Safest parts of Lynn (Boston, Lowell: apartments, lofts, condos)

[scarletfire]

Are there any? What are the "best" parts of the city?

[goyguy]

The "best" areas of Lynn (which are quite nice) are: the Diamond District, along the shore and bordering Swampscott; neighborhoods surrounding the vast cemeteries near the Lynnfield border; along Western Ave (Route 107) headed toward Salem, particularly around Sluice Pond; off Boston St away from downtown and around Wyoma Square; West Lynn near Saugus. You can find everything from a studio condo in a converted brick building to a cottage-sized house to a post-WWII ranch house or Colonial to an ornate Victorian. The headline-grabbing parts of town aren't all that large in proportion to the city as a whole.

The view from the train window on the Rockport/Newburyport commuter rail line has gotten much less discouraging since 2000. Many if not all of the hulking brick buildings downtown, whether they once housed department stores or factories or warehouses, are now apartments/condos and "lofts." Some "hip" shops and social gathering places are beginning to open to cater to the new denizens. A lot of folks are more than happy to get more housing for their dollar, considerably more, than would be possible in Boston or Cambridge - yet be an easy distance from beaches and a less-than-half-hour train ride from North Station. Then, of course, there's also the Lynn Woods - over 2,000 acres of "back to nature."

This is not to say that Lynn is set to shake its "city of sin" reputation any time soon, or that it's approaching being crime-free. Its schools are nowhere near top-ranked. Besides a Shaw's at an "urban removal" strip mall not far from Central Square, most shopping for life's essentials and niceties alike has to be done in the adjoining communities. The tax base hasn't recovered from the double whammy of retail exodus in the '60s and '70s and significant personnel and production cutbacks at the once never-sleeping GE River Works plant. But Lynn is still in the early stages of being "discovered," and now would be a great time to buy a residence there - if school-aged children aren't involved.

[scarletfire]

Thanks for the great info! Friends of friends of mine had inquired. I guess one of them will be working right into the city and wanted to find the best options. Great details - I really appreciate it!

[capecodcathy]

GoyGuy, it's a pleasure to read your assessment of Lynn. I grew up there but I haven't been back in a very long time. I have always hoped that it would recover and get a little defensive when people knock it.
Nice to hear that it's staging a comeback!

[Celticz617]

You will be fine in any part of Lynn as long as your not in a gang, into drugs, or walking out by yourself at night like almost any city. People in Mass overrated the crime in every city that has minorities its sad the Suburbs are 99.9% white but cities like Lynn, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Somerville, Brockton, Lawrence, Lowell, and more all get a bad rep cause there is SOME CRIME that only effects people in gangs, into drugs, or just being stupid.

Can someone post a link to a story of a truley inoceant person being murdered in Lynn that was not involved in gangs, drugs, or killed by a family member/realative. THANX!!! CAUSE THERE IS NON AND THE SAME GOES FOR ALL THOSE CITIES I LISTED

Lynn is FINE I'm just sick of people on here turning people against cities they claim to be 'dangerous' that are not even close to being dangerous. Lynn has what 5 murders a year? Thats nothin and they all have to do with gangs and drugs.

[goyguy]

A former neighbor is going to take a long time to recover from being a statistic in the mortgage mess which is wreaking havoc in many cities across the country. She'd gotten a great deal on a property on Grove St in Lynn: big 7-room house AND a side-by-side duplex on the same land, with good yard space, all for under $500k. But one poorly-thought-out "adjustable rate" loan agreement and one deadbeat tenant later, she was in over her head. The neighbors were friendly and caring. The son of one neighbor had ended up on nearby Walnut St after marrying and starting his own family. A good hairdresser (important to this lady lol) and a handy mom-and-pop store were right around the corner. All was quiet at night.

No one I've met who dwells in Lynn has any plans to leave. Again, I'm not trying to gloss over the fact that it still feels shaky downtown after dark or that there's crime aplenty if you're in wrong parts of town and/or down "with a bad crowd." But every city is like this. What I've heard over time from folks is: "I love my apartment on Chatham St, it's been my home since 1971, why on earth wouldn't I stay?" "Maybe when all the kids are grown, the house (off Western Ave near Sluice Pond) will feel too big. But we're totally happy where we are." "It'll take years before I'm through fixing up this [Victorian] house [in the Diamond District.] But what's the hurry?" "Dude, this friend of mine, you should see the loft him (sic) and his girlfriend just hooked up in Lynn, one block from the train station, they don't know what to do with all the space, they're five minutes from the beach, it's incredible!" You get the idea.

Act now!

[zxanadu]

I'm not sure the once grand old city Lynn will ever be able to live down its tarnished image in some peoples' minds. But many are working hard to turn things around, and a lot of things are changing for the better.
Lynn has a stunning seashore, many ponds, and the huge Lynn Woods Reservation with trails for horseback riding, bicycling, walking, skiing, etc. And I've never felt unsafe there.
There are many beautiful, safe neighborhoods in Lynn. Add to those others have mentioned those off Lynnfield Street and near Flax Pond. And that's my two cents' worth!

[cityofsin781]

The poster who claimed all Lynn has is a Shaw's in an "urban removal" strip mall must have read that somewhere. There are about 6 "supermarkets" in Lynn, not to mention countless neighborhood markets that sell all of "life's essentials".

[cityofsin781]

And just to show I'm fair... I'll post an address to view an innocent victim of crime in Lynn:

Lynn man sentenced to life for fatal shooting

A young man was killed in front of my place of employment simply because of an argument. The victim was not a gangmember, or looking for trouble. He was shot in the stomach by a coward. It happens in Lynn, and it happens in Oklahoma. It's a part of reality in America these days. It's tragic regardless of where it happens. Luckily, the cowardly bastard responsible for this one was sentenced to life in prison.

[KathieB1]

I live in neighboring Salem to 20+ years. I now own a condo in the Diamond District. It was an adjustment at first. Lynn rocks!! I have never met friendlier, kind people in my entire life.