We may not live in Boston proper, but the people of the Attleboro area all have a connection to the city.

We may work there or attend school there.

Nearly 18,000 riders a day hop on trains on the MBTA’s commuter rail busiest line, which includes stations in Attleboro, South Attleboro and Mansfield. Another 8,771 daily riders board on the line that includes stations in Foxboro and Norfolk, the MBTA says.

That’s a lot of time a lot of locals spend in Boston.

Perhaps you attended college in Boston or a child does now.

Boston is home to 35 colleges, universities, and community colleges, totaling about 152,000 students, Bloomberg News reports. While Boston comprises 10 percent of the state’s total population, it has 34 percent of the state’s total college enrollment.

That’s a lot of learning, a lot of memories that will last a lifetime.

Most of us have been to Fenway Park and remember the first time they saw the Wall, so big, so green, SO CLOSE.

Others have been to Bruins or Celtics games or caught a concert at TD Garden. Many of us have taken in a play at the Wang or enjoyed a delicious meal in the North End or simply strolled Boston Common, the oldest public park in America. Faneuil Hall, the Freedom Trail and duck boat rides draw tourists from all over the world to our little state.

We may hate the trip up the Southeast Expressway, and even if we only visit occasionally, there is a bit of Boston in the hearts of all local residents.

That’s why it was so painful on Patriots Day 2013 — the Hub’s biggest celebration of the year — when two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others, including 17 who lost limbs.

An unprecedented number of first responders treated victims, bringing them to over a dozen hospitals.

The manhunt for the two suspects ended when one died following a police shootout and the other was found bleeding, hiding under a boat.

That day, April 15, 2013, was a shock to not just Boston but to all of us connected to the city.

This was not just an attack on Boston. This was a blatant malicious attack on us as well.

The images from that day are horrific and hard to view, even 10 years later. But what is truly memorable is the strength and resolve shown in the aftermath not just by Boston, but by the entire region.

First, it was the heroic efforts of first responders and health care workers in treating the wounded, and the care and compassion shown by spectators who sought to help victims rather than escape.

Later, sports bonded us. Bruins fans spontaneously joined in an a cappella version of “The Star-Spangled Banner;” baseball fans around the nation paid tribute by singing along to Fenway favorite “Sweet Caroline;” most memorably, Sox slugger David Ortiz grabbed the microphone and warned terrorists, “This is our (expletive) city.”

The Boston Marathon bombings were terrible, something we never want to relive.

But the entire region came away from it stronger and more bonded than before. Our appreciation for Boston and our bond to it grew tighter.

And that’s the most important thing to remember from April 15, 2013.