Professional couple (no kids yet) moving to Worcester area from ATL for work - seeking walkable neighborhood (Boston: 2014, houses)

[vabuda1]

And that page is NOT from the WPD!! It is a crime reporting page that shows stuff from all over the world practically so they only put up there what they happened to find, not backed by WPD sorry...look person who asked just go to WPD FB page and see for yourself..

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by vabuda1

And that page is NOT from the WPD!! It is a crime reporting page that shows stuff from all over the world practically so they only put up there what they happened to find, not backed by WPD sorry...look person who asked just go to WPD FB page and see for yourself..

The link is an aggregator. Do you know what that means? It means it collects reports directly from police departments in many, many different cities. The reports listed there are all pulled directly from the Worcester Police Department.

[vabuda1]

Even if they are, that doesn't mean those are the ONLY things that are happening..obv because it doesn't even list any of the stuff I already posted directly from the WPD page....

[brienzi]

There are some great suburbs close to Worcester, like Northborough, West Boylston..etc. Very green with farms yet modern too..Good luck!

[KellyCrash]

I lived on the west side of Worcester many years ago (late 1990s/early 2000s). I loved it there. I walked my dog a lot around and never felt unsafe although I might now. *shrug* In the age of computers/internet and social media it seems we're more informed of bad things than ever before. I don't think things have necessarily gotten worse in Worcester. I just think our awareness has increased.

I lived on Institute Rd. (across the street from WPI/West side of Park Ave). I loved walking up and down the streets and gazing at those beautiful old houses and how well they are maintained. I still love driving through that area down June Street and over to Tatnuck area & of course Salisbury Street.

A few restaurants down Highland Ave and on Park Ave. too.

Thinking about towns outside of Worcester that might meet your critera that haven't been mentioned - Shrewsbury.

Good luck with your move!!

[lrmsd]

I have family in W. Boylston, and also in Oxford near worcester[cute town, becoming bedroom community-ish, still pretty local flavor though...so probably too small for you]...

I think W. Boylston would be a good option to live nearby...but might be a shock relative to Atlanta [depends on what type of ATL hood you were in]. I also second the Shrewsbury suggestion; it's pricier but nice.

Worcester tries; it really does! We enjoyed a fun first night with the family a few years back...It's just been hard for Worcester to reinvent itself...crime and demographic changes have persisted in making changes hard to stick. There are great colleges, an art scene and some good restaurants.

I have had family living right in Worcester, and I personally do not think the crime mention is exaggerated in this thread. I have lots of repeated stories and anecdotes!!! Yes, there are some nice areas, and some people have zero problems and love living there, etc etc. For the OP's sake, I'll say not to brush it off and research carefully before choosing your street. I actually almost attended Clark University, and a close family member did not even want me to live in the area where the college is located. [And I'd moved around the US by myself, and lived in Africa just prior, as perspective] I did read a few years back that the university offered incentive of free tuition for children whose families bought in the area, in attempts to gentrify. Not sure how that panned out??? Maybe someone else can chime in. My interest in the college area was in the late 1990's, so I only know Worcester in recent years from visiting family short term.

What I wanted to add to the thread, however, is to keep Providence airport in mind, as well. It's an easy drive [unless there's currently some road work or other factor that I am not aware of-I'm not living in state at the moment] from Worcester, relatively speaking. And while Providence airport has grown, it's still low key. I've gotten great fare deals to PVD over the years, too, often cheaper than Boston, traveling from the west coast, midwest and mid atlantic states. Though, if flying from Boston, there are options such as cheap airport bus from Framingham into Logan, avoiding the hassle and expense of driving into Boston.

Good luck w/your move!

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

Really? Really! Really....

https://www.crimereports.com/agency/worcesterma

I was with you until you said walk to Grafton Hill. Yes, that's your second sentence. Grafton Hill is one of the safest parts of the city. I run through there in all conditions, on foot. I've never, ever had a second glance. Even from North High kids walking home from school.
If you would have said Oak Hill area, then maybe I would have taken anything else you said with an inkling of truth. But, running though Oak Hill, the guys selling pot on the corner don't care either.

In the last 6 months there have been zero homicides in Worcester...

With that said,
OP, I wouldn't pick Worcester, too car dependent. Sure, you could live off Shrewsbury street around doctors and med students. You could walk to a lot of resturants. There is a little clothing shopping there. But that's it - basically nightlife only. Entertainment would be downtown (DCU center or Hannover) or outside town (no good movie theaters in Worcester). Have to drive to do any grocery shopping.
You COULD live downtown. But it's sketchy. But, MCPHS has put a lot of grad student housing in recently. Until they facilitate a change, downtown mostly shuts down at 5:30.

Westborough might be best.
Millford isn't too bad either, but I haven't spent any time outside a car there

Do you mean Milford? Or Millbury? Hopkinton's a little closer than Milford and is a potential option, plus the state park is right there. I'd choose it over Milford. I'm not familiar with Milbury.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by vabuda1

And that page is NOT from the WPD!! It is a crime reporting page that shows stuff from all over the world practically so they only put up there what they happened to find, not backed by WPD sorry...look person who asked just go to WPD FB page and see for yourself..

Administrative Division | City of Worcester, MA

It's populated BY the WPD

[johngolf]

To the OP

My suggestion would be to rent for a year to find out if the new job and commuting will work. Especially if no kids to be put in school. I suggest keep close to the Mass Pike/I495/Rte 9 for commuting to Boston or Hartford airport or even to Providence airport. Hudson around I495 to Milford. Natick to Worcester along Mass Pike/Rte 9. Plenty of options there with Hopkinton being one of my favorites.

Hope this helps

[primegolden]

My niece and her husband live in Massachusetts. He grew up in Worcester. His parents still live there. He does not like it there, and did not recommend it. He steered me away from it. Nevertheless, I was interested in the possibility of the colleges there and whether or not my nephew-in-law (?) was prejudiced, and maybe Worcester had changed. So I explored Worcester. Hoped to like it. Note I am a single mom with a college age son, and we liked one of the programs at Becker. That is until we visited the area. Up by Shrewsbury St everybody says is better. I heard around Assumption College was really nice. I did not get up there to check it out, but I could see from researching that area online that it did not look particularly walkable, i.e., proximity to amenities. Plus my son doesn't drive. So walkability and transit is important to us. Both he and I want to live in a crime-free area, able to walk and use transit without fear.

When I left Worcester after our recent exploration visit, before hitting the highway I needed to fill my car's fuel tank and stopped at a gas station. I was panhandled twice, once before I pumped gas, once after. I felt very unsafe. I cannot say exactly where the gas station was, unfortunately but it was close to Becker College.

Now, I've read that some young techies professionals and young families, who cannot afford Boston, are moving to Worcester. I've read that property values are expected to increase substantially over the next year, according to Zillow. So, maybe there is hope that things can turn around?

Regardless, for my own personal reasons, I decided against Worcester based on crime statistics, lack of walkability to nearby amenities and not much in the way of public transit. And I just did not feel safe there at all.