Connecticut and Massachusetts Two small, New England states that can trace
their beginnings to important moments in the founding of these United States! And yes, both have a lot in common. Both are just...really nice. According to the latest data, both are two
of the wealthiest states in the country. Just looking at GDP per capita, last year
Massachusetts had the second highest in the country and Connecticut had the fourth highest. Both states also have really high median incomes. Both have low poverty rates. Both have relatively low violent crime rates. Yeah, I know about New Haven, ok. But no, overall both are really nice, and
because of that both do have a really high cost of living. That said, Massachusetts is slightly more
expensive overall. Both states have higher taxes than most other
states in the country. Some people even refer to Massachusetts as
“Taxachusetts” because of the stereotype of higher taxes. However, did you know that overall Connecticut
has higher taxes? You didn’t? Well now you know, congratulations. Both are two of the smallest states in the
country. That said, Massachusetts is about 1.6 times
bigger than Connecticut. Only two states, Delaware and Rhode Island,
are smaller than Connecticut. Both are part of the Northeast Megalopolis
(mwhahahahahaha), a part of the country that contains more than 17 percent of its entire
population, or some 50 million people on less than 2% of the country’s land area. The median age in both states is higher than
the national median age. (C- 41, M- 39.5) Residents of both states mostly trace their
ancestry to European countries. However, both have become more ethnically
diverse in recent years. 16.8% of the population of Massachusetts and
14.6% of the population of Connecticut were born in another country. That’s higher than the national average. Both states have a lot of Christians, with
Massachusetts being a hub for Roman Catholics and Connecticut having a plurality of Protestants. However, many in both states are not religious
at all. Church attendance in both states has been
steadily declining for decades. In fact, according to Pew Research, Massachusetts
is the least religious state in the country. Both have some of the best higher education
in the world. And while the big two universities are Harvard
in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, Massachusetts also has
MIT, Boston University, Tufts University, Williams College, and Amherst College, just
to name a few. Oh yeah? Well Connecticut can boast Trinity College,
Wesleyan University, UConn, Fairfield University, and Quinnipiac University, to name a few more. And yeah, both states have really high proportions
of people with college degrees (C- 47.5%, M- 52.4%). Massachusetts is at the top of this list. Connecticut is third. And both spend much more per student than
the national average. In fact, Massachusetts was the first state
in the country to pass a law forcing kids to go to school. According to WalletHub, Massachusetts has
the best public schools in the country. In second place? Why, Connecticut, of course. Politically, residents of both states lean
to the left, but Massachusetts residents have elected more Republican governors in recent
years. However, back in the presidential election
of 1972, Massachusetts was the only state to go for the Democratic candidate, George
McGovern, and last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1984, while Connecticut
last went for the Republican presidential candidate in 1988. Massachusetts is known for being a trailblazer
state on many issues, consistently being ahead of its time throughout history, including
being a big abolitionist state well before the Civil War and legalizing same-sex marriage
back in 2004! Hey, that unintentionally rhymed. Anyway, because of this progressive trend,
some conservative Republicans have historically attacked moderate Republicans and Democrats
as “Massachusetts Liberals.” THOSE DANG LIBERALS. Oh, and I should say Connecticut was the SECOND
state to legalize same-sex marriage, just two years after Massachusetts. Both have similar climates. Most of the southern portion of Connecticut
and eastern portion of Massachusetts have a humid subtropical climate and oceanic climate,
while the northern part of Connecticut and western part of Massachusetts have a humid
continental climate. Both have warm summers and coooold winters. Massachusetts does get a bit colder in the
winter being a bit further north, I guess. Both get Nor’easters, a special type of
hurricane that gets stronger from cold air. Both also occasionally get ol’ fashioned
regular hurricanes and tropical storms. Despite their small size, both states have
a wide variety of landscapes. The further west you go in Massachusetts,
the hiller it gets until you get to straight up mountains. Uh, the Appalachian Mountains that is. The northwest portion of Connecticut also
has some of these mountains. Both also have lots of marshes and beautiful
beaches. Both border the Atlantic Ocean. The Connecticut River, the longest river in
New England, flows through both states, and major towns in both along the river have economic
partnerships! Speaking of New England, Massachusetts borders
all the states in the region, well except Maine. But Maine used to be part of Massachusetts. And of course it borders Connecticut. I forgot to say that earlier. Connecticut itself not only borders Massachusetts
but also borders Rhode Island and New York, and is in the Tri-State Area with New York
and New Jersey! The official names of both states have Native
American origins: Massachusetts comes from native Massachsuett people, while Connecticut
is derived from the Mohegan-Pequot word “Quinnehtukqut” meaning “long tidal river.” Hey yeah, let’s get into some history now,
shall we? And for this episode, I have some special
help from my friend Michael from the channel MatrixMachine. He’s gonna give you the history rundown,
alright? Michael: Thanks Mr. Beat. What's going on fellas, I’ve been given
the opportunity to be a guest in this video but I can save the thanks for later. Right now we have states to discuss. Connecticut and Massachusetts do have their
similarities, but when you take the “New England” moniker off the two states, they
become more independent of each other. A modern day example would be football, in
Massachusetts you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone sad that one particular player
is somewhere warmer down in Florida while Connecticut likes to diversify its pain with
the Jets and the Giants, who both play at Metlife stadium… in New Jersey. But I’m getting distracted by sports. Yeah, let’s look at some history. The land that would formally become Connecticut
and Massachusetts in the late 1700s had been previously inhabited by groups of humans,
mostly Native Americans for thousands of years. According to the website American Ancestors,
the main three tribes in Massachusetts were Mahican, Mohegan, and the Wampanoag while
there were multiple if not dozens of tribes in Connecticut. However sooner rather than later, new settlers
would come into this region that would have a huge impact on the entire culture of the
future United States. In 1620 a group we know today simply as The
Pilgrims sailed from England all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and became the first European
settlers of future Massachusetts and the surrounding area. Fortunately, they also became friendly with
the Wampanoag people. More Puritans eventually came to the area
and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629. Seven years later, more Puritans settled further
south and founded the Connecticut Colony. Throughout the rest of the 1600s both colonies
grew rapidly. By the time the American Revolution rolled
around in the 1770s, the area had significantly evolved and now formed a new region called
“New England” and these people were ready to riot. Events such as the Boston Massacre and the
Boston Tea Party fired up residents of New England to fight for their freedom against
the British. Important battles during what we now call
The American War of Independence were fought in Massachusetts, like the Battles of Lexington
and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. Unfortunately or fortunately, Connecticut
didn’t see nearly the same action as Massachusetts did. After the war, both states were among the
first to ratify the new Constitution. Not long after that, both states became the
stronghold for the first official political party in American history, the Federalist
Party. Both were pretty progressive early on. Massachusetts was the first state to abolish
slavery in 1783 followed shortly by Connecticut the very next year. Both were also strongholds for various reform
movements throughout the early 1800s. Meanwhile, both states were industrial hubs
that continued to experience steady population growth. During the American Civil War, no battles
ever reached both states. However, both provided plenty of weapons,
supplies, and...most importantly...SOLDIERS for the Union side to help it secure victory. After the war, Connecticut and Massachusetts
entered The Gilded Age where industry continued to grow and the economy flourished. In the late 1800s, thousands of immigrants,
mostly from Europe, came to both states in search of a better life. In 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts, James
Naismith invented the sport of basketball with the goal of creating a fun game for groups
who attended the YMCA. I’d say he was pretty successful. William G. Morgan also invented volleyball
in 1895 in Holyoke Massachusetts, where today the Volleyball Hall of Fame is located. Let’s jump ahead to the Roaring Twenties,
when both states became more urbanized and immigration continued to soar. In fact, this is when the famous Kennedy family
started their dynasty when a man named Joseph Kennedy decided to make a name for himself
in the realm of politics. The Kennedy Dynasty in Massachusetts lasted
from the 1920s to 2009. Famous Massachusetts politicians from the
modern era include Former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, who became a local icon, and
former Senator Ted Kennedy who served 47 years from 1962 until his death in 2009. I could go on, but really you should just
check out my channel MatrixMachine for more political history. Back to you, Mr. Beat. Thanks Michael. So as he said, the earliest European settlers
were mostly Puritan, and their culture can be seen in the legacy there even today. Not just there, the entire country really. Today, Massachusetts’ official nickname
is “The Bay State,” which comes from its many many bays, and Connecticut’s nickname,
“The Constitution State,” comes from the fact that the New Haven Colony drafted the
first American colonial constitution for a democratic society. I mean, that’s debatable, but that’s what
they say. So how about differences? Well, for starters, Massachusetts’ population
is 7 million, almost double of Connecticut’s 3.6 million. Massachusetts is currently gaining population
while Connecticut is actually losing population. However, both are still incredibly densely
populated and two of the most urbanized states in the country. Major industries in Massachusetts include
biotechnology, finance, and higher education, while major industries in Connecticut include
financial services, insurance, and manufacturing. Big Massachusetts brands include Gillette,
Dunkin’, and New Balance, and Connecticut is the base of operations for ESPN, Subway,
and Vineyard Vines. Squirrel: Wasn’t Vineyard Vines founded
in Massachusetts? Mr. Beat: Yeah, on Martha’s Vineyard, smarty
squirrel. Hey speaking of Martha’s Vineyard, that’s
the Massachusetts island known as a place that rich people flock to every summer due
to its beautiful beaches and relatively pleasant climate. Housing prices there are 96% higher than the
national average. Speaking of islands, both have islands, but
Massachusetts has The Islands, you know what I’m sayin’? In addition to Martha’s Vineyard, there’s
Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands , among others. Massachusetts gets more precipitation, on
average. Connecticut has some of the worst economic
inequality in the entire country. Massachusetts has professional sports teams. Eh, Connecticut doesn’t. Marijuana is legal in Massachusetts. Not in Connecticut...at least not quite yet
at the time of the making of this video. Connecticut doesn’t have toll roads. Massachusetts has the giant metropolitan area
of Boston, with more than 4.6 million people. Connecticut’s biggest metro within the state
is Greater Hartford, with about 1.2 million people. The rest of the seven largest cities in Connecticut
are actually part of the New York metropolitan area: Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury,
Norwalk, and Danbury. Indeed, many Connecticut residents commute
to New York City for work. Four American Presidents have been born in
Massachusetts: John Adams, his son John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush,
and Connecticut is actually the birthplace of H.W. 's son, George W. Bush, another President
of course. A lot more stuff seems to have been invented
in Massachusetts. Ah, but Connecticut has the largest maritime
museum in the world, Mystic Seaport. That said, far more tourists flock to Massachusetts
each year. Hey there’s me in Plymouth. The shape of Massachusetts is often easily
identified thanks to Cape Cod. There’s actually a canal that cuts through
the peninsula that separates it from the mainland. Apparently people who live in Connecticut are nicknamed Nutmeggers? The accents are more distinct in Massachusetts. In Connecticut, there’s more variation,
and they generally pronounce their Rs more there. Ok well they pronounce their Rs in western
Massachusetts, too. In conclusion, yeah I’d still say both have
way more in common than differences. To simply sum up the differences, Connecticut
is basically Massachusetts without Boston and if Massachusetts was more influenced by
New York. And, like I said earlier, there’s a good
reason why the cost of living is so high in both states- they remain highly desirable
places to raise a family. So fun bit of autobiography here- my mom lived
in Massachusetts when she was a kid. So which is better? Connecticut or Massachusetts? I especially want to hear from you if you
are actually from one of those two states. I know, I left stuff out and pronounced stuff
wrong. Hey, I had a couple of Massachusetts fellows
help me out with this one! A shout out to Boston native Jacob Fridman,
who did most of the research and wrote a big chunk of the script, and the North Reading
native Michael from the channel MatrixMachine, who helped with the research portion. Be sure to check out Jacob’s podcast, which
is called Gen Zers Talk Politics. I’ve linked it in the description. Also, check out MatrixMachine...I’ve linked
it as well down there and over there. His channel focuses on a lot of the same stuff
I do. Thanks for watching!
It's funny there are people who pick up on pronouncing the R in all of Connecticut and only western Massachusetts. Like of all the facts. I guess I appreciate the dry humor here.
Ayy I’ve been waiting for Mr.Beat to make this one
Although RI would have been better to go against CT
The Kennedy dynasty started before that, when they made their fortune bootlegging