11 Surefire Signs You Have Strong Roots in Massachusetts

Bay Staters are a wonderfully unique bunch of people. Out-of-staters might best recognize us for our regional accents, aggressive driving skills, and unusual word pronunciations. However, we are also known to be proud, educated, and devoted (think Red Sox) citizens. While I wasn’t born in Massachusetts, I did grow up just 30 miles away in the bordering state of New Hampshire. I’ve spent more than half my life in the Commonwealth and have ancestral connections that date back centuries. I consider myself a true Bay Stater at heart. If you too are a proud citizen of this great little part of America, be sure to show your pride by checking out the Wear Your Roots brand of clothing and accessory store featuring this cool Massachusetts roots logo. Read our list below to see if you can relate to any (or all) of these Bay State experiences. You may have strong roots in Massachusetts if:

Jennifer C./flickr

Yes, the annual Yankee Swap holiday gift exchange, where participants receive gifts and then steal them from one another. Just hope that you don’t draw the number 2 spot or you might leave the party with a fruitcake (or worse).

midnightcomm/flickr

As the nights grow colder and heating costs soar, will you hide under the blankets or cave and turn up the thermostat?

Advertisement

Javcon117*/flickr

You can’t get any more “Massachusetts” than drinking iced coffee in the dead of winter. Unless you are drinking a Dunks "regular" while shoveling snow (and wearing shorts)!

SHOP WEAR YOUR ROOTS

Advertisement

Simon Law/flickr

Bay Staters love to celebrate the fall - and with good reason. It is so beautiful here in the autumn months. Activities like apple picking, fall fairs, pumpkin patch visits, and corn maze adventures fill our autumn schedules. We also love to consume delicious fall treats. Fresh cider donuts and warm apple crisp are two of my favorites.

Magic 106.7/Facebook

We all tuned in to to listen to a little “Bedtime Magic with David Allan Boucher” every now and then. Sometimes quiet and calming tunes are what you need to hear at the end of a busy day. Illusive radio host David Allen was the distinctive voice of this popular local nighttime radio show for 40 years. He recently retired from Magic 106.7 in 2022.

Jamie McCaffrey/flickr

Massachusetts has a few state-specific holidays that commemorate events that occurred during the American Revolutionary War. Most widely celebrated is Evacuation Day which celebrates the day that British soldiers evacuated the city of Boston in 1776. Coincidentally, this day is observed on March 17th, which happens to also be St. Patrick’s Day. If you are one of the lucky ones to have Evacuation Day off from work, I wonder what you will be doing.

Related Stories

Most People Don't Know That John Belushi's Gravesite Is Found Right Here In Massachusetts

A Little-Known Slice Of Massachusetts History Can Be Found At This Baseball Field In Boston

10 Unique Trivia Facts About Massachusetts You Might Not Have Heard Before

mj ecker/flickr

I was a teenager before I realized that not everyone in America bowls this way. Now, even as an adult, I will take candlepin bowling (bowling using three small balls and tall, skinny pins) over traditional bowling any day.

Chris Rycroft/flickr

The 1965 song “Dirty Water” by The Standells is one that most Bay Staters probably know by heart. The song contains many references to our capital city, most recognizably the Charles River whose “dirty water” was severely polluted for many years. Fortunately the river has since been cleaned up and is now a beautiful urban recreation spot. Can you pick out some of the other local references in the song?

Advertisement

stu_spivack/flickr

I am constantly correcting my Pennsylvania-born husband when he pronounces this word as it is spelled. After living in Massachusetts for almost 20 years, he is finally learning to order seafood the right way!

RachelC.Photography/flickr

"Trot trot to Boston, Trot trot to Lynn. Watch out baby, you don’t fall in." If you remember bouncing up and down on a relative’s lap while singing this tune, you must be from Massachusetts. While the origins of this children’s rhyme are unclear, “Trot trot” has been entertaining Bay State toddlers for many generations.

Eugene Peretz/flickr

Do I even need to explain? When you know, you know.

Wear Your Roots

How many of these things can you relate to? Are there other ways that you can tell that someone is from Massachusetts? If you are a proud Bay Stater and want to show the world where you hail from, check out this great merch at Wear Your Roots and use the coupon code Massachusetts10 for 10% off!

For more local nostalgia, be sure to read Nine Things That Will Always Make Bay Staters Think Of Home and view 7 Photos You’ll Only Understand If You Hail From Massachusetts.