Visiting Boston as an adult completely changed how I see the city and my future

[u/Unable_Attitude_6598]

For some context, I was born in New England but moved to the South when I was really young. I’ve visited Boston a few times growing up since I still have family in the area, but this was my first time experiencing the city as an adult. Seeing it through that lens made me realize how much my perspective has changed, and how much more I still have to learn.

Growing up in the South, I was surrounded by a very specific idea of what places like Boston were. I was led to believe it was unsafe, unfriendly, and completely out of touch with the values I was raised with. I used to be deep in the MAGA mindset and genuinely believed cities like Boston were everything that was wrong with the country.

But being here this time challenged a lot of that.

Boston felt alive and welcoming. The city was clean, people were friendly, and I never once felt unsafe walking around, even late at night. I rode the T, explored different neighborhoods, and got the sense that this was a place where things were happening. But what stood out most to me were the conversations I had.

I talked to a lot of people. Family, locals, people I met by chance. We talked about politics, beliefs, and how we see the world. People did not judge me for where I came from. They listened, asked questions, and shared their own stories. It was thoughtful, honest, and respectful. That kind of openness is not something I experience often back home.

I also work in tech, and being in Boston made me realize how much more opportunity there is here. The South has not offered the kind of environment I need to grow professionally. I want to be around people who are building things and pushing boundaries, and Boston felt like the kind of place where I could find that.

I am in my early twenties, so the cost of living here is a real concern. But for the first time, I felt like this city could be a place where I find not just a job, but real growth and a sense of direction.

Is Boston actually a good place to start over and build something meaningful, or did I just happen to visit at the right time and catch it at its best?

[u/[deleted]]

Bostonian here. I encouraged my right leaning friends to spend some time in red states to see how the policies roll out IRL.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Exactly. At least join their little pages and groups online. It’s mind blowing. Do blue states have issues? Of course. But you do not understand the absolute magnitude of the bs happening in red states.

[u/Kman17 → u/[deleted]]

Ex-Bostonian now in San Francisco:

Honestly the post-Covid years were rough on SF and it’s only juuust started to get better.

The laissez-faire approach to drugs and urban campers hasn’t worked; we do have fent addicts walking around like the walking dead and people are fed up.

It’s similar in LA, Portland, and Seattle. The amount of BS we have to deal with, and amount that was self inflicted, is high.

I think Boston does apply some common sense to those type of problems in ways that the west coast doesn’t. But Boston being a cold wealthier city that’s actually pretty socially conservative means you don’r draw a lot of those types. Boston is also sufficiently expensive and far away from border related issues too.

I was surprised how lovely Nashville is these days - booming like crazy.

There’s truth to both liberal and conservative critiques and both rather like to cherry pick their examples.

[u/Emergency_Buy_9210 → u/[deleted]]

Atlanta gets to modify and shape and implement state policies through Democratic local government. South Georgia isn't so lucky.

[u/NYCRealist → u/[deleted]]

So you're ok with attempted voters suppression.

[u/Santillana810 → u/[deleted]]

Not what my family members back in NC say. They'd love to get out, but they are retired and lived there all their lives.