Is Lowell safe for a 23 year old female? (Merrimac, Florida: condos, house)

[pjm6321]

i've lived in lowell for 28 years, in almost every neighborhood in the city. it is a great place for a 23 year old girl. other than boston, it has the most options for nightlife in eastern mass.. downtown is definitely on the rise, and yougn people are moving in every day. but, i guess it depends what you like.. its a blue collar city filled w diverse neighborhoods and people of every race/ethnicity you could imagine.. i like that.. maybe you dont, i dont know.. but i would defineitley recommend moving here, especially at your age and working in chelmsford, which has absolutely nothing going on and no personality..

[Jeanette923]

Originally Posted by MAnewbie

In researching towns to move to, I've been considering Lowell as well as some towns closer to Boston. I love all the cool lofts in Lowell, but everything I've read says its really....ghetto. I'm wondering if its not a good idea for somebody like me to be there. I would be working in Chelmsford. I don't want to be somewhere that I'm uncomfortable in. I'm planning to drive around town this weekend and see for myself, but I don't want to schedule visits to lofts, get there, and want to run away!

Lowell is the worse city to live in. It is loaded with gangs, drugs. There are a few sections that are nice neighborhoods, but they are few and far apart. You have to look at the good sections, which would be upper Highlands, upper Belvidere.Pawtucketville and i think that is about it. At 23 you would like to live in one of these areas. The rest is gang infested and drugs. I hope i gave you a little help. Good Luck!
Jeanette

[Jeanette923]

Originally Posted by pjm6321

i've lived in lowell for 28 years, in almost every neighborhood in the city. it is a great place for a 23 year old girl. other than boston, it has the most options for nightlife in eastern mass.. downtown is definitely on the rise, and yougn people are moving in every day. but, i guess it depends what you like.. its a blue collar city filled w diverse neighborhoods and people of every race/ethnicity you could imagine.. i like that.. maybe you dont, i dont know.. but i would defineitley recommend moving here, especially at your age and working in chelmsford, which has absolutely nothing going on and no personality..

There are some nice neighborhoods and bars that you could at 23 get attacked. I live in Lowell and before i lived in lowell i went to the bars here. It depends on which bar you go to. Alot of them are filled with dirty young and old men.

[MsAries]

Hi, I have been reading on your thinking of moving to Lowell. I am 25, I was born and raised in Lowell in a part that wasn't bad for a while. Then it got worse, it spread to other neighborhoods. People drive pretty bad there too. haha. I just recently moved to Ayer, Ma with my boyfriend because Lowell was really starting to get to us. Even if it looks nice, I promise you there is a LOT of scum there. If you like the city life then you can always move near Lowell but I suggest Dracut or somewhere less hectic. I mean it got to the point where Me or my friends didn't want to go out anymore because everytime we did there would be a fight or druggies always trying to get money for drugs ugh.. I'm so glad i'm outta there!! I'm one of the few who actually made it out! I don't mean to sound negative but, 25 years of living there, I know no matter how much I miss my friends and family I will NEVER move back!!

[MsAries]

i think the person above who mentioned chelmsford not having anything going on and no personality is true, but isn't it much safer?? you can't deny that, that is what she is asking. Also Chelmsford isn't far from Lowell, so you could go on the weekends.. Or try Westford/Littleton/Ayer Area all close to Chelmsford and easy access to Lowell. MUCH SAFER!!!!!!

[RESouthShore]

It seems that you posted this a long time ago but I wanted to add my opinion. I went to University of Lowell in the early 1990's and at that point Lowell was considered less safe than it is now. I felt safe walking through the city, particularly on the streets around the campus. I liked the area and lived in an apartment off campus for two years also. I know that they have done a lot of fixing up in the downtown area and also in many of the neighborhoods that were considered the most unsafe. When I lived there, the "acre" was a part of town that we didn't go to. There are many beautiful neighborhoods with old victorian homes and a friend of mine just bought a home there for good money. I do think you have to be careful and just know the areas that aren't the best ones for a single woman to go alone - as you would anywhere. I often went up to Nashua to shop and to Chelmsford and other towns near by for hikes, etc. I really liked the area.

Hope this helps!

[nocturnal rooster]

I heard that Lowell has improved a little bit, but apparently Lawrence still sucks the big one.

I also know alot of people here from Chelmsford....not a good sign.

[KathyMA]

I grew up in Belvidere during the 70s and 80s, when Lowell was definitely not nice. My parents still live there-I live in Cambridge now-and visit at least weekly. Some of their retired friends have moved to lofts on the Merrimack, and love being able to walk to shops, restaurants, and cafes. There are obvious improvements to the downtown area. Sure, there are crappy neighborhoods, just like any other big city. My sister lives in toney Andover, and her neighborhood has been hit by car and house break-ins. My car was broken into at the Burlington Mall. So crime can happen anywhere.

[FloripaUSA]

Originally Posted by MAnewbie

In researching towns to move to, I've been considering Lowell as well as some towns closer to Boston. I love all the cool lofts in Lowell, but everything I've read says its really....ghetto. I'm wondering if its not a good idea for somebody like me to be there. I would be working in Chelmsford. I don't want to be somewhere that I'm uncomfortable in. I'm planning to drive around town this weekend and see for myself, but I don't want to schedule visits to lofts, get there, and want to run away!

If I was you, I would avoid Lowell and Lawrence! If you are going to work in Chelmsford try Nashua NH, Westford and Burlington! My friend got a apartment few years ago in Lowell moved there and don't like at all!

Good Luck!

[Jefferino]

I'm living in Lowell now, and have been here about a year. Prior to that I've lived in Cambridge, Watertown, and Waltham; I've also lived in Phila, Camden, Long Island (Queens and Suffolk), and a few other places. My brother lives in New Bedford. As some of the posts on this thread have stated, there's a lot to like about Lowell. We live downtown where there's an abundance of places to go - restaurants, sports, theater, art galleries - without having to get in the car. Sure it's not fancy, maybe a bit gritty, but there's a train station, easy access to 128, New Hampshire, etc. I've cut my mortgage in half compared to the three Mass. places I've lived in before - and I mean in half! We really enjoy living here, we think it's a lot of fun and a great value, and we just don't see all the alleged gangland violence that's repeatedly mentioned here. Sure there are some run down parts of town, but there's also a major university, a community college, a growing arts scene, and a lack of snobbery, malls, and consumer-driven society. So come up and visit. Heck, you can by a one bedroom condo for under one and a quarter, and then just rent it out if you find it so horrible,