You Know You Are From A Small Town In Massachusetts When…

Have you ever found yourself visiting another state or country on vacation and the locals told you that they knew you were from Massachusetts because your presences screams you aren’t from around the neck of the woods? It happens to me all the time when I visit California. You know you are from a small town in Massachusetts when…

You feel betrayed when there aren’t any Dunkin Donuts around near you.

This happens to me when I visit California all the time. There is only about one or two Dunkin Donuts locations in Los Angeles, so I’m stuck with going to Starbucks for my coffee fix. I tried to match my go-to Dunkin coffee order with Starbucks and it didn’t work at all. Every time I walk into a Starbucks, I hesitate slightly because I know I am a traitor walking into enemy territory.

You get funny looks from people on the street who notice your Red Sox or Patriot hat/ merch.

God forbid you are from Boston and walk around New York City with a Red Sox hat on. You’d get death glares. My dad will never succumb and wear a New York Yankees hat while visiting New York. He is dedicated to his sports team.

You are a pro with cold weather.

I would hear my California native cousins talk about 60 degree weather as slightly cold. They also say that it gets to around 40 degrees at night and that is freezing to them. I laugh a little and say that’s jeans and tank top weather. Cold to me is anywhere below 20 degrees. That’s when I have to wear multiple layers. However, I do know that that cold weather tolerance can fade fast when you move to CA. My sister has lived in CA for a few years and she thinks 50 degree weather is slightly cold. Her New England tolerance is fading and turning into a California heat tolerance.

That Boston accent is expected from you even if you aren’t from Boston.

This is something people not from Massachusetts do not seem to understand. The famous “Park your car in Harvard Yard” that sounds like “pahk your cah in Harvahd Yahd.” The accent is stronger in people who live directly in Boston or in smaller city towns around it (like Cambridge or Somerville or Saugus). However, people who live forty minutes from Boston, like me, do not seem to have the accent as prominent as others. When mine slips out, a lot when I’m in a different state or when I’m angry, it is amusing to see other people not from Massachusetts seem to either try to imitate the accent or ask about the Pats. It’s nice.

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You tend to notice the Boston driver stereotype when you aren’t in Boston.

This is something that I tend to notice when my parents are driving the rental car when we are making the trip from Southern California (Pasadena area) to Northern California (Oakland or San Francisco area). Someone forgets to use a blinker while passing on the highway (freeway in California), or someone drives a little too close to the car in front of them and eventually trying to pass that said car in front of them.

If you are in Massachusetts, you notice that you will interact with these kind of drivers some of the time in day. However, if you are anywhere else, you are instantly labeled a “Masshole.” My aunt tends to say that driving in Boston is a lot worse than driving in CA. It is funny to me because when I drive at home I tend to see that most of the New England population is trying to dodge the giant potholes in the middle of the road than anything else. Not all Boston drivers are terrible drivers. But, I do understand that driving into Boston is a nightmare.

What do you think are some signs you’re from a small town in Massachusetts? Tell us in the comments!

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