What is Lawrence, MA like? (Boston, Lowell: real estate, foreclosures, rental)

[lookinforahome]

Are there a lot of stores? Is traffic bad? Is the crime as bad as people say? Overall, what is it like in Lawrence?

[puffle]

From what I have read it seems to be a place to stay away from.

[Valerie C]

Lawrence is...
a city in the Merrimack Valley, a former industrial center, with brick mill buildings all along the Merrimack River, and along the canals leading to the river. There is quite a variety of areas and neighborhoods, and some diversity of population. Some of the neighborhoods, I will admit, make me a bit nervous, especially where the absentee landlords/multi-family "investment properties" are the majority. Lawrence is the only city that I've actually refused to show a property after dark, based on police reports for that particular neighborhood, and the vibe that I got when I was there in daylight hours. You really need to keep an eye on your surroundings, and watch yourself. However, there are also many family-friendly neighborhoods where you could look around and wonder "Why do they call this city a ghetto?"

Many of the former mill buildings are in the midst of a transformation to hopefully breath some new life into the city. Home to Malden Mills (producers of Polartec--google Aaron Feuerstein for an amazing but true story), a New Balance factory outlet, Monarch on the Merrimack (luxury geothermally heated condos, Salvatore's Restaurant, All Things Sicilian (cooking classes!)

Check out the stats that City-Data makes available here: http://www.city-data.com/housing/hou...achusetts.html
Lawrence is a gritty, blue-collar (no collar?) city. It's not for everybody, but I've worked with people who love it for what it is... If you're anywhere near the area, take a driving tour to judge for yourself.

[goyguy]

South Lawrence (on the Andover side) never took the tumble much of the rest of the city did. And now, at least along the river in the downtown area, there are indeed signs of real and lasting revival. The loudest note of caution I'll sound is the same as that for other rebounding areas such as Lynn, Brockton, and Boston's Dorchester section: If you have kids, the public schools leave a LOT to be desired.

[meltinjohn]

Lawrence is a palace.

[LMMEGNA]

Lawrence is continully in the news and NOT because of it's good will. I agree that the better place to head would be closer to the Andover side. The school system needs work, alot of work (have a fiend who teaches there). Good luck whichever you choose, but please make an informed descision for the sake of your family! There are reasons why it it so cheap to live there.

[MassYankee]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend Lawrence. It's a pretty big town, so some neighborhoods are better than others, but overall, not a top choice. The last time I went there, I went to fillup my car, and noticed the gas station was different than most - you couldn't walk inside, and gave your money to the attendant protected behind thick bulletproof glass through a steel drawer.

Andover, just to the south as someone mentioned, is a completely different kind of town - close geographically, but another world.

Lawrence is cheap, but I'd rather have a modest place in a better town, than a big house in Lawrence.

[BGF]

Anybody own rental real estate in Lawrence?

[Beachcomber4]

The police chief of Lawrence gets more airtime on Boston television than any other Massachusetts official - including the governor.

[brightdoglover]

Lawrence is very heavily Hispanic, a large welfare population along with working poor.
I'd live there if I didn't have kids and could get something I liked as close to the Andover line as possible. I agree that the public schools there are unlikely to suit anyone who has a choice.
Lawrence is also a flashpoint right now of foreclosures, I suspect because of questionable loans to non-English speakers or to groups of family/people who wanted to buy multi-family housing. In the 1980s, when the same financial type storm hit, there was a great deal of arson there.
If someone wanted to live in a former mill city, maybe in a converted-to-lofts building, certainly Lowell is a much better choice. Or even Nashua.
I can't see any reason to move to Lawrence on purpose.