A 2nd Lowell thread (Boston, Worcester: transplants, high crime, houses)

[meltinjohn]

Hey, I think Lowell is a nice city on the whole, but can anyone tell me why it cant ever get a growing population?

Is it the older conservative irish holding back anything like gay marriage type stuff or alternative community type people wanting to move there like they move to a place like Portland or Brattelboro or something?
Id just like to know. NTM I found a gay hate crime video that took place in Lowell.

Its a nice little city, but what prevents it from progressing to the level that it could? I know its not the asian population, its something else.
I mean Kerouac comes from there. Also, why in the blue hell is there no Newbury Comics there?
Unemployment rates seem to be one of the worst as far as cities in MA go.

Lowell = Nice city overall, but once you leave Lowell, it seems like suburban sharecroppers and nothing but.
Id rather live in the immediate Boston viscinity myself.

[lrfox]

I think the case with Lowell (as with many of these "gateway" cities) is the loss of the primary industry. Lowell was built and developed as a manufacturing/ textile factory town. When those industries left, the bulk of the population did. That being the case, the population has continued to drop as we're moving away from the city's peak period of industry.

Since there is no major industry there anymore, the situation is exactly what you are in. For an URBAN environment, most people would rather live in the Boston area which is the hub of cultural and economic activity for the region. If they live out near Lowell, they probably prefer more suburban lifestyle (which is why they don't live in the immediate Boston area, likely). This will be the case unless Lowell can reinvent itself.

More likely than not, Lowell will remain a Satellite City. A city that has a nice downtown area, some urban amenities but won't expand much as it is caught in Boston's orbit. I like Lowell too. The downtown area is quite nice. Given the good commuter rail access, it will always have a niche population in the city center who enjoy the urban atmosphere without the costs of Boston (but with the perk of being close enough to Boston). These people will keep the city center charming like it is.

[Lowerdeck]

Why does Lowell not have a Newbury Comics? I can presume it's proximity to Nashua and perhaps to some extent Burlington.

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I think the case with Lowell (as with many of these "gateway" cities) is the loss of the primary industry. Lowell was built and developed as a manufacturing/ textile factory town. When those industries left, the bulk of the population did. That being the case, the population has continued to drop as we're moving away from the city's peak period of industry.

Since there is no major industry there anymore, the situation is exactly what you are in. For an URBAN environment, most people would rather live in the Boston area which is the hub of cultural and economic activity for the region. If they live out near Lowell, they probably prefer more suburban lifestyle (which is why they don't live in the immediate Boston area, likely). This will be the case unless Lowell can reinvent itself.

More likely than not, Lowell will remain a Satellite City. A city that has a nice downtown area, some urban amenities but won't expand much as it is caught in Boston's orbit. I like Lowell too. The downtown area is quite nice. Given the good commuter rail access, it will always have a niche population in the city center who enjoy the urban atmosphere without the costs of Boston (but with the perk of being close enough to Boston). These people will keep the city center charming like it is.

Portland lost the logging industry, although as time went on, their economy got worse but many residents still wanted to move there unlike Lowell. So thats why I ask why new out of area residents dont consider it, even if it means theyll be waiting in long lines to get jobs like in cities like Portland. People dont mind moving there with a lot saved up even though they know it will be real rough to find a job.

Also going back in time, it looked like Lowell was growing at the same rate some other major cities in the US were growing at like Portland OR or say Tampa. Lowell also had Chelmsford at a time too as a part of Lowell. They are trying to fix it up but it seems like they been trying for years. Lowell is nice, but its true, as long as people move closer to Boston, the more Lowell will feel the effects of it. Youd think it has promise though totally. Its true as well. It seems Lowell is like an urban place but kinda fitting for those who dont want to travel into Boston or be near Boston.

[lrfox]

^Good points.

I wonder if Portland's success had anything to do with the fact that Portland was the largest city for a long distance (until Seattle, really) while Lowell is located so close to other similarly sized and larger cities?

As soon as I wrap up my Masters in City Planning, I plan on working with cities like Lowell (Lowell and New Bedford are probably two of my favorite and two of the most underrated cities in New England). I think there's too much potential in these towns to just let them slip. I think Lowell has excellent potential as an urban satellite of Boston. The downtown area has been nice for a while, but too many of the residential areas need work.

[robma44541]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

Hey, I think Lowell is a nice city on the whole, but can anyone tell me why it cant ever get a growing population?

Is it the older conservative irish holding back anything like gay marriage type stuff or alternative community type people wanting to move there like they move to a place like Portland or Brattelboro or something?
Id just like to know. NTM I found a gay hate crime video that took place in Lowell.

Its a nice little city, but what prevents it from progressing to the level that it could? I know its not the asian population, its something else.
I mean Kerouac comes from there. Also, why in the blue hell is there no Newbury Comics there?
Unemployment rates seem to be one of the worst as far as cities in MA go.

Lowell = Nice city overall, but once you leave Lowell, it seems like suburban sharecroppers and nothing but.
Id rather live in the immediate Boston viscinity myself.

We lived in Billerica (I know-yeuk!) in the 80's which is next to Lowell, it was run down and grimey in those days and became a destination for new Asian immigrants which caused white flight to the suburbs. It has a high crime rate, high unemployment and asian gang problems.
There was promise of a boom with the Wang Tower (I think that's what it was called) medical research, Raytheon and GE, but they all left in the late 80's and early 90's and that was the end of growth.
Plus the infrastructure was really bad, apart from I495 and the 2 main bridges to get in and out it was a nightmare at rush hour times.

[meltinjohn]

IMO Chelmsford is the nicest town around Lowell.
Billerica seemed to thrive with the city transplants moving there back in the early 80s but then it went back down again and have more blight like the abandoned mall and now Iverson Ford. Its not looking pretty up there although some houses are nice, its getting more boring by the years from my set of eyes. Even back then tho, people considered Billerica boring so..

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by lrfox

^Good points.

I wonder if Portland's success had anything to do with the fact that Portland was the largest city for a long distance (until Seattle, really) while Lowell is located so close to other similarly sized and larger cities?

As soon as I wrap up my Masters in City Planning, I plan on working with cities like Lowell (Lowell and New Bedford are probably two of my favorite and two of the most underrated cities in New England). I think there's too much potential in these towns to just let them slip. I think Lowell has excellent potential as an urban satellite of Boston. The downtown area has been nice for a while, but too many of the residential areas need work.

You know, I didnt even think of this, but this could very well be true about Portland being the only other city nearby.
Lowell seems like a smaller Providence RI on the whole tho from how it seems but only without the italian sections.

[brightdoglover]

Hey, Irfox,
Is that you, Tom D?

Since Lowell has no major waterfront, waterfront cities are likely to grow and succeed more. Yes, the Merrimack is certainly water, but couldn't compete with economic gains as a seaport could.
I think traditionally, Lowell has had too many poor people to become a more urbane/destination city. They came to work in the mills, and then they became unemployed. Second-largest Cambodian population in the U.S., a very traumatized population.
And I believe Kerouac's family were French-Canadian, another formerly poor influx of immigrants for the mills (and notice that he got out of Lowell ASAP!)
I like Lowell as a quasi-urban place. A lot of the redevelopment has been wonderful, and it's certainly cheaper than than Boston/Cambridge. But I don't think it's really a destination place for people to live. When I worked there, it was a wasteland of cobblestones and nice gaslights and all when the suburban office workers all went home and the low-riders came out.

[meltinjohn]

Lowell feels like a good place and I do think it is one of the best small cities in MA outside of Cambridge, but to live in Lowell, I wouldnt. I do like the thrift shops there and retaurants though.
Id say Boston > Cambridge > Lowell > Worcester or New Bedford > Fitchburg > Springfield > Lawrence or Brockton (tie)