What is Lawrence, MA like? (Boston, Lowell: best city, home, wedding)

[wxjay]

My friend got a job in Lawrence in August and moved there. By September 1, she broke her lease and moved out of the area. She could not believe how dangerous it was and how unsafe she felt there. And she was 'used to' / 'familiar' with some shady neighborhoods in parts of NYC and St. Louis.

[jazz5579]

i lived in Lawrence in a section of town called towerhill for 15 years. In Mass that is about the only place within driving distance of Boston where you can buy a house as a single. I did not want a "condo" which i could have bought for what i paid for this house. I wanted a yard, garage, a garden and a large dog. Cant do that in a codo. I had great neighbors and quiet street. If there was any suspicious activity i would be out in the yard with the dog checking it out. We had a vigilant neighorhood watch group and attended the neighborhood watch meetings. I knew what i was getting into when i bought and felt it was an investment for a period of time. I shopped in New Hampshire which is tax free. There was a grocery store close to the house i could run out to.
The politics in Lawrence has always been suspicious and now that William Lantigua is mayor the place is so much worse. When i say he was running, again, (he tried many times but alway lost significantly) and more than likely would win, i put my house on the market. I now live in a Dracut, not too far away from Lawrence
There is an issue of illegal alliens that no one wants to deal with. It is frustrating because this is where they live because it is so cheap and cant keep track of who is moved in and out. Lawrence takes a lot from the state with regards to funding. They recently finished a huge new highschool that was 90% funded by the state? It was once a place for hard working blue collar workers who couyld afford to buy their own homes while earning 80 thousand and less a year.
Downtown is pretty much a nonenglish speaking community which alienates the english speaking population. Except for the following places. There is what use to be One Mill street Restaurant and Napolis Bakery..great bread, pasteries and Pizza. You have Sals Pizza over in the new mill and New Balance sneaker outlet. I've been out of there for 3 years and really dont have an idea as to how it actually is now

[stories4good]

On a positive note, it was nice to see this story about a local youth nonprofit, What's Good in the Hood (What's Good in the Hood) It is a youth movement that aims to give the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts an image makeover. This passionate group of teens is empowering each other and their community with stories to inspire change and city pride. Their newspaper, filled with reports on people making a difference, is distributed throughout the city and online.

[Jpierpont]

I dont know anything about Lawrence aside from what has been said in this thread, but either the folks are in this thread extremely easy to scare or just like exaggerating. Lawrence seem to have between 0-9 murders per year and had 0 in 2005.

[jbub22]

I agree, some scare easily and exaggerate. I will state that Lawrence is run down when compared to other New England towns, but when compared to other US cities Lawrence looks like another city, so I don't get the paranoia. Personnally, I have never had a problem, for us its the best place to find latino foods, spices and such.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by Jpierpont

I dont know anything about Lawrence aside from what has been said in this thread, but either the folks are in this thread extremely easy to scare or just like exaggerating. Lawrence seem to have between 0-9 murders per year and had 0 in 2005.

well it only has 70,000 people so 7 murders is 10/100,000

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

well it only has 70,000 people so 7 murders is 10/100,000

And don't forget all the stabbings (sometimes fatal) which are not always logged as murders.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by massnative71

And don't forget all the stabbings (sometimes fatal) which are not always logged as murders.

ya but those happen in other cities too, unless only Lawrence does that.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

ya but those happen in other cities too, unless only Lawrence does that.

Yes, but certain types of crimes are more unique to certain cities than others. A city where guns are the choice weapon will statistically have a higher murder rate because they are more likely to result in an "instant death". Whereas in stabblings/fatal stompings the victim may die days/weeks later and will not show up as a "murder' in the crime stats. Not that Lawrence doesn't have gun crime, but it will account for a lower percentage than a place like Detroit or Memphis. In Lawrence you will see more knives. It is a cultural thing, I'm trying to stay PC here.

[brightdoglover]

I think "feeling safe" issues vary a lot between men's sense of safety and women's.