Why not Fall River? (Boston, Worcester: crime, houses, neighborhood)

[Southcoastres]

It's a great, safe city on the water with affordable housing, why not live here?

[btownboss4]

Its an inbetweener, doest have the amenities of a Springfield or a Providence (Or even Lowell or Portland) nor the open space of the suburbs, its just not ideal for a large segment of the population so it isn't a destination, not a bad city but it doest fit suburbanites or urbanites ideal criteria very well.

[Southcoastres]

It has Battleship Cove and Lafayette Pool now if those aren't amenities on dont know what are

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by Southcoastres

It has Battleship Cove and Lafayette Pool now if those aren't amenities on dont know what are

I meant more along the lines of sporting events ( Providence, Worcester, Lowell all have minor league and College sports) events (Waterfire, Lowell Folk Festival, First Night Worcester etc.) Cultural things, they all have a citystage -and orchestra. Fall River lacks those things due to Historically larger New Bedford and Providence both 15 miles away.

[Southcoastres]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

I meant more along the lines of sporting events

You can go watch some little league baseball at north park or watch high school sports at durfee any day. Also there are some crazy Portuguese festivals during the year here.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by Southcoastres

It's a great, safe city on the water with affordable housing, why not live here?

Define 'safe'. I am not saying that it is Compton, but Fall River has higher than average crime nationally and for the state. The public schools are not great whatsoever, especially when considering the neighboring towns. Jobs are scarce for Fall River - lots of abandoned mills and factories, low-end stores, etc. I don't know if I can even think of a desirable neighborhood in the city - perhaps areas closer to Freetown.

Personally, Fall River would be on the bottom of my list if I was moving to SE MA and be completely off my list if I were considering moving a family with young children. There are plenty of other towns around there that are much, much better and still affordable.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by Southcoastres

You can go watch some little league baseball at north park or watch high school sports at durfee any day. Also there are some crazy Portuguese festivals during the year here.

Portuguese festivals are for a niche market (Portuguese people), albeit large in Fall River, not really even a major group regionally (New England). The Lowell Folk Festival or Providence's Water fire are for the entire general population.
Also Little League or High School sports are of much lower Quality than College or minor league (professionals)
Providence, Lowell, and Manchester, NH all have Orchestras, playhouses, and theatres, as well as more entertainment options than Fall River .
Fall River isn't bad, but Its not great for a suburbanite which Somerset or Freetown would better fit their criteria, or an Urbanite which would prefer New Bedford or Providence.
Suburbanites would prefer Fall River to New Bedford of Providence, and Urbanites would prefer Fall River to Freetown or Somerset, but its everyone's number 2, like Somerville or Chicopee.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

Portuguese festivals are for a niche market (Portuguese people), albeit large in Fall River, not really even a major group regionally (New England). The Lowell Folk Festival or Providence's Water fire are for the entire general population.
Also Little League or High School sports are of much lower Quality than College or minor league (professionals)
Providence, Lowell, and Manchester, NH all have Orchestras, playhouses, and theatres, as well as more entertainment options than Fall River .
Fall River isn't bad, but Its not great for a suburbanite which Somerset or Freetown would better fit their criteria, or an Urbanite which would prefer New Bedford or Providence.
Suburbanites would prefer Fall River to New Bedford of Providence, and Urbanites would prefer Fall River to Freetown or Somerset, but its everyone's number 2, like Somerville or Chicopee.

I agree with each of your points except the bolded.

The Portuguese Festivals are incredibly popular amongst thousands of people. The Madeira feast in New Bedford draws over 100,000 people annually. I go every year and I'm not Portuguese. Neither are most of the people who go. They have big time bands, great food, and lots to drink. So I don't think it's a niche market.

I think the same applies to any ethnic festival. I don't think it's just Brazilian folks who who go to Carnivale. The Italian feast in Boston is pretty big for Everyone. St. Patrick's Day festivities aren't just for the Irish. Ethnic festivals are a great way to experience a different culture. The Portuguese festivals in SE Mass are popular with everyone and none are bigger than New Bedford's.

But everything else you wrote is dead on.

[Southcoastres]

Originally Posted by wxjay

Define 'safe'. I am not saying that it is Compton, but Fall River has higher than average crime nationally and for the state. The public schools are not great whatsoever, especially when considering the neighboring towns. Jobs are scarce for Fall River - lots of abandoned mills and factories, low-end stores, etc. I don't know if I can even think of a desirable neighborhood in the city - perhaps areas closer to Freetown.

Personally, Fall River would be on the bottom of my list if I was moving to SE MA and be completely off my list if I were considering moving a family with young children. There are plenty of other towns around there that are much, much better and still affordable.

Safe as in I could walk through any section of the city (the Flint, The Highlands, the North End, the South End, Downtown, ect...) without being harmed by a soul. As for the schools, the city has 4 brand new elementrys, 2 new middle schools, and two older high schools. At the main highschool, Durfee, there are great courses offered after the school received a semi million dollar grant from the state to teach lots of AP classes. It's ranked poorly because some of the kids don't care or don't have parents there to make them care, but nonetheless it is a good school if the student stays focused. On the raising children in Fall River part, I know a family whose kids walk from the Highlands into the Flint to go to SAMs bakery. A child could go from Silvia to the new Morton to Durfee ( Connolly and Stang are Catholic highschools that are in or close to the city.) I don't see why you would so strongly against raising children in the city when it's a perfectly resonable thing to do.

[pennyone]

"Poor performing" has everything to do with the culture of the student body. The relative modern appointments of schools add to an already positive school culture, but they cannot make a poor performing school improve.

The culture of a school is a balance of those who care and those who do not. When there is a critical mass of students who do, then good things happen and the school improves (due to rising scores, higher completion of school, lower crime and violence, college rate etc). Kids, especially at the HS level, is highly herd-like. The nerds need to overwhelm the thugs. I dont see that in Fall River's future.