Generally, I feel like childhood is what shapes you as a person the most and usually that's where you solidify where you're "from." I know if I ever moved anywhere else, I'd always be a Bostonian in my heart.

But my uncle fits that criteria, so I'd say they're also a Bostonian as long as that's how they want to define themselves.

He moved for college after my mom / his sister did the same, and has stayed for 50+ years after that. He's one of the most passionate Boston sports fans I've met, and has gained our accent over the years. Not a heavy Boston accent by any means, but there's no way anyone would be able to tell he grew up in South Carolina. He sounds like he's from here and would call himself a Bostonian.

He grew up in MA from when he was 3 until he was 18, mostly in Cambridge, with the exception of a year in Mexico. That makes him a Bostonian in my book, regardless of him living elsewhere for more of his life at this point.

The feasts during the summer are fun.

Galleria Umberto is awesome. Ernesto's makes good pizza too.

I'm cis and straight, but at least from my standpoint, it will continue to be a very LGBTQ-friendly city and I don't expect the pro-trans status of it to change at any point in the near future. We are perhaps the most deeply liberal state and have a very "live and let live" philosophy. There are certainly assholes like anywhere, but I feel like you'd come across far more people who are accepting and especially in comparison to other parts of the country (not sure where you'd be moving from).

I agree with other commenters that there are certain pockets of conservatism, but you'd be unlikely to end up in any of them. They're mostly small rural-ish towns. I also agree with other commenters that P-Town and some of the towns in Western MA are worth looking at from a cost perspective. Boston is where it's at culturally, though, so keep that in mind.

And although it is expensive AF to live in the Greater Boston area, salaries are also higher.

A few creative and different ones: Martin's Park near the Children's Museum. Alexander Kemp playground in Cambridge. North Point Park in Cambridge near the MoS.

There are a lot of good ones in Newton and Brookline, like Newton Center Playground (basically 3 playgrounds in 1), Albemarle Playground (great climbing structure), Soule Recreation Center (really good toddler area, another area for bigger kids and a splashpad), Pierce Playground, the new one at Ridley school (fka Devotion), etc.

We like the zip lines at Bobby Conners in Waltham and the Esplanade Playground (also a cool climbing structure for bigger kids). The slides at Skyline Park in Arlington. Artesani in Allston and Beaver Brook in Belmont during the summer for their water features.

Saw someone else recommend a farm, so I'll mention Connors Farm in Danvers even though it's not free.

Good old Bockton.

Cirque du Soleil is a circus, after all.

This is my favorite.

As others have said, it's to stop drug use. There are a lot of homeless people there yes, but also a lot of heroin users. A bunch of nearby clinics treat their addiction and I used to see them outside, in Dunks, etc. when I worked in a building nearby.

It already has happened. The only cases of voting irregularities have been in favor of candidates on the right. Just a few examples that have facts and data to back them up:

Lots of issues in Ohio in 2004 helped W get reelected: https://web.archive.org/web/20060614200223/http://www.iwantmyvote.com/lib/downloads/references/house_judiciary/final_status_report.pdf

Statistically fishy votes in Florida that same year: https://www.wired.com/2004/11/researchers-florida-vote-fishy/

Voter disenfranchisement in Florida swayed the election in 2000: https://www.usccr.gov/files/pubs/vote2000/report/exesum.htm

The left has allowed the GOP to get away with blatant fraud, minimally fighting back while maintaining a level of decorum, and these crazy right wingers have the absolute gall to loudly accuse the left of fraud.

The South Shore Plaza Dave & Busters is closer than Natick (but no Level 99).