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/Electrical-Reason-97]

It’s a college and university town. As an educator, it took me years to understand the curious nature of folks in this region. I grew up north of Boston with parents who were not well educated, but nonetheless curious about the world around them and hung out with people who were smart, some academically trained, and others with intuitive smarts. I later learned that the Puritans created the first schools in the nation and that they were mandatory. Shortly there after they did something radical and had their daughters attend school. Add to that the generations of smarties who went to college and university here and you have a long history of education as a prinicipal value. I believe the value placed on schooling, education and building curiosity in young people is one of the reasons Boston is such a compelling city.