South Shore vs. South Coast - definitions (Boston, Brockton: fit in, live)

[tribechamy]

Ok, as is my understanding, the South Shore is the cities/towns between Boston and the Cape Cod Canal that touch shoreline (Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, Kingston, Plymouth) or touch a town that touches shoreline (Milton, Randolph, Holbrook, Rockland, Hanover, Norwell, Pembroke, Halifax, Plympton, Carver) and a few that touch a town that touches a town that touches shoreline (Brockton, Abington, Bridgewater, Whitman, Hanson).

And as is my understanding, "South Coast" is New Bedford, Fall River, and...ok, I really don't know, it's kind of a new term for me.

So what are the boundaries? Where do towns like Middleboro, Taunton, Avon, Stoughton, and Norton fit in? Is the South Coast everything south that isn't South Shore?

[CaseyB]

No, some of those towns don't fall in either category. For instance, Brockton, Abington, Bridgewater, etc. are not the "South Shore". Think of the words "coast" and "shore".

[el_greco]

South coast is the southern parts of Plymouth and Bristol counties. Taunton is too far inland.

[tribechamy]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

No, some of those towns don't fall in either category. For instance, Brockton, Abington, Bridgewater, etc. are not the "South Shore". Think of the words "coast" and "shore".

As a purist that's what I would think but culturally those end up getting associated with the South Shore for example if you read the Patriot Ledger. Meanwhile Halifax and Plympton, which follow the touching towns with shores category, culturally don't seem to. Kind of fuzzy boundaries!

[TAM88]

South Coast are towns and cities on 195. Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, New Bedford, Acushnet, Westport, Dartmouth, etc.

[ladyalicemore]

I grew up in Stoughton and always have thought of it as South Shore. South shore as in, in an eastern part of the state south of Boston.

The North Shore consists of eastern Mass towns located north of Boston, no? I never understood these terms to literally mean that the town was on the shoreline.

There may be some ambuiguity about where the town is too far west, but I would put it the border probably at the edge of counties rather than towns.

My brother who lives in Duxbury thinks of it as the Cape (or 'the greater Cape' as he puts it), but he has always been eccentric.

[massnative71]

I always thought of Holbrook, Abington, Whitman, Hanson, etc. to be definitely S. Shore. Brockton, the Bridgewaters are debatable. Stoughton is a stretch. West of Rt. 24 and south of Stoughton is certainly NOT the S. Shore.

[capecodcathy]

I must be a puritanical purist. South Shore are those cities/towns on the water between Boston and the Canal (Quincy to Plymouth). South Coast are those cities/towns, on the water, from the MA/RI border to Wareham (Fall River, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett, Marion, etc).
Randolph, Abington, Brockton, Taunton, Stoughton, Middleboro,etc., are simply "Southeastern MA". They do not border the ocean.
IMHO

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

I must be a puritanical purist. South Shore are those cities/towns on the water between Boston and the Canal (Quincy to Plymouth). South Coast are those cities/towns, on the water, from the MA/RI border to Wareham (Fall River, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett, Marion, etc).
Randolph, Abington, Brockton, Taunton, Stoughton, Middleboro,etc., are simply "Southeastern MA". They do not border the ocean.
IMHO

That's how I think of them too, although I'll quibble about Milton and Quincy being truly "South Shore". I consider both of them "Metro Boston" because of their proximity. "South Shore" starts at Braintree and goes toward the Cape. south.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

I must be a puritanical purist. South Shore are those cities/towns on the water between Boston and the Canal (Quincy to Plymouth). South Coast are those cities/towns, on the water, from the MA/RI border to Wareham (Fall River, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett, Marion, etc).
Randolph, Abington, Brockton, Taunton, Stoughton, Middleboro,etc., are simply "Southeastern MA". They do not border the ocean.
IMHO

The South Shore (to most) is more of a term to describe the general region rather than a geographical thing (as in the physical coast itself).

Randolph, Abington, and Stoughton are not in SE MA, which is basically everything from Brockton southward. When people refer to SE MA, they are generally talking about Plymouth and Bristol counties (The Cape and Islands are not usually included).

I haven't met anyone from Abington who does not consider themselves to be of the South Shore. Randolph falls in the grey zone with Quincy, Braintree, Brockton, etc. Stoughton is considered the South Shore by a few, but that is certainly in the minority (even less than Randolph). Those places are most often considered "South of Boston" (rather than the S Shore or SE MA).

There doesn't seem to be any disagreement on what the South Coast constitutes of, I think that is pretty straightforward.