Question about Fitchburg (Leominster, Newburyport, Lunenburg: apartments, job, housing)

[Annabelle]

One of the schools on my daughter's college list is Fitchburg State as they offer a program she is very interested in. However, we visited and the campus looked a little "tired" and the City of Fitchburg, was the same. Is the city safe for college students or are there issues that I should be concerned with?
Thanks for any input!
A.

[brightdoglover]

FItchburg has some very tough neighborhoods, it's true. The college does have some programs that you can't get elsewhere- for instance, an MSN in forensic nursing. I don't know about any dorms there, but the city itself can be pretty rocky.
Maybe better to commute to the college from a safer town.

[pondhopper]

Rough town, forensic nursing? Coincidence?

Really I know nothing about Fitchburg except as stated, its rundown and has a long way to go to "come back" but that struck my funny bone!

[brightdoglover]

Ha! I sure didn't make that connection! I just knew of the program because a co-worker went through it.
I don't think Fitchburg is coming back. The factories are gone, the welfare/drug population is very high. Yes, there are some nicer areas where you can get more house than in towns with a better reputation, but for resale... "Fitchburg" is like saying "skull n' crossbones" around these parts.
There are plenty of much nicer areas nearby on Rt. w for commuting to the school, if the school is that desirable.

[MAtoNC!]

I knew someone that went to school there and drove back to Newburyport to go home every weekend. It's not such a great place.

[writerj]

Fitchburg has little to no job prospects what so ever. For instance, the MAJORITY of downtown is boarded up. Many businesses continue to go vacant with no visible push from officials to spur business growth.
The area is notorious for distribution of cocaine and heroin. A recent drug raid on Sep. 21st yielded $70,000 of cocaine.
An Oct. 17th bust in Lunenburg (8 min. from Fitchburg) yielded 40 grams of cocaine. A recent bust in nearby Leominster (10 min. away) yielded $175,000 of cocaine and heroin.

Here's another incident: A resident on Mt. Vernon st. got her package stolen from her (larceny) by a neighbor after FedEx realized it delivered to the incorrect house; Fed Ex attempted to retrieve the package but to no avail. Police were called.
The schools are on the state's underperforming list, and this is nothing new.
The area is home to one too many liquour stores and the majority of residents DO NOT WORK. Many are on SSI or unemployment.
The liquour stores generate revenue, but negative revenue. When there's so much competition for offering the same product/service, and they ALL do well, one must think about it.

The houses, if you find one in good shape provide nice opportunities for apartments. However, there are a number of houses that are non-compliant with federal lead paint laws. The lead paint law was enacted way back in '78.
Absentee landlords are dominant; many charming victorian houses just need some care, but landlords are about quick cash. There is currently no local housing safety advocacy groups, so if you have a dispute....prepare to take of it yourself.
There are no safe gathering places for teenagers and kids, no business catering to providing creative outlets for kids. I've seen and heard elementray school aged children playing unsupervised in the streets at 10PM on weeknights.
your choice to stay or go.

[LeavingMA]

Fitchburg State is not in one of the nicer areas of Fitchburg. General rule is the closer to downtown the worse Fitchburg gets. The crime in Fitchburg is like most cities, confined to certain areas and other areas get very little. So to say all of Fitchburg is horrible is not true.

Fitchburg's main problem is drugs. I have spoken to quite a few Fitchburg police about this and Fitchburg is the hub for drugs into many of the rural areas around Fitchburg and also into parts of New Hampshire. Fitchburg does not get the necessary police funding from the state to help fix the problem.

A lot of the problems facing Fitchburg are facing many other towns in MA but Fitchburg gets more press about it. Fitchburg's population is roughly 40,000 people.

Overall, Fitchburg State is a good state school with some really solid programs. If someone has common sense and is intelligent they won't into much trouble around Fitchburg State unless they go looking for it. I know many people who went there (in my family also) and none were robbed, stabbed, or had anything happen to them.

[Annabelle]

Thank you, everyone for your input. I was hoping the city wasn't as bad as the first impression but it looks like that is not the case.
A.

[brightdoglover]

A friend of mine is a postman in the worst part of Fitchburg. He's 6'5" and 240 lb. Go figure the assignments!

[YankeeTom]

Originally Posted by writerj

Fitchburg has little to no job prospects what so ever. For instance, the MAJORITY of downtown is boarded up. Many businesses continue to go vacant with no visible push from officials to spur business growth.
The area is notorious for distribution of cocaine and heroin. A recent drug raid on Sep. 21st yielded $70,000 of cocaine.
An Oct. 17th bust in Lunenburg (8 min. from Fitchburg) yielded 40 grams of cocaine. A recent bust in nearby Leominster (10 min. away) yielded $175,000 of cocaine and heroin.

Here's another incident: A resident on Mt. Vernon st. got her package stolen from her (larceny) by a neighbor after FedEx realized it delivered to the incorrect house; Fed Ex attempted to retrieve the package but to no avail. Police were called.
The schools are on the state's underperforming list, and this is nothing new.
The area is home to one too many liquour stores and the majority of residents DO NOT WORK. Many are on SSI or unemployment.
The liquour stores generate revenue, but negative revenue. When there's so much competition for offering the same product/service, and they ALL do well, one must think about it.

The houses, if you find one in good shape provide nice opportunities for apartments. However, there are a number of houses that are non-compliant with federal lead paint laws. The lead paint law was enacted way back in '78.
Absentee landlords are dominant; many charming victorian houses just need some care, but landlords are about quick cash. There is currently no local housing safety advocacy groups, so if you have a dispute....prepare to take of it yourself.
There are no safe gathering places for teenagers and kids, no business catering to providing creative outlets for kids. I've seen and heard elementray school aged children playing unsupervised in the streets at 10PM on weeknights.
your choice to stay or go.

"$70,000 of cocaine" ? " $175,000 of cocaine and heroin."?

Somebody in this area has some bucks huh

Perhaps it's the Drug Dealers who want to keep the Middle Class and Investers out of the area ?