Spent the evening on a Massachusetts map. Boundaries based on NECTAs, various informal regions (South Shore, North Shore, South Coast, Merrimack Valley, etc.) and just throwing towns in when that failed me. I'm not sure I know as much as I think I do, so critique from fellow Bay Staters is appreciated. There are some definite problems, like the gap between the most and least populated districts being some 40,000 people, which was the price I had to pay for more regional cohesiveness. Given this and that it doesn't draw a minority-majority district in Greater Boston where one was IOTL, it likely wouldn't stand up to a court challenge in the OTL United States, but that isn't really the point of the thread, so...
From the voting data given, most of these should be Republican; only the 1st, 5th, and 7th are more Democratic than Republican according to Daves Redistricting, but apparently Massachusetts' OTL districts should theoretically be more competitive than they are as well. Without incumbents (And several of my districts are probably wide open) things may be a bit more competitive.
Since I was inspired to start this by the "Naming US Congressional Constituencies" thread over in chat, I'll provide name suggestions as well. Of course if they were actually named like General Court districts are, the names would be exhaustive lists of all the counties they contain parts of.
1st District / Berkshire & Pioneer Valley (Blue) - All of Berkshire County and most of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties. Heavily Democratic. Has 23,000 less people than it really should but I had already clawed away as much of Western Mass into the 2nd District as I was willing to. Springfield, some old mill towns, and very liberal college towns and the so called Hill Towns.
2nd District / Quabbin & Worcester (Green) - Most of Worcester County, the leftover parts of Western Massachusetts from the 1st District, and Ashby in Middlesex County. Theoretically this should be a Republican district, but it's barely any more Republican than the OTL pre-2012 2nd or 3rd Districts, so it most likely elects a Democrat. Mostly Worcester and small-to-medium-sized mill towns.
3rd District / MetroWest (Magenta) - Covering (Mostly) it's namesake region, ie parts of Worcester, Middlesex, and Norfolk Counties, plus Mansfield in Bristol County (For being in the Boston Division of the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy NECTA) and some bits and pieces in the aforementioned three counties. Rich suburban area anchored by Boston on one end and Worcester on the other, lots of successful information technology firms. Was a pain to draw and therefore has nearly 29,000 less people than it should.
4th District / Merrimack (Red) - Parts of Essex and Middlesex Counties. Pretty closely covers the Merrimack Valley with only a few additions on the edges. This is the most heavily Republican district (Theoretically they have a 58-42 advantage), but Richard Tisei, the strongest Republican contender in Massachusetts in OTL 2012, is districted into the more Democratic 6th. Decaying mill towns that have been drawn into Boston's all-consuming suburban orbit.
5th District / Route 128 (Yellow) - AKA "Parts of Middlesex And Norfolk Counties Left Over When All The Other Districts Were Done". Rich Boston suburbs and Democratic to an almost laughable degree (63-37 advantage). In a state where a 54-46 Republican advantage elects one of the most liberal members of the House, this district is in the bag for the Democrats.
6th District / North Shore (Teal) - Parts of Essex and Middlesex Counties and Revere in Suffolk County. A mix of wealthy Boston suburbs, seaside resort towns, and old working class towns like Lynn and Gloucester. Theoretically leans Republican, but not by much, and so is likely a Democratic seat.
7th District / Boston (Grey) - Pretty much self explanatory. Boston, plus Chelsea and Winthrop in Suffolk County and Brookline in Norfolk County. Will never vote Republican, ever.
8th District / South Coast & Taunton (Slate) - Bristol County (Except Mansfield) and about the western half of Plymouth County. Blue collar, heavily Catholic, old mill towns and seaports. Been trying to reinvent itself as like Cape Cod but with lower land prices. Slight Republican advantage in theory, in practice probably goes to a Democrat. Has 10,000 more people than it should.
9th District / Cape & South Shore (Cyan) - Not to be confused with South Coast. All of Barnstable (Cape Cod) and Nantucket Counties, the entertainingly named County of Dukes County (Martha's Vineyard. It's full, official name, yes.), most of Plymouth County, and part of Norfolk County. Second best chance for the Republicans (57-43) and is very similar to the old 10th District where they had their best performance in 2010. Boston suburbs, industrial towns, and rich seaside resorts towns on the Cape and Islands.
