Re: Charlestown, Massachusetts
Created | Updated Oct 24, 2002
I just happened to get this article regarding Charlestown, Massachusetts appear on my computer tonight by mistake. Through cruising, I found this website to be very well done and am crazy about it. The articles are absolutely wonderful. I beg to differ with the authors Townie vs. Toonie theory though, in his article regarding Charlestown, Massachusetts. I was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, it's actually a neighborhood extension of Boston, Massachusetts, such as Clontarf is to Dublin, Ireland for example. In Boston and New England, I am considered a "Townie" because I was born in the town and my roots are there, still to this day, the "Townies" are very proud and loyal to their town! The authors description of the "Toonies" not getting along with the "Townies" and disliking them is absolutely false now a days. This is the year 2002 and he must be discussing the era of "Busing" due to desegregation in the early 70's when tensions were extremely high in the town. The Charlestown that every one in Boston knows now is completely different. A lot of people in the town didn't want to move away, but they were forced to back then, due to having small children and some of them didn't want their children in schools that they were forced to go to across the City, it was an extremely sad era in Boston's history for the whites and the blacks that didn't want this for their children at all. My parents had a lovely home near the Bunker Hill Monument and not too far from the famous U.S. Constitution a long the "Freedom Trail", in fact, it was considered to be one of the oldest homes in the City of Boston. A lot of friends and neighbors that we grew up with and knew all through the years are scattered across New England due to this situation. The "Toonies" were grabbing the homes left and right and getting good prices for them, I might add. The author states that the "Toonies" have 3.2 children? I think not, they were mostly Professionals with humongous salaries with absolutely no children because they wouldn't ever let their children go to school in Boston back then! If they did? They sent them to very private schools in the Greater Boston area close to the MBTA of course! For example, my Uncle sold his property to a Plastic Surgeon in Boston that turned around and sold it to some one else for an enormous amount and the cycle has been continuing ever since. A lot of us "Townies" would love for it to go back to the way it was, but unfortunately, life goes on and we have all moved forward with our lives and ourselves! The "Toonies" are all living in the town and they love it as much as we did when we were living there. The only thing is? They'll never have what we had in the town, ever! We have wonderful memories of growing up there and terrific friends, the "Toonies" could never take that away from the "Townies" and the "Townies" that are there now? They are just as proud as ever of their town, they're more proud of what the "Toonies" are doing to all the homes and businesses then they themselves are, trust me on that! I've often asked my parents if they regretted ever leaving Charlestown, Massachusetts for New Hampshire and it's really funny, my father has said many times, that he wouldn't go back there if you paid him a million dollars for one of those "bricks" around the Bunker Hill Monument! So times have changed and people change, but life goes on for all of us, no matter where we live!
