Some Watertownians consider their official name too confusing

but where is the evidence that any of these towns or cities requested this special treatment (which would have mainly been paid for by their own residents)?

I'm not disputing that exit fares did exist. They exited on the Braintree end through 2007. I lived that part of it. But the "why" aspect to why those special fares existed, I wasn't here for and would certainly enjoy learning more about.

For reference on the end of these exit fares: http://www.bu.edu/articles/2006/end-of-the-line-for-free-t

When I was in high school I had a pass that had always worked at Braintree station for one portion of the fare getting on and had even worked when I got off the train one Saturday morning but when I went to go home at the end of the day I got stopped by MBTA staff when I put one portion of fare in and swiped my card. They told me my pass was useless and I needed to pay the whole fare. I had no more cash on me and it was getting late so I was in a panic. I had been doing work for a company that had me stopping into stores and I was there as part of a string of visits so as a Chelsea boy I had nobody to turn to for the dollar I needed. So I pleaded with the guy to no avail and he wouldnt even give me my dollar back.

We had these things called pay phones back then so I call my parents, collect. My mother is now in a panic and wants to turn the universe upside down to get me home but hands it off to my father. My Vietnam vet , motorcycle driving father from the tough part of Cambridge back when such a place was tough (so not who I am) is laughing at this point. He tells me to just jump the turnstile. I tell him there's a guy there. He tells me "your 6'1, 250 pounds and your shoulders look like your wearing shoulder pads, when you hear the train coming put down the phone and just run, leap over the turnstile and just keep going until you get to the train. Call me if you need bail." Looking back I remember the startled look on his face but at the time I was petrified he was going to follow me... But I keep sprinting as the train pulls up and doors open, I rush in still thinking he was going to chase me onto the train but in reality I am sure he just said screw it as soon as I lept over the barrier.

I definitely got the impression I didn't "belong" there though based off of how he was talking to me.

According to the wikis, the Town of Randolph is yet another city that insists on being called a town.

I swear, though, that most of the resistance to adopting the city form of government was the loss of the word Town. Back in the day, the Town of Framingham, replete with town government, had more people than a surprising number of cities. The irony is that South Framingham (think the prison and old GM plant) changed towns from Sherborn because Framingham had the infrastructure to deal with industry.

They didn't want to subject the heart of Arlington Center to an influx of "city people" (if you know what I mean, and I think you do).

I heard the same thing about the Green Line extension 15 or 20 years ago (that it would bring "city people" to the unspoiled wilderness of West Medford).