New Bedford, give me the good, the bad, and the ugly (Boston: real estate, rental)

[lsav1]

Hi, My boyfriend and I are thinking of relocating to New Bedford. I'd like to know what the best areas are. It seems like a big city. Is it safe? What are the nicest neighborhoods. Please help! Thanks : )

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by lsav1

Hi, My boyfriend and I are thinking of relocating to New Bedford. I'd like to know what the best areas are. It seems like a big city. Is it safe? What are the nicest neighborhoods. Please help! Thanks : )

Do a search of the forum and you'll find quite a bit about New Bedford (i.e. a little bit of good, too much bad, and plenty of ugly)

[lrfox]

Why New Bedford? I'll start by saying I love the city, but it's a city that has a bad reputation in the area that it has earned in many ways.

I'll break it down as you suggest. It's not a big city for the area but at about 95,000 people it may be relatively large depending on where you're coming from.

The Ugly:
Isolated Crime- New Bedford has a reputation for crime. It's not as bad as it seems, but there's some truth to it. Crime in New Bedford is isolated to certain spots in the city. The worst is absolutely the United Front area of town. It's home to a gang that is known for being ruthless (called, "United Front"). Front Street in the North End is bad too. It has gang violence as well. There are parts of the South End that are rough too (particularly along a portion of Brock Ave). These places would be areas to avoid. There are FAR more appealing neighborhoods to look in elsewhere.

Schools- New Bedford's public school system sucks to be quite honest. It has among the highest dropout rates in the state and is poorly managed (The exception being Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech which is one of the better Voc-Techs in the state). The growth in popularity of charter schools has really helped, but the city has a long way to go in terms of public schools. If raising a family now or in the near future is important to you and you can't rely on private schools, then I would live just outside the city and go to school in the superior districts of Fairhaven or Dartmouth. New Bedford Public Schools are just that bad.

The Bad
Employment- New Bedford's unemployment rate is higher than the state average. While they do have a large fishing fleet (the highest grossing in the nation, in fact), this is a city that was most recently reliant on manufacturing, most of which has left. There are few jobs within the city itself for educated people. The good news is that New Bedford is only a 25 minute drive to Providence RI and about 50 to Boston so commuting from New Bedford to work is always an option (and one that many in NB choose to take). You won't be cut off from jobs, they're just hard to come by within the city itself.

Grant Dependency- New Bedford is a city that relies on local, state and federal grants for a lot of things. This can help, but it also keeps many failing entities in operation while not allowing new, fresh faces in. This can be rough for people looking to get started in serious business in New Bedford.

The Good

If you weren't scared away by reading the previous info, I'm going to write about some of the good of New Bedford.

History- Hands down, it's one of the most historic cities in the nation. It's home to Moby Dick (literally this is where the story comes from), Fredrick Douglas and the underground railroad, and the nation's most important fishing fleet. 16 blocks of the downtown area are a preserved national park (a beautiful area) that is reminiscent of old London with cobblestone streets lined with shops, restaurants, art galleries and gas-light lamps. It's a downtown area that few comparably sized cities can rival.

Revitalization- New Bedford is on an upswing. Crime has slowly been decreasing and neighborhoods are cleaning up. Despite the economy, new businesses have been relocating to New Bedford and major developments are taking place (including the construction of a Marriott hotel downtown and a mixed-use development just North of downtown). It's a good place to invest. With the commuter rail to Boston on its way, New Bedford is in good position to boom and this has been chronicled by the New York Times, Boston Herald, Boston Globe and many other media outlets. New Bedford is on the radar and in good position for the future.

Culture- New Bedford is a hub of culture. It's home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of Portuguese people. The restaurants, festivals and activities that the Portuguese provide are unique and wonderful. New Bedford has a vibrant dining scene due to it's diverse population and access to the freshest and best seafood anywhere in the world. The Whaling Museum in the National Park downtown is nationally renowned, and a new Oceanarium just opened up. There's an art museum downtown as well as dozens of art galleries and specialty stores. There's a nice zoo in a park (Buttonwood Zoo in Buttonwood Park) designed by the most famous landscape architect of all time (Fredrick Law Olmstead who gave us New York's Central Park). There's plenty more too.

Location- New Bedford is located so close to Boston, Providence, Newport, etc. In addition to the cities, it's located near Cape Cod, Martha's Vinyard (there's fast ferry service from New Bedford as well as air service from the city's airport to MV), Nantucket and the beautiful coast of Southeastern Mass. You can't beat the spot if you like the ocean without being away from it all.

In the end, it comes down to what do you want from your new home? If you have a child (or plan to) I would suggest looking at Fairhaven or Dartmouth both of which are literally adjacent to New Bedford and offer better schools for your child. You can live in either town and benefit from all NB has to offer.

If you want to live within the city, the West End/ County Street Historic District would be my first choice for a neighborhood. It's a lovely, crime free area within walking distance to Downtown New Bedford. It's where the whaling captains and masters of industry made their residences so the homes are incredible and palatial. Many of them can be had for cheap given the market and many more have been converted to rental units and condos. This is the nicest neighborhood in town, bar none.

The Buttonwood area is also very nice. It's the area surrounding Buttonwood Park. It's quiet, safe and very pretty. You have the massive park right there and downtown only a few minutes away.

The Far North End is very pretty. It's almost suburban in setup. It's a good, safe area.

Rodney French area. This area is right on the city's waterfront on a peninsula. It's very pretty and there are some lovely homes. The Fort Rodman/ Fort Tabor complex provides excellent views and activity while the entire peninsula is surrounded by beaches. This is a lovely area to live.

Finally, Downtown. If you want urban, downtown New Bedford is perfect. It's very safe and there are tons of condos (and more being build) to be had. It's a charming area and you have all sorts of activities at your fingertips by living there. Great restaurants, nightlife, museums, galleries, theater, etc are all right there.

New Bedford's an interesting place. As with anywhere, I'd suggest checking it out in person first. There is bad and good about the city and depending on your needs the bad may outweigh the good or vice-versa. If not New Bedford itself, the surrounding communities are also nice and provide affordable alternatives to Boston while still managing to be close. good luck!

[lsav1]

hi, thanks so much for all the info : ) can you tell me some nice areas in southern mass?? thanks!!

[lrfox]

Westport, Dartmouth (particularly South Dartmouth), Fairhaven, Marion, and Mattapoisett are great. They're all coastal with nice beaches and all a LOT more affordable than metro Boston. The school systems in all of those towns with the exception of Westport are very good. They also put you within easy driving distance of Providence, Boston, and very close to New Bedford so you can take advantage of the good without having to deal with the bad and the ugly.

[wktully]

I lived in Fairhaven for 5+ years (just recently left) and it's a nice town, although the school system is not great. Marion and Mattapoisett are lovely towns but a bit more on the expensive side (particularly Marion) but Marion has a great school system. I agree with all written above about New Bedford - I would not live there but it's a great city to check out - so much history. Dartmouth is nice and Rochester. I have several friends that live in Rochester and they love it.

[Martha Anne]

I just loved reading your post. Thank you very much - I want to take my husband to see New Bedford sometime, as he is a person who loves the seaside towns and cities and historic areas.

[lrfox]

^thanks! I think your husband would enjoy checking it out.

It's also still very much a working waterfront, so there is always tons of activity going on down there. The Whaling District National Historic Park is the hub of all activity and your husband shouldn't miss the Whaling Museum which is in the center of the district.

[FJA2003]

Great info on New Bedford Irfox!! I agree with the GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY.....it is a very diverse city with something for almost anybody. I think a real estate purchase in the right neighborhood would be a good idea....although Dartmouth, Acushnet, or Westport would be better choices if their are kids involved. New Bedford is up and coming for sure!

[Martha Anne]

Originally Posted by lrfox

^thanks! I think your husband would enjoy checking it out.

It's also still very much a working waterfront, so there is always tons of activity going on down there. The Whaling District National Historic Park is the hub of all activity and your husband shouldn't miss the Whaling Museum which is in the center of the district.

I never had time to see the Whaling Museum. It should be fascinating. I saw the one in Newbury (way North Shore) and it was terrific.

Those poor whales!

Anyway, yes, we will be up there fairly soon.