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I feel bad for the residents of Woonsocket, they're looking at a 13% tax increase, in a city that's 75 years past it's prime, that's already far over taxed.
These poor residents put there faith in local government, and now they own property that will be impossible to unload, should they be inclined, unless they sell dirt dirt cheap, just to escape. Very sad.
I have yet to learn of any "diverse" neighborhood in New England that would not be considered undesirable. Diverse neighborhoods also tend to be neighborhoods that don't trust their neighbors.
Have you heard of Cambridge or Brookline? If not, you are no New Englander. Both diverse, both desirable as especially indicated by their costs of living.
Where?? Could this be a case of "guilt by association?" I don't know of any mostly black neighborhoods in New England that aren't dangerous and depressed.
I own a nice home in Quincy, a city of 92,000 people right outside (south) of Boston. We have many different neighborhoods in this city, and we have seen a rapid increase in the number of Asian, specifically Chinese and to a lesser extent Vietnamese people, move into this awesome city. Quincy used to be a heavily blue collar granite quarry and ship building city with predominantly working class white Irish and Italian families. But along with the influx of Chinese, the property value of the city has risen significantly, and businesses, especially small ones, have really flourished. We are now embarked on a 10 years 1.6 billion dollar renovation with a private company called Street Works to rebuild the city center where John Adams and his wife Abigail are entombed (in the Church of the Presidents right in the city center). The 20 % Asian population has added tremendously, especially economically, to the city. Here is an example of diversity that adds and not subtract from the vigor of a city or town.
The town of Milton and Randolph, both much smaller than Quincy (with only 27,000 and 21,000 pop respectively) are both close neighbors. Milton is still very predominantly white and very affluent. But it does have a very strong middle and upper middle class black population. Randolph is heavily African-American, and it is doing solidly as well.
Milton, Randolph, Quincy. Very wealthy high end areas. Where two-family multi's sell for $600,000. Tear down two-family multi's sell for $350,000 and up.
What do these towns have to do with the ghetto known as Woonsocket !
City of Quincy===improved with influx of Chinese, a "minority" group
Town of Milton---retain its affluent status, even with a large (15%) African American population
Town of Randolph---declined a bit since the departure of the Jews and the influx of 85% African Americans. But it is still a solidly middle class towm, not a slum by any stretch
So, minority influx does not automatically mean slumhood or horrific decline.
In Massachusetts, we do have slum cities/towns that do follow the conventional equation of "minority=poverty/slum"....like Fall River, New Bedford, Lowell, Lawrence, Holyoke Springfield etc. But we also do have noted exceptions to this equation, so there are other, arguably more important factors involved than just a simple matter of race. It's really about class and education, not race. Boston used to have all white slums too in South Boston and East Boston before they both became gentrified. These places were dominated by poorly educated white Irish and Italians who could go toe to toe with any black or hispanic thug. It's really about the mind, not the skin color.
Milton, Randolph, Quincy. Very wealthy high end areas. Where two-family multi's sell for $600,000. Tear down two-family multi's sell for $350,000 and up.
What do these towns have to do with the ghetto known as Woonsocket !
Oh no, Randolph and Quincy are not high end at all, Especially Randolph, there is a lot of crime there.
Milton, Randolph, Quincy. Very wealthy high end areas. Where two-family multi's sell for $600,000. Tear down two-family multi's sell for $350,000 and up.
What do these towns have to do with the ghetto known as Woonsocket !
once again the depiction of Woonsocket as a ghetto is false. Does this include East Woonsocket, the North End(Winter, Summer, Prospect street areas), the Park Ave area, So. Main Street, etc. Yes, there are minority areas within the city I would not choose, but most of Woonsocket is safe and not ghetto. And because of the financial downturn of the city has become very affordable for new buyers, even with the impending tax increase. Jillson and the Knight Street area is a beautiful area with great single families. Upper Bernon Hill toward Millville Street is also safe. Ghetto, definitely not.
I have yet to learn of any "diverse" neighborhood in New England that would not be considered undesirable. Diverse neighborhoods also tend to be neighborhoods that don't trust their neighbors.
You've got it wrong, my friend. Our neighborhoods may LOOK undesirable. But we don't trust our neighbors!? Our whole entire community is very tight knit. Everybody knows everybody. When somebody is short on money for groceries, the owners of the many corner grocery stores around here will gladly make anybody from the neighborhood a tab for them to pay whenever they can. Whenever somebody's car breaks down, there are plenty of cars from willing neighbors and friends from around the way who will be more than glad to lend you their car or give you a ride. Sure, there is some crime around here (mostly drug dealing), but people are HUNGRY! However, the crime doesn't affect you if you are not a drug dealer or a drug user. There are some thieves, but they don't steal around here(again, everybody knows everybody. Nobody would get away with breaking into someone's car or house without getting seen by SOMEBODY who knows SOMEBODY who tells the owner), they usually leave the neighborhood to do what they have to do. That is going to happen no matter what the color of your skin is or where you are. If there's no jobs, and people are hungry, they are going to figure out a way. Look at the Italian mob that has always run our state. Poor Italian immigrants were hungry, and the mob is born. You don't think the mob started with petty thieving and booze running during the 1920s? They were a bunch of street kids. They were 'hood'. And they were, yes, white. An undermarket is a byproduct of ANY place where people at the bottom end of the educational and monetary ladder dwell. Maybe if our teachers weren't getting laid off, and cops getting paid off/arrested for trafficking in cocaine, just maybe, South Providence, West End, Manton, Hartford, Chad, Central Falls, would all be very different places!
"they usually leave the neighborhood to do what they have to do."
While I appreciate and honor your sentimentality toward the place that you have grown to know so well, I am a bit disturbed by your statement about the people who commit crime. Yes, the economy is in decline, but this does not give anyone the excuse to break the law and steal from another. I cannot support your apologist attitude toward criminals; and I dont care from what town, city or state they are from, they are still criminals.
Seems a lot like my neighborhood here in Fla. It appears "dangerous" to strangers passing through but it's really very much like any other neighborhood. Except that neighbors watch out for each other, and there isn't a whole lot of money. Some crime yes, but not between neighbors for the most part.
This really got off track, but thanks to the people who did give me some info on Woonsocket. In spite of the negative comments, I still wouldn't write it off. There are a lot of places that were probably a lot like Woonsocket before the bourgeoisie took an interest and got them all gentrified.
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I beg to differ...
