My motto for Boston is "Not as nice or important as the people who live there think it is." (My motto for Philadelphia is "Nicer than the people who live there think it is.")(Needless to say neither city is about to hire me as a marketing consultant.)
So I tend to notice little things that suggest or reinforce an over-inflated sense of Boston's importance.
Today's entry comes from Richard Florida in the October Atlantic (p.49): "Together New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston have a bigger economy than all of China."
Florida's point is interesting, but he leaves us with the misleading impression that Boston is the 4th largest metro area in the US. But there are at least three other US metro areas (CMSA's) bigger than Boston: San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose; DC/Baltimore; and Philadelphia. (I also assume he's talking metro areas and not city populations since Boston doesn't even crack the top 10 in city size.)
Perhaps the Boston CMSA has the 4th largest economy in the US? This is possible although I am doubtful that it surpasses the three larger metro areas I mentioned.
1 comment:
I have to agree with you there. I have found that Massachusetts seems to place itself above all else. They feel that Boston is the greatest place in the world, I can attest that it truly is not, and they are very belligerent when it is criticized.
Post a Comment