There's nowhere like New England.

It's really wonderful, beautiful, liberal and nice.

I agree, OP. Born and raised in central Connecticut, and just love it for the very reasons you gave.
And%20just%20a%20two-hour%20drive%20to%20NYC%20
I love how the people there generally mind their own business.
Another vote for Connecticut. I'm in Litchfield County, so definitely country. We have beautiful scenery, but aren't deprived of culture and other urban amenities. It really is the best, outside of the cost.
Love New England, Boston rules.
I lived in CT while in grad school, and I hated every miserable minute I spent there. Snotty people, horrible weather, nothing to do, and people living in the middle of nowhere bragging about their superior "quality of life." ??? Ladies, I'm from PA, and at least the people in PA who live in the boondocks have the good grace to be embarrassed by it. In CT it was, "But I'm two hours from NY and 2 hours from Boston!!" Yeah, but right now, you're in the middle of a forest on a dirt road living in a house you can't get to without a 4 X 4. I could write a book about the things I hated about CT; maybe someday, I will.
Thank%20god%20I%20escaped.
I would imagine that, as a grad student, your perceptions might be skewed, R5. There's no need to be embarassed by not living either in a city, or in it's suburbs. Have you really been to the country here? I guarantee you, it's not what you think it is. If you were expecting a great night life, you will be disappointed. We all find different things that make us happy. I also prefer not being chatted to, in the supermarket. I think you may be confusing snotty with reserve. I'm guessing Wesleyan? Of course your view of Connecticut would be wrong.
R3
One more vote for CT. So much to do. Classy, cultured, and clean.
They don't call CT the armpit of New England for nothing!
Mainer
Boston is luscious. Cambridge more so.
Why yes. I see what you did there, R8. Connecticut does hold up the rest of New England if you look at it like that. In a thread complimenting the region, it's understandable our less sophisticated brothers to the north might get jealous of people talking about Connecticut.
Bitches, it's ALL about Vermont. Fuck that CunT thing.
I grew up in Massachusetts. Everyone else in my family still lives there and votes Republican. My sister is a lesbian. And votes Republican. Because that's what you do there. It's not all liberal, dear.
I was born and raised outside of Boston. I loved the weather, the changes in seasons. As a kid, I prayed and prayed one year for snow so I wouldn't have to go to school b/c it was so miserable. SO fucking miserable. That was the winter of '78; we had a blizarrd and we got three weeks off of school. I moved away because I couldn't find a job that I liked. I live in L.A. now.
Ah -- the Blizzard of 78... On its own, it is the second worst blizzard Boston ever had, but combined with SuperStorm '78, which occurred a few weeks before, it was totally the worst since all the SuperStorm snow was still on the ground when The Blizzard hit. On I-95, only the tops of the abandoned cars could be seen, and all the seaside towns got hit with tidal waves. I remember afterwards, crews were throwing all the extra snow into Boston Bay.
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Another vote for CT. There's more to do than one might think, although it can be boring as fuck at times. But I love the scenery and the general respect for privacy here.
Oh, r12. Republican in Mass is like Democrat in Alabama. I've lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Gainesville, Delray, New Haven, Nantucket, NYC and Nashville. New England is my favorite area, and Massachusetts is my favorite state. (Though I have never been to the Pacific Northwest and think I'd like it a lot.) I actively dislike Connecticut, but I'll still take it over the South.
I love New England too and enjoy visiting, but couldn't handle the winters & snow if I lived there.
Eldergay
Luckily, R17, if last winter and its 70 degree days are any indication, that will no longer be a problem.
I'm from the suburbs just outside Boston. Living here is what I know. It has its good and bad points like any other place. I know I would have to live in the city or suburbs no matter where I lived, as I'm not a country guy. I have a friend who's a grad student. He's originally from a suburb of Detroit and went to college and worked for a few years in Manhattan. I like him but he HATES Boston and Cambridge with a passion lol Each time I see him he just bashes it and I'm like "hello?" haha I don't say anything but he acts like NYC is soooooo much better and that attitude is off-putting. Boston and New England aren't perfect but neither is nYC.
Also born and raised in Central CT. I love New England. I lived in the South for almost 3 years and I couldn't wait to get out. The people are slower, not as intelligent, and never shut the fuck up about what church they belong to. None of that here.
There are plenty of places like New England, starting with England. Most of northern Europe and Scandinavia. Inland New South Wales, the South Island of New Zealand. Even hill station country in India. And don't forget the neighbors to the north, especially the Maritimes.
I used to work in an Inn in Vermont. My favourite neighbors were Larry ,Daryl and Daryl. I never liked Kirk and was glad when he married some clown and left.
Lived in CT and MA. Both are horrible. The weather and the people are both nasty. And there is NOTHING to do in central CT. The center of the state is Hartford, the most dead, depressing place on earth. It is true that people from CT like to pretend they are ideally situated "so close to everything--between NYC and Boston, the beach and mountains not far. yes, yes, we have it all." No you don't. You're not going to drive 2 hours into NYC or Boston for a night out. You're going to sit right here on your deck in the middle of the woods, or you're going to get in your car and drive to the nearest restaurant, Applebee's, that's 20 mins away.
Well, OP, 'Old' England is quite like New England, but without the head-wrecking summer humidity, and without the insane winter cold. Maybe you should travel more?
I spent a total of 3 years in MA when I was in the Army (Ft. Devens). If it weren't for winter (I hate the cold), I'd still be there. It probably didn't help that I was there for AIT during the winter of '78, R13 and R14
R23, marry me. And I was at UCONN. Ah, how like New Englanders to assume I attended a private school! And don't think I "didn't get out much." I went to Boston (the tolls were extremely expensive for a grad student, Northampmton, Provincetown, and central Mass (Chicopee, Springfield) and I was often in Haaaatford and (ooooo!) WEST Haaatford, where the people think their shit don't stink and I have no idea why. And if an "outsider" is so gauche as to criticize CT (for example, "What's with all these left exits?"), Nutmeggers will look at you like you said you want to fuck their mothers. You are NEVER allowed to criticize CT -- whereas if someone said to me that I live in "Pennsyltucky," I would be the first person to agree with them. And just TRY to make friends there when you're "new." [That is, your family didn't come over on the Mayflower.] I once talked to a woman whose neighbors described her as "new": she'd been living there for 12 years. I honestly don't even know how New Englanders live with themselves. They don't show any emotion in public (just like Anne Welles!), so they don't even laugh at jokes or cry when they're sad. Plus, I swear, if it wouldn't be for UCONN basketball, I don't know what those people would do all winter. Bah! I swear, I could tell as soon as I got there that these people's forebearers had burned witches just for fun. And they don't seem to have progressed much since then.
R5
I love New England as much as the next person, but - how do I put it? - it's just too white for me. And a couple of food observations . . . The Indian restaurants there are really bland. And where do you hide all of your Middle Eastern restaurants?
from a Mid Adlantic state
Go to Watertown for Armenian delights! Also, some Middle Eastern restaurants there. Cambridge is just a large strip mall since the early 80s and the subway expansion.
[quote] Luckily, [R17], if last winter and its 70 degree days are any indication, that will no longer be a problem. I'm not R17, but I'm on eastern Long Island and it's already cold here. My birthday was last week and we normally have beautiful weather, but it was cold, drizzly, raw, rainy all week long. The past two nights we've dipped to freezing temps.
[quote] The center of the state is Hartford, the most dead, depressing place on earth. I'll never forget being taken to Hartford to see a play at the civic center. The streets were deserted. It was as if someone had dropped a neutron bomb and all the people died but the buildings remained intact. It reminded me of the old Twilight Zone with Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson where they were the only two people left on earth after nuclear war. We were taking someone to her apartment in Hartford before the play. We drove into an empty mall parking lot. She took out her keys and opened a door to the mall. That was something I'd never seen before. "You have keys to a mall?" We walked through the darkened mall (it was daytime) to an elevator and took it up to an apartment complex above the mall. There were people at the play, but they disappeared as soon as it was over. We couldn't find a place open where we could eat, so we drove back to Manhattan.
CT cities are horrid. Empty Hartford and nasty Bridgeport. We used to take a ferry to see relatives in CT but kept getting lost in Bridgeport because they're always fucking with the exit from the ferry area. We finally told them to meet us in NYC or in Pt Jeff. We'd had enough of Bridgeport.
Oh, R16, I have many friends and relatives still living there and you are very wrong. There is a large Republican populace in Mass.
Mitt%20Romney%20
New England is wonderful! Wear shorts!
The%20Ticks%20of%20Lyme%20Disease%20Heights
I understand what r5 is talking about. I also lived in the Hartford area for awhile. While I don't feel as negatively about it as he does, it isn't as great as people from there like to think it is. People love to think of themselves of as more intelligent and cultured than other parts of the country, but they're just like everyone else. They're just colder and less friendly.
[quote]They're just colder and less friendly. They are reserved and non-intrusive.
R30, ever been to Albany, capital of NY? Horrid little city and completely deserted after 5:00 pm.
I was born in Hartford and grew up just outside of it, left for a few years and then came back. CT cities are horrid, it's true. Whenever I have to go into Hartford, I dread it. The traffic is a nightmare during the day, but come nightfall, it's like a ghost town. I often have wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a "real" city. It's hard to believe that Hartford was once a bustling hub of activity at the turn of the century (the 20th century, that is). The highway on the river was one of the brilliant ideas that helped to destroy the city. I don't agree about people being "nasty," though. That hasn't been my experience at all.
"I'll never forget being taken to Hartford to see a play at the civic center." You saw a play at the civic center? Was it called Ringling Brothers or Sesame Street Live or something?
Have also lived in NYC, Boston & DC but just love Coastal CT the best. People are nice enough without being overly nosy - the lack of religion being pushed down your throat is a major plus. People aren't fake nice like in the mid-atlantic/South. Was in Charlotte a while & I would rather die than live there. I live exactly 2 hours from NYC & 2 hours from Boston & I drive or train to both frequently just for the day/evening. The scenery is beautiful and it's a relief that at least where I am - the majority of people are not rethug fundies. Whoever went to UCONN storrs for grad studies - I'm sorry - it is a waste-land up there.
Nutmegger.
Grew up in Westport. It used to be nicer. I don't recognize the Post Road anymore. I'm upstate NY now, which is beautiful, but I wish I were closer to the ocean. I know I'll get flamed to death for saying this, and I know it sounds horrible, but does anyone in Fairfield county speak English anymore?
CT cities (Hartford, Bridgeport) are pretty run down. CT towns are much nicer. If you're a person who likes city living with a lot of nightlife, you'll hate CT. Go to Boston or NYC. If you're a person who likes the suburbs, the outdoors, and a quiet night out, you'll love CT.
So r40 -- no more Aryans from Darien?
Little%20Glorie
Grew up in Vermont. Such a beautiful state--and one of the most progressive in many ways. I still miss it and wish I could have at least a summer place there.
anonymous
What about Maine? Liberal? Fun? Friendly?
May I just say that the Lowell/Lawrence/Fitchburg/Andover area of MAssachusetts has some of the most disgusting, low class, trashy, HORRIBLE people in the history of mankind. What a disgusting area. And their driving is positively murderous. HATE THAT AREA. Trash.
"Nice"? Pfft
R45 yes no argument there. Stay away from that area lol. Boston, its suburbs and the coastal cities/towns are where it's at in MA.
[quote]in the middle of a forest on a dirt road living in a house you can't get to without a 4 X 4 Sounds like my dream home.
[quote]What about Maine? Liberal? Fun? Friendly? Outgunquit and the nearby beach towns are, most definitely. We're thinking about making that our summer home. Go too far north to say, Bangor, and forget it. It's all God & guns and the military. You can't swing a cat up there without hitting some fundie Teabagger redneck. Horrible place.
Don't the Bushes make their summer home in Maine? Maine has a lot of piss-poor people. There's not much work up there. Lots of French Canadiens.
Can't stand CT anymore, and we will move to FL after son finishes school.CT is cold, costly, unfriendly. Absolutely sick of the "forest" which once held charm for me, as I cam from Manhattan. Culture? Eh. Moving on, but it had its day.
Yes, it is. Except for the surveillance.
[quote]In CT it was, "But I'm two hours from NY and 2 hours from Boston!!" Yeah, but right now, you're in the middle of a forest on a dirt road living in a house you can't get to without a 4 X 4. I'm from CT and this made me laugh out loud. So true!
I lived in the Boston area for 28 years, it was appealing to me as a young person. I love the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for it's beauty and history. Can't wait to go back for a visit.
A big part of the appeal is that most towns in new england still have cores of walkable stores/cafes that predate cars. These are the places that have held their value because they're a natural draw.
I love Massachusetts.
Came%20for%20grad%20school%20from%20NC%2015%20years%20ago%20and%20never%20left.
I like the Northeast in general- New England in particular. Upstate NY is gorgeous (if a bit red.) CT is OK, RI is the pits, but MA, VT, NH and MN are beautiful. I love VT. I love to ski and boy do I love the small towns of VT, the clapboard houses etc. It's also liberal and tolerant.
charlie
I was born and raised just outside of Boston and I still think it's the most beautiful part of the country. I don't mind the reserved nature of the people, in fact it seems "normal" to me. The overly-friendly, intrusive thing that people do elsewhere makes me uncomfortable. As long as they have decent manners (thank you, Southerners and everyone else whose parents did their job), I do the best I can with it. Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut - all are gorgeous states with varying degrees of cray cray but it's cray cray I understand. If I had a choice (right now I do not) I would choose life in any New England state over any other part of the country. I keep a second house in MA, spend as much time as I can in it every year and plan to retire there.
Maine here. Rural, northern Maine--up near the Canadian border. There are a lot of "religious" folks in this neck of the woods, but also folks who support equality. There is a saying in Maine: As Maine goes, so goes the nation. I'm hoping this is the case regarding marriage equality.
[quote]Maine here. Rural, northern Maine--up near the Canadian border. From the map, it seems there is only one paved road up there. Is it mostly government lands?
You could say the same about Napa and Sonoma Counties in northern California. And they have far better weather.
Grew up in Bridgeport (yes, I know) and went to UConn. I was at school during the Blizzard of '78. A nearby liquor store filled up the back of their truck with alcohol and kegs, and drove sold booze off the back of the truck. Partied for days. It's unfortunate about Bridgeport. Growing up there wasn't bad, at least we didn't think so. We were poor, but so were all our friends. They cut down the trees in my old neighborhood and it's even more rundown than it was back then, though I think it's getting better. Growing up near the shore was great. I now live in Texas. Nowhere near as scenic, but it's a lot warmer. After living 48 years in the North, I'm over the cold.
No R60, it's all private land. Read below for the Maine Woods National Park that never happened.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Maine+Woods:+millions+of+acres+of+forest+in+Maine+could+become+the...-a0137455772
Nobody got 3 weeks off school for a blizzard in New England. Not in 400 years of history. Hell, in the midwest nobody has ever gotten off more than 1 day for a blizzard, and I believe New England is much the same.
R59 here. Aroostook County is at the top of Maine. I-95 does not go all the way through this County. There are secondary roads and they are paved. Aroostook County is the largest county east of the Mississippi, however, the population is under 100,000. There are large tracks of land owned by timber companies and private individuals.
The Eastern Seaboard is Canada Lite. Stop trying to copy us.
Nobody got 3 weeks off school for a blizzard in New England. Not in 400 years of history. Hell, in the midwest nobody has ever gotten off more than 1 day for a blizzard, and I believe New England is much the same. I got 3 weeks off from school after the Blizzard of '78 because the whole town was living in the school gym.
Anonymous
Even your semen smells like bullshit R67
The Blizzard of '78 ran right up against the Christmas school vacation week and added one additional week to it as far as school went. So really two weeks off all together, one planned, and one unplanned. I'm from the North Shore of Boston, and was in the ninth grade in 1978. I have never seen so much snow in one place in my whole life before, or since. I live in NYC, but Mass., NH, Vermont, and coastal Maine are my favorite places.
r69, the Blizzard of 1978 was in February
Correct - the Blizzard of 78 was indeed in February. It ran into February break which is why there was so much time off from school. That combined with the fact that there had also been a quite whopping January snowstorm and the entire Northeast was paralyzed for the better part of a week. We had to walk to the grocery store with sleds and people were cross country skiing down Main Street in my hometown. It. Was. AWESOME!! The snowstorm against which all others have been measured and found lacking (at least in Boston).
In my case I'm 50 minutes from Boston, 120 or so from NYC if I put the pedal to the metal.
LuciferTheLightBringer
The Blizzard of '78: I was out of school for the better part of two weeks. The first week we were completely snowed in. Had all sort of relatives and friends at the house. And regarding Hartford - it's what happens when you go bonkers with urban renewal.
LuciferTheLightBringer