice landscape variety - from oceans to hills to small "mountains"; marriage equality; great public schools and public and private higher education; easy access to northern New England where the landscapes are truly inspiring.

CONS: Traffic and failures to yield on on-ramps; obscene cost of living; gross Dunkin' Donuts on every corner; geographic ignorance and provincialism against anything outside the 128/495 beltways or a broader view of the world generally; public transit ends early, encouraging drunk driving and discouraging urban vitality; cold people too caught up in the rat race to engage in human decency and kindness (you'll probably never truly know your neighbors); over-reaching and draconian legislation; shoving all the poor people and minorities in the bad neighborhoods of Boston and the old dead industrial cities and towns statewide while people pretend we aren't segregated, and the latent racism and classism that comes along with this.

[pennyone]

Racism, classism and elitism......it's as Bostonian as clam chowdah! Oh, and don't forget liberal/conservative NIMBY....both very ugly and hypocritical. These are probably what I hate most about this otherwise wonderful corner of the USA.

I also agree with the wimpy laws against drunk drivers. They are a joke, and Boston drivers are one of the worse in the country

[dmk24]

Pros: Boston is a great sports town, MA is a cultural mecca with world class museums, our shellfish is out of this world, the people are friendly but not phony, the political climate keeps things interesting, the Summers are gorgeous and Spring and Fall are lovely, apple picking, good ski slopes and beaches within an hour's drive, intellectually advanced, all those college students keep a young vibe going, no sales tax on clothing or groceries, best hospitals in the world, the Cape and the Vineyard...

Cons: Traffic, tailgators, other drivers in general, Winters can be a beast (but it's pretty right after it snows until you have to drive in it).