Comments
Academic_Guava_4190 t1_ir3vugf wrote
Medford seems like an outlier here.
Ok-Lengthiness446 t1_ir40oh2 wrote
4th Lexington 6th Melrose 8th Needham 11th Milton 17-19 Arlington, Burlington, Newton
Not a one in my county.
Slapshot5251 t1_ir4400d wrote
Surprised Winchester didn’t make the cut
HistoricalBridge7 t1_ir4dzpy wrote
I’m surprised Randolph did
kasque t1_ir4k1fc wrote
All the weird stuff on the internet doesn’t happen here in small town New England. I suppose that makes us dull to the rest of America. I’m fine with that.
A_Man_Who_Writes t1_ir4n7qg wrote
All rich towns on the eastern side of the state, go figure…
bemest t1_ir4qbl8 wrote
All inside 128 and unaffordable to a working family.
ArmlessGeodude t1_ir4rmh6 wrote
This is legit probably one of the best places to live right now.
czechmixing t1_ir4s262 wrote
That's what makes them great! No poor people!!!
a_white_american_guy t1_ir4sss1 wrote
To compile this list, WalletHub compared 1,319 cities across five dimensions: affordability, economic health, education & health, quality of life and safety.
bemest t1_ir4t0ev wrote
Thank goodness for Lowell or who would mow their lawns.
exploremore617 t1_ir4u7ha wrote
Randolph, well now we know the accuracy of this report 🤷♂️
NativeMasshole t1_ir4vc5e wrote
Fucking Gary, IN is tied for the top spot. Might as well just throw this list right in the trash where it belongs.
itallendsintears t1_ir4vw5n wrote
I was so excited to read this until I actually saw the list.
Melrose? Needham? Fucking Wellesley??!?
Did the author just drive around suburban hellscapes until he found the one with the most pleasing Audi to person combo?
These towns blow. Full of a bunch of bourgeois bullshit and the people who scamper about pretending they have value and their jobs are super duper important.
itallendsintears t1_ir4w2q3 wrote
Those towns suck anyways you aren’t missing a thing
itallendsintears t1_ir4w3qs wrote
For real
Chippopotanuse t1_ir4x2jv wrote
It’s right next to Tufts. Get a lot of Somerville/Cambridge overflow.
It’s come a long way since the gritty “Meffa” days back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s when guys like the Saccos and Shawn Bates ruled the town.
That said, yeah, I’d have at least forty towns ahead of it in Mass alone.
Academic_Guava_4190 t1_ir4y3id wrote
I guess it’s been awhile since I spent significant time in Medford. Some of my family lived there in the 80s/90s and it has always had nicer areas. I was wondering if they had only been to the Tufts or West Medford areas. Back in the day the parts near Somerville were the worst frankly, but I guess some of the gentrifiers crossed the border.
lucascorso21 t1_ir4ygg3 wrote
Burlington being on this list is hilarious.
Edit: Deleted line about Gary because I'm dumb.
NeetStreet_2 t1_ir4yje9 wrote
Nothing in the Berkshires?
ipsissimus666 t1_ir50y9k wrote
Even just drinking water.
All over the country, water out of the tap tastes horrible.
Or their ground water is in peril.
Loinpurloin t1_ir52ymq wrote
YES THESE ARE VERY WHITE IT SEEMS USING ALL THAT DATA
william1Bastard t1_ir53eiw wrote
All those cities in the south and midwest should have asterisks. I'm sure they're fine, unless you have a kid and you value education. If so, you'd better make enough to send them to a nice private school.
Fr though, I've never heard so much as one nice thing about Gary Indiana
FirstOrderRouge t1_ir5405b wrote
That’s the actual implication unfortunately.
[deleted] t1_ir5422v wrote
[deleted]
Dr_Bunson_Honeydew t1_ir542u0 wrote
I think the qualifier for the report is “cities” where population is greater than 25k. I’m sure some of the great other towns many people are thinking of in MA might not meet that hurdle, especially out in Western MA.
FirstOrderRouge t1_ir54g0k wrote
It’s literally on the bottom of the list.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir55n7u wrote
Well apparently not
NativeMasshole t1_ir55qw7 wrote
Ohhhh, that's 1 percentile lol. I thought it was in reverse order. That makes a lot more sense.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir55qz0 wrote
Hey woah come on now
FirstOrderRouge t1_ir55xcm wrote
I don’t think it’s a perfect list, but they put Gary where it belongs lol
ZOOTV83 t1_ir56q3w wrote
Maybe the distinction is that Winchester is technically a town and not a city?
MrFCCMan t1_ir57ajv wrote
Nah they said they did it by population not if it’s actually a city. Burlington is a town, but has just over 25,000 people so it makes their cut
itallendsintears t1_ir57fop wrote
Lexington and newton are alright but these are boomer enclaves where everyone is in bed by 8pm and the only sound you hear is the gentle hum of the occasional Tesla that drives by
Ksevio t1_ir57x43 wrote
Gary is the very last on the list, higher percentile is better
itsgreater9000 t1_ir57ybl wrote
the best compliment i've heard about the northeast was from Andrew Callaghan (of All Gas No Brakes/Channel 5 fame), who described the northeast as just way too boring to generate a ton of interesting content from. very glad we are not like FL/TX in that way, haha.
lucascorso21 t1_ir58i2c wrote
Ugh, thank you. Brain-dead this morning.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir590xl wrote
Let’s hear your top 5
Ksevio t1_ir592xp wrote
Ha it happens. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to one of America's top small cities where I'll go work in an office park, then maybe head through the strip mall to the actual mall for some lunch
ValkyriesOnStation t1_ir59jgp wrote
Boston, Northampton, Amherst, P-Town, and Turners Falls.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir5a3g1 wrote
Yeah turners falls booming with night life
ZOOTV83 t1_ir5aier wrote
Oh ok that makes sense then.
itallendsintears t1_ir5amey wrote
Swap out turners with Holyoke and that list fire. Turners is cool but the people that live there are legit weird and dumb
internetTroll151 t1_ir5b0l0 wrote
Segregation still exists, but nobody will want to admit it or talk about it. It's not an easy problem to solve, most of the rest of the country has larger bodies of government (e.g. school districts with 5+ high schools) - so its possible to integrate poorer sections of the community with wealthier. Here there are such distinct boundaries.
internetTroll151 t1_ir5bddy wrote
if affordable towns were desirable, they wouldnt be affordable towns anymore
Be glad your town isn't on the list - people read these things and move there - then starbucks comes in, and the local places close, and the school rankings drop.
internetTroll151 t1_ir5bly7 wrote
What are you implying about the non white communities?
internetTroll151 t1_ir5bo2g wrote
The author is from CT - so perhaps a strong bias on the criteria selected to make the list.
chobrien01007 t1_ir5bro5 wrote
Milton is a town .
Loinpurloin t1_ir5bu6q wrote
THEY NO GET THE TOP LIST MONEY
Wild_Jury_6941 t1_ir5c6za wrote
I'll take my very quiet, nothing exciting ever happens here life out in the Berkshires. The leaf peepers will be around soon but other than that it's a very quiet life.
fireball_jones t1_ir5cdqm wrote
Americans struggle with the idea of mixed use so we settle for living at the mall instead.
here-come-the-bombs t1_ir5d06c wrote
I think they may have limited it to municipalities that are officially cities, too, because my town meets the population criteria, but it's a "town".
gweal t1_ir5do4m wrote
I also took that as a compliment lol
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir5dtb0 wrote
Holyoke is cool if you like heroin
BasicDesignAdvice t1_ir5e0vb wrote
I grew up in Needham and it was a paradise. Tons of families and school age kids. Great schools. Of course as a teenager it was the worst place in the world but looking back its crazy how lucky I was.
There are still a lot of families but every parent you talk to in the playground is a doctor or an engineer or something.
All the five bedrooms being slapped together on my old street are being bought but childless couples, which I am not judging, but its weird going back remembering that street filled with kids. Kids are all spaced out now instead of all living on the block.
BasicDesignAdvice t1_ir5edg0 wrote
Its also how we have structured things. Investment pours into high wealth low crime areas. The areas that really need investment are ignored and just get worse and worse. Repeat constantly all over America.
itallendsintears t1_ir5eypx wrote
Holyoke has a literal mountain, a downtown, a mall, hydroelectric power and a water reservoir that literally runs downhill. It’s future proof.
And it’s fentanyl now and nobody likes that garbage
SilverRoseBlade t1_ir5f1id wrote
I mean I grew in Randolph and left a while ago so maybe it got better? I just remember their school system was not something I’d be proud of back then.
lazydictionary t1_ir5f4b9 wrote
Does activity beyond 8pm make a great place to live?
lazydictionary t1_ir5fcd9 wrote
Don't know what you are talking about. Guy in my town rocked a Qanon sign on his front lawn for at least a year.
itallendsintears t1_ir5fqpm wrote
Yes. And neighborhoods where you aren’t judged by the quality of your landscaper. Those are two good starting points
headrush46n2 t1_ir5g5je wrote
they're going to need to start bussing people in from Springfield to serve them their coffee.
headrush46n2 t1_ir5gdjr wrote
its not a little bit more expensive dude. I moved out to the midwest and bought a 3 bedroom house. My monthly mortgage is less than my Cambridge parking spot.
A_Man_Who_Writes t1_ir5hkyw wrote
True true
SmilingJaguar t1_ir5jcmg wrote
Nah, Lexington and Brookline are on the list but are both officially Towns.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir5m51n wrote
Yeah I guess people who like to live in nice quiet towns without drugs and broken down mills won’t get the last laugh afterall
flamethrower2 t1_ir5mqau wrote
At least they Robin Hood the school funding somewhat. People complain about it but it's better than states where property value equals school funding. Which is most states.
itallendsintears t1_ir5n1iz wrote
Eversource and national grid energy costs are increasing 60% this winter.
It’s just getting started.
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir5pk9s wrote
Except in Holyoke? Do you live in Holyoke?
itallendsintears t1_ir5q1ge wrote
Holyoke on hydroelectric. No I’m in south Hadley also on hydroelectric. I’m trying to buy a house in Holyoke though
traditionalsmoke01 t1_ir5qhxw wrote
Well good for you hope it works out
metrowestern t1_ir5rhpa wrote
I judge people who don’t cut their own grass.
metrowestern t1_ir5rj2v wrote
Belmont.
itallendsintears t1_ir5rptl wrote
Thanks friend. Same to you wherever you reside
a_white_american_guy t1_ir5th39 wrote
They do?
daveradar t1_ir5v9lb wrote
Randolph is uhhhhh not great
Running_In_The_Woods t1_ir5w92a wrote
I moved from Medford/Somerville to Salem a few years back and it was the best decision I made. Salem is going through a boom right now and is a great place to live. I couldn't recommend it enough. Very walkable, beautiful houses and architecture, near the ocean, incredible restaurants, and best of all, nice people.
I have a lot of friends leaving Somerville and moving to the north shore. A shitty two bedroom house in Somerville/Medford goes for 700k dollars and maybe you get a parking spot (definitely no yard)
Sure those cities on the list have good schools and high property value, but they at boring AF. I would take Salem any day over those cities.
Jabrak t1_ir5y06j wrote
I live in Randolph and moving out soon. I laughed when I saw it on the list, it's probably the same as when you left.
anubus72 t1_ir5yffc wrote
Starbucks is responsible for our failing schools
ARMaloney131 t1_ir5yjue wrote
Milton is also a town.
MrMadLeprechaun t1_ir61db1 wrote
As somebody who grew up in Burlington it's completely unrecognizable when I go back. It would've been nowhere near any of these lists back then
Dr_Bunson_Honeydew t1_ir63vzs wrote
Lexington population is about 35k tho.
I_Am_Bourbon t1_ir68fxd wrote
If that’s all then you live in a boring area.
Ok-Lengthiness446 t1_ir6bnyx wrote
Shhhhhh and let’s keep it that way please. Gentrification is coming to Pittsfield and I’m terrified. Continue to let people believe there’s no reason to live here.
Ok-Lengthiness446 t1_ir6bw86 wrote
In what way?
lazydictionary t1_ir6cxam wrote
I don't know what they meant by "weird stuff on the internet".
InfantryMatt t1_ir6gugd wrote
The only reason I came to the comments was because I saw Randolph and couldn't believe it. Both my mom and dad's side all came from Randolph, and pretty much everyone bailed to the south shore in the early 90's. Maybe things have changed?
NeetStreet_2 t1_ir6hm1i wrote
Great Barrington, North Adams should qualify.
KawaiiCoupon t1_ir6knwz wrote
That’s the minimum standard to make it on the list lmao
2tuna2furious t1_ir6wevr wrote
Goddamn how much does your life suck you are this unpleasant 😂
richg0404 t1_ir6zcpu wrote
My town is nowhere near this list and I'm very happy about that. I love where I live and more people would make me love it a lot less.
itallendsintears t1_ir73rzd wrote
It’s awesome actually I live in a reasonably priced, diverse town with a beautiful woman ten years younger then me. Also I don’t have any children.
How’s your life look?
internetTroll151 t1_ir77uej wrote
There are a type of people that would only move to a suburban town with a starbucks. You dont want them as parents in your school system. They act like they care about their kids, but they wont put in the work.
​
Yes I'm generalizing half of society. Yes I know its not factually correct for everyone.
eaglessoar t1_ir78532 wrote
Ah the big H
eaglessoar t1_ir78mnd wrote
Boston, Hamilton, Manchester by da sea, Lenox and siasconset
Maine should be part of Massachusetts again (in exchange for PR statehood) and then we could add Rockland.
ak47workaccnt t1_ir78u3m wrote
Why don't you think people appreciate it? There's a post like this saying how awesome Massachusetts is every other day.
[deleted] t1_ir7v9e9 wrote
[deleted]
JaKr8 t1_ir7vchg wrote
There are some interesting inclusions and exclusions on the list.
Codspear t1_ir851yu wrote
> if affordable towns were desirable, they wouldnt be affordable towns anymore
They can be both if you get rid of residential zoning restrictions.
Watchfull_Hosemaster t1_ir8hgas wrote
I can smell the NIMBY all over this article.
JaKr8 t1_ir8l6cy wrote
Yeah, but I'd rather be in Cambridge than pretty much almost anywhere in the Midwest, except for Chicago or MSP (One of our houses is there anyway, it's a great city, We spend a couple months a year there). I've been out that way enough to know...
JaKr8 t1_ir8lb9n wrote
No, I just think we take it for granted. I have a relative who's lived in San Diego during their entire lifetime, they've never been to the beach. Sometimes you don't always appreciate what you have in your own backyard...
Loinpurloin t1_ir3utc5 wrote
*WHITEST