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New to Boston? Bless yah hahts … The Southerner’s guide to fitting in here. – The Boston Globe

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New to Boston? Bless yah hahts … The Southerner’s guide to fitting in here. – The Boston Globe


I also recognize that Boston isn’t exactly known for rolling out the welcome mat.

“Massachusetts consistently ranks amongst the top 10 states for out-migration. You think about U-Hauls leaving Massachusetts, not entering Massachusetts,” said John Boyd Jr., the principal of corporate site selection firm The Boyd Co. “The big challenges that many of our relocating clients face leaving the South for New England and for Massachusetts has to do with taxes. The cost-of-living/affordability is a major challenge for relocating Southerners into Boston.”

If you are a Southerner considering a move to Boston, fret not about fitting in. (The cost of living is not something I can help you with. Sorry.)

While outsiders moving to Boston tend to work in high-salaried fields like the life sciences and tech, there are still plenty of reasons why people of all backgrounds want to live here — and have done so successfully.

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What’s the secret to going from “outsider” to belonging here?

Don’t be someone you’re not.

I spent my first few years up here wandering the campus of Boston College mindful of never, ever saying a certain four-letter word: “y’all.”

Big mistake.

Fast-forward 17 years, and “y’all” emerges in every third sentence I utter.

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“I always love being a little different. When I moved here, there was practically no one else from the South,” said Elizabeth Erdreich-White, an art consultant who grew up in Alabama and moved to Boston in the late 1980s after stints in New Orleans, New York City, and Paris.

Moving here from down South must have been a culture shock. Some advice:

  • Fashion-smashion. Buy a puffy winter jacket.
  • Keep an eye out for aggressive tow truck drivers on street cleaning days.
  • When giving directions, keep the chatter to a minimum.

“A person here will say, ‘Go north on I-93 and take Exit 24.’ I would say, ‘You go past the baker’s house, and you turn left, and then there’s that white fence that’s no longer there,’” Erdreich-White said with a laugh. “When I give directions, it’s a story, and people up here give directions like a proper person.”

But don’t be afraid to continue the Southern tradition of small talk in other social venues, whether it’s with a waiter or a bank teller or a group of strangers at a party. It can pay off in new friends and work connections.

“I’m interested in other people, genuinely,” Erdreich-White said. “That’s been a cool thing for me personally and in my business.”

Embracing one’s Southern-ness can be quite the party trick, too.

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The late, great Vogue and Newsweek writer Julia Reed of Greenville, Miss., famously scored a gig at The New York Times by serving Southern food at a dinner party.

Pimento cheese, ham biscuits, smoked pulled pork, fried okra — you’d be surprised at how even the most uptight Yankee will break into a smile after a few courses of Southern fare.

Don’t like what’s served? Like Bostonians, Southerners don’t refrain from expressing their displeasure.

For “The Devil Wears Prada” fans: Southern culinary critique follows the same “pursed lips = catastrophe” formula as Miranda Priestley fashion reviews. In the South, a relative may bite into a biscuit, purse her lips, and deliver a faux compliment like “The added cheddar was a bold choice, dear.”

Here in Boston, sarcasm reigns supreme.

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“Boston is famous for its sarcasm, and then you have Southern versions of that like ‘bless your heart” and clutching the pearls,” said Jonathan Soroff, a longtime Boston social columnist who lived in the South while attending Duke University in Durham, N.C. “There’s a similarity in terms of humor.”

It’s true.

A born-and-bred Beacon Hill resident regaled a dinner party I attended with a story about running into a former neighbor.

“I’m sorry, but I thought you had died!” the former neighbor said.

“I just moved to the Back Bay.”

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“Well, isn’t that worse?”

Boston Brahmins like that former neighbor no longer run the show, however. Today, it’s a city fueled by a variety of industries and points of power, from health care to higher education to finance and technology.

“When I was young, Boston was the city of tribes,” Soroff added. “All of that has completely changed.”

According to Erdreich-White, “Boston has evolved.”

“What has kept me here is that I love how it’s now a way more diverse mix of people,” she said, “but there’s still the fact you can live in a city that’s got the assets of a city but that still feels small.”

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For some, Boston is just a four-year waiting room; it’s the place you go to college and then move on. But for others, yours truly included, the city strikes the right balance of small town (or even European) charm with cosmopolitan features like the Boston Symphony Orchestra, art museums, great restaurants, and a major airport.

The high cost of living drives people away, but “Boston continues to kind of reinvent itself,” Boyd said. “It’s an attractive city for young professionals given the cultural amenities, the diverse nightlife, professional sports, the beach and coastal living opportunities, and access to high-paying jobs.”

Southerners can even rejoice in the tailgate culture, whether it’s college football at Boston College or the New England Patriots. Of course, it was a lot more fun to watch when Matt Ryan and Tom Brady played for those teams.

Nobody interviewed for this story is wearing rose-colored glasses while they sip their sweet tea. They recognize Boston still has a way to go in terms of fully embracing inclusivity, but there are plenty of signs the city is shedding its cold reputation.

Maybe the influx of Southerners has something to do with that?

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But at the end of the day: Neither Southerners nor Bostonians pronounce their R’s.

There’s just a lot of difference in the delivery, y’all.

Send comments to camsperance@gmail.com. Subscribe to the Globe’s free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at Boston.com/address-newsletter. Follow us on X @globehomes.


Send comments to camsperance@gmail.com. Subscribe to our newsletter on Boston.com/realestate and follow Address @globehomes.

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Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe

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Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe


Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.

“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”

In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.

“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”

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Here’s the preview:

RED SOX (1-0): TBA

Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray

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REDS (0-1): TBA

Pitching: RHP Brady Singer

Time: 4:10 p.m.

TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7

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Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2

Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.

Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.


Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.





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Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett

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Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett


Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.

The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.

A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.

“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”

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Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.

“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”

The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.

To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.

“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”

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Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.

The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.

“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”

Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.


“No Kings” rallies are scheduled in Boston and across Massachusetts on Saturday and are expected to draw large crowds, organizers said.

Organized by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Indivisible Mass Coalition, and Mass 50501, the event is a mass mobilization in protest of the Trump administration.

The No Kings theme was created by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

“The Trump administration is trying to shred the Constitution; the No Kings movement is an unequivocal statement that we, the people, will not let that happen. This will be the third global No Kings Day, and it’s not just about protesting what’s wrong—it’s about building something better. We intend to show our power, build our power, and power a democracy that advances freedom, equality, justice, and dignity for all,” organizers wrote.

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The rally, one of thousands scheduled across the country this weekend, is planned for the Boston Common from 2 to 4 p.m. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend Boston’s rally. Other events are scheduled in Pittsfield, Northampton, Lancaster, Worcester, Framingham, Methuen, Lexington, and towns in southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape. For a map of No Kings events near you, click here.

Speakers include elected officials Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Gov. Maura Healey, Sen. Ed Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and civic leaders Hessann Farooqi Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, Darlene Lombos, president of the Greater Boston Labor Council, Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU of Massachusetts, Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts, and others. It will be moderated by Rahsaan Hall, president and CEO of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.

There will also be performances by the Dropkick Murphys, Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians, BVOCAL Chorus, and Jimmy Tingle.

A previous No Kings rally in October drew massive crowds estimated in the tens of thousands.

NBC10 Boston

NBC10 Boston

An aerial view of the crowd at Boston’s “No Kings” rally on the Common on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

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