Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sorry for another one of these threads seeking city and town safety for a potential transplant, but from what I searched within this forum, a lot of posts were from several years ago, so I'm curious to hear the input as of right now.
I currently live in MA (close to Boston) with roommates and need to move because my landlord is selling the place. I am trying to finally find a place for myself now because I feel too old and annoyed to still be living with housemates, and we're still in the middle of a pandemic and getting housemates to wash hands / social distance has been impossible. But as we all know, rent in the northeast is outrageous, so my options are limited based on my budget. I am keeping my job in Boston but am able to work remote right now due to covid, with the number of days I'd have to be in the office still up in the air when the office does open back up. Since everything is still up in the air, I need to be within somewhat of a commuting distance to Boston, but I am not finding anything that suits my needs less than 30 miles away, so I am looking at RI. Lots of areas in RI that are close to the commuter rail line seem like they might even have better commutes than other areas of MA that are equally as far from Boston.
I got excited by some of the options I initially saw, but then when I researched the areas, I saw some questionable safety comments. I have lived in neighborhoods that aren't the safest, and one of my houses was actually broken in to, and a family car stolen, so I'd like to not have to deal with that again. That said, I don't necessarily shy away from a neighborhood just because it doesn't have the best reputation, but I am now more so worried about my car that I recently purchased. A lot of the issues I've been seeing with Pawtucket, Providence, and Fall River / New Bedford in MA are related to car break-ins. I know to practice common sense and make sure nothing is visible in my car and to lock my doors, but I'd like to not be worried about it all the time if I did leave a hat or a sweater in my car by accident. And sounds like stolen tires is a problem even if you leave nothing in your car and lock the doors.
Other towns I've seen decent listings for are Lincoln and Pascoag - can anyone tell me about their experiences and insights into these towns? Bristol and Cumberland seem out of my price range. I applied to a fantastic unit in Cranston but wasn't selected. I was looking at Warwick as well but don't love the place that I saw. I'm hoping more units pop up soon because this is getting real depressing.
I am also a woman of color so it would be great to not feel uncomfortable in a town that is not as diverse. I'd rather not be in a city - I want to have space, fresh air, and parking without always worrying about my car. Being father from cities seems like it might make it harder for me to take a train in to Boston, but depending where, perhaps the drive to Boston won't be as bad if I can avoid 95 and take 90? And if I wake up super early to beat rush hour. I'm def worried about getting back home though that's for sure.
Any and all inputs welcome. If you have any insight into MA towns as well that'd be helpful. I am also looking at a place in South Attleboro which looks like it's really close to Pawtucket and Rt 1, so I question the safety there as well.
Pascoag is kind of way "out there", I would scratch that off.
These cities and towns all vary quite a bit from section to section, if you could provide addresses that would allow people to provide more helpful opinions.
As one who may be commuting to Boston on a regular basis and of whom schools aren't a concern, my first thought would be the east side of Pawtucket. East of Newport Ave. is preferable. Some of it is OK west of Newport Ave., but from there it gets dicier. And you haven't mentioned it yet, but the Rumford area of East Providence should be on your list as well. And obviously South Attleboro would be good, but it has some spots I would avoid as well primarily the area between I95 and the state line (and State Line Scrap, etc.).
What kind of car do you drive? Anything standout like high profile rims or anything? I wouldn't worry too much about that, as long as you stay out of the ghetto.
Thanks! I saw others on older threads talk about Pascoag being out there too, but do you mean in terms of distance? Or like...people? When I put it on the map, it seems to only add about 10 minutes to the drive. But I'm sure that might mean a lot more during rush hour.
I drive a VW Tiguan, it's nothing fancy but I consider it decently nice. My boyfriend drives a BMW and he'd be visiting me sometimes and parking somewhere too.
Thanks, knowing those lines of where to avoid and where to consider is helpful.
As of right now, I'm looking at East Ave in Lincoln, Case Drive in South Attleboro, Sayles Ave in Pascoag. I need to go back to the drawing board for Pawtucket and Providence because I was looking at some of those lofts in the old mills, and a lot of them had bad reviews (packages being stolen, poor building security, etc.) The rooms I was interested in were also taken so I just never revisited. Looks like the Attleboro place is right in the area you said to avoid, so should I give up on that unit?
For reference, I have a cat so my options are more limited. I am also looking for laundry in unit and off street parking, so the general consensus is that I'm asking for too much in my price range of $1700 (was initially $1400 but I had to up it because I was only finding run down places or apartment buildings that lie).
I'll look into the Rumsford area of East Providence - I am not familiar with all the Providence neighborhoods so this is helpful. Thanks again!
Thanks! I saw others on older threads talk about Pascoag being out there too, but do you mean in terms of distance? Or like...people? When I put it on the map, it seems to only add about 10 minutes to the drive. But I'm sure that might mean a lot more during rush hour.
Out there in terms of distance. Far from the highway, no train to speak of anywhere near there. 10 minutes sounds very generous to me, in normal times anyway. It's definitely not a drive I would want to make in the winter, either. People are typical small townish, maybe a little insular but I don't think you will have an "issue" as far is that's concerned. Very little diversity though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raisewagesplssss
I drive a VW Tiguan, it's nothing fancy but I consider it decently nice. My boyfriend drives a BMW and he'd be visiting me sometimes and parking somewhere too.
Yeah kind of depends. Most quieter residential neighborhoods you should be fine. Larger complexes I might be a little more worried, this all depends on specifics though. I might be more concerned about getting dinged in the parking lot by careless inconsiderate people, than an actual break in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raisewagesplssss
As of right now, I'm looking at East Ave in Lincoln, Case Drive in South Attleboro.
Not particularly familiar with either spot but neither set off a "red flag" in that sense. General areas are both "OK", nothing great but certainly not "bad". The main thing is the immediate neighbors, which you would need to visit there in person to get an idea. Not knowing that, I would lean towards the S. Attleboro one. I also see zero reason to go out to Pascoag over any of those, so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raisewagesplssss
I'll look into the Rumsford area of East Providence - I am not familiar with all the Providence neighborhoods so this is helpful. Thanks again!
Important to note that "East Providence" is a separate city from Providence. There is nowhere in the city of Providence I would recommend, based on your wants and needs.
Oh haha, good to know that East Providence is a separate town entirely. So you don't recommend Providence but you think the east side of Pawtucket is reasonable - is this because of my price range or something else?
And good point about winter considerations. I did see the Pascoag gets a lot more snow and is generally a lot colder.
The South Attleboro place is off of Brown St if that's helpful. It seems close to Rt 1 which some folks have mentioned avoiding, and it's between the state line and 95 which you mentioned avoiding, so this is making me a bit wary, but I did drive by it last week to check out the area and it's on a small dead end street / seems relatively quiet. I haven't seen the actual unit itself yet - going there tomorrow.
Oh haha, good to know that East Providence is a separate town entirely. So you don't recommend Providence but you think the east side of Pawtucket is reasonable - is this because of my price range or something else?
East side of Pawtucket I recommend due to its proximity to I95 and the train station, as well as general affordability and a safe suburbanish environment that you seem to desire. There is nowhere in Providence that offers all three of those things, imo. Rumford section of East Providence, same idea. Actually a bit nicer, but slightly further away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raisewagesplssss
The South Attleboro place is off of Brown St if that's helpful. It seems close to Rt 1 which some folks have mentioned avoiding, and it's between the state line and 95 which you mentioned avoiding, so this is making me a bit wary, but I did drive by it last week to check out the area and it's on a small dead end street / seems relatively quiet. I haven't seen the actual unit itself yet - going there tomorrow.
Rte. 1 is just busy due to all the shopping along there, it's not dangerous or anything LOL. Either way, the place you mentioned doesn't look too close where the traffic and noise should be a problem. Also, that's on the "right side" of 95 (I meant towards Pawtucket as opposed to Cumberland). This general area right here is where to avoid:
Oh sorry I'm dumb, I confused this solid green line on Google Maps for the state line lolol my bad. Truly have no idea what this line is - thought maybe a river, but it goes on streets too. Quick google search says bike path, but then that's a long ass bike bath. Regardless, thank you, I feel much better about seeing that place tomorrow now. I appreciate all your input!!!
You present multiple conundrums. Not mentioning your budget (unless I missed it) makes giving sound advice a challenge. Being commutable to Boston should be your focus. As a POC, Providence would seem to fit, except for your seeming desire for "fresh air". While rural Rhode Island (Pascoag??) is surely cheaper with fresh air, etc., you won't find it at all socially diverse. Try to resolve your conflicting priorities. Of course, a healthy budget will make many conflicts go away.
Ignore the "ghetto" comments here. Some affordable & commutable owner occupied Providence & Pawtucket neighborhoods are socially diverse & fine places for renters to live. Safety is relative. A degree of property crime exists pretty much everywhere a reasonable distance from the train station. Good luck.
Last edited by independent man; 07-05-2020 at 07:48 PM..
Yea the conundrums are real that's for sure. I mentioned the budget in one of my replies but not the original post - I'm looking for $1,700, but can do higher if utilities are included, and am considering 1800 as well. I initially wanted no more than $1,450, but haven't been able to find anything suitable (other than one place that didn't accept me because there were a ton of applicants). My income is high enough where I would qualify for a much higher rental, but then I wouldn't be saving anything or leaving anything to an emergency fund, so I don't want to be stupid and max out my rent.
When my office opens up, the expectation is that working remote will be more acceptable, so I am hoping that I won't have to come in every day, which is why I'm open to a slightly worse commute than I would otherwise be if I had to go in every day. Even before the pandemic, I was working from home a lot, but a lot is still up in the air, so I still need to be generally commutable. But in terms of priorities, my biggest priority I would say is having the right space over the commute. I think I could deal with a ****tier commute if I am happy being at home. These days especially, I spend most of my time at home, and given the pandemic, I am not socializing, so I am more looking for that fresh air vibe versus the social aspect of Providence. It'd be nice to not be far from Providence so I can still go out when I want to and be able to access some more culture, but I think at this point in my life, I just want out of cities. I grew up in the burbs, moved to Boston for college, and stayed for 10+ years. I'm over the congestion, ugliness, and overpricing of cities.
Also, I used to live in Brighton (neighborhood of Boston) and it took me between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to commute to work one way. And I was living in Boston like 6-8 miles away from work. I biked a couple times, but carrying all my stuff became hard, and having to shower from sweating, and the hill right before my house sucked. I always said that I could take the commuter rail in from far away and get there in the same amount of time. Where I'm at now, the commute is way better. I would love to stay but my landlord is selling.
I think you can possibly find a decent 1 bed in your price range in Quincy, MA.
Edited to add: And keep in mind that car/train costs from the Providence area will likely eat away a lot of what you'd save in rent.
Last edited by redplum33; 07-05-2020 at 09:07 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
