Ahhh, Stow. Stow, MA was my hometown until I left for college, and my parents still live there. It's a small town (pop. 5328) about halfway between Boston and Worcester. As befitting New England, it's a relatively old town, incorporated in 1683. There's a little plaque in the center of town claiming that one of Paul Revere's friends rode through town warning of imminent British in 1774.

Stow is mostly inhabited by middle-class families whose wage earners commute to Boston or somewhere on 128. Hence, plenty of attractions for those with enough money, but next to none for teenagers and college folk. Bunches of apple orchards and bed and breakfasts, and I think 5 or 6 golf courses. Stow even boasts a "super"market and a very tiny airport. There are a couple restaurants, but not really any place you would want to go, given a choice.

Stow shares a public high school (Nashoba Regional High School) with neighboring Bolton and Lancaster, towns which are oddly enough not in the same county. I honestly don't remember what I did for fun in high school? There was a lot of hanging around in the ubiquitous conservation lands and desperate hunts for good used record stores in various parts of New England. Though I think most of the other kids in Stow turned to Ol' Janx Spirit. There used to be a neat coffee shop (Coffee, Tea, and Melody) open until 11 pm - great fun for a 16 year old stuck in suburban Mass. - but it closed. Overall, there certainly could have been worse places to be a teenager, if you owned a car. Pretty miserable otherwise.

I'm very amused by the fact that Stow's website has a live chatroom. You know, for discussing Stow.

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