As someone who grew up in Middlesex County there is plenty to do(in some areas that is).

Thanks for the anti-paywall work. Even though journalism should be a viable industry. And I’m pleased to see that I think they made the right cal. I am firmly on the socialist path, but the right to free speech and right to political beliefs is supposed to be for everyone, even people I strongly disagree with. And the tweets provide evidence that one officer was not upholding the rule of law. Whether the other one believed the same is not relevant. I wonder if they do, and I don’t approve of their beliefs, but without evidence that they won’t uphold the rule of law, police are allowed their own political opinions, affiliations, and congregations.

Billerica and surrounding towns are fine. Lowell would be only one I would not recommend. Not much to do in any Middlesex County town. But Burlington is close, Boston only 20 minutes away. Billerica and all surrounding towns have same housing problems. Should be a lot of apartments to choose from. But you will 100% need roommates to make it work.

I'm saying neither one of those places rises to the level of dangerous, and I would feel safe living in either place.

Thousands attend local hate group gatherings on a daily basis, none get fired. And speaking of globe, they’ve been known to make some very interesting choices when naming their Bostonians of the year…

I think the money part of the article was probably a bit of Globe yellow press hysteria. Rockport isn't a poor town, they have $112K median income and a >$30M annual budget. From the article it looks like much of the current legal action/cost for this so far is in the MA AG's office anyway.

I currently live in a small town, and (though not on the ocean) we've been sued many times by rich snobs and others like developers, and have generally not had big costs defending (I think the record was someone claimed they spent ~$150K suing the town, insinuating in a public meeting that the town must be spending a similar amount defending. We actually spent ~13K defending and won.) My town's legal budget usually comes to around $30 per household per year, with probably half of that on contract negotiations and personnel issues, so not a huge burden.

Are you saying Brockton or Lawrence are safer than an average middle of nowhere suburb in one of the square states?

Central Mass is pretty affordable, once you hit Metrowest it gets pricey.

What an ass.

I’d argue that maintaining the public’s access to the ocean in a coastal town is critical infrastructure.

Especially when, as others have noted, this easement was not forced on her nor was it a hidden provision of her purchase of the property. She bought the property, it seems, with the express intent to decrease quality of life for everyone else.

She looks…nice?

Lowell has some rough edges to it, but I think that's what you're looking for. It has UMass Lowell, so lots of college/grad-school roommate opportunities and housing situations, and is an actual small city (as opposed to, say, Billerica or Wilmington, which are more sleepy suburbs). Every time I visit friends up there I'm actually intrigued with the strong community vibe there in many places and surprising arts/culture scene.

I don't know the rental market there myself, but I can't imagine having trouble finding a good-to-great place for $1,200 if you're planning on living with roommates. Basic student rentals here where I live close to Tufts University are about $900-$1,000/month per room. That much further away from Boston and in a less expensive city overall and you'll be fine.

Agreed, I don't know if that would be legally possible but some a lot of this. My guess it would be a litigation nightmare and probably bankrupt the town since the path runs close or through so many properties. You can tell people have the nimby wealth to be a pain in the ass when they use terms like "landscape terrorism"....

The politicians accept their loss

And… greenery.

Also: ocean, sail boats, whales, and islands.

It’s not a commercial vehicle, they don’t need a license (plate).

The flip side of this is that everywhere is safe by U.S. standards.

I love when things bring us together

Ohh good to hear!

Why would one not want to share the beauty of the sea.... May KARMA be... Shameful!!

https://imageautosalesandservice.net/
if you are near Fitchburg.
Subaru is all they do.

Does she have a chance? Please, someone tell me she does not.

They are also usually subcontractors working for a different company.

The people here are better, more intelligent, and it’s not close to the border! You won’t see anyone open carrying here (gun) or going 95 down the highway acting like it’s normal

I bet! What do you like better about it?