help! South to North

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

I'm possibly moving from South Georgia, to Worcester Massachusetts. If you're from the surrounding area, please help me out so that I kind of know what to expect. Thanks

I lived in MA for 9 years, about 20 minutes from Worcester. Here are some pros/cons/what have you, from my experiences:

1. Worcester itself is a pretty decent size city. The surrounding suburbs are pretty nice. To your west you have Springfield, another city, whose suburbs are more artsy, further west are the Berkshire Mountains, and to your east is Boston, which is a cleaner, smaller version of NYC, and in my opinion, the perfect city. You aren’t too far from NH/MA/VT either.

2. UMass Hospital is a great hospital. I have a serious medical condition and spent a lot of time there.

3. Worcester is on the MBTA commuter rail (train), which brings you right into Boston.

4. MA is a heavily taxed state. However, they do take care of their roads.

5. Some people refer to MA residents as MASS-holes. This is usually bc of the impulsive driving habits. However, they are known to sit at intersections letting hordes of cars turn in front of you, to the chagrin of those cars behind you.

6. You will get quite a bit of snow, which will be on the ground and your roof most of winter. You will be in a kind of snowbelt, where you get “Nor’easters”, which are like winter hurricanes.

* Set aside money for a snow plow service or a snow thrower. And get a Roof Rake to rake the snow off the roof.

7. It can get hot and humid in the summer, but you are about two hours from Cape Cod and the islands (depending on traffic).

8. Clothing wise, try to go for layers of multi-seasonal fabrics. Get a long winter coat, a snow coat, a pair of snow boots, and waterproof shoes for the rainy/slushy days of spring. There has been a tornado, an earthquake and a few hurricanes in its history. Winters are usually in the 20-40s and summers are usually in the 70s-low 80s, with bouts of extremes (as in below 0 or above 100).

9. You will have new allergies to get used to, if you happen to be the allergic sort.

10. According to my husband from the south, the sun seems to set earlier in the day, even in the summer; and during the winter, you may get Seasonal Affective Disorder - "SAD" - a condition in which you get depressed due to lack of sunlight/vitamin d. You can combat this with a special light box, or learn to love winter sports - shoveling, skiing, ice skating, etc.

11. You can get sunburned even in the colder months. Wear sunscreen and lip balm daily. Moisturize deeply in the winter months. Your skin will get scaly.

12. You are close enough to NY and Boston to get good pizza. A huge plus.

13. You can easily get a train to NYC as well.

14. People do and will commute to work – as far east as Boston and as south as in CT.

15. “Worcester” is pronounced “woo-stah” or “wuhh-stu”. Haverhill = “hay-ver-ull”.

16. There are I think 9 colleges in the Worcester area.

17. Dunkin Donuts has the best drive-through coffee.

18. MA is highly Democratic, and has a lot of public resources.

19. There is a lot to do nature-wise.


If you want feedback on specific towns, let me know. Worcester proper (the city itself, the urban areas) have the same issues as any urban area, but I have had to go to many areas of the city and felt decently safe. I can try to offer advice if you cared to provide any other types of info, as detailed below.

Do you know where you will be working (city, industry)?
What towns are you looking for?
Do you have kids?
What town amenities are you looking for?

Best of luck!

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

5. Some people refer to MA residents as MASS-holes. This is usually bc of the impulsive driving habits. However, they are known to sit at intersections letting hordes of cars turn in front of you, to the chagrin of those cars behind you.

In my opinion, MA drivers are aggressive, but it's a controlled aggression, and as you noted, they can also be really polite in certain circumstances.

People complain about MA drivers, but compared with CT drivers (or other drivers around New England), they're actually pretty good.

I also love that you referred to shoveling as a winter sport...haha...I often say that it's the best winter exercise available.

[Munchkin03]

I didn't take much of Rhode Island with me, but I cannot NOT call a water cooler a "bubb-lah."

As a Southerner who found herself in Rhode Island for four years, I think Southerners tend to make too much of an issue about the cold. If you wear a good coat--and long johns, and a hat--you should be fine. Don't skimp on the cold weather gear, though! Quality really is important.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Don't skimp on the cold weather gear, though! Quality really is important.

So true! I've often found that there's really only a few days (maybe one or two a month during the winter, maybe a couple of weeks at a time if it's a really bad one) that I really have to sacrifice personal style in order to keep warm. There are a lot of really cute, warm coats out there! You will want to make sure that you have a warm ski-type jacket on hand though - generally something that has a zip-in/zip-out liner is going to be very warm and they usually have several layers beyond just the shell and the liner, too.

I've had the same Columbia jacket since my freshman year in undergrad and while it's not the cutest thing I've ever seen it keeps me warm and is long enough to cover my butt if I take a tumble on the ice. Get boots with good treads, too. Generally if I'm heading somewhere where I'll be wearing fancy shoes I'll wear sneakers or boots outside and carry my fancy shoes with me. It's a little weird but it keeps me from breaking my tailbone and my feet are nice and warm instead of standing there with snow in my shoes.

Uggs are not snow boots with good treads.

Also, don't wait to buy cold weather clothes, either. You might think "Oh it's 50 degrees out in October so I don't need to make sure that I have both gloves or have several scarves" because by the time you need them they'll be sold out of stores. Same goes with shovels and ice melt for your sidewalk, if you have to shovel it yourself, and for an ice scraper for your car.

Ultimately, layering is your friend.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

In my opinion, MA drivers are aggressive, but it's a controlled aggression, and as you noted, they can also be really polite in certain circumstances.

People complain about MA drivers, but compared with CT drivers (or other drivers around New England), they're actually pretty good.

I also love that you referred to shoveling as a winter sport...haha...I often say that it's the best winter exercise available.

Driving should also be considered a sport in MA, especially in Boston. I learned to drive in NH, and we would definitely refer to people from MA as Mass-holes. When I would drive in MA, I was scared to death. Then I moved to MA. I very quickly became one of those agressive drivers, and I completely understand why they drive the way they do.

And if you get the chance, go to RI. It's often forgotten about, being the smallest state, but it's beautiful. Go to Providence and experience WaterFire on Saturday nights in the summer (http://www.waterfire.org/) And hit up the beaches!

[georgiacowgirl]

Wow. never expected so many replies. Thanks for all that by the way.

Hopefully, it will just be me, for a few years for college and then I plan to return to the South. I love it here, but I just need something different for a little while before I give up my life to the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and gnats.

I think no matter where you go, you have to learn how people drive in that area. I can drive like a pro where I live, but I have to get mean if I go to Atlanta.

Oh, trust me! If it kills me....I will be warm! I'm not going to let myself freeze to death!

Soda? Pop? that's crazy! Here you go into a 7-11 saying "I'm getting a coke." and you come back out with a pepsi, mountain dew, gatorade, water, ect.

I know all about rough areas of town. We have like, 8 or 9 different gangs that live in our town, and you learn quickly not to go where you aren't wanted.



I do have a specific question though. If the roads freeze over, do you have to put snow tires on your vehicle?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

I do have a specific question though. If the roads freeze over, do you have to put snow tires on your vehicle?

It's never a bad idea. However, I've never owned snow tires and I've been fine. They really take care of the roads there when it's snowing. I know in the south they tend to freak out over a few flakes, and they don't have the equipment to keep the roads plowed when it does snow. In New England, though, there are fleets of plows and the roads, for the most part, are always covered in salt during the winter months.

ETA: Keep in mind, however, that I'm used to driving in such weather. For someone who isn't, it might be a good idea to invest in new tires.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Driving should also be considered a sport in MA, especially in Boston. I learned to drive in NH, and we would definitely refer to people from MA as Mass-holes. When I would drive in MA, I was scared to death. Then I moved to MA. I very quickly became one of those agressive drivers, and I completely understand why they drive the way they do.

I'll admit that the first time I drove in Boston, at some point in high school (I grew up in CT), I was surprised at how aggressively people drove. People in CT always complain about MA drivers. Seven years of living in Boston (between college and post-college) changed that perspective. While MA drivers are aggressive, I've also found them to be, on the whole, very skilled drivers. They're aggressive, but they also won't put you in impossible driving situations, and they do respect the rules of the road.

Originally Posted by georgiacowgirl

Soda? Pop? that's crazy! Here you go into a 7-11 saying "I'm getting a coke." and you come back out with a pepsi, mountain dew, gatorade, water, ect.


I do have a specific question though. If the roads freeze over, do you have to put snow tires on your vehicle?

Haha...if you go into some store and ask for a Coke, that's what you're getting...a Coke. That's not such a big change though. As for "bubbler," in my 7 years living in MA I never used the term, so don't worry about it.

I tend to get all-season tires, and those work pretty well, even in deep snow. A lot of it is going to end up depending on what type of vehicle you drive.

[VandalSquirrel]

I suggest all season tires since you might drive elsewhere or home, and you can always put on chains/cables if the roads are bad. If they are really that bad do you really need to be out driving in it?

Get strap on treads for your shoes for the ice, like yaktraks, or something along those lines. Don't wear UGGs, get real snow boots, and decent winter socks. Mittens are good because your fingers share the heat, but gloves are good for dexterity, you can always get gloves you wear inside mittens.

Don't forget a AAA Plus membership those are great for being away from home.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Get strap on treads for your shoes for the ice, like yaktraks, or something along those lines. Don't wear UGGs, get real snow boots, and decent winter socks. Mittens are good because your fingers share the heat, but gloves are good for dexterity, you can always get gloves you wear inside mittens.

Flip-flop gloves! I think most people call them "convertible mittens," but they're awesome! I do a lot of work outside in the winter, and they're great.

One of my dormmates was actually from Providence, and she used to call sprinkles "jimmies." We were all, WTF? Some of the RI-based grocery chains sell sprinkles with a label that says "jimmies."

Now I'm getting all nostalgic for crazy Rhode Island...

[mu_agd]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

4. MA is a heavily taxed state. However, they do take care of their roads.
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hahahahah not in Boston this winter. the roads where i live are currently atrocious. I'm weaving up and down the ones ways so as not to drive right through a crater.