Quincy

South of Boston [1] and accessible by the T, Quincy is actually the fourth-largest city in the state, and might be thriving if it were located anywhere else. As it is, the city tends to be overshadowed by its larger neighbor. Apart from an area of old historic homes, the city is mostly dilapidated and depressed.

For a brief time in the 19th century, Quincy was the center for granite quarrying in the region, and many of the monuments in Boston were mined from quarries that still stand open (and are used by rock climbers). The city is better known, however, as the birthplace of two American presidents—John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.