12 Things You Only Understand If You Grew Up in Kingston, MA

You always complained about growing up here, but the truth is once you leave, you soon begin to realize how fortunate you were. If you grew up in Kingston, MA, read on to learn the 12 things only you and other locals would understand.

1. It will never be the Kingston Collection.

The mall will be known as the Independence Mall in your heart forever. If you grew up in Kingston, MA, you can’t believe they even had the audacity to change the name in the first place.

2. Trick-o-treating in Indian Pond.

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3. Waking up at an ungodly hour to get into the senior parking lot.

You were that petty soul that would wake up a little earlier everyday just to beat out that one person who doesn’t seem to understand that that spot is officially, unofficially YOURS.

4. Staying at Pottle for endless hours even when you didn’t have a game.

If you grew up in Kingston, MA, you knew what it meant when anyone said “Pottle.” Nothing beat long summer evenings running around with your friends and seeing the entire town in one place.

5. When people ask you where you’re from, you say Plymouth.

You get really offended when they still don’t even know where Plymouth is. “You know like the Pilgrims? Like the Mayflower? Like 1620, the Plymouth rock and all that, yeah that’s where I’m from” is a phrase you say far too often. Nobody ever has any idea where Kingston is.

6. Town locals.

If you grew up in Kingston, MA, you still get a real kick out of scrolling through the Town Locals Facebook page. Especially, after a big storm when every other person is asking “is the transfer station open?” and “anyone else lose power?” Sometimes you might even toss a little controversial bomb in there and let everyone fight it out as you sit on your couch with some popcorn and watch them go at it like wild beasts.

7. You have a favorite Dunks in town.

No big deal, but the workers know your order by heart. You’d never survive a day without at least one trip to Dunkin’. I mean c’mon, you are a New Englander for crying out loud.

8. You say “wicked” way too much.

That’s wicked cool dude! It’s wicked cold outside! I’m wicked mad at her! I’m wicked tired. The Patriots are wicked good! Massachusetts is wicked awesome!

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9. Cape traffic is the worst.

You get wicked annoyed when it takes you 15 minutes to get from Cumbies to Cancun because everyone is heading to the Cape for the weekend. You learned the back roads to get around it as much as possible, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying. Just avoid Route 3 at all costs.

10. Sledding at KIS was the best.

The second the snow hit the ground, you started calling up all your friends to go sledding the next day. You ran into the whole town while plummeting down those magnificent hills.

11. Having to explain that Silver Lake has 3 towns.

No one ever understands that your high school has 3 towns. Well, technically 4 when you count the Pembroke CTE kids. But you aren’t a technical school, you just have technical education options. Yeah, it’s weird.

12. You’ll always love your hometown.

Even though you claimed that you couldn’t wait to get out of this small suburban south shore town, you’ll always love it and it’ll always have a special place in your heart.