content: New England has a long history of governing through town meetings. It's the most directly democratic part of the US.  I remember listening to an interview with left wing anarchist Murray Bookchin a while back about how the town meeting system evolved over the course of American history. Apparently, after the revolution, many in the federal government wanted to disband the town meetings, but New England patriots like Sam Adams said it would have to be over their dead bodies. The focus on egalitarianism in the region is what lead to Shays' Rebellion. That same focus hasn't gone away.