Boston, MA
Boston is too expensive, everyone agrees. So what’s keeping you here? – The Boston Globe
Other places that cost less also have things to do and see. Think you’ll miss being near a large body of water? Here’s a tip: The Great Lakes look a lot like the ocean. You can even surf them for part of the year. They’re too big to see across and they can get massive storms, such as the Huron hurricane of 1913. Plus, the beaches are lovely, and they don’t have sharks. (They do have muskellunge, but those rarely attack humans.)
And guess what single-family homes cost in the Midwestern states that border on the Great Lakes — Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin? All of them have median single-family home prices that fall between $200,000 and $325,000. A new report from City Lab finds the Midwest might be the last region in the United States homeowners can realistically afford.
I’ve been exploring this because my sons bemoan how long it’s going to be before they can move out. Meanwhile, I’ve been cleaning out my late father’s house in the little city where I grew up in Michigan, about 90 miles west of Detroit. Dad’s house is a 2,000-square-foot, 4 bedroom, two bath fixer-upper with Victorian flourishes and a big yard. Put it pretty much anyplace in the Boston area and it’s almost certainly a million-dollar house, even though it needs a fair amount of work. It is where it is, however, and the real estate agent thinks I’d be lucky to get $120,000 for it. Boys, are you sure it would be so terrible to spend a few years renting from Dad?
The rental market is tight where I grew up, people tell me — vacancy rates are about 18 percent (reminder: Boston’s vacancy rate is below 1 percent). In June, there were 28 houses on the market in my hometown, starting at $41,000 for a 1,048-square-foot, two bedroom, one bath home. Granted, the agent noted that one “needs sprucing up,” but it did sell, for about $35,000.
I’ve lived on both US coasts, so I know right about now some of you are sneering cheap for a reason. Yes, I get it, these are all states New Englanders like to mock — the buckle of the Rust Belt. Out here there are pity parties for people from places such as Cleveland or Milwaukee or Detroit. While you’ll do best financially if you’re able to work remotely, all the Great Lakes states have unemployment rates below 5 percent, with most below 4 percent.
It’s true that aside from Illinois, the Great Lakes states are not as progressive as Massachusetts. But most of them are at least decent on several measures of social tolerance (though maybe Indiana has more in common with Alabama). All the cities I mentioned have metro areas with at least a million people. They have excellent museums, cultural institutions, and recreational options, along with vibrant neighborhoods. Plus, collegiate sports in the Midwest aren’t stuck reminiscing about a certain Hail Mary in 1984, and as a region it has one less pro sports championship than Boston has had since 2000 (more, if you count Pennsylvania’s). Chicago is, of course, a great city. I would move back there in a heartbeat if I could talk my wife into it.
And yes, it’s also true that some of the Great Lakes states have enough Republicans living in them to shade purple or even red (looking at you, Indianabama). Just think of it as a different kind of diversity, like New Hampshire but friendlier. Remember, these states also tend to have big labor union membership. If you’re red or blue, you’ll find your people.
Because here’s the thing: Boston isn’t going to get more affordable any time soon. Daryl Fairweather, the chief economist for Redfin, says the main issue here in Boston, as with nearly all American cities, is that “the supply of housing is restricted.” Supply can’t meet demand, in other words. And as the Globe has detailed again and again, it isn’t going to for years to come.
Another reason prices are so high here could be that they’re driven by future expectations. Forthcoming work by Itzhak Ben-David, a finance professor at The Ohio State University, and two coauthors found that during the housing boom of 1996 to 2006, prices were higher in some places partly because people expected them to be. The Great Lakes states had lower prices than Boston in part because there’s an expectation in the market that economic opportunity, and thus rents, will continue to be higher in Boston than in, say, Detroit or Erie, Pennsylvania. Of course, the factors that influence pricing are also complex and vary by place. “Real estate is not a commodity that is easy to transport from one place to another,” Ben-David told me in an email interview.
Right now, Boston prices are high in part because people expect them to be. Expectations can be dashed, as happened in 2006, when the housing bubble burst. But why wait?
Economist Fairweather moved from Seattle to a smallish city in Wisconsin in a resort area for Chicagoans. She moved in part because her husband’s family is in the region, and in part because cost analysis showed that despite her deep ties to the Seattle area, it was time for her and her family to move someplace with a lower cost of living, and one where livability wasn’t trending downward. She says she’s been in Wisconsin for three years now, and “it’s getting better in terms of amenities.”
That’s what places will do when people move to them — they develop more reasons to enjoy living there. It takes time and patience. Remember that Massachusetts wasn’t as progressive just a few decades ago. States don’t stay static, as we’re seeing with Arizona, Georgia, and New Mexico. It might be awkward for a while before you start to feel like you’re in Jamaica Plain West. But if you’ve already contemplated living in your car to afford staying in Boston, maybe a little social discomfort isn’t going to phase you.
Don’t wait too long, though — even my Michigan hometown is in what Rocket Homes says is a seller’s market, because prices are rising. Median pricing could hit the $130s sometime soon.
Michael Fitzgerald is editor in chief of Harvard Public Health and a former editor at Globe Magazine. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.
The Boston Fleet have signed defender Rylind MacKinnon to a one-year contract bringing back the 5-foot-10 defender.
Last season was MacKinnon’s first with the Fleet, whhere she recorded one assist in 28 appearances, and also played in three games.
Advertisement
According to the Fleet MacKinnon added “grit and physicality to the team’s blue line.”
The 26-year-old British Columbia product signed as a free agent with the Toronto Sceptres after going unselected in the 2024 PWHL Draft playing 22 games for the Sceptres as a rookie.
Collegiately, MacKinnon was the University of British Columbia’s all-time leading scorer by a defender.
Boston now has 13 players signed including MacKinnon, Loren Gabel, Ella Huber, Laura Kluge, Shay Maloney, Olivia Mobley, Jill Saulnier, Liz Schepers, Sophie Shirley Susanna Tapani Amanda Thiele, Megan Keller, Haley Winn, and Aerin Frankel.
Boston, MA
Duck parades, outdoor drinking, and Gronk in a kilt. Here’s how Friday’s World Cup festivities unfolded. – The Boston Globe
Despite concerns about transportation and crowd management, the region’s biggest World Cup day yet appeared to unfold largely without major problems.
Morocco fans, many of whom celebrated on Shirley Avenue in Revere, rejoiced after their win against Scotland.
“We’re going to go very far in this World Cup,” predicted David Lalou, a Moroccan fan from Casablanca who saw the game live.
Here’s how Friday’s festivities unfolded.
The drinks continued flowing
Mayor Michelle Wu announced Thursday that in two zones in the city – the Temple Place Social District and the Union-Marshall Street district – it would be legal for patrons to consume alcohol outdoors.
The measure took effect Friday, and by game time the two zones had quickly become lively block parties, complete with live music and hearty Scottish accents.
Zachary Lobel, 22, of Newton, and Ruairidh Davidson, 24, of Inverness, Scotland, independently brought their bagpipes to Union Street. The pair found each other, and a crowd of people gathered to watch them play.
George Comeau, a senior event manager with the Downtown Boston Alliance, organized the outdoor alcohol consumption zone on Temple Place. He estimated at 6:30 p.m. that 4,000 fans were watching the Scotland-Morocco game from the party there.
On the Common, a free watch party attracted fans of every competing team.
Stan Abraham, 38, of Jamaica Plain, came with friends to support Haiti in its match against Brazil.
“I just got to be around my people, around the energy,” he said.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who is up for reelection this year, shook hands and posed for pictures with gleeful Scottish fans outside The Dubliner, the popular Government Center bar.
“I would’ve said it was impossible to drink Boston dry, but clearly [the Scots] are here and they are testing the capacity of the city to serve them,” Markey said. “It’s just a happy week.”
In the Boston Public Market, which extended its hours for FIFA Fan Fest, thirsty Scottish fans did just that, lining up through the narrow Boston Beer Alley, their arms filled with as much alcohol as they could carry.
“I don’t think we’ll last all night,” said owner Dawa Sangpo.
Also in the Public Market were Moroccan fans, many of whom frequented Mo’Rockin Fusion, a fast-casual restaurant where the food is inspired by owner Morad Bouzidi’s childhood in Morocco.
“It’s 100 percent the Moroccan experience,” Bouzidi said.
Yes, the World Cup is in Boston, but, like, not actually in Boston.
As was the case before last week’s game, South Station was packed, but some fans reported an easier commuting experience this time and Globe reporters observed a quick-moving queue.
“I had a pretty smooth experience,” said James Pennie, who is visiting from Vancouver but is originally from Scotland.
Near 3 p.m., as a final few fans jogged through the queue to enter South Station, MBTA employees yelled out encouragement.
“No Scotland, no party!” they said.
Richard Sullivan, the Transit Police superintendent, said the fans were “a very orderly crew.” The MBTA sold over 19,000 tickets to and from Foxborough as of 3 p.m. Friday.
“The queues were very minimal,” said Phil Eng, the MBTA’s general manager. “We got everyone through.”
But not everyone took the commuter rail. A Globe photographer witnessed a convoy of 12 school buses, packed to the brim with Scottish fans, pulling into South Bay to pick up online alcohol orders, before going on to Foxborough.
A duck ? Leading a parade? And what was that about Gronk?
Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman appeared on Fox’s pregame show wearing kilts, accompanied by a man playing bagpipes.
Edelman and Gronkowski applauded the Scots’ drinking prowess after they drank some Boston bars out of beer over the last week.
“The last time it happened was after we won the Super Bowl in 2015 against the Seattle Seahawks,” quipped Gronkowski.
And in Providence, a famous duck named Dawn led Scottish fans on a very orderly march. In a video shared on Dawn’s Tiktok page, the little creatures waddles forwards, a small Scottish flag on its back, while leagues of kilted men with bagpipes march behind it.
Jessica Rinaldi, Omar Mohammed, and Amin Touri of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Globe correspondents Ariela Lopez, Aayushi Datta, Lauren Albano, Audrey Tomlin, Jaden Perry, and Emily Spatz also contributed.
Truman Dickerson can be reached at truman.dickerson@globe.com.
Boston, MA
MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident
Gov. Maura Healey’s Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he has apologized “fully” to the subordinate T employee he’s been accused of pulling the hair of at a work dinner two years ago.
Eng has come under fire for the late 2024 incident this week and admits that it was a “mistake” that has forced him to reflect upon his actions.
“My goal is always to lead with respect and inclusivity,” Eng said in a statement. “I know that this was a mistake, and I own that. I have apologized to this employee fully and have reflected on my actions.
“I am committed to learning from this experience and upholding the highest standards of professionalism in all my interactions as secretary and general manager,” Eng added.
The MBTA said the incident, first reported by Contrarian Boston, occurred in November 2024 at a restaurant where T employees and their spouses were having a team dinner.
WCVB-TV reported that the MBTA employee has told people the interaction with Eng was not welcome and highly inappropriate.
The station described Eng as being accused of committing the hair-pulling faux pas while saying good-bye to the T employee after a work function at a brewery.
The MBTA confirmed that an “insensitive” interaction occurred between Eng and an employee, but downplayed the incident as occurring in the context of a larger conversation about hair from earlier in the evening that included multiple people.
Eng was poking fun at his own baldness when the alleged interaction occurred, according to the MBTA.
“The MBTA is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive workplace environment,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. “Leadership plays a critical role in that. Two years ago, General Manager Eng had an insensitive interaction with one of his direct reports. He subsequently apologized directly to this employee.
“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” Pesaturo added.
Sources have told WCVB-TV that the T employee is involved in negotiations to leave their job with the agency.
Eng is the state’s top transportation official. Healey appointed him as general manager of the MBTA in 2023, and interim transportation secretary in late 2025.
He was paid $509,114 last year, which includes a $30,000 retention payment he is eligible for each year he remains with the T, per his contract and state payroll records. He does not get additional pay for working dual roles in Massachusetts, but continues to take in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York.
Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Eng, who stepped down from his MTA post in February 2022, retired from New York’s ERS the following month, March 31, 2022, the comptroller’s office said. His monthly pension equates to $184,288 in annual compensation, which he can continue to collect while working at the MBTA, where he is one of the highest-paid transit leaders in the country.
Eng has been credited by state officials for helping to get the MBTA back on track following a federal probe for a number of safety lapses that culminated with a fatality, when a 39-year-old man was dragged to death by a Red Line train in April 2022.
He is under contract with the T through April 10, 2028, with an option for a one-year extension. His base pay for 2026 is $484,206, per state payroll records.
By comparison, Eng was paid $285,254 in his final year leading the Long Island Rail Road, per the New York State Comptroller’s office.
-
Hawaii1 minute agoWaianae encampment deadline extended amid pushback from lawmaker, community
-
Idaho4 minutes agoOne dead, four injured in US 26 crash near Ririe – East Idaho News
-
Illinois9 minutes agoIllinois Prison Closure Deepens Small Town’s Fears
-
Indiana16 minutes agoIndiana Republicans nominate Max Engling for secretary of state at GOP Convention in Fort Wayne
-
Iowa19 minutes agoWhy Iowa State Basketball Will Miss Star Potential of Milan Momcilovic
-
Kansas24 minutes agoSalvador Perez attended the Ecaudor-Curaçao match at Arrowhead. So did other royals — from the Netherlands
-
Kentucky31 minutes agoKentucky Colonels executive to speak at Florence Rotary Club on Monday, public welcome to register
-
Louisiana34 minutes ago
Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for June 20, 2026
