Is Lowell safe for a 23 year old female? (Boston, Newton: real estate, apartments)

[CityGirl52]

They absolutely do have some incredible property for sale in Lowell. I looked myself and I'm twice your age. I don't want that address though. I don't know a thing about Lowell, Lawrence or Methuen area only what I hear from people and what I read about it. Although I did get lost once in Lawrence and it was pretty gross. I always thought parts of Boston were bad? Forgettt aboutttt ittt...it was totally a ghetto in my book through that whole area, I didn't think to God we'd ever find Rte 110 again or whatever route we needed to be on, it was SO gross!!!

I know what type of condo you're looking at, I showed my niece one in Amesbury, but she ended up buying a house instead. These loft condo's are absolutely beautiful in the town of Amesbury. It wouldn't be a bad commute from there to Chelmsford and I think you might like that address a little better? Take a look at the Lofts at Clarks Pond to see what you think. They're awesome to me, I don't know what your income is, but to me, they seem so reasonable compared to the ones I've been in down around Boston! Check them out...what do you have to lose? Hopefully this isn't considered an ad because it's just a suggestion. The above description of Lowell is what I was trying to get you to see. I think you might want to think about taking a look in other areas around the Merrimac Valley and Northshore, don't you agree?

Good luck!

[MAnewbie]

thank you all for your opinions. i'm taking them all in! i will be looking at many areas before i make a decision, but everybody's advice is greatly appreciated!

citygirl52, i will definitely look into amesbury, thanks for the suggestion!

edited to say: it appears amesbury is at least 40 minutes from my work! unfortunately that's way too far, and i would live in boston if i were going to do a commute like that. it looks like a very pretty town though!

[Valerie C]

I had suggested Amesbury to someone else a week or two ago, and there were a few nay-sayers out there talking about Amesbury being an unsafe area, which sort of shocked me--Amesbury is a GREAT town to live and play, great restaurants, vibrant downtown, close to Newburyport, highway (495) so not bad commute to Chelmsford. Maybe also consider Dracut or Tyngsboro, also along the river, so maybe there are some loft condo's. Away from the river, but another town to check out might be Westford. All of these towns would give you easy commute to work, and nightspots, etc. If I can help you by pulling listings for you to drive past, let me know... It's going to be a GREAT weekend to visit the city!

Here are some links to the festivals that occur (both have ended for 2007, but they're both great events:
Lowell Folk Festival
Lowell Summer Music Series

[MAnewbie]

i just wanted to update since i went to lowell yesterday. i really liked the downtown area and i found a new loft building that appeared to have a lot of people my age living there. i can see why there would be some hesitation, as there are definitely some icky areas. i have no intention of living in those areas, so i'm not too worried about that! knowing what i know from living in other urban areas, crime is most likely linked with these areas, and i feel like i would be pretty safe in the downtown. i wouldn't walk around late at night alone, but i certainly wouldn't be scared to walk downtown on a saturday afternoon.

i'm very stressed trying to make a decision, as i do want to be safe...but there aren't many exciting options outside of boston for somebody like me! i just wanted to thank everybody for their advice...hopefully i will make a decision soon! i'm now between dealing with the boston reverse commute and living in the north end, downtown lowell, and something like andover where i would live comfortably/safely but have to go to boston to have any fun!

[CityGirl52]

Well, good luck to you! Don't think it's just your age group trying to figure out where to live kiddo. I'm almost triple your age and I'm STILL trying to figure out where to live too that's COOL, hip and funky and above all that's SAFE, see how it is when you're a woman! AND that has easy access to Boston! I'm like a fish out of water living where I live now! Ya think it's easy? Well, guess again! Hopefully you can find a great place soon. Another place that you could check out is Tewksbury, if you get the chance. You would NOT believe the beautiful townhouses and condos on realtor dot com I saw recently. Much nicer than where I live now. They have more detail to them with the way they're built and nicer amenities and all that. Some are a lot nicer than others, yet there's quite a lot of different ones, I was actually surprised! I used to think it was such a boring married raising your family type of town, which I'm sure it still is, but they know what they're doing in the condo/townhouse communities there! I don't think Tewksbury would be a bad commute to Chelmsford, BUT you can't go by me, I'm right from the City of Boston and I still to this day think I'm living up in Canada (and I'm only in southern NH for the love of God!!) When you find a cool town to live in, will you let me know please??!!!! Thanks!!! I'm NOT ready for this over 55 baloney yet; that's OUT of the question right now as well as tomorrow and the next day....it's tough being a woman trying to make these big decisions, it doesn't matter HOW old you are either, trust me!

Good luck!

[frank l]

lowell has some nice sections, but i wouldnt want my 23 year old daughter moving there. the saying"nice place to visit, but i wouldnt want to live there" comes to mind. it is getting a little betterr though

[northjersey973]

ARE YOU GUYS KIDING ME. COMPARING LOWELL TO ROXBURY? I GUESS IN NEW ENGLAND TERMS LOWELL IS WHAT YOU CALL GHETTO BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE GHETTO THEN COME TO NORTH JERSEY. THERES TONS OF CITIES THAT ARE "GHETTO" like paterson or passaic Lowell should be fine.

[JonD]

I've lurked on these forums for a while now, but this thread is the first one that has compelled me to actually sign up and post. I spent 4 years at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and my fiancee was born and raised there. Lowell is safe for a 23 year old. Of course, there are some parts you should avoid at night. Always use common sense, LIKE ANY OTHER CITY. Please don't be dissuaded by these people from the burbs calling it "ghetto" after spending 15 minutes driving off the highway.

Lowell would be the city with the most "going-on" closest to Chelmsford. If you're considering Boston, the reverse commute from the North End or Somerville might not be bad. I've never gone up 93 at that time of the day. Traffic in the Boston area can be horrible, and your commute should be a factor in where you decide to live.

If you're still feeling uneasy about Lowell, you might want to check out Nashua, NH. It also has a nice downtown area with some ok nightlife.

[MAnewbie]

jond, thank you very much for your reply. i appreciate you taking the time! i'm going back to lowell this weekend to walk around, and make a final decision.

[bostonlady]

I would look at towns in amesbury-newburyport, topsfield ,wakefield or lynnfield-(if you have a ton of $$) wakefield is probably more affordable. Any of the towns off RT 1- or 128 north- but NOT lowell. It is a pit/ghetto/ unsafe area. I would head up to NH across the border if I were you- Nashua is very nice and had alot of jobs. wakefield is nice and has access to the train that brings you into Boston. My sister lives in Newburyport and she loves it- it's perfect for a single person and lots of great stuff to do. Rockport- ipswich- that whole area is nice too- if you go beyond saugus- it gets you into a seedy area. I would keep north-east of boston.