What is Lawrence, MA like? (Methuen, Andover: high crime, big house, neighborhoods)

[VerBoston]

Originally Posted by lookinforahome

Are there a lot of stores? Is traffic bad? Is the crime as bad as people say? Overall, what is it like in Lawrence?

Why are you asking these questions ? What is your intent ?

[LiveInLawrence]

Visit Washington Mills Lofts on Canal Street in Lawrence before making a judgement about Lawrence. I have lived at Washington Mills since September 2007 and have found that most of the negative hype the city gets is just that- hype. The city is in the process of undergoing a re-birth. There is a great new restaurant called Terra Luna Cafe on Essex Street. Both Terra Luna and Salvatore's on Merrimack Street offer upscale dining. Salvatore's has a great deck right on the Merrimack River in the Summer and Fall. People are coming to Lawrence from all over which is quickly changing the dynamic in Lawrence. Lawrence is in a great commuter location. There is a commuter rail just around the corner from where I live. You can drive to Maine or Boston in under 45 minutes, and tax free shopping in NH is only 5 minutes away. I love this place.

[meltinjohn]

I used to dislike both Lowell and Lawrence but I feel when I move back to MA, Ill have a new set of eyes to the situation especially since I lived in FL. Places like Lowell/Lawrence dont look too bad when you been to other places often times.

[Braunwyn]

I used to live in both Lawrence and Lowell before I graduated. I had to because I was poor; wouldn't do it again. Lawrence can be very ghetto and scary.

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by Braunwyn

I used to live in both Lawrence and Lowell before I graduated. I had to because I was poor; wouldn't do it again. Lawrence can be very ghetto and scary.

Ive seen that for myself.

[sreyrath]

well to me Lawrence is not a bad place at all. yeah it's heavily populated by hispanics, but they aren't bad people. once people here the word "hispanics" they quickly think "Ghetto" but its not. It looks ghetto cause of the old, burned down building/houses, the vacant lots, the people sitting on their porches hearing loud music, but you have to remember that different races have different ways of living. In spanish countries, people live like this and you have to understand that they will continue to be like this becaue that's how they were brought up... nothing wrong with that. Also there are a lot of crimes, but it's mostly drug crimes. If you're worried about your kids growing up the wrong way, drugs don't matter cause wherever you live there will always be drugs and there are white kids in Haverhill, Andover and Lowell that do a lot of drugs too, not only hispanics if the reason is the hispanics. I'm cambodian and I've lived in Lawrence all my life and I am the minority and I never had problems with them. They are nice people, they like all races no matter what color you are. Schools? yeah they're bad, corrupted security guards, corrupted superintendent, but hes out next year and somebody better will take his place and I bet they sure will make lawrence schools a better place. So Lawrence is not ghetto it 's just home to many different races. All these replies are probably comming from white people and I'm not being racist or anything like that or they are just people who live in quiet, low crime cities that are not use to hearing LOUD MUSIC and when they do, they automatically think it's ghetto... Oh and the deaths in the city are not always in the city. Look so far from what I knoe only 3 kids have died form lawrence. 1 drowned IN ANDOVER the other one got shot IN LOWELL and the other one was hit by a car making her the only one who died in Lawrence so realize that the deaths from Lawrence are not done in Lawrence.

[angelisa]

Lawrence is no good at all. The crime rate is up just listen to the news. You can read about it daily on the lawrence eagle tribune online newspaper. I lived there for many years and I'm HAPPY that I'm no longer there is not a very good city. The new name for Lawrence is Santo Domingo because everyone is from there and all the stores are spanish.

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by LMMEGNA

...The school system needs work, alot of work (have a fiend who teaches there)...

Yikes. Wouldn't want to send my kids to school where they hire fiends to teach there!

[Mrtwigg]

I lived in Mass for 19 years and for awhile had a job which required me to be in Lawrence two or three times each week. I got to see every part of that place.

The phrase "Festering stinkhole" comes to mind. (My apoliges to those in residence there.)

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by Mrtwigg

I lived in Mass for 19 years and for awhile had a job which required me to be in Lawrence two or three times each week. I got to see every part of that place.

Were you an insurance investigator?