By Jennifer Meer
Beantown versus The Big Apple.
The Red Sox versus the Yankees.
Several universities. Underground transportation systems. Two skylines. One ocean.
Boston versus New York City.
Boston’s population of 640,000 is trivial compared to New York’s 8.4 million. However, one has to wonder if New York’s modern, bombastic culture will ever live up to Boston’s colonial days or if Boston’s “T” will ever see 5.5 million people each day as does New York’s subway (MTA.info).
When looking at what these cities have to offer by means of an educational environment, transportation, and the typical people, the comparison confirms several interesting differences.
Universities such as New York University, Fordham University, and Columbia are centered in New York City. According to Campus Explorer’s website, 594,000 university students reside in New York City and attend one of its 81 schools.
On the other hand, Boston lays claim to several notable institutions such as Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard, Boston College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Study Boston’s website, there are 250,000 college students studying in the city.
When one considers the enormous population difference between the two cities, Boston definitely wins this round, as it has about seven percent of New York’s population but closer to forty percent of its student population.
Boston University student Erica Yu easily explained the difference between the two.
“NYU is in the center of the city and there are some nice colleges there,” she said. “For Boston, it’s smaller and the colleges are all around. It’s a college city.”
Boston University Summer Challenge Program student Elizabeth Bartzokis also added to the discussion.
“There are so many colleges in Boston and so the atmosphere is really for that age group,” she said. “Everywhere you go, you will see a student. You can have more of a social life because there are so many colleges and people.”
Bartzokis added that her father attended Harvard University but had several friends at nearby schools such as Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. It was easy for him to jump between the schools and even become familiar with the different campuses and people.
As for how these students and all other urbanites make their daily commute, one must consider transportation, particularly the subway systems.
New York easily takes the cake as far as size and activity.
According to the city’s official public transportation website MTA, in 2013 1.7 billion people rode the subway, making New York City number seven in the world for annual subway ridership. Its system consists of twenty-one interconnected routes which travel to a total of 468 stations.
According to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s website, Boston’s transit system is currently the fourth largest in the nation and certainly the oldest. The city’s public transportation dates back to before American independence. The site claims that, “While Boston is the birthplace of American liberty, it is also the birthplace of American mass transportation.”
The city’s “T” was built in 1897—making it the country’s first form of underground traffic and predating the New York Subway by seven years.
Boston University IT Tech employee George Johnson felt that New York’s subway was much more “organized” than the Boston T. “It’s also a lot faster—the speed at which they run,” he said.
He also compared the New York subway, which seems to make an infinite number of stops, with the T. “In Boston, they’re spread out how they’re needed,” he said.
To add, Yu believes that the convenient transportation makes Boston a more ideal place to live.
As a final point, one can’t compare the cities without comparing the people who come to define them.
Clearly, students make up a large part of both cities. However, what about everyone else?
A majority of New York residents are working 9 to 5 jobs in the city as opposed to taking classes and socializing in a college-based city.
“New York people are in more of a rush,” Johnson said. “Boston people will stop and help you in the middle of the street even if you don’t know them. New York [people] will help you too… it just depends on who you run into.”
Bartzokis responded to the question of the cities’ diverse arrays of people by bringing back the college campus idea.
“Boston is more of a young adult-teenage city than New York. The whole atmosphere is different,” she said. “The people are nicer. It’s more of a community feeling.”
She also added that Bostonians aren’t “stressed” about “rushing” to work all the time, as are New York residents. She enjoyed the feeling of a college coffee shop with music and young adults socializing—something that would never happen in New York.
Both Boston and New York have a lot to offer. They are two of the United States’ most promising cities, each with their own identifiable culture and a city pride that can be recognized around the world.
Now it is up to the potential student, worker, or traveler to hear the tales of these cities and decide which is better.
Beantown versus The Big Apple.
The Red Sox versus the Yankees.
Several universities. Underground transportation systems. Two skylines. One ocean.
Boston versus New York City.
Boston’s population of 640,000 is trivial compared to New York’s 8.4 million. However, one has to wonder if New York’s modern, bombastic culture will ever live up to Boston’s colonial days or if Boston’s “T” will ever see 5.5 million people each day as does New York’s subway (MTA.info).
When looking at what these cities have to offer by means of an educational environment, transportation, and the typical people, the comparison confirms several interesting differences.
Universities such as New York University, Fordham University, and Columbia are centered in New York City. According to Campus Explorer’s website, 594,000 university students reside in New York City and attend one of its 81 schools.
On the other hand, Boston lays claim to several notable institutions such as Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard, Boston College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Study Boston’s website, there are 250,000 college students studying in the city.
When one considers the enormous population difference between the two cities, Boston definitely wins this round, as it has about seven percent of New York’s population but closer to forty percent of its student population.
Boston University student Erica Yu easily explained the difference between the two.
“NYU is in the center of the city and there are some nice colleges there,” she said. “For Boston, it’s smaller and the colleges are all around. It’s a college city.”
Boston University Summer Challenge Program student Elizabeth Bartzokis also added to the discussion.
“There are so many colleges in Boston and so the atmosphere is really for that age group,” she said. “Everywhere you go, you will see a student. You can have more of a social life because there are so many colleges and people.”
Bartzokis added that her father attended Harvard University but had several friends at nearby schools such as Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. It was easy for him to jump between the schools and even become familiar with the different campuses and people.
As for how these students and all other urbanites make their daily commute, one must consider transportation, particularly the subway systems.
New York easily takes the cake as far as size and activity.
According to the city’s official public transportation website MTA, in 2013 1.7 billion people rode the subway, making New York City number seven in the world for annual subway ridership. Its system consists of twenty-one interconnected routes which travel to a total of 468 stations.
According to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s website, Boston’s transit system is currently the fourth largest in the nation and certainly the oldest. The city’s public transportation dates back to before American independence. The site claims that, “While Boston is the birthplace of American liberty, it is also the birthplace of American mass transportation.”
The city’s “T” was built in 1897—making it the country’s first form of underground traffic and predating the New York Subway by seven years.
Boston University IT Tech employee George Johnson felt that New York’s subway was much more “organized” than the Boston T. “It’s also a lot faster—the speed at which they run,” he said.
He also compared the New York subway, which seems to make an infinite number of stops, with the T. “In Boston, they’re spread out how they’re needed,” he said.
To add, Yu believes that the convenient transportation makes Boston a more ideal place to live.
As a final point, one can’t compare the cities without comparing the people who come to define them.
Clearly, students make up a large part of both cities. However, what about everyone else?
A majority of New York residents are working 9 to 5 jobs in the city as opposed to taking classes and socializing in a college-based city.
“New York people are in more of a rush,” Johnson said. “Boston people will stop and help you in the middle of the street even if you don’t know them. New York [people] will help you too… it just depends on who you run into.”
Bartzokis responded to the question of the cities’ diverse arrays of people by bringing back the college campus idea.
“Boston is more of a young adult-teenage city than New York. The whole atmosphere is different,” she said. “The people are nicer. It’s more of a community feeling.”
She also added that Bostonians aren’t “stressed” about “rushing” to work all the time, as are New York residents. She enjoyed the feeling of a college coffee shop with music and young adults socializing—something that would never happen in New York.
Both Boston and New York have a lot to offer. They are two of the United States’ most promising cities, each with their own identifiable culture and a city pride that can be recognized around the world.
Now it is up to the potential student, worker, or traveler to hear the tales of these cities and decide which is better.