Those who call New Englanders “cold” just haven’t spent enough time with them. It’s true that hellos and good days may not be as forthcoming here as in the South or the West, but New Englanders make up for a lack of superficial friendliness with a straightforwardness that lets you know exactly where you stand in their hearts. And if you do find your way into those hearts, you’ll find an intense loyalty and camaraderie that is as surprising as the surface flintiness is off-putting. More than anything, New Englanders are bred on tradition, whether that’s the rural pride of its farm-folk or the convivial parochialism of the South Boston Irish. But generations have not stood still; with the burgeoning technological, financial, and medical sectors, many of the cities in the region are filled with young professionals and culture vultures on the cutting edge of hip.

New Englanders’ attitudes are very much a product of their backgrounds. With the Puritans’ laws and mores embedded in their history and social traditions, Yankees are considered somewhat more restrained than people in many other parts of America. But that’s often tempered by the other characteristics of their birthplace—a widespread reverence for higher education, a philosophical and artistic dedication to self-expression, and the ever-widening influence of its international citizens.