19 Reasons Massachusetts Is Awesome

Published August 20, 2010

NPR’s Sonari Glinton learned a lot about our city while on loan to WBUR for the summer — including the fact that Boston is No. 1 for Complainers. He gathered statistical evidence that Massachusetts is truly great. Update: Hey, turns out this list is 20! –AP

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I grew up in Chicago, which suffers from a legendary inferiority complex as the “second city” to New York. Boston, of course, has a similar complex. No matter how many times you tell people not to compare the cities, Bostonians inevitably do.

So if you’re going to insist on comparing Boston or Massachusetts to the rest of the country, it fares incredibly well. With the aid of our newsroom super intern, Chase Gregory, I have compiled the following list of awesome facts:

  • No 1: College graduation rate statewide
  • No 1: State funding of public transportation
  • No. 5: Best cities for young professionals (Yuppie Central)
  • No. 104: Highest crime rate (rougher than New York, nicer than Detroit)
  • No. 4: Best state for women’s earnings
  • No. 5: Children who are read to every day, percentage
  • No. 12: Most restaurants
  • No. 41: Cost of living
  • No. 7: Large companies
  • No. 3: Elite graduates
  • No. 8: Average income
  • No. 10: Classic movie theaters and drive-ins
  • No. 9: Miss USA wins
  • No. 47 (of 51): Percentage of homes that are mobile homes (This is the best stat.)
  • No. 44 (of 51): U.S. presidents by primary association
  • No. 9 (of 51): patents issued
  • No. 4: Number of large-truck facilities
  • 2nd to last: Teen birth rate
  • 8th to last: Obesity
  • Of the 20 safest cities in the United States, six are in Massachusetts.

So stop complaining.