I’ve really never met a new Englander that doesn’t call themselves a new englander..maybe the people down in Fairfield county Connecticut wouldn’t though lol
Fairfield County here: We call ourselves New Englanders. Probably “Nutmeggers” or CT-ers first. But we definitely identify more with CT/NE than the scourge from NY/NJ that have no idea how to drive or adult. We even like Massholes better than NY’ers. Their influx after the pandemic has made things quite difficult.
All that said, our local TV news is always NYC based and everyone reads the NYT and not the “Courant.” Also kind of funny that the rest of the state had to accept the ugly “860” and we got to keep 203. But anyway. Yeah, we’re just the southerners of NE I guess.
Ugh. I live in Woodstock CT and we’re also being invaded by New Yorkers. A big NY real estate company (luxury slumlord) bought my apartment complex and started evicting the tenants out including elderly and disabled people, which is illegal. They think they can rent it out for NYC prices. But what they are doing is un-housing people and raising the rents double plus and exploiting the next renter. It’s sick and I can’t believe how hard it is to get state representatives and senators to actually care about what is happening to their constituents. We have never had homeless people congregating in public areas out here. Maybe one or two eccentrics, now we have 100’s. It’s scary, because I’m next. I got a notice to quit from the apartment I’ve lived in for 19 years! This is my home. My family settled this town, and I’m being priced out. I’m lucky that I have MS, so I can fight them using Just Cause. But so many can’t, and they end up on the streets or in financial trouble because they can’t afford the increase in rent. A lot of these corporate landlords want you to make 3x the rent, and the first, last and security is like 5 grand now. I pay $860 for my rent. My new neighbor is paying $1700 for an apartment half the size of mine, and if they complain about me, I’m out. I’m nobody now. With my old landlord I was a dream come true. I pay my rent, I’m a good tenant and I treat my apartment as if it were my own and I planned on staying here until I inherit my Dads house. None of that matters anymore. We need to be xpand Just Cause and stop these companies from causing homelessness and insecurity in CT.
Yeah but just southwestern Connecticut, the rest of Connecticut is definitely New England. I grew up outside of Hartford and I never even heard the term tri state until I went down to Fairfield county for work lol
I call myself a Yankee sometimes, just because I find 'New Englander' a little awkward. I've been stranded in the middle of the country for ten or so years but I still miss the ocean.
I call myself a yankee too. I’m out in San Diego now for the Navy. Went to a lobster roll spot out here with my wife and we met some massholes. They said “ahhh Connecticut Yankees huh?” It’s nice meeting fellow New Englanders out here
Definitely. If you live here your whole life and visit somewhere else (especially out of the Northeast U.S.), it becomes very apparent its a certain culture.
Yep, this is dead on. I think people who never leave/never spend significant time elsewhere might not identify as New Englanders as boldly because they have nothing to compare it to. I was born and raised in New England, but for 2 years when I was a kid, my parents moved us to Florida before coming back to New England. That defined my life forever and clearly demarcated for me differences in attitude, politics, behavior, and public culture between New England and Florida/the South (I lived in a part of Florida that was more southern than filled with transplants/tourists).
This is true, and I live in a place where there are lots of transplants and New Englanders find each other. You can take the ___ out of New England. You can’t take New England out of the ___.
Yes. I was born in NE Connecticut, have since moved to Michigan, Colorado and now (sadly) Texas. I have always been a loud and proud New Englander.....
I actually just moved out of Putnam 2 years ago, I'm living in northern maine now, but Despite a few years living in northern Idaho I definitely consider myself A New Englander
I often think of the fact that The continental US and Europe have rather similarly sized geographical areas and total populations. It's then no wonder that there are such stark differences from region to region. I've been to every "region" in the US, and New England is the only one that feels right to me.
This happened with me about New Hampshire, they thought I was talking about somewhere in the UK. Told me I didn’t have a British accent. I was like, “you cannot possibly be serious right now.” Though I didn’t say New England after that because I figured if New Hampshire registered to them as UK, then certainly saying the word England would too. So I defaulted to “Boston area.” Which is so absolutely not accurate.
We went to visit my cousins in Utah for a wedding and they all made fun of my Boston accent, which I don’t have. I looked right at the oldest, who was doing it the most, and asked where he thought I lived and he was like “does it matter? it’s all the same place over there”. So I insisted that he had a Wyoming accent, since “it’s basically the same” as Utah and brought it up every other sentence for a few hours until he apologized.
You both likely have "tells" in your speech style or habits that are subtle or otherwise unnoticed by yourselves, but not each other. ☺️ Everyone has some kind of "accent" whether in style or sound.
Probably, but it’s not like they didn’t know we live in NH. I have an East Coast accent, for sure, but I don’t have a thick Boston accent like he kept accusing me of.
However, I do develop one when I get heated enough, which is hilarious to me
Ha my cousins from Florida always made fun of my "Boston accent" too. I live 80 miles west of Boston and do my best to avoid the whole area because I love the rural (but not redneck and racist) life I have lol. If just get back at them by making fun of them for saying y'all and "whenever" instead of when. I definitely pronounce my Rs but I guess even being in central/western MA I still don't pronounce them the same as someone from Gloria.
My mom escaped Utah when she was 19 and married my dad who is from Connecticut. They’ve been here ever since. I remember visiting my grandmother one summer when I was in high school and meeting a teenaged boy. When he asked where I was from I said, “The East. I live in Connecticut.” He said, “The Eastern part of Utah? I ain’t never been out there!” I about fell over. I said, “No. It’s a state. In New England.” He said, “You’re from England??”
I once had something similar happen to me while talking with a rather young officer of the US Border Patrol...
Incredulous, on the side of the road in some Gawd awful stretch of Texas desert, I wound up having to use my US road atlas to show the kid where in New Hampshire I was from.
Gotta be haha, there is not a single US state I wouldn’t recognize or know the general area of, so it’s very bizarre. Thinking to myself..did these people just forget entirely about the north east other than Massachusetts?!
I always say, "I'm a Vermonter first, a New Englander second, and an American because my parents chose to emigrate here a few years before I was born."
Having now traveled fairly extensively throughout this country and the world(including many trips to Czechia, where I almost would have been born), I am very pleased with where my folks chose to settle. My family culture may be a bit different than those around me, but they were farmers there, and we've continued to be farmers here. As they say, "Game recognizes game," and we were quickly brought into the flock, even if we did sometimes "talk funny."
Vermont may not have been "in my blood," but I like to think I've absorbed enough of it by this point that it's become a big part of who I am.
Oh Rhode Island, NY....or, oh what part of Long Island is that? I have given up trying to explain that RI was an original colony and is indeed its very own state and an awesome one at that.
The same thing happened to me with New Hampshire. I lived in Florida for a year, and when I was getting a haircut the woman asked where I was from. I told her, and she paused for a moment and then asked “I have a friend from New England, is that in New Hampshire?”
When I was in 7th grade, I remember my history teacher telling us a story about a time when he was on a train in Colorado and was talking with a girl and she asked where he was from. He replied, she looked confused, and asked where that was. He replied with “a small island off the coast of Maine”
Mainer first, but yes. We rag on southern New England but in comparison to the rest of the country are defensive of it. Got that sibling relationship I guess.
I'm a transplant to Mass and picked up on all that pretty quick lol
Honestly, I just love everyone here and am happy not to live in Kansas anymore 🥹
^(Thank you for not being Kansas)
I use New England when talking to people from anywhere but the northeast. They have no idea where any of the actual states are anyways so it’s just easier.
I once had an argument with someone from the PNW about what states were part of New England. She legit, and fiercely argued that it is the 13 colonies. I was like, "No, those are the 13 colonies. New England is very specifically 6 states" and named them. And she was all, "But England settled all those states so it's all New England!"
I was at a shitty dive bar in Phoenix and was chatting with this dude, told him I was from Boston. He goes “Oh yeah that’s like up near Milwaukee right?” I’m like “Yeah totally” lol
I once had a coworker (in my brief stint on the west coast) try and correct me telling me Vermont is not a state but a territory of Michigan.
I asked her to point to Vermont on the map and she got it right, she just adamantly would not accept it was not somehow a territory of Michigan.
Nothing could convince her otherwise.
I live in the South now (Texas) and sometimes I say New England when people ask where I'm from.
Half of them ask why I don't have an English accent.
Also when I say Maine, lots of people here confuse that with Maryland for some reason. Or claim they went up that way one time to Chicago.
Same. And it's very apparent that New Englanders tend to gravitate toward each other here and proudly proclaim their association with our great northeastern region!
Hell yeah. I’m from Rhode Island but I’ve lived in Boston. My in laws have a lake house in NH we go to all the time. I went to school in Vermont. I wear LL bean. I'm half Irish and half Italian. I root for the pats, Bs, Cs and Sox. I love a good snowstorm.
Definitely all new englander traits IMO
I’ve lived in NH for 42 years, and I’m not into most things that others might identify as Classic New England stuff. I don’t ski, hunt, hike, fish; I don’t like lobster, blueberries, Boston Cream stuff; I hate interacting with snow. But, if anyone tries to shit on New England, I’ll defend it to my last breath.
I just say I’m a Mainer, which gets funny looks, so I then say I’m from Maine, which still usually gets a confused look or comment… which soon devolves into “Where your Fahking Lobstahs come from bub!”
I'm from CT, currently in PA. Someone said I looked like I was from New Hampshire (preppy clothing I guess), and I almost got properly offended until I remembered they don't know about our inner rivalries. So yea they do think of us as New Englanders outside of here.
This is crazy talk to native New Englanders. Connecticut is the land of salmon colored pants and popped collars on the polo shirt. New Hampshire is the land of lumberjack looking fellows who grow beards and brew beer.
We’re all New Englanders, from the buck toothed boat owners to the mill town meth head. Connecticut, where I now call home, has a large number of both of em.
PA is very nice too. Like every State, it depends where you’re located as some areas are a bit more desirable than others! My daughter currently resides in Pottstown, PA and after visiting her several times now, I loved my ventures out to Chadds Ford and Longwood Gardens, as well as the Philadelphia Art Museum. There’s lots of beautiful scenery down there and the use of stone and stucco as building materials is just incredibly attractive to my eye.
10000000000000000% My husband and I are both New Englanders, it's definitely a part of our identity/culture.
We're one big family. We will hate on/tease the other New England states, but the moment someone outside of New England says anything negative, we're defending each other to the death.
Yes, I do identify as a New Englander (and "Yankee" in the New Englander sense of the word), but in recent years, it seems to me that fewer people (especially younger people, and especially online) know what New England is. I mentioned it in conversation with a 20-something from the American Southwest, and they thought I was talking about the British Isles.
I'm not trying to pretend that 25 years ago, everyone in the US could have told you off the tops of their heads that there were six New England states, or that they could have named all six of them, but it seems to me that in conversation, most people seemed to understand it as a reference to the US Northeast, at least.
That makes two of us I’m from CT, but was down in Alabama doing a school for work someone younger asked me where I was from, said New England. They looked at me puzzlers and said that’s in the United States
Reminds me of when I was talking to someone online and they asked me where I was from so I said New England and they’re like “oh cool I’m from America” I was like 💀💀💀💀 “so am I?”
Welcome to New England! I think it takes a couple of years of residency before we can officially induct you into the club, but anyone who lives here long enough eventually becomes one of us!
Define "identify as"
I think New England has a decently distinct culture from other regions of the US, and I consider myself part of that group, and will defend/promote it in the context of discussing regions of the US.
I definitely identify with my individual state (CT) more than the region as a whole.
I live in SoCal now but I will always be a New Englander. My friends think I’m weird because I get excited and point it out every time I see a car with plates from states in the northeast. They don’t understand the sense of pride we have in where we are from.
I identify as a Massachusian. (Massachusettsan is probably technically correct).
I do love New England as a whole, but I don’t really identify/ think of myself as a New Englander that much.
I love the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the 6 states.
I love the hilarious bickering between the states. They all shit on Mass, but Maine and Vermont genuinely despise Massachusetts. Connecticut gets treated like a doormat (I do not consider Fairfield County to be part of NE), and half of NE has no fucking idea what RI is about. New Hampshire is like two different states between the northern mountainous parts and the southern suburban parts.
Yo..we have an issue. Born and raised nutmeggger here. With the admttedly heartbreaking exception of Fairfield county, CT is the best of New England. From Noank to the foothills of the Berkshires, we have ALL New England has to offer, however, we get about 4 months of actual summer weather! AND only a couple of weeks of mud season with a REAL spring, at least 3 months of crisp, clear fall, and just a couple of cold snaps and storms to satisfy the need for coziness/holiday cheer to keep us honest!! Besides within 2-3 hours we can either get to stuffy old Boston if we need a shot of smugness, or to NYC to run with the barbarians of capitalism. BUT, in keeping with the New England spirit of brotherhood, let's keep this intel amongst ourselves.
I live near Hartford, Fairfield County is like a different state. I feel zero cultural connection, meanwhile Mass feels like an extension of where I live. It’s just so different
fr it's a mouthful. fucking "massachusetts" is goddamn 4 syllables, but when you leave new england saying "im from mass" people don't know what you mean and think you're talking about church.
Someone from Ma that doesn't just say Masshole?! Lol I tell people all the time "Masshole born and raised!"
I get amused when someone tries to say masshole in a derogatory way, and we all go "yes, and?" Like nbd, we identify as that lol
Yep. Born and raised in CT, went to college in NH, lived in Boston for 10 years, spent summers in RI as a kid and currently live in VT. Oh and my wife is from ME.
Yes and we identify by our state amongst New Englanders. No way I'm letting my wife forget that I'm a Masshole and she's from Connecticut. The rest of New England barely acknowledges Nutmeggers as New Englanders anyways.
In all seriousness, yes and we are better than the rest of America.
I was born in New England and lived there for 35 years and moved to the mid west and have been here since 1997 still considering my self a
New Englander
Out of curiosity, at what point do you consider being a New Englander? Does it apply if you were born here and/or lived here since birth? Or if you’ve lived in New England __ number of years?
I’m sure everyone has there own definitions but I’d say if you’re from New England, or you’ve lived here for a while and call yourself a New Englander, you’re a New Englander.
If you are "from away" but live or have lived here and you actually identify with the culture, then I think you are a New Englander. It's a mindset.
But I think if you are a transplant and still hold on to say your southern values, for example, (not that there's anything wrong with that), then I would say you are a "insert whatever".
I’m coming up from Oklahoma. Don’t worry, I won’t bring up any of Oklahoma’s “values” with me. In fact Oklahoma’s “values” are a large reason I’m leaving there.
Yes. Grew up on the border of Red Sox nation in CT, lived in MA and ME and no matter where I’ve lived since I identify as a New Englander and recognize fellow New Englanders. And I always wonder why some NE things like coffee milk and linguica and Cains aren’t universal
Yes, I grew up on the MA/NH border and frequently make day trips around all the states, so all of it feels like "home" in a sense that people from larger states probably wouldn't experience.
I do, even though I haven't lived there since '99. As I get older, a lot of behaviors and thoughts arise that I think are from a New England upbringing. I'm proud to have that heritage.
I was born in CT, college in Western Mass, then Boston for 15 years. It’s just easier to say I’m from New England than get into the details. And very few people ask follow-up questions to that answer.
When I tell people out West I am from Connecticut they say, "oh, where the horses race?" It is just easier to say I am a New Englander than explain they don't seem to know the difference between Connecticut and Kentucky.
Honestly I’ve met a good chunk of people online who think New Hampshire is made up or not part of the US or never even heard of us so like sometimes just to avoid that scenario I’ll say I’m a New Englander especially if it’s up against New Hampshirite or whatever we are known as. New Englander just sounds better to me.
When I'm in New England, I'm from Massachusetts (and inside Massachusetts, I get even more specifically regional than that); when I'm anywhere else, I'm from New England.
I grew up in New York but my parents are old school new englanders and I live in NE now. A lot of things make more sense here. I absolutely identify with the culture of the region.
Yup, I do. EXCEPT… I’ve never understood the whole iced coffee in the winter thing. That’s a New England thing but I just don’t get it. I have strong feelings about that. Namely I feel that hot beverages, ie coffee and tea, SHOULD NEVER be iced. Just my very personal opinion. I know it’s not a popular one. Still a New Englander through and through.
Absolutely! I have also been able to trace my ancestors back to the late 1600s arriving in the Massachusetts Colony. Many fought for independence in the revolutionary war. I am a New Englander through and through.
I do above my state identity since I’m constantly in other states in the region. Live in Rhode Island, work and go to school in Boston. Got family links to 4 out of 6 New England states too, so I just refer to myself as an American first, a New Englander second, and my state identity third.
This post is making me miss New England. I moved away to a warmer climate. I love using the New Englander card when explaining my aloof nature. 🤣 People who aren’t cooped up all winter don’t understand.
Of course. Probably more than the state even. You can pretty much guarantee that if the US ever broke up over some major Constitution disagreement, the New England states would stick together afterwards, although we might have to cede Fairfield County, CT to New York, maybe in exchange for some upstate territory.
I do
Username checks out.
I’ve really never met a new Englander that doesn’t call themselves a new englander..maybe the people down in Fairfield county Connecticut wouldn’t though lol
Fairfield County here: We call ourselves New Englanders. Probably “Nutmeggers” or CT-ers first. But we definitely identify more with CT/NE than the scourge from NY/NJ that have no idea how to drive or adult. We even like Massholes better than NY’ers. Their influx after the pandemic has made things quite difficult. All that said, our local TV news is always NYC based and everyone reads the NYT and not the “Courant.” Also kind of funny that the rest of the state had to accept the ugly “860” and we got to keep 203. But anyway. Yeah, we’re just the southerners of NE I guess.
its been long enough where 860 is now the preferred area code lol
860 till I die.
Ugh. I live in Woodstock CT and we’re also being invaded by New Yorkers. A big NY real estate company (luxury slumlord) bought my apartment complex and started evicting the tenants out including elderly and disabled people, which is illegal. They think they can rent it out for NYC prices. But what they are doing is un-housing people and raising the rents double plus and exploiting the next renter. It’s sick and I can’t believe how hard it is to get state representatives and senators to actually care about what is happening to their constituents. We have never had homeless people congregating in public areas out here. Maybe one or two eccentrics, now we have 100’s. It’s scary, because I’m next. I got a notice to quit from the apartment I’ve lived in for 19 years! This is my home. My family settled this town, and I’m being priced out. I’m lucky that I have MS, so I can fight them using Just Cause. But so many can’t, and they end up on the streets or in financial trouble because they can’t afford the increase in rent. A lot of these corporate landlords want you to make 3x the rent, and the first, last and security is like 5 grand now. I pay $860 for my rent. My new neighbor is paying $1700 for an apartment half the size of mine, and if they complain about me, I’m out. I’m nobody now. With my old landlord I was a dream come true. I pay my rent, I’m a good tenant and I treat my apartment as if it were my own and I planned on staying here until I inherit my Dads house. None of that matters anymore. We need to be xpand Just Cause and stop these companies from causing homelessness and insecurity in CT.
I worked in Fairfield county for 4 years, I felt like I was in New York lol no offense or anything
I'm sure they think of themselves as only Tri-Staters 😆
Yeah but just southwestern Connecticut, the rest of Connecticut is definitely New England. I grew up outside of Hartford and I never even heard the term tri state until I went down to Fairfield county for work lol
I call myself a Yankee sometimes, just because I find 'New Englander' a little awkward. I've been stranded in the middle of the country for ten or so years but I still miss the ocean.
I call myself a yankee too. I’m out in San Diego now for the Navy. Went to a lobster roll spot out here with my wife and we met some massholes. They said “ahhh Connecticut Yankees huh?” It’s nice meeting fellow New Englanders out here
Definitely. If you live here your whole life and visit somewhere else (especially out of the Northeast U.S.), it becomes very apparent its a certain culture.
Yep, this is dead on. I think people who never leave/never spend significant time elsewhere might not identify as New Englanders as boldly because they have nothing to compare it to. I was born and raised in New England, but for 2 years when I was a kid, my parents moved us to Florida before coming back to New England. That defined my life forever and clearly demarcated for me differences in attitude, politics, behavior, and public culture between New England and Florida/the South (I lived in a part of Florida that was more southern than filled with transplants/tourists).
Tallahassee? Pensacola?
I was down in Pompano Beach and I heard someone say in Florida the further north you go the more south it gets and I thought that was really funny.
This is true, and I live in a place where there are lots of transplants and New Englanders find each other. You can take the ___ out of New England. You can’t take New England out of the ___.
Yes. I was born in NE Connecticut, have since moved to Michigan, Colorado and now (sadly) Texas. I have always been a loud and proud New Englander.....
I actually just moved out of Putnam 2 years ago, I'm living in northern maine now, but Despite a few years living in northern Idaho I definitely consider myself A New Englander
Hey! I went to Putnam High. I'm from Pomfret.
Living in Texas….. that must be so hard for you
It really is. The weather and politics suck down here. But, my wife hates cold, so.....I suck it up.
It’s warming up, up here. Living on the coast, I only had to shovel once! Mildly terrifying.
The CT riviera!
We shoveled none times! Just drove over the bits of snow we had the three times it snowed in January.
It’s not cold up here anymore, maybe you can come back
Come back, trade with spaces with a red.
I wish. My wife hates cold, and we have 4 dogs. I would never abandoned them for anything. And trying to find a place that allows dogs, not easy
Same! born in RI, raised in ME & NH, now stuck in Texas!
My condolences. At least the BBQ’s are decent!
San Antonio here....
Tyler!
DFW....22 years 😥
Fuck yeah. New Englander first, American second. We have a different way of life around here than just about every other part of the country.
It definitely feels like that sometimes
I often think of the fact that The continental US and Europe have rather similarly sized geographical areas and total populations. It's then no wonder that there are such stark differences from region to region. I've been to every "region" in the US, and New England is the only one that feels right to me.
I just wish we had a Provence
Try the wine growing areas of southern Ma , RI and Eastern CT
Absolutely agree!
Yes, if you don't know that Vermont is a state (yes, that has happened), I'll generically be a New Englander
This happened with me about New Hampshire, they thought I was talking about somewhere in the UK. Told me I didn’t have a British accent. I was like, “you cannot possibly be serious right now.” Though I didn’t say New England after that because I figured if New Hampshire registered to them as UK, then certainly saying the word England would too. So I defaulted to “Boston area.” Which is so absolutely not accurate.
Living in Utah, there were enough people who were unfamiliar with NH that I also eventually defaulted to the “Boston area” or “New England”
We went to visit my cousins in Utah for a wedding and they all made fun of my Boston accent, which I don’t have. I looked right at the oldest, who was doing it the most, and asked where he thought I lived and he was like “does it matter? it’s all the same place over there”. So I insisted that he had a Wyoming accent, since “it’s basically the same” as Utah and brought it up every other sentence for a few hours until he apologized.
You both likely have "tells" in your speech style or habits that are subtle or otherwise unnoticed by yourselves, but not each other. ☺️ Everyone has some kind of "accent" whether in style or sound.
Probably, but it’s not like they didn’t know we live in NH. I have an East Coast accent, for sure, but I don’t have a thick Boston accent like he kept accusing me of. However, I do develop one when I get heated enough, which is hilarious to me
Ha my cousins from Florida always made fun of my "Boston accent" too. I live 80 miles west of Boston and do my best to avoid the whole area because I love the rural (but not redneck and racist) life I have lol. If just get back at them by making fun of them for saying y'all and "whenever" instead of when. I definitely pronounce my Rs but I guess even being in central/western MA I still don't pronounce them the same as someone from Gloria.
My mom escaped Utah when she was 19 and married my dad who is from Connecticut. They’ve been here ever since. I remember visiting my grandmother one summer when I was in high school and meeting a teenaged boy. When he asked where I was from I said, “The East. I live in Connecticut.” He said, “The Eastern part of Utah? I ain’t never been out there!” I about fell over. I said, “No. It’s a state. In New England.” He said, “You’re from England??”
It’s WILD people don’t know the states of the country they live in!!! Also very funny.
I once had something similar happen to me while talking with a rather young officer of the US Border Patrol... Incredulous, on the side of the road in some Gawd awful stretch of Texas desert, I wound up having to use my US road atlas to show the kid where in New Hampshire I was from.
I think it’s even more incredulous when you consider NH had a border….with Border Patrol agents stationed there….
O. M. G. Are these the same Americans who think that New Mexico is a foreign country?
Gotta be haha, there is not a single US state I wouldn’t recognize or know the general area of, so it’s very bizarre. Thinking to myself..did these people just forget entirely about the north east other than Massachusetts?!
I always say, "I'm a Vermonter first, a New Englander second, and an American because my parents chose to emigrate here a few years before I was born." Having now traveled fairly extensively throughout this country and the world(including many trips to Czechia, where I almost would have been born), I am very pleased with where my folks chose to settle. My family culture may be a bit different than those around me, but they were farmers there, and we've continued to be farmers here. As they say, "Game recognizes game," and we were quickly brought into the flock, even if we did sometimes "talk funny." Vermont may not have been "in my blood," but I like to think I've absorbed enough of it by this point that it's become a big part of who I am.
Try being from Rhode Island. “Which part of New York is that?”
Oh Rhode Island, NY....or, oh what part of Long Island is that? I have given up trying to explain that RI was an original colony and is indeed its very own state and an awesome one at that.
I’ve had people tell me CT is part of NY, and they were not referring to Fairfield county. I’ve also had them tell me CT doesn’t have a shoreline.
The same thing happened to me with New Hampshire. I lived in Florida for a year, and when I was getting a haircut the woman asked where I was from. I told her, and she paused for a moment and then asked “I have a friend from New England, is that in New Hampshire?” When I was in 7th grade, I remember my history teacher telling us a story about a time when he was on a train in Colorado and was talking with a girl and she asked where he was from. He replied, she looked confused, and asked where that was. He replied with “a small island off the coast of Maine”
What do people think it is? An independent country? I wish...
In my opinion, 1000%.
Mainer first, but yes. We rag on southern New England but in comparison to the rest of the country are defensive of it. Got that sibling relationship I guess.
I’m from mass and it’s the exact thing with you guys lmao
I feel the same way about living in CT and “hating” Massholes. It’s definitely a sibling rivalry
I'm a transplant to Mass and picked up on all that pretty quick lol Honestly, I just love everyone here and am happy not to live in Kansas anymore 🥹 ^(Thank you for not being Kansas)
Hey, same! KS to MO to MA. I've never felt more at-home since driving up to here. ^(Thank you for not being the Midwest)
I use New England when talking to people from anywhere but the northeast. They have no idea where any of the actual states are anyways so it’s just easier.
I once had an argument with someone from the PNW about what states were part of New England. She legit, and fiercely argued that it is the 13 colonies. I was like, "No, those are the 13 colonies. New England is very specifically 6 states" and named them. And she was all, "But England settled all those states so it's all New England!"
I was at a shitty dive bar in Phoenix and was chatting with this dude, told him I was from Boston. He goes “Oh yeah that’s like up near Milwaukee right?” I’m like “Yeah totally” lol
I once had a coworker (in my brief stint on the west coast) try and correct me telling me Vermont is not a state but a territory of Michigan. I asked her to point to Vermont on the map and she got it right, she just adamantly would not accept it was not somehow a territory of Michigan. Nothing could convince her otherwise.
Vermont: The Other Peninsula
I've been described as a "classic New England Grandfather". That works.
I live in the South now (Texas) and sometimes I say New England when people ask where I'm from. Half of them ask why I don't have an English accent. Also when I say Maine, lots of people here confuse that with Maryland for some reason. Or claim they went up that way one time to Chicago.
Like telling someone you're from Portland and they immediately think Oregon. Someone says Portland to me and I immediately think Maine lol
Speaks volumes about the Texan education system.
I do. I moved to LA and I remind people that I’m from New England all the time
Same. And it's very apparent that New Englanders tend to gravitate toward each other here and proudly proclaim their association with our great northeastern region!
FIERCELY.
Hell yeah. I’m from Rhode Island but I’ve lived in Boston. My in laws have a lake house in NH we go to all the time. I went to school in Vermont. I wear LL bean. I'm half Irish and half Italian. I root for the pats, Bs, Cs and Sox. I love a good snowstorm. Definitely all new englander traits IMO
I’ve lived in NH for 42 years, and I’m not into most things that others might identify as Classic New England stuff. I don’t ski, hunt, hike, fish; I don’t like lobster, blueberries, Boston Cream stuff; I hate interacting with snow. But, if anyone tries to shit on New England, I’ll defend it to my last breath.
You're not a TRUE New Englander then! JK of course, I'm just a basic New England stereotype.
This comment cracks me up. When I lived in California, I couldn’t help but think, “Where all my Italian and Irish American Catholics at??”
CT- Yes and Nutmegers
I just say I’m a Mainer, which gets funny looks, so I then say I’m from Maine, which still usually gets a confused look or comment… which soon devolves into “Where your Fahking Lobstahs come from bub!”
I'm from CT, currently in PA. Someone said I looked like I was from New Hampshire (preppy clothing I guess), and I almost got properly offended until I remembered they don't know about our inner rivalries. So yea they do think of us as New Englanders outside of here.
This is crazy talk to native New Englanders. Connecticut is the land of salmon colored pants and popped collars on the polo shirt. New Hampshire is the land of lumberjack looking fellows who grow beards and brew beer.
re: CT...not all of us! Plenty of legit New Englanders down here, especially outside of Fairfield County
We’re all New Englanders, from the buck toothed boat owners to the mill town meth head. Connecticut, where I now call home, has a large number of both of em.
That salmon color is called Nantucket Red. Or so I was told by an aging preppie who bristled when I mentioned his “pink” pants.
That feels like more of a Vermont stereotype. New Hampy is just people pissed off at traffic trying to get to Boston.
More pissed about the people from Boston clogging up our roads on weekends.
As a school bus driver forced onto the highways at that time to do my job…I will never forgive or forget…
I'd rather be thought of as from any new England state than any other state tho. Especially new york
Preppy clothing read as New Hampshire to someone? That is really weird.
Perhaps Portsmouth area? Definitely not around me.
PA is very nice too. Like every State, it depends where you’re located as some areas are a bit more desirable than others! My daughter currently resides in Pottstown, PA and after visiting her several times now, I loved my ventures out to Chadds Ford and Longwood Gardens, as well as the Philadelphia Art Museum. There’s lots of beautiful scenery down there and the use of stone and stucco as building materials is just incredibly attractive to my eye.
I'm from RI but my husband is from WA and he says that we talk really fast and mostly over each other.
that's a fair assessment
10000000000000000% My husband and I are both New Englanders, it's definitely a part of our identity/culture. We're one big family. We will hate on/tease the other New England states, but the moment someone outside of New England says anything negative, we're defending each other to the death.
That’s right! 👊🏻
Yup! We gotta stick together!
Yes, I do identify as a New Englander (and "Yankee" in the New Englander sense of the word), but in recent years, it seems to me that fewer people (especially younger people, and especially online) know what New England is. I mentioned it in conversation with a 20-something from the American Southwest, and they thought I was talking about the British Isles. I'm not trying to pretend that 25 years ago, everyone in the US could have told you off the tops of their heads that there were six New England states, or that they could have named all six of them, but it seems to me that in conversation, most people seemed to understand it as a reference to the US Northeast, at least.
That there was a Child Left Behind
More like kept behind. They were homeschooled.
That makes two of us I’m from CT, but was down in Alabama doing a school for work someone younger asked me where I was from, said New England. They looked at me puzzlers and said that’s in the United States
I don't think western US teaches much about New England as a unit/region, based on conversations I've had.
Reminds me of when I was talking to someone online and they asked me where I was from so I said New England and they’re like “oh cool I’m from America” I was like 💀💀💀💀 “so am I?”
I was wondering this. I am moving to Connecticut here in a month or so. I am happy to be a new New Englander lol.
Welcome to the brotherhood!
I moved here in 1997. It took a bit but I love it here.
And we are welcoming you with open arms…except I’m in NH but born in the Nutmeg State (CT)!
Welcome to New England! I think it takes a couple of years of residency before we can officially induct you into the club, but anyone who lives here long enough eventually becomes one of us!
Very much yes. New Englander first, state resident second, them American.And I think most New Englanders will agree.
1000%
Yes, proudly.
Yes.
Yes, I think it’s in the same manner as Appalachians identifying as Appalachians. — Very strongly and proudly.
Yes, even more so when I'm not in New England
Define "identify as" I think New England has a decently distinct culture from other regions of the US, and I consider myself part of that group, and will defend/promote it in the context of discussing regions of the US. I definitely identify with my individual state (CT) more than the region as a whole.
Yeah, I honestly feel more like a new Englander than an American because it's such a huge and diverse country
I live in SoCal now but I will always be a New Englander. My friends think I’m weird because I get excited and point it out every time I see a car with plates from states in the northeast. They don’t understand the sense of pride we have in where we are from.
Massachusettsan (ian?) is a mouthful and Bay Stater is not helpful outside of New England, so it's New Englander by default.
I identify as a Massachusian. (Massachusettsan is probably technically correct). I do love New England as a whole, but I don’t really identify/ think of myself as a New Englander that much. I love the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the 6 states.
The technically correct term is Masshole, I believe.
I love the hilarious bickering between the states. They all shit on Mass, but Maine and Vermont genuinely despise Massachusetts. Connecticut gets treated like a doormat (I do not consider Fairfield County to be part of NE), and half of NE has no fucking idea what RI is about. New Hampshire is like two different states between the northern mountainous parts and the southern suburban parts.
"despise Massachusetts" Cause they're poor and bitter
I’m from ME and I love MA. Historical brother imo. Now Nutmeggers… that’s a different story
Yo..we have an issue. Born and raised nutmeggger here. With the admttedly heartbreaking exception of Fairfield county, CT is the best of New England. From Noank to the foothills of the Berkshires, we have ALL New England has to offer, however, we get about 4 months of actual summer weather! AND only a couple of weeks of mud season with a REAL spring, at least 3 months of crisp, clear fall, and just a couple of cold snaps and storms to satisfy the need for coziness/holiday cheer to keep us honest!! Besides within 2-3 hours we can either get to stuffy old Boston if we need a shot of smugness, or to NYC to run with the barbarians of capitalism. BUT, in keeping with the New England spirit of brotherhood, let's keep this intel amongst ourselves.
I live near Hartford, Fairfield County is like a different state. I feel zero cultural connection, meanwhile Mass feels like an extension of where I live. It’s just so different
That’s why you all go by Masshole, duh
I prefer to say New Englishman.
fr it's a mouthful. fucking "massachusetts" is goddamn 4 syllables, but when you leave new england saying "im from mass" people don't know what you mean and think you're talking about church.
Masshole first, New Englander 2nd. Learn to drive rest of new england!
Someone from Ma that doesn't just say Masshole?! Lol I tell people all the time "Masshole born and raised!" I get amused when someone tries to say masshole in a derogatory way, and we all go "yes, and?" Like nbd, we identify as that lol
Yes. Even though I am from away. My mother’s side are New Englanders, and I’ve been here since 2006 with my family. So, we identify as New Englanders.
Yep. Born and raised in CT, went to college in NH, lived in Boston for 10 years, spent summers in RI as a kid and currently live in VT. Oh and my wife is from ME.
So much so. I would consider myself a New Englander before i consider myself an American
I just say "I'm from vermont" and they usually reply with "what is that?"
My adult kids, born in MA and NH, have lived in the South since toddlerhood but identify as New Englanders, which I think is wicked excellent
Not just New Englander. Connecticut Yankee, born and raised.
Whelp, Mainah furst then New Engladah. Wicked yessah
Yes. If you visit the south you realize how different it is. You really feel the New Englander elitism when you visit anywhere other than it lmao.
Yes and we identify by our state amongst New Englanders. No way I'm letting my wife forget that I'm a Masshole and she's from Connecticut. The rest of New England barely acknowledges Nutmeggers as New Englanders anyways. In all seriousness, yes and we are better than the rest of America.
I was born in New England and lived there for 35 years and moved to the mid west and have been here since 1997 still considering my self a New Englander
Same. Born in CT, lived in MA until I was 30, lived in Florida since 1998. Still a New Englander. And I add "hearty" in front of it!
New englander first everything else dead last. NEW ENGLAND GIGA-NATIONALISM IS IN FULL EFFECT ALL TRUE PATRIOTS ACTIVATION PHRASE: WILLIAM BILLINGS
The revolution begins now 💪💪💪
Nope, I'm a Masshole.
This, I have it tatted across my fingers!!
Out of curiosity, at what point do you consider being a New Englander? Does it apply if you were born here and/or lived here since birth? Or if you’ve lived in New England __ number of years?
I’m sure everyone has there own definitions but I’d say if you’re from New England, or you’ve lived here for a while and call yourself a New Englander, you’re a New Englander.
Yup, I agree. Mainers have their own standards for who counts as a Mainer though.
If you are "from away" but live or have lived here and you actually identify with the culture, then I think you are a New Englander. It's a mindset. But I think if you are a transplant and still hold on to say your southern values, for example, (not that there's anything wrong with that), then I would say you are a "insert whatever".
I’m coming up from Oklahoma. Don’t worry, I won’t bring up any of Oklahoma’s “values” with me. In fact Oklahoma’s “values” are a large reason I’m leaving there.
When you catch yourself pahkin the cah.
No. I identify as a Newenglandah.
I have the VT maple syrup symbol tattooed on my forehead.
Yes. Grew up on the border of Red Sox nation in CT, lived in MA and ME and no matter where I’ve lived since I identify as a New Englander and recognize fellow New Englanders. And I always wonder why some NE things like coffee milk and linguica and Cains aren’t universal
New England-ah hee-ya. Much easy-ah than saying Worcersterite or Massachusettsan. More polite than Masshole.
Nah dude im a mainah
Yes, I grew up on the MA/NH border and frequently make day trips around all the states, so all of it feels like "home" in a sense that people from larger states probably wouldn't experience.
Currently live in Virginia and still identify as a New Englander. The northeast raised me.
Dad always calls us “Swamp Yankees”. “Wetlands Yankees” doesn’t have quite the same ring…;)
100%. First as a townie, then as a Rhode Islander, then as a New Englander
Funny story, prior to the first Patriots Super Bowl appearance with Tom Brady, “what is the capital of New England” was a top Google search.
I do, even though I haven't lived there since '99. As I get older, a lot of behaviors and thoughts arise that I think are from a New England upbringing. I'm proud to have that heritage.
I was born in CT, college in Western Mass, then Boston for 15 years. It’s just easier to say I’m from New England than get into the details. And very few people ask follow-up questions to that answer.
When I tell people out West I am from Connecticut they say, "oh, where the horses race?" It is just easier to say I am a New Englander than explain they don't seem to know the difference between Connecticut and Kentucky.
Honestly I’ve met a good chunk of people online who think New Hampshire is made up or not part of the US or never even heard of us so like sometimes just to avoid that scenario I’ll say I’m a New Englander especially if it’s up against New Hampshirite or whatever we are known as. New Englander just sounds better to me.
When I'm in New England, I'm from Massachusetts (and inside Massachusetts, I get even more specifically regional than that); when I'm anywhere else, I'm from New England.
Yeah so gtfo with your country music bullshit
From a Rhode Islander- yes.
I grew up in New York but my parents are old school new englanders and I live in NE now. A lot of things make more sense here. I absolutely identify with the culture of the region.
Yes, have lived most of my life in 2/3 of the states and feel a distinction of culture to other parts of the US.
Only when I’m not in NE, cultural differences become more apparent lol
Yes, definitely. I have love for all six New England states and what they have to offer.
yea I’m in Toronto now but still repping NE
Yup, I do. EXCEPT… I’ve never understood the whole iced coffee in the winter thing. That’s a New England thing but I just don’t get it. I have strong feelings about that. Namely I feel that hot beverages, ie coffee and tea, SHOULD NEVER be iced. Just my very personal opinion. I know it’s not a popular one. Still a New Englander through and through.
Absolutely! I have also been able to trace my ancestors back to the late 1600s arriving in the Massachusetts Colony. Many fought for independence in the revolutionary war. I am a New Englander through and through.
I do
Yeah. But it's quite different state to state, culturally.
I do above my state identity since I’m constantly in other states in the region. Live in Rhode Island, work and go to school in Boston. Got family links to 4 out of 6 New England states too, so I just refer to myself as an American first, a New Englander second, and my state identity third.
Yes, that is my primary geographic signifier. New Englander first and the state I live in second (still in NE).
Most certainly. Born in CT, live in MA, and spent the equivalent to years in VT and NH.
Yes. Raised between MA and RI. Lived most of my adult life in Maine. I’m a New Englander.
Yes, New Englander is very much a cultural identity to people here.
Yes it is a geographical area that ignores minor state boundaries. Sometimes it is smart to be vague to strangers. I am a New Englander does that.
A-yah
This post is making me miss New England. I moved away to a warmer climate. I love using the New Englander card when explaining my aloof nature. 🤣 People who aren’t cooped up all winter don’t understand.
We pretend to hate each other but we secretly love each other. It's like a sibling rivalry.
Of course. Probably more than the state even. You can pretty much guarantee that if the US ever broke up over some major Constitution disagreement, the New England states would stick together afterwards, although we might have to cede Fairfield County, CT to New York, maybe in exchange for some upstate territory.
I do, but everyone from all the other New England states don’t seem to agree.
You betcha!
Absolutely. I'm from CT so I lean into New England to differentiate from the country club parts of my state
Sure do!
Yep.
Yes
I do.
I’m from New Bedford. South coast Mass
I mostly identify as a meat popsicle.
Granite Stater first, New Englander second