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I'd go even further and make the same claim for Burlington VT, Newport, or Portsmouth NH. All three are more active/alive than Worcester. Worcester is "meh." Getting better, but still "meh." I'd wager that a lot of it has to do with proximity to Boston and Providence which are far more important hubs culturally and economically (no matter how much some Worcester fans want to argue otherwise in the case of PVD), and that will always be a factor.
As somebody who grew up in Worcester I don't think I've every gone to Providence to do anything cultural. I've gone to visit friends and go out, but that's pretty much it. Boston sure
I take some issue with this. For starters, I'm not sure what this means in terms of the built environment. If you mean barren in terms of much of the older housing stock is gone/demolished due to decline, I'd strongly disagree. New Bedford for all of its ills has managed to retain it's density of housing quite well. It's done even better with historic preservation. Downtown New Bedford looks like this and this which is nicer than most of the other industrial cities in New England. New Bedford's historic housing stock is nice too - this is walking distance from downtown. So I'm not accused of just showing the "nice" pockets of town, "The Ave" in the North End of the city looks like this. Not gentrified, but still great density and a functioning urban neighborhood. Not many industrial cities in New England (or elsewhere) have neighborhoods like this, or like this either.
New Bedford is absolutely a struggling city. There is very little economic activity there and nothing indicating that a big turnaround is imminent. But New Bedford's built environment is hardly an issue. It has better urban bones at this point than most former industrial cities in New England.
The fact the city let Norte Dame Des Canadians get demolished was a travesty
The same fate followed with the demolition of Our Lady of Mt Carmel at the beginning of Shrewbury Street by Route 290. It was the hub of a once vibrant Italian community. Two historic downtown churches destroyed in just the last 14 months.
Will give the city props for saving Union Station, Hanover Theater, and Mechanics Hall. A nice job was done with all of these. It is just too bad that much of Union Station goes unused and empty.
As somebody who grew up in Worcester I don't think I've every gone to Providence to do anything cultural. I've gone to visit friends and go out, but that's pretty much it. Boston sure
When I say "cultural" I mean dining/nightlife/activities along those lines as well as museums, festivals, etc. You may not have gone, but I know many in the Worcester area who have and still do and I have yet to hear a reasonable argument that Worcester is in the same tier as Providence in terms of those categories (or economic importance).
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Originally Posted by lrfox
I'd go even further and make the same claim for Burlington VT, Newport, or Portsmouth NH. All three are more active/alive than Worcester. Worcester is "meh." Getting better, but still "meh." I'd wager that a lot of it has to do with proximity to Boston and Providence which are far more important hubs culturally and economically (no matter how much some Worcester fans want to argue otherwise in the case of PVD), and that will always be a factor.
So very true. And I've made more friends from Somerville and Cambridge once I moved to Providence because there are so many people coming to Providence for events/nightlife than I did over the last few years living in Somerville than I could have ever imagined. Its a damn pipeline of people. I'm like, why didn't I meet you before?!
My condo association isn't large, but even in it there are two people that commute to Worcester for work. One refuses to live there, one did live there (works in medical) but bailed because the cultural offerings of Providence are so superior.
There are a couple of things going on in Worcester, sure, it just has a ways to go. I'm old enough I couldn't wait, which is a damn shame as it would have cut my commute.
I take some issue with this. For starters, I'm not sure what this means in terms of the built environment. If you mean barren in terms of much of the older housing stock is gone/demolished due to decline, I'd strongly disagree. New Bedford for all of its ills has managed to retain it's density of housing quite well. It's done even better with historic preservation. Downtown New Bedford looks like this and this which is nicer than most of the other industrial cities in New England. New Bedford's historic housing stock is nice too - this is walking distance from downtown. So I'm not accused of just showing the "nice" pockets of town, "The Ave" in the North End of the city looks like this. Not gentrified, but still great density and a functioning urban neighborhood. Not many industrial cities in New England (or elsewhere) have neighborhoods like this, or like this either.
New Bedford is absolutely a struggling city. There is very little economic activity there and nothing indicating that a big turnaround is imminent. But New Bedford's built environment is hardly an issue. It has better urban bones at this point than most former industrial cities in New England.
Im sorry i meant that it sorely lacks in trees. The dense residential parts of new bedford and fall river are damn near treeless it looks gross.
edit: i wrote this before viewing your pictures but the pictures go further to prove my point. Also there are many parts of new Bedford much worse looking than that pic of the Ave. My point is New Bedford and Fall River are pretty treeless thats all-they dont look like leafy New Haven because of that.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 11-05-2019 at 12:10 PM..
Every city in New England has a similar look. Those street views of Triple Deckers, if they were just pictures and not street views and I asked what city they were it, you couldn't just be like "Worcester" The majority of every city in New England's housing stock is Triple Deckers, some neighborhoods are kept up better than others in each city.
Those pictures could be Worcester, Waterbury, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, New Bedford, Fall River, Lowell, Lawrence, Sprinfield even Boston. Probably any city in New England except Stamford. Using street view is a terrible arguement.
When I say "cultural" I mean dining/nightlife/activities along those lines as well as museums, festivals, etc. You may not have gone, but I know many in the Worcester area who have and still do and I have yet to hear a reasonable argument that Worcester is in the same tier as Providence in terms of those categories (or economic importance).
Im not putting Worcester on the same tier as Providence but when you say Boston and Providence are culturally more important than Worcester, it sounds like you're putting Providence on the same level as Boston.
Every city in New England has a similar look. Those street views of Triple Deckers, if they were just pictures and not street views and I asked what city they were it, you couldn't just be like "Worcester" The majority of every city in New England's housing stock is Triple Deckers, some neighborhoods are kept up better than others in each city.
Those pictures could be Worcester, Waterbury, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, New Bedford, Fall River, Lowell, Lawrence, Sprinfield even Boston. Probably any city in New England except Stamford. Using street view is a terrible arguement.
This isn't accurate. I've been to tons of places throughout New England that don't have triple deckers. I'd say the more common thing you see in rural areas especially is stone walls. Those things are everywhere. That and Dunkin Donuts lol.
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