Thoughts on Lowell? (Boston, Worcester, Springfield: sales, apartment, lofts)

[Cary]

Hi -

I have lived in Lowell for many years. My wife and I since 1987.
I am BLIND with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind registration #58059. I have a service/site dog and can attest to the fact that Lowell is definitely a walkable city. The local public transportation (www.lrta.com)
and services are price effective. We i.e., my lovely wife and I own a home.
So, for what you pay here you get a lot for. Unfortuantely, because of medical reasons we have NO kids. My service/site dog is our son - Pinocchio who resemles the wife's side of the family. HA HA hee hee
She does not get mad she just re-arranges the furniture. ha ha hee hee
...smiles.. For you dog lovers out there you know what I mean.

Well, I just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in. Enventhough, my wife has recently discussed moving closer to Boston (works for Gillette) her family in R.I. We still haven't found anything else in this state that has facilities in an adequate price structure and transportation is an ABSOLUTE must for me.
Searching and asking questions is not only time comsuming but essential.
I enjoy hearing other people thoughts very much. You should hear my dogs!
...smiles...

Later,
Cary

[Parsec]

If you decide on Lowell, you can also go to apartmentratings dot com and they have user reviews on many apartment complexes, including Boott Mills.

[jaecamp]

I lived in Lowell for a while the Centerville area off of Bridge St. And I grew up with my Dad in lots of different place in the Lowell, Dracut, Chelmsford areas. But personally I loved Lowell. There was so much to do and the people were very interesting there. I too used to walk alot when I lived in that area and I was never scared or anything, so you shouldn't be worried about that. Compared to someplaces it may look kind of run down, but you get used to it.

[agillaspie]

I just found your post while looking for condos online. I currently live in the Massachusetts Mills with my fiancee. We have lived here for a year and love it. There is a lot to offer in the city and so far, we have always found new things to look foreward to (festivals, museums, etc.).
Having grown up in Derry (17 years of my life) I would have to discourage you from taking that route for your move. Unlike Lowell, I feel that the Derry area is really spiraling downward rather than improving. The schools are overcrowded and most of the kids are out of control and ignored by their parents and while I graduated from Pinkerton Academy and feel I got a decent education there, I felt like a number rather than I human being due to the ridiculous number of students.
There was a previous comment stating that you have to be able to deal with the high school kids downtown before and after school. This is true but they really don't cause much trouble and there is a decent police presence so nothing is uncontrollable.
As for the public transportation, I can say for sure that it is a vast improvement over the MBTA (having dealt with that living in the North Shore for a few years I can honestly say that I would be thirilled never to have to see a T bus again for the rest of my life). There are regular busses from downtown to the commuter rail station during the week. The only problem I ever have is with weekend service as there are no busses on Sunday and only limited service on Saturday.
The downtown area is only getting better from what I can tell. My parents (who both lived here in the 50's and 60's at various times) tell me that the city in the state that it's in now reminds them of Newburyport in the late 70's early 80's, which I'd say is a very good sign for the future of Lowell. There are several little stores and coffee shops downtown as well as a few quirky museums and galleries.
I hope this has been helpful to you. Good luck with your move.

[savant]

I recently moved to Lowell and can say it is an up and coming hot spot. They have alot to offer and are making great strides to become even better. The crime rate is no worse than any other city of it's size or diversity. Lots to do and so close to everything.

[dede1]

Hi,

I was born in Lowell. I have lived here 50 years. Like all large to meduim citys, there are good and bad parts. The down town are is very nice now, lots of new up scale condo's and appartments. Crime is the same as any city, but no where near as bad as Boston. The stolen car rate has gone way down, community policing has helped. I live in South Lowell, near Tewksbury, and nothing ever happens here. I never use my deadbolt, I walk my dog very last at night and have no problem, (he's a seven pound dog). My brother has been on the police force for 25 years he has seen a lot of changes. Lowell has a lot of people who live here who are involed in the city. There are still a lot of doctor's laywer's, teacher's (from the Lowell school system and the University, and Middlesex Community College) who live in the city. This makes a big difference in our city. It really is not a bad place to live. We have a lot of new schools, but you have to check out the school to be sure that the teachers are good. My sister-in-law had to do the same thing in Dracut. They have a wonderful program at the high school, for advance studence. And then there is the new artist moving in. So as you can see, there is a lot going on. The AAA baseball team, you can't get tickets to, they always sell out. I have herd that Merrimack Mills is having some problems with upkeep. Check the web.

Good Luck

[charmedone.1]

I have lived in Lowell (Highlands area- not far from Captain John's) since 91. We have never (knock wood) had a problem. I am looking in to moving out of state, but it has nothing to do with Lowell and everything to do with the economy. The only thing I would caution you against- is make sure you keep good records. Lowell is infamous for "losing" excise tax records and will bill you over and over if you don't keep records.

Other than that- Lowell is a good city to live in. A lot to do, and close enough to travel to Boston any time. There is good public transportation between Lowell and Boston as well as within the city. Spinner's (the baseball team) games are a blast, Devils (Hockey) are fun as are the Nor'easter (the semi pro football team). UML's hockey team plays in Hockey East- so that means they play the big boys of New England College Hockey. The museums change exhibits often enough to keep things fresh and there is a resurgance of artistic movement in the city.

Good luck on your move!

[murphykevinp]

thanks for the insight; i am stating work in Concord and thought that lowell may have a good vibe.

anyone know anything about other loft apartments beside Mass Mills

[jennyl23]

Originally Posted by murphykevinp

thanks for the insight; i am stating work in Concord and thought that lowell may have a good vibe.

anyone know anything about other loft apartments beside Mass Mills

I am also looking for an apartment in Lowell and went to Boott Mills today and the place seemed great, but I read some awful reviews online, any thoughts?

[b52]

I visited a friend in Lowell last summer. She lives there with her family and often gives me insight about the place. Lowell celebrates its diversity and has worked hard to make it a positive aspect of living there. I saw the downtown area and if that's the worst of it, then I can't say it's all that bad. I also like the convenience to Boston. I had no problem getting the red line to the Alewife and then driving to Lowell. There is a lovely park in the middle of town as well. Like another poster, I think it's a very walkable city as well. Whether you like it or not depends on what you personally are looking for and can live with. I would look at old news stories about the flooding though. I believe the areas you mentioned were affected by it. Butthose apartments are super nice.