Hey, there! Log in / Register
Westa Wistah
Terra incognita; beyond the bounds of civilization (some Bostonians will argue that that boundary is actually Rte. 128).
"I think a Bostonian would much rather go north or south than east to west. There is a sense that anything west of Rte. 495 needs a passport and currency control." -- John Mullin, director of the Center for Economic Development, UMass-Amherst, in the Boston Sunday Globe, 5/31/98.
Glossary:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
re: Westa Wistah
Yeah, in Wistah it's Wistah. In Boston it's Woosta or Wuhsta. In Boston theyah usually hammid out of theya gords.
re: Westa Wistah
Those of us west of worcester have no love loss for Bostonians either. We are still bullshit about the Quabbin. Destroy four of our towns because you're thirsty then you don't even hire locals to build the thing- instead you bring in a bunch of Irish!!!
re: Westa Wistah
And by Bostonians, I'm willing to bet Jules means anyone and everyone who lives Easta Wista.
There isn't much of a
There isn't much of a difference between you all.
495 is the outer limit
15 years ago when looking for our first house, we went west out past 495 twice with an agent because the houses were cheapa, but each time my wife began to panic when we crossed that outer highway and each time we turned back after only looking at a few of the houses on the list. It was curious, but she really had a physical, turn pale and feel ill kind of reaction at the thought of living out in the boonies.
Now we live within earshot of the T so we can feel connected to the world.
I'm learning this. I'm
I'm learning this. I'm working in Mass for the first time, making the lovely commute down 93 every day (not for much longer) and my co-worker, from Woburn, and I were discussing accents. (Because a customer from California commented on the accent around here saying that it's "beautiful". Loved it). Anyway, at some point she said "I wonder what Western Mass sounds like? I've never met anyone from Western Mass". Westa Wistah. Weird.
Western MA
I'm replying to Two Birds, but first to other comments about Wistah and Western Mass. First, Wistah ain't western Mass. Wistah is eastern Mass. Second, Springfield is Central Mass. Third, Western Mass doesn't even START until you cross the Connecticut River (e.g., Pioneer Valley, the Berkshires). Would you folks from back east ptry to at least know what you're talking about?
Two-Birds--Wistah people don't have as marked an accent as Boston-area people do. Its somewhat derivative, but there really isn't much of a local accent. REAL western Mass (e.g., Berkshires) accents sound like upstate New York (think Syracuse).
--Transplanted Southie in the Berkshires
Agree with Kelly...everyone
Agree with Kelly...everyone east of the CT river can stay there. The "real world" is here, it's called NATURE and that's why most of are out here. We want to be left alone on our acres and acres of beautiful land. You can keep your pollution, your bad attitudes and your damn accents.
Kelly covered it pretty well,
Kelly covered it pretty well, us Westerners have more of a Mid-Atlantic accent rather than a New England one. It's not remarkable at all. In fact it's often been confused for a Mid Western accent, that's how uninteresting it is.
And Western Mass is comprised of the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. Which, by the way, is pronounced Berk-shers. NOT Berk-shears. Please get it right people.
I once encountered an Easterner who was geographically clueless enough to believe that Fitchburg was Western Mass. Ha. I grew up in Pittsfield, right on the NY border. THAT is west my friend. Not freakin' Fitchburg. It may be the boonies to you all but our air is better and we have cleaner towns and cities.
I was out that way . . .
. . . a few weeks ago to see the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Stopped by a coffee shop in town there- and met a nice couple who had taken in a dog from one of their neighbors whose house had been foreclosed upon recently.
Don't have much connection to Western MA myself- being a descendent of one of them Irish "brought in" as another anonymous poster said earlier- but I read stories about small towns out there getting hit hard by budget cuts and so forth- and it breaks my heart. I think Western MA gets short thrift and I, for one, would like to see more concern about that part of the state- have it benefit more economilly. Would also like to learn more about the history of that area. Really stunning natural views.