I’ve found this to be true about DC also. the general level of education seems different too. I meet very few people without any some sort of college degree, even at the bike shops I’ve worked at here. Philadelphia was a little different . . , but eventually I’ll probably move back.
One thing you’ll probably find different about the East Coast is it will seem crowded. I admittedly have never been to New Mexico but I’ve lived in rural areas where you could drive along empty stretches of road. In contrast, you can probably drive the length of the East Coast from Maine to Virginia and never be out of sight of a house.
That’s really not true. While there is more congestion in the East there are places, some pretty close to cities, that are not built up at all.
The east is confusing geographically. It’s full of tiny little states, that are like little children --kinda cute, but you wonder what they’ll be like when they get bigger.And they move around a lot–after just a short drive,you don’t know which one you’re in.
Especially in the DC area: somebody will tell his wife “I’m working at the office in Maryland, so you take your car and drop off the kids in Virginia before we meet at the restaurant in Washington.”
That’s 3 states in one dinner-date… Cute…but for somebody from a real(i.e. adult-size) state, it’s a little hard to get used to. 
I would agree with that. That’s like driving from Boston to Providence to get lunch.
Also, I wouldn’t say New Englanders or NYers are unfriendly. We just tend not to be friendly to people we don’t know. I remember a conversation I once had in Boston with a coworker from Atlanta:
Coworker (to stranger on the street): “Hi!”
Stranger: “Uh…hey…”
Me: “You know that guy?”
Coworker: “No. I was just being friendly.”
Me: “Well don’t. That’s a good way to get punched.”
Coworker: “I don’t think he would have punched me.”
Me: “I wasn’t talking about him. I’m going to punch you if you don’t stop.”
We find unsolicited acts of friendliness weird and off-putting. Our first reaction is that you’re either homeless or crazy. I had some old couple at my favorite bar blurt out at me “they were from Wisconsin and loved New York!” I had to resist the urge to smash a bottle over their heads and run away screaming that I was being attacked. But after that we got along just fine and they turned out to be nice people.
One thing I do like about Boston compared to NY is that in addition to the smaller size, it feels less like a fishbowl than New York. Probably due to not having a car and being on an island, you can feel trapped living on Manhattan. Even though I lived in the suburbs of Boston, but it didn’t feel like any particular disadvantage not living in the Back Bay or North End. And in many cases, since my work place and college were around the Rt128 loop, it actually felt like an advantage not living down town.
Metro…West…? Oh yeah, I remember that place! That’s where we sent the one crummy train line that stops at every station…even an apartment complex. 
I agree with this. In terms of scale and quality, Boston is like a really good neighborhood of NYC.
I found Mass accents unpleasant. Not the toney upper class Boston ones, but the middle/lower class ones. But that’s just me.
Tolls can be a shock. Get an EZ pass transponder.
Hope you like seafood.
I really do, especially clam chowder (it’s not clam chowder! It’s chowda!)
We’re looking at Worcester. It means I’d commute, but rents are more reasonable and it seems as if there’s more opportunities for my wife to find work.
Outside Worcester, or in? Worcester proper can be a little rough, and the schools are struggling financially right now.
Worcester to Boston is not an easy commute. That may not be a really good option IMO.
Yeah, don’t let the distance fool you - it’s 40 or 45 miles, but if you’re driving during the commute, it’s going to be over an hour to downtown most days. You mentioned grad school, so which one becomes really important here as to how far out of the city is reasonable, and in what direction: there’s a significant difference between “Worcester to BC” and “Worcester to either of the Cambridge schools”, for instance.
I don’t know. I grew up in a rural area. So I know the difference between what’s really rural and what city people think is rural.
I don’t think you’ll see a view like this along the East Coast.
You might want to rethink that plan unless you have reasons other than saving money. First of all, you won’t save any by trying to commute from Worcester to Boston. It is far in New England terms and it costs a lot of money to maintain a car, pay for gas, and pay the tolls along the Mass Turnpike (those add up quickly to the tune of hundreds of dollars a month on the west to east commutes).
You would be looking at around $1000 a month or more for commuting expenses alone based on my experience and that amount of money can get you into somewhere else much closer. Second of all, Worcester is not very nice at all in most parts (little known fact, it is the second biggest city in New England and it is very blue collar and has its own culture). If you have kids, I would not put them into the Worcester school system especially when you have the much more desirable MetroWest school districts not very far away.
I am a big fan of the MetroWest Boston area if you want to go in that direction. Framingham has good and bad parts but is decent overall and much closer in than Worcester. It has lots of housing options that can be affordable plus a commuter rail that would make such a commute both reasonable in terms of time and money but that is only one such option. There are many other towns in the Western suburbs that are much nicer than Worcester and more cost cost effective to commute from in your situation.
I’d lean towards commuter rail if possible. Boston traffic is not much fun to drive through. And they really know how to have winters there.
Worchester is pronounced “Woosta”.
I’d be trying to commute to Chestnut Hill.
Listen to us and don’t even attempt to do that from Worcester. That commute would be a nightmare and would not save you any money. If anything, it would cost you time, money and sanity. There are much better options closer in. You don’t have to live in Chestnut Hill but you could live somewhere much closer in on a commuter rail line or even somewhere that you can drive much easier from that doesn’t involve the same time and tolls much more cost effectively all things considered.
Granted, this is not a cheap area by any means. It is going to cost you no matter what but you need to listen to the people that live here to tell you what the real costs are. Massachusetts has all kinds of hidden taxes that go well beyond rental rates that you have to take into account. Tolls on the West to East commutes are a prime example of that especially for a student. I don’t want you to think you scored a deal just because you got a cheap place in Worcester only to find all of those savings wiped out and more when you find out how much the total cost of the commute is (especially the tolls).
Come live in Southeastern New Hampshire. Less than an hour into Boston, most commuters take the train in. Lots, lots less taxes here in NH.
I definitely appreciate the responses. They’ve given me a lot to think about and discuss with the wife. That’s why I made this thread: here if I see 45 minute drive on paper I can assume I’ll get there in ~35-40 minutes.
An issue is we have family in Worcester and tentative child care. But if the commute costs is as bad as you say then I’d save is money to find day care closer to the school.
If you have family in the area perhaps you could go and stay with them for a few days, borrow/rent a car and try out some of the possible driving routes at peak hour. Then you could compare them with the public transport options.
I was going to add that it depends which part of Taunton you’re talking about – it’s much bigger than what people think. I know a few people who live on the Raynham line and it’s like being in an utterly different world. However, if they drive a couple of miles in one particular direction, they’re smack dab in one of the seedier parts of town. They never venture that way – they patronize businesses due north on Rtes. 138/24.