I got my A.A. in Vermont, which seems not to have its own accent, but most of the students were from Boston or NYC/North Jersey/SWCT. So, I was surrounded by folks with thick accents. Left in '97, but I still drop an r every so often.
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan