is haverhill that bad? (Boston, Andover: real estate, for sale, work)

[r6girl]

my husband and i are looking for a home to purchase (we are coming from the san francisco area and our house is still for sale there). we've been house-hunting for the past few months in the andover and surrounding areas, and i found a house i fell in love with in haverhill. it's an older victorian (1920's) near winnekenni castle in a nice, quiet neighborhood.

i did a search here and most of the comments about haverhill aren't flattering. i know most towns have their bad parts (and haverhill's crime data isn't nearly as bad as the city in the SF bay area where we came from, and i felt relatively safe there), but is haverhill really that bad? my husband favors andover, and i really do like andover as well, but we haven't found a house like this in our price range there.

i realize i may be looking for validation instead of the truth but any thoughts would be welcome from those with experience living in or around haverhill...

[skytrekker]

rggirl

Haverhill, located just north of the Merrimack river, not far from the New Hampshire border is an old New England mill town. It is some 23 miles or so north of Boston via I 95. I live in an old mill town in Connecticut-Vernon, which some very nice areas, and some less desirable.

The towns past included industry from water power, which included gristmills and sawmills and later tanneries, but also shipbuilding.

Haverhill was the site of the original Macy's store, established to sell dry goods in 1851 by Rowland H. Macy. It was also where Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer got his start in show business by operating a chain of theatres. The city has much fine old architecture, particularly in the Victorian style, built during the flush mill era.

The city like many old industrial cities in New England of the same size declined/became 'faded' once their staple industries ebbed. They have had difficulty 'reinventing' themselves. However the charm of this old city along the Merrimack is undeniable. And the city is rebuilding.

Founded in 1640, the city has 59,000 people. The town may have a 'crime rate' higher then some of the more exclusive toney Boston suburbs- but crime is well below the national average. As you made the very astute observation lower then California cities of similar size.

Haverhill has more of a 'working class' persona- with diversity; But has sections of great charm, and honest hard working down to earth people, while Andover is more upper class (with home prices reflecting that!)

Also welcome to New England!

[r6girl]

hi, skytrekker. thanks for the info! our agent gave us a little bit of information on the history of haverhill as well, describing the shoe-making industry there. so far, i've liked what i've seen there - the downtown area is "cute" and looks to have some decent restaurants and small shops.

i suppose i should take a look at the "bad" parts of town to get a sense of those too. does anyone know where these areas are so i can take a (quick) drive (in daylight) through to get a feel for them?

[skytrekker]

r6girl

yes take a drive through the parts of town that have some 'issues'- in the daytime. Hopefully someone on the forum can help you.

Interestingly enough I know a couple from San Francisco looking to buy an older 2 family in Providence Rhode Island- and check out 'Puffle' on this forum, she is looking to get out of southern California.

[Valerie C]

Hello
I grew up in Haverhill, and still have family there, so I am in Haverhill somewhat frequently, and can help you with the good AND bad areas. Even the worst areas are really not that bad, especially during the day. Your agent should be taking the time to drive you through the best and worst areas of Haverhill to help you make this decision. Hopefully they know the best and worst areas of town...

The worst areas would be the lower avenues, particularly 4th thru 7th Ave. The Cedar Street area, North Street, Nichols Street. Lower High and Washington Streets, and the connecting streets in between.

The best areas of Haverhill are going to be found on the outskirts. The upper Hilldale area (from the 300's on up to the Plaistow Border), North Broadway, Broadway. The Kenoza/Mill Street Areas, Riverside, Bradford, Ward Hill...

Any more questions, please just ask, I'm happy to help.

[r6girl]

Valerie C:

thanks for the information! our agent has driven us around haverhill, but i hadn't asked for a specific tour of the "bad parts" as well. i'd rather do that myself anyway so i can check things out more thoroughly. thanks for for the description of the areas to look for - i think i'll be checking those out this weekend.

the house we're looking at is within walking distance (1.5 miles) from the haverhill commuter rail station (i'd just rather walk than drive to the station). we drove the route i'd walk, and it looked fine to me (and does not include the questionable areas you listed). do you think walking from the lake saltonstall area to the commuter rail station would be unwise?

[Valerie C]

hi r6girl,

It wouldn't be a "bad" walk to the rail station, especially if you're closer to the pond than Winnekenni Castle/Kenoza Lake but in the dark, I would stick to the main streets instead of "shortcuts". Please don't even tell me if it's the one on Maplewood Terrace... huge brown Victorian, or is it the one across the street (even bigger and more impressive). I used to play in that house when I was a kid (I grew up on Windsor Street, just a street away, up the hill) How I LOVE those old homes... there are secret passages in MANY of them.

By the way, nobody from Haverhill calls it Lake Saltonstall (except the real estate agents). It's "Plugs Pond" to the locals

[r6girl]

hi, valerie. thanks for the feedback! it's not that one on maplewood terrace, but it's in that neighborhood. i love big old houses! and the idea of secret passages makes them even more interesting!

i would probably just walk right down 110 to main street into town - it looks like there is enough traffic so i would never really be in a deserted area at any point.

i'm getting so excited about this house! i will definitely be driving around the area this weekend to check things out more fully...

thanks!

[CuriousfromBoston]

I'm wondering if anyone knows about the school systems in Haverhill. r6girl, it's so nice to hear your enthusiasm. Sounds like a wonderful place you've found! I have clients (also from California) who are looking in Massachusetts. Sounds like there may be a number of California people looking to move to Massachusetts. Usually it's the other way around!

[skytrekker]

I know a couple going to Providence from the San Francisco bay area, and have helped several from California coming to CT- reasons? Low housing prices compared to CA, near the ocean and world renowned Boston and NYC- and tons of culture and a high quality of life.