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Not jumping on the Billerica bashing train. I did note when I tried to see the area around Nuttings Lake on Google, it is the only part of Billerica that is not google mapped. Food for thought.
Not jumping on the Billerica bashing train. I did note when I tried to see the area around Nuttings Lake on Google, it is the only part of Billerica that is not google mapped. Food for thought.
Some of those streets around Nuttings Lake are so narrow that I imagine the Google street view car might have mistaken them for driveways.
I don't know the area well enough to know streets. I ended up over there when Waze was trying to navigate me to Bedford from Middlesex tpke. I was with my kids and got a little lost because the streets weren't marked. I was a bit nervous.
And I'm not easy to spook... I've lived all over the U.S. in all sorts of areas, I've walked alone in creepy places at night, been to scary foreign places... Whatever pocket of Billerica I discovered ranks in the top 5 strangest places I've ever been.
I know which neighborhood Waze was directing you to use. It is not one the two I specifically mentioned earlier. There is an obscure bridge over Route 3 that takes people from Nuttings Lake over to where Middlesex Community College is located in Bedford. You would only need to take one left turn after leaving the turnpike to get to that bridge BUT you need to know which side street to use.
Can anyone enlighten me on why this town associates with a bad stigma? I am not from here but have lived here now for 5 years. I came from a more expensive neighboring town. However, I migrated into this town because the cost of real estate was a little more affordable for my needs. Im not aware of all the different parts of town and the deeper roots that made this town what it is. However, My experience has been nothing but positive in this town. I live in what would be considered the "wealthier" part of town. However, the whole town seems to be well-kept and clean. I would say a lot of parts are out-dated and old looking, mostly commercial buildings, But it seems they are slowly rebuilding. Its a decent location as far as highway routes, 25 minutes from Boston, 15 minutes from Nashua, And close to neighboring larger shopping districts like Burlington. Boston Road pretty much has everything you could possibly ask for (shopping, markets, restaurants, gyms, bars) It seems that there is lots of potential here , but the city seems hard for change. I don't know much about the schools because I don't have kids, but it seems sports are very big in this town. The few people I know from this town seem very content living here, And Ive met a good number of people who grew up here, were educated through the schools in this town and now work their careers making 130K+….Ive heard people say this was a Biker town in the 70's and 80's which left a "tough/Hard" reputation in the town, I don't see any of that in 2014. Its funny when people make sly remarks about the town who don't live here or for that matter have never even been here!! So is this "bad rap" simply a shadow of the past or am I missing something here?
You're in an upper class white bubble that's why. You don't take a walk down the rougher streets I can tell, one of those types who can only see the good in it because you never venture where all the drugs and crackheads are. Its pretty bad though in a lot of it.
I would love for someone to take a look at the Nuttings Lake area and report back. I drive through there on my way to my favorite store - O'Connor hardware from Burlington. Nuttings Lake reminds me of the neighborhoods in the Wareham/Buzzards Bay area, near where I spend my summers. Both are clearly lower income neighborhoods, but I wouldn't feel unsafe walking around them.
Billerica as a whole is not a bad town for the money.....For me, it is too far from the highway. Most people that work in Boston prefer to be right on 128 or 93. Basically, the only people who are going to Billerica either live there or are passing through. It is not a destination city.
I'm curious about the Nuttings Lake neighborhoods that everyone is talking about.
I've worked in Billerica for the last 8 years, and usually drive down Middlesex TPK to that Mobile station or to Mickee's when it was open. I don't recall seeing any shady areas down there. If anything, there is a bit of industrial parks there.
The only negative stigma with Billerica is when I socialize after work with coworkers and a lot of the bars/restarants tend to have a "townie" sort of crowd. Other than that, i haven't seen much of this "bad" area many are alluding to. Now i'm curious.
I live down in Revere, so maybe my perspective of "shady" is different.
I am sorry but calling Billerica third world, scary, dangerous? Silliest thing I have heard in ages. As someone who spent some very rough times in that part of the state, I can assure you ALL of those towns have a seedy underbelly. Not just Billerica but Burlington, Bedford, Chelmsford, Wilmington. I have even met my fair share of drug addict losers from Andover, Lexington and other towns people on here rave about as elite.
If you think Billerica is worse then South America then you must not have been to the ghettos there. While I never have either I have been to them in The Dominican Republic. Billerica is a paradise.
I will agree that the bars can be townie. I am not a townie, did not grow up in or ever live there but I know enough of them.
I just don't get the Billerica fear/hatred on this board. It is no different then it's surrounding towns.
Last edited by magicshark; 10-27-2014 at 08:43 AM..
there are really sketchy sections in the hilly parts around the lake. And yes definitely sketchier than parts of impoverished South America.
LOL, this was good for a laugh
Are you saying this because some of the roads are unpaved and some houses don't even have driveways? I agree some streets are a little spooky (maybe because there's not much sunlight even during the day), but I don't feel unsafe when I drive to my buddy's house there.
I put Nuttings Lake into Google images and all I saw were men fishing. That just scared the life out of me boo hoo hoo. I had to hide my head underneath a pillow I was trembling with so much fear.
One of these days I'll go take photos of where Waze took me. Not just unpaved roads but some of the cottages look like they are falling down. It was creepy and so unexpected considering everything you can see from Middlesex Turnpike is totally normal
Most of Billerica is fine, great even. I'm not a snob, I assure you. I grew up very untraditionally and my dad and most of his friends built their houses after reading hippie house building manuals in the 60s so I don't expect all neighborhoods too look like Pleasantville.
I'm pretty sure I fell down a rabbit hole that day.
I'm not crazy i SWEEEEAAARRRR!!!!
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