Yes, Ana, there is a huge difference in the perceptions people have of colleges, depending where you live. The reason why MA has this problem is that we are home to the "World's Greatest University" and near other Ivy League schools. Then there's the other 200 very selective private colleges. In a nutshell, the competition is fierce. The U Mass campuses are seen as OK, but sort of as the place to go to save money if you want to. The state colleges are pretty much seen as inferior in the towns around Boston. Well, my son went to U Mass Amherst after attending a private college about 5 miles away for a year; he got a great education, studied in Italy, is bilingual, and is still working at the job he got through his internship in college. I took many courses for salary advancement at one of the state colleges. It was OK...
When I lived in Florida, everyone went to one of the state schools and quite a few went to community college first. In Arizona it was the same, only there's not as many universities (I think the rivalry between ASU and U of A is silly. They are both good schools). But, in AZ, it seems like not many kids leave the state to go to school and a lot more of them live at home while attending.
Just my rambling thoughts.