How bad is Fall River? (Worcester, Springfield: crime rates, credit, ranking)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by massnative71

What kind of area in Iowa does she live? I'm asking because while I've never been there, it can't all be Mayberry out there...and South Carolina definitely won't be depending on where she goes there.

Yes Fall River definitely has a rough edge to it, but I don't think she would have any safety issues if she works there and lives in one of the surrounding towns (or one of the better neighborhoods of FR).

Iowa is pretty whitebread, not surprisingly. The "bad" parts of Ames and Iowa City are akin the the "bad" parts of Northampton.

Some of the 'scuzzier" parts of Iowa are probably in the Quad Cities (Davenport IA/Moline IL, etc) and that's more poverty than anything really bad.


Fall River is going to be culture shock, unless she was from the Quad Cities, and even then it will be some.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Iowa is pretty whitebread, not surprisingly. The "bad" parts of Ames and Iowa City are akin the the "bad" parts of Northampton.

Some of the 'scuzzier" parts of Iowa are probably in the Quad Cities (Davenport IA/Moline IL, etc) and that's more poverty than anything really bad.

OK. I was just wondering because I know some of those surrounding states like Missouri (and even Nebraska) are dealing with huge meth issues, as well as the small town/welfare trash "no interest in being a decent member of society" (not all that different than what you would find in Fall River). But perhaps (and hopefully) Iowa is more insulated from that...

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by massnative71

OK. I was just wondering because I know some of those surrounding states like Missouri (and even Nebraska) are dealing with huge meth issues, as well as the small town/welfare trash "no interest in being a decent member of society" (not all that different than what you would find in Fall River). But perhaps Iowa is more insulated from that...

Nah, meth is a thing there too, and opioids. But while I'm sure there are gangs (heck, there are some in Madison WI too), its just not as a prominent a thing... it's more a run down rentals, poverty, etc thing. Not pretty. Often in these places its tough to tell if its a house of poverty on section 8 with meth, or student housing, they both have garbage about and a broken couch on the porch, if you know what I mean by that picture.

[YellowVW]

Born and raised there. Never mugged. Avoided drugs and so did all of my friends. It's all what you make of it. People make it seem like it's downright scary - it's not.

Stick to homes in 02720, especially the areas considered to be the "upper" Highlands. Hard to come by a decent rental though - very high demand. I posted a nice apartment and was inundated with emails.

Rental opportunities are sort of scarce in nearby Somerset and Swansea but worth a look. Nice, quiet yet conveniently located towns however mostly comprised of single family homes. I wouldn't bother with anywhere along 24N- very rural...

People always mention New Bedford as a big NO (I agree) but fail to also include Taunton. Taunton is a mess.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by YellowVW

People always mention New Bedford as a big NO (I agree) but fail to also include Taunton. Taunton is a mess.

So Easton is the new Taunton, too?

Irfox has written a number of times about the better areas in New Bedford. It's not all a "don't go zone". The West End between the hospital and Buttonwood Park is urban middle class single family homes. The extreme North End is suburban middle class single family homes. The extreme South End near Fort Rodman is suburban middle class single family homes. You need to take normal urban precautions with your car and your home but you're not going to see violent crime.

I was on Highland Ave in Fall River about a month ago. That's similar.

Me? I'd do my best to find a rental in the suburbs. At the moment, you could probably find a seasonal rental on the coast to buy some time while looking for something year-round. My mom was a college prof at what is now UMass-Dartmouth and later at Bristol Community College in Fall River. For a bunch of years, she had a seasonal rental in Westport Point with a nice harbor view.

[Bio-Tech]

New FBI crimes data from Sept 2017 shows North Adams and Fall River as the #1 and #2 towns in Massachusetts with the highest violent crime rate. Normally I don't give much credit to these FBI reports, but this data does appear to confirm some of the comments here on this forum.

"According to the data, North Adams had the highest per capita rate of violent crime in Massachusetts, a statistic that is skewed to some degree by the town’s small population. Fall River, Brockton, Holyoke, Springfield, Chelsea, Worcester, New Bedford, Pittsfield and Fitchburg also had violent crime rates ranking them among the 10 highest statewide."

New FBI data shows crime trends in Massachusetts cities and towns - News - MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA - Framingham, MA

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Bio-Tech

New FBI crimes data from Sept 2017 shows North Adams and Fall River as the #1 and #2 towns in Massachusetts with the highest violent crime rate. Normally I don't give much credit to these FBI reports, but this data does appear to confirm some of the comments here on this forum.

"According to the data, North Adams had the highest per capita rate of violent crime in Massachusetts, a statistic that is skewed to some degree by the town’s small population. Fall River, Brockton, Holyoke, Springfield, Chelsea, Worcester, New Bedford, Pittsfield and Fitchburg also had violent crime rates ranking them among the 10 highest statewide."

New FBI data shows crime trends in Massachusetts cities and towns - News - MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA - Framingham, MA

If you're not in a gang, buying drugs, doing prostitutes, or hanging out in dive bars, you're unlikely to be impacted by violent crime. Property crime? Sure.

[DetroitThreeonethree]

Originally Posted by Dm84

1) By Massachusetts standards Fall River isn't doing well. It's very poor and somewhat dangerous. By Iowa standards it probably looks even worse.

As long as she works a standard 9-5 job there probably isn't much to worry about if she lives outside Fall River.

2) Almost any place next to or near Fall River that isn't Fall River itself is much better (except New Bedford which is just as bad or worse).

Yea New Bedford does have its problems too.

[shiver916]

As others have said Fall River has some decent parts and considering this is a short term 1 year and done thing renting in a decent section of town would seem to make the most sense. Rents will be reasonable, lock your doors and don't leave anything out that you wouldn't want to lose and things would be fine. Just figure out where the bad areas of town are and know to stay away from them unless needed.

The neighboring towns are going to be harder to find rentals, unless you go to one of the smaller cities close by, ie New Bedford, Taunton, but unlikely rents would be much different, and conditions often not much better to justify any additional cost and commute.

If this was more than a one year stay or buying a home/condo were on the table then any of the neighboring towns would be an easy commute and likely better resale on property.

[brightdoglover]

Do remember that women are talking about rape and assault when asking about safety, not so much cars being broken into or bikes being stolen. At least, that's what I think when women ask about safety.