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Which pair do you prefer
Although I believe that Lowell is the best induvidual city on the list, Fall River is far better than Lawrence so as a pair I think NB and FR are better.
I like having this debate. I actually cluster them into groups of three. Lowell/Lawrence and the slightly smaller Haverhill and New Bedford/Fall River and the slightly smaller Taunton. Taunton is almost the exact same distance from Fall River (down 24) and New Bedford (140) as Lowell is from Haverhill.
For the sake of staying on topic, I'll leave Taunton and Haverhill out of it.
Location:Depends. In terms of highways and rail, Lowell and Lawrence are FAR better connected to Boston. They're also geographically closer. If you're talking about proximity to the hub city of the region, Lawrence/Lowell win.
However, I think Fall River/New Bedford have the much better location from a topographical standpoint. The South Coast is beautiful. Beaches, rolling farmland, meandering rivers and seaside villages make up the land in between FR and NB. Fall River has a great waterfront with Battleship Cove and the Boardwalk heading from Battleship Cove to the Iwo Jima memorial. The old mill next door to that park is being converted into college classes (BCC), office space, residential space, and a Jerry Remy's restaurant with a big back patio next spring. You have views of Mt. Hope Bay, The Mt. Hope Bridge and even the Providence skyline from many spots in Fall River. New Bedford's harbor is excellent. The Rodney French Area is great and Fort Rodman/Taber which juts out into Buzzard's Bay is nicer than any park in any of the other cities.
The Cities themselves: Lowell: Lowell has gentrified the most out of the bunch. As a result, it's probably the more complete of the 4 cities. Downtown Lowell is a real destination with great shops, restaurants, and attractions. Commuter Rail service is a BIG plus. Lowell also has plenty of great residential neighborhoods.
New Bedford: The second most complete city out of the bunch. Not as far behind as you might think either. Downtown New Bedford (like Lowell) has a great National Historic Park, a number of museums and a rapidly increasing number of great shops, galleries, restaurants, bars, etc. It, too, is a real destination. New Bedford's history as a wealthy seaport has lead to a number of strikingly beautiful neighborhoods. New Bedford has Oceanfront homes for sale which is something none of the other cities can claim. The Portuguese heritage and status as the nation's highest grossing seaport mean the food in NB is the best of the bunch.
Fall River: Easily the third best of the bunch, but still leaps and bounds ahead of Lawrence. Fall River has gaping holes (thanks, urban renewal) and high unemployment (second to Lawrence in the state for the highest). However, it does have bright spots. The Highlands (really two neighborhoods) is probably the biggest, safest and nicest complete residential section in any of the 4 cities being compared. The waterfront is really nice. The Portuguese heritage also means awesome food. Fall River may have the most to offer in terms of outdoor recreation (A chunk of it is State Forest, and has a lake and the Taunton River/ Mt. Hope Bay as well).
Lawrence is dead last. It has some good bones and isn't as bad as people often make it out to be. However, it has higher unemployment than any city in the state. It has massive issues with political corruption. It's still VERY rundown.
Overall:
I have to go with New Bedford/Fall River. I really do love the area. I'll admit, a huge part of that is family/friends and childhood nostalgia. However, those two cities are really cool (especially NB). Both have tons of history (some of which is beaten to death... I'm looking at you Moby Dick and Lizzie Borden) and awesome locations. The food is fantastic and the people are quirky (in good ways and bad). No matter how you feel about FR and NB, you can't say they lack character.
Beyond that, I DO think that the South Coast has the most room for economic growth. For starters, New Bedford's airport is an international trade zone. It's currently under expansion and there are a number of freight companies looking to use it has a hub. It currently has passenger service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and when the expansion is done, they're looking to add commercial service to hubs like New York City (which will be huge for people going to/from Cape Cod).
While all of the cities have lost the manufacturing and textile industries that made them what they were, New Bedford and Fall River are STILL active seaports. While Lowell/Lawrence will have to evolve into more of the urban suburb role, Fall River and (especially) New Bedford still have their own real independent economic drivers (even if commercial fishing declines). The volume of cargo New Bedford has taken in has increased each year for the better part of the decade. They just inked a new trade deal with a major port in Mexico too.
I think the economic potential is evidenced in the revitalization seen in Lowell and New Bedford. The big difference (in my opinion) is that Lowell has done this WITH a commuter rail connection to Boston and New Bedford's is still a few years away.
Lowell and Lawrence are, by far, the better cities to choose if you work in Boston and want an affordable alternative to living IN the city. However, I think New Bedford and Fall River are more economically independent (and scenic) and win in that regard. Both nice areas with a lot going for them and a lot more work still to do.
I like having this debate. I actually cluster them into groups of three. Lowell/Lawrence and the slightly smaller Haverhill and New Bedford/Fall River and the slightly smaller Taunton. Taunton is almost the exact same distance from Fall River (down 24) and New Bedford (140) as Lowell is from Haverhill.
For the sake of staying on topic, I'll leave Taunton and Haverhill out of it.
Location:Depends. In terms of highways and rail, Lowell and Lawrence are FAR better connected to Boston. They're also geographically closer. If you're talking about proximity to the hub city of the region, Lawrence/Lowell win.
However, I think Fall River/New Bedford have the much better location from a topographical standpoint. The South Coast is beautiful. Beaches, rolling farmland, meandering rivers and seaside villages make up the land in between FR and NB. Fall River has a great waterfront with Battleship Cove and the Boardwalk heading from Battleship Cove to the Iwo Jima memorial. The old mill next door to that park is being converted into college classes (BCC), office space, residential space, and a Jerry Remy's restaurant with a big back patio next spring. You have views of Mt. Hope Bay, The Mt. Hope Bridge and even the Providence skyline from many spots in Fall River. New Bedford's harbor is excellent. The Rodney French Area is great and Fort Rodman/Taber which juts out into Buzzard's Bay is nicer than any park in any of the other cities.
The Cities themselves: Lowell: Lowell has gentrified the most out of the bunch. As a result, it's probably the more complete of the 4 cities. Downtown Lowell is a real destination with great shops, restaurants, and attractions. Commuter Rail service is a BIG plus. Lowell also has plenty of great residential neighborhoods.
New Bedford: The second most complete city out of the bunch. Not as far behind as you might think either. Downtown New Bedford (like Lowell) has a great National Historic Park, a number of museums and a rapidly increasing number of great shops, galleries, restaurants, bars, etc. It, too, is a real destination. New Bedford's history as a wealthy seaport has lead to a number of strikingly beautiful neighborhoods. New Bedford has Oceanfront homes for sale which is something none of the other cities can claim. The Portuguese heritage and status as the nation's highest grossing seaport mean the food in NB is the best of the bunch.
Fall River: Easily the third best of the bunch, but still leaps and bounds ahead of Lawrence. Fall River has gaping holes (thanks, urban renewal) and high unemployment (second to Lawrence in the state for the highest). However, it does have bright spots. The Highlands (really two neighborhoods) is probably the biggest, safest and nicest complete residential section in any of the 4 cities being compared. The waterfront is really nice. The Portuguese heritage also means awesome food. Fall River may have the most to offer in terms of outdoor recreation (A chunk of it is State Forest, and has a lake and the Taunton River/ Mt. Hope Bay as well).
Lawrence is dead last. It has some good bones and isn't as bad as people often make it out to be. However, it has higher unemployment than any city in the state. It has massive issues with political corruption. It's still VERY rundown.
Overall:
I have to go with New Bedford/Fall River. I really do love the area. I'll admit, a huge part of that is family/friends and childhood nostalgia. However, those two cities are really cool (especially NB). Both have tons of history (some of which is beaten to death... I'm looking at you Moby Dick and Lizzie Borden) and awesome locations. The food is fantastic and the people are quirky (in good ways and bad). No matter how you feel about FR and NB, you can't say they lack character.
Beyond that, I DO think that the South Coast has the most room for economic growth. For starters, New Bedford's airport is an international trade zone. It's currently under expansion and there are a number of freight companies looking to use it has a hub. It currently has passenger service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and when the expansion is done, they're looking to add commercial service to hubs like New York City (which will be huge for people going to/from Cape Cod).
While all of the cities have lost the manufacturing and textile industries that made them what they were, New Bedford and Fall River are STILL active seaports. While Lowell/Lawrence will have to evolve into more of the urban suburb role, Fall River and (especially) New Bedford still have their own real independent economic drivers (even if commercial fishing declines). The volume of cargo New Bedford has taken in has increased each year for the better part of the decade. They just inked a new trade deal with a major port in Mexico too.
I think the economic potential is evidenced in the revitalization seen in Lowell and New Bedford. The big difference (in my opinion) is that Lowell has done this WITH a commuter rail connection to Boston and New Bedford's is still a few years away.
Lowell and Lawrence are, by far, the better cities to choose if you work in Boston and want an affordable alternative to living IN the city. However, I think New Bedford and Fall River are more economically independent (and scenic) and win in that regard. Both nice areas with a lot going for them and a lot more work still to do.
The main reason for the revival of Lowell and New Bedford is UMASS (Dartmouth), its the common denimator between the 2 cities, and whats lacking in the 2 cities (FR, Lawrence) that are struggling.
The main reason for the revival of Lowell and New Bedford is UMASS (Dartmouth), its the common denimator between the 2 cities, and whats lacking in the 2 cities (FR, Lawrence) that are struggling.
That's a HUGE part of it. UMass Lowell has a bigger presence in Lowell than UMD does in NB, but UMD has expanded its downtown New Bedford campus a lot over the past 10 years. It's College of Visual and Performing Arts is located in a beautiful old department store downtown and has a great gallery on the first floor (a nice compliment to the Art Museum nearby). Bristol Community College also has a lot of classroom space in downtown New Bedford too. They're expanding their nursing program quite a bit in downtown NB.
Fall River actually does have UMass Dartmouth and BCC classrooms downtown. They don't seem to have made as much of a difference. The new district courthouse that opened in downtown Fall River has had a bit of an impact though (there are 4-5 new restaurants right next to it now).
I'd also wager that designating chunks of downtownLowell and New Bedford as National Historic Parks has helped too. Both cities seem to have improved quite a bit since that has happened. Neither Lawrence or Fall River have that type of designation downtown either.
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