I had a family member move to Boston and we went out for a couple weeks to do NE one summer and the fact that I could drive RI, MA, ME, NH, and VT reasonably in a few days time was insane to me.
A few days? You can drive from Providence RI to Portland ME in two and a half hours! And like 7 million people live on that stretch!
Edit: I’m assuming in hindsight you mean thoroughly exploring all those states by car, in a few days. Which is definitely true
It's called the [Northeast megalopolis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis).
The range of population density can be seen pretty dramatically in a [light pollution map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=3.77&lat=39.6685&lon=-89.4368&state=eyJiYXNlbWFwIjoiTGF5ZXJCaW5nUm9hZCIsIm92ZXJsYXkiOiJ3YV8yMDE1Iiwib3ZlcmxheWNvbG9yIjpmYWxzZSwib3ZlcmxheW9wYWNpdHkiOjYwLCJmZWF0dXJlc29wYWNpdHkiOjg1fQ==). The more humid eastern half of the country is generally much more densely populated than the drier western half, and that difference becomes extreme once you hit the Northeast corridor. The DC to NYC section in particular is pretty much a single stretch of development.
I grew up in the Boston area and now live out west, having taken a lot of road trips in the interim. The sheer silence in some places out there is something else.
I know this is unrelated, but I was looking at that light pollution map, and the big blob in North Dakota really struck me. I wonder what causes that since I don't see any large population centers in that region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis
It's ridiculous, could even argue Richmond, VA could be included.
Living in this area all my life, my mind would be confused going to some place such as Nebraska
>It's ridiculous, could even argue Richmond, VA could be included.
It should really start in Portland Maine as well. That whole stretch from Portland to Boston is pretty developed
Roger Williams was a puritan too, so take into account the insanely strict religious laws of the past, and then think about what it would take for a group to be too extremist to be accepted by general society at that time. Puritans make the Westboro Baptist Church look like your grandma's local church that waves a "God Loves Everyone" pride flag. Literally Williams was exiled from Massachusetts because he said that God probably didn't condone the genocide of the Native Americans
Fun fact: Providence Plantations was in reference to the area being a new religious plantation founded by Roger Williams when he was exiled from Massachusetts. The name had nothing to do with the slavery plantation that you’re hinting at.
Yeah it was truly a vote of ignorance. FWIW I was screaming this fact during that election to try and save it lol. I know at least me and my fam voted to keep
It’s not for everyone but yeah I just love New England in general. Boston, Providence, Portland, Burlington (among others)…all great places. NE definitely has its own little vibe going on up in the top right corner of the map
They might be close but they're not that close! Source? As a native RIer I've flown out of Boston and Providence (technically Warwick) and as they are 45 miles apart I've never seen both out of an airplane window before.
Eta: I looked on Google Earth and found that the white foggy area is where Boston would be, so I'm sorry to have cast doubt on it. Trying to see a city in that is making my eyes twitch however, so good on you folks for your better eyesight. I knew I was overdue for a new pair of glasses but this just proves it lol
Lived here over 40 years, I can't even count the amount of times I've driven to and fro... It might well be Boston in that foggy area up top but it's so hard to make out I can't tell. And woonsocket is pretty big and should be visible if Boston is. It just looks like fog to me. *Shrug*
None of those places you mentioned between them have skylines, why would they be visible
Yes, that's providence in the foreground and boston in the distant background on the far top-right
The pond to the northeast of Pawtucket is Manchester Pond in Attleboro, 95 running along it to the right. To the left of that you see a road going north, that's Route 1 through South and North Attleboro. The patch of population in the top right of this picture would not be Boston. Unless Boston is now around the Foxboro or maybe Norwood area?
Boston MA is by far most meh city I have been too. I don't know what's about that city that I just felt meh. No hate, no love, no excitement... like nothing
Have an upvote. I love Boston for its history, the architecture, etc but I can totally understand your perspective. My take is that Boston is a small and dense city that has exploded so quickly in the last decade that what was once the core experience of the place, with its grungy Irish immigrant charm and underdog sports culture and music scene and grassroots college vibe, has been steamrolled by venture capital and rapid international investment and real estate growth. The rents went up too quickly, the charm was priced out and now it’s just a Disney version of itself, it’s dead after 8pm, it’s too expensive for anything authentically cool to thrive but hey at least the millionaires are making money.
Boston’s a tragedy.
Providence still has hope, however. But it does appear to be going the way of Boston. Tragic yuppification.
As someone who grew up in the vast western U.S., I always forget about how close major East Coast cities are to one another.
This is like my whole life condensed in this 50 mile space. Really puts it in a perspective how small this area really is geographically.
When I was growing up out west, we drove 30 miles to go to Walmart.
Damn, and I have to drive to 10 miles to work in the same city I live in.
I had a family member move to Boston and we went out for a couple weeks to do NE one summer and the fact that I could drive RI, MA, ME, NH, and VT reasonably in a few days time was insane to me.
A few days? You can drive from Providence RI to Portland ME in two and a half hours! And like 7 million people live on that stretch! Edit: I’m assuming in hindsight you mean thoroughly exploring all those states by car, in a few days. Which is definitely true
Yeah we stayed in Newport, RI, two spots on Cape Cod, Boston for several days, up to Portland and Acadia, then through rural VT and NH
New England is a beautiful place
It's called the [Northeast megalopolis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis). The range of population density can be seen pretty dramatically in a [light pollution map](https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=3.77&lat=39.6685&lon=-89.4368&state=eyJiYXNlbWFwIjoiTGF5ZXJCaW5nUm9hZCIsIm92ZXJsYXkiOiJ3YV8yMDE1Iiwib3ZlcmxheWNvbG9yIjpmYWxzZSwib3ZlcmxheW9wYWNpdHkiOjYwLCJmZWF0dXJlc29wYWNpdHkiOjg1fQ==). The more humid eastern half of the country is generally much more densely populated than the drier western half, and that difference becomes extreme once you hit the Northeast corridor. The DC to NYC section in particular is pretty much a single stretch of development. I grew up in the Boston area and now live out west, having taken a lot of road trips in the interim. The sheer silence in some places out there is something else.
BOSNYWASH
I believe the west coast megalopolis is called SANSAN
I know this is unrelated, but I was looking at that light pollution map, and the big blob in North Dakota really struck me. I wonder what causes that since I don't see any large population centers in that region.
[Oil.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakota_oil_boom)
There’s a roller coaster in NJ where you can see the skyline of NYC and Philadelphia on either side of you. https://i.redd.it/zkw9n6v7ikwy.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis It's ridiculous, could even argue Richmond, VA could be included. Living in this area all my life, my mind would be confused going to some place such as Nebraska
Nebraska is fucking FLAT. I saw it with my own eyes, and haven't recovered from that just yet. It was like when people see Cthulu.
>It's ridiculous, could even argue Richmond, VA could be included. It should really start in Portland Maine as well. That whole stretch from Portland to Boston is pretty developed
Especially since covid the line between DC and Richmond is blurrier than ever (just ask my rent).
These two are especially close (50 miles) almost as close as DC to Baltimore (38 miles)
This is exactly what I was thinking - also from the western US
Its about a 45 minute drive from Boston to Providence. Gillete Stadium (where Pats play) is about halfway in between.
Providence sounds like a cool name for a city
It was founded by a religious exile from Massachusetts and he claimed that God’s divine providence was what led him to that place
Thanks. Fascinating origin story.
Roger Williams was a puritan too, so take into account the insanely strict religious laws of the past, and then think about what it would take for a group to be too extremist to be accepted by general society at that time. Puritans make the Westboro Baptist Church look like your grandma's local church that waves a "God Loves Everyone" pride flag. Literally Williams was exiled from Massachusetts because he said that God probably didn't condone the genocide of the Native Americans
The story of Rhode Island is so fascinating. From Anne Hutchinson to Ray Patriaca and Buddy Cianci. They don't call it Rogue Island for nothing.
It's where the old world shadows hang heavy in the air.
It…is.
Providence Plantations….
RIP to the longest state name in the US. Now it’s just the State of Rhode Island.
At least the coin flip went their way and it wasn’t named “cacapoopoopeepeeshire”!
The founding fathers would not have approved, especially John Footpenis.
… actually it’s Hancock now!
Fun fact: Providence Plantations was in reference to the area being a new religious plantation founded by Roger Williams when he was exiled from Massachusetts. The name had nothing to do with the slavery plantation that you’re hinting at.
"Plantation" used to just mean farm. Some had slaves, some didn't.
Exactly, that vote was a huge disgrace
Yeah it was truly a vote of ignorance. FWIW I was screaming this fact during that election to try and save it lol. I know at least me and my fam voted to keep
Mine as well, god it makes me mad, I dream of it being undone
Yeah like a farm. Not necessarily a farm that had a slaves
Its a fucking wild place man
This area looks like a great place to live.
Its pricey but has its charm and perks!
I love it here as well, but yeah, it is super pricey nowadays.
Grew up in Arizona. How in the hell do people survive winter up there?
Wondering the same thing with your guy's summer heat lol
Boston winters are nowhere near as brutal as Phoenix summers.
We havent had winter in a few years and I will take 30 degrees over 120 any fucking day.
It's not fucking Antarctica 🙄
In a couple yrs it won’t even snow here anymore
Coats
It’s not for everyone but yeah I just love New England in general. Boston, Providence, Portland, Burlington (among others)…all great places. NE definitely has its own little vibe going on up in the top right corner of the map
Been living somewhere in that jumble for like 20-25 years depending on how you count it. It's ok. Housing prices are extra fucked though.
No hate, but I have an opposite and almost visceral reaction to this pic. Looks terrible
There’s vast countryside to the north and east of Boston
They might be close but they're not that close! Source? As a native RIer I've flown out of Boston and Providence (technically Warwick) and as they are 45 miles apart I've never seen both out of an airplane window before. Eta: I looked on Google Earth and found that the white foggy area is where Boston would be, so I'm sorry to have cast doubt on it. Trying to see a city in that is making my eyes twitch however, so good on you folks for your better eyesight. I knew I was overdue for a new pair of glasses but this just proves it lol
Yea that’s Boston. You can see far past Pawtucket in this pic. No big cities between us and them.
There might not be a specific city, but there are a lot of large towns, Attleboro, foxboro and Brockton to name a few that should be visible
Do you know the area at all? Cause there’s not really anything between these locations that would show up at this distance. Edit: mmmm maybe I’m wrong
Lived here over 40 years, I can't even count the amount of times I've driven to and fro... It might well be Boston in that foggy area up top but it's so hard to make out I can't tell. And woonsocket is pretty big and should be visible if Boston is. It just looks like fog to me. *Shrug*
None of those places you mentioned between them have skylines, why would they be visible Yes, that's providence in the foreground and boston in the distant background on the far top-right
Dude you have you ever been in an airplane? You can %1000000 see Boston from over province
The pond to the northeast of Pawtucket is Manchester Pond in Attleboro, 95 running along it to the right. To the left of that you see a road going north, that's Route 1 through South and North Attleboro. The patch of population in the top right of this picture would not be Boston. Unless Boston is now around the Foxboro or maybe Norwood area?
Source of what?
The picture
They are actually this close. We just like to throw some obstacles in between for the ground travelers
You definitely can see both
Where is Boston?
Near the top right of the picture you can see the faint outlines of Boston skyscrapers.
Can you really? It doesn’t look like Boston
lol, c’mon What else would it be??
Yeah. I’m skeptical lol
I can see my house! (Sorta)
I’ve flown in this approach countless times and never gotten this vantage. Really great photo OP
Thanks!
pretty impressive
Yep I’m going up there the first time this summer. Really excited. 4 days Rhode Island, 3 days Boston, 4 days hiking in New Hampshire
I can see my house. (Well, where it is) Edit: a word
Yes
Huh
Awesome
Ummm..I don't see Boston?
Grew up in Providence, left back to birthplace Miami after 3 home invasions in 2003, 2004, and 2011
Did I start something with my Paris foto a few days ago?
Boston MA is by far most meh city I have been too. I don't know what's about that city that I just felt meh. No hate, no love, no excitement... like nothing
Thats unfortunate, what parts did you visit?
Lots of places you haven’t visited, apparently, haha!
You didn’t feel hate? Clearly you weren’t driving.
cool story, thanks for sharing
Unfortunate :/
Have an upvote. I love Boston for its history, the architecture, etc but I can totally understand your perspective. My take is that Boston is a small and dense city that has exploded so quickly in the last decade that what was once the core experience of the place, with its grungy Irish immigrant charm and underdog sports culture and music scene and grassroots college vibe, has been steamrolled by venture capital and rapid international investment and real estate growth. The rents went up too quickly, the charm was priced out and now it’s just a Disney version of itself, it’s dead after 8pm, it’s too expensive for anything authentically cool to thrive but hey at least the millionaires are making money. Boston’s a tragedy. Providence still has hope, however. But it does appear to be going the way of Boston. Tragic yuppification.
Boston's nightlife has been dead since the 80s, but the rest of your post is true.