Providence, vs. Worcester, MA (crime, house, neighborhood)

[Rnrboy]

He said expansive, not expensive.

I think he was pointing out that Providence has a lot more nice areas than the previous poster had disclosed. (I was thinking the same thing.)

By the way, I enjoy your posts terrasurf.

[Providence, Rhode Island]

Well Providence is pretty dangerous and poor. Worcester is much safer. But you really would have a better life in the Providence area. I would suggest living in a suburb of Providence, but working in Providence rather then Worcester. Downtown Providence is home to more then 3 world headquarters of major companies and is overall a more "important" city then Worcester. There were more then 10 high-rises that were being built in Providence in 2008, and 3 planned skyscraper towers for 2000-2010. Also a lot of companies are moving from Boston to Providence because it is cheaper, so much they are planning a massive project to dredge the Providence River. So overall, Providence is better, but Worcester is safer and can be a good suburb for bigger cities like Providence or Boston.

[urbie]

Originally Posted by Providence, Rhode Island

Well Providence is pretty dangerous and poor. Worcester is much safer. But you really would have a better life in the Providence area. I would suggest living in a suburb of Providence, but working in Providence rather then Worcester. Downtown Providence is home to more then 3 world headquarters of major companies and is overall a more "important" city then Worcester. There were more then 10 high-rises that were being built in Providence in 2008, and 3 planned skyscraper towers for 2000-2010. Also a lot of companies are moving from Boston to Providence because it is cheaper, so much they are planning a massive project to dredge the Providence River. So overall, Providence is better, but Worcester is safer and can be a good suburb for bigger cities like Providence or Boston.

This guy's joking, I assume -- in my experience, basically it's the reverse. Providence is a better place to live, but there's more work in Worcester. Just sayin'....

Urb

PS -- by the way, I guess a "skyscraper" is anything over 10 floors?

[xyz affair]

Providence is a far more attractive city then Worcester- with much more done to restore the city center. Worcester currently has a lower unemployment rate, and a more diverse economy. Providence has an unemployment rate of over 11%- Worcester is around 8.5%.

The Massachusetts economy is in better shape then Rhode Islands.

[FJA2003]

I do not know much about the east side

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Providence, Rhode Island

Also a lot of companies are moving from Boston to Providence because it is cheaper, so much they are planning a massive project to dredge the Providence River.

Dredging the Providence River? What is that all about?

[Dr. Chi]

Kevin,

I don't want to downplay your personal expiriences but some of the incidents you have mentioned are true yes, but you are clearly over exagerating the downside of Worcester. You can see more than 20 drug deals in 10-30 minutes? Come on, that is just ridiculous. I've lived in and around Worcester for over 20 years and the only drug deals that I've witnessed were ones being broken up by the police.

The thing about crime in Worcester is that you most likely won't find it unless you're looking for it. By this I mean if you are involved in gangs or drugs then yes you will obviously see crime. All it takes is just common sense to avoid crime in Worcester. Just avoid bad neighborhoods at night and don't get involved with shady people or activity. That's pretty much it. Most of the violent crime that takes place in Worcester is amongst the criminals themselves.

[sarah23411]

Every city has areas that have higher crime rates. I don't know Providence well, however I have been working and living in Worcester for the past year (moved from Boston), and it really isn't as bad as I was told it was going to be. I know there are several ongoing projects within the city that are having a positive impact.

Worcester has several good things going for it. There are MANY great restaurants (this was a total surprise!), a few cool bars, and several colleges. There are a couple of great hospitals that also attract many professionals. There are a lot of parks, trails as well as lakes and rivers in the area as well, so it's a great place for outdoorsy people. If you like to rock climb, there's a great rock-climbing gym right in the city. There is ample shopping all around the area with plenty of free parking...for grocery stores, we recently got a Wegmans! If you're looking for fresh fruits/veggies there are farmers markets in town and nearby farms (i.e. Berberians) that sell their own produce.

I live in a quiet, but inexpensive area of town, and have not had any crime issues. I feel safe walking/running around the area alone. Downtown Worcester certainly isn't as vibrant as say Boston, but there is a great Art museum as well as theaters and live music venues that attract some good performers. All this being said, you can have a great quality of life in Worcester....it's what you make of it. If you're looking for a wild and crazy night out in the city, Boston is only 45 minutes away.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by FJA2003

I have family from Worcester and have been to the bad parts. I have also seen the bad parts of Providence. Honestly, I felt more intimidated in South Providence than anywhere in Worcester. It seemed more "ghetto". Downtown Providence is alot nicer than Downtown Worcester. What I mean is that it is cleaner and has more of an upscale appeal. However, the poverty rate is far higher in Providence and if you look at statistics in the past Providence has a significantly higher crime rate. Alot of this is concentrated in South Providence and the West End. Great development has taken place in Downtown Providence over the past 30 years but many neighborhoods on the south and west side of the city have fallen into dispare. Downtown Worcester has the disadvantage of having rough neighborhoods in the vicinity of Downtown. Although I do agree that presently both cities are very close in terms of crime. Providence has come along way.....more so than Worcester.

I would choose to live in Providence because their is more to do and it is closer to the ocean. Of course I would prefer to live downtown Providence or on Federal Hill versus the South Side or anywhere else in the city. Worcester has very nice areas and is planning on more downtown projects to help stimulate business. Hopefully, this will help you determine what you like better.

This is far closer to my experience than any of the other posts. I've spent waaaaaayy too much time in both cities (LOL), and Worcester feels to me to be a less dicey place. But, of course, neither of these cities is Springfield or Hartford.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Dredging the Providence River? What is that all about?

Apparently, people from Boston are offended by all of the bodies that have been dumped there by the mob over the years? Other? The juxtaposition of those two things (companies relocating from Boston and dredging the river) is pretty weird ...