UML alum looking at moving back to Lowell, safer of downtown?

Submitted by [deleted] t3_ykh3k4 in LowellMA

Hey all, I’m looking at moving back to Lowell with my fiancée, we both graduated from uml and are pretty familiar with the city. She lived in Pawtucketville like for 5 years and it was overall a pretty safe area. With two incomes we’re looking at those nice apartments complexes over near mill number 5 (Jackson street lofts). Question is, I’ve heard that neighborhood isnt great because of the homeless shelter nearby.

The plan is to buy parking at the city garage, but I wanna ask people who are currently living in the city what they think. Neighborhoodscout would have you thinking that it’s more dangerous than the acre which I just don’t buy.

The primary concern is vehicle theft, and walking at night, the apartment will be behind multiple locked doors so I’m not worried about that too much.

We live in Melrose right now but the rent is just nuts, plus I work in Chelmsford so it makes more sense to consider Lowell again

Thanks!

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thatlldopigthatldo t1_iutca5a wrote

I live downtown. Park in the city garage.

No issues personally.

Car has been fine (knock on wood) and I’ve walked my gfs dog at night without any issues.

This is from a male’s perspective- just as an FYI.

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[deleted] OP t1_iutdioo wrote

Which garage do you park in? I’m looking at the one on Jackson street

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csdots t1_iutkqnx wrote

I park my car in the Jackson St. garage and haven't had any issues. I walk my (tiny) dog along Jackson St. at night (and morning, and afternoon). I've lived here for 6 years without any problems. I'm small and female. I like living near Mill no. 5, the train station, a bunch of restaurants, some good bars, etc. My husband can't drive and the small city has enough amenities that it's not really a problem.

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[deleted] OP t1_iuw7j2c wrote

Thanks! How is that garage? I own a car that is kind of known for being a thief magnet, and the concern is that there's really nothing stopping someone from walking into that garage and doing whatever they want. Is it typically full? Or what's the general vibe in there like? I'm planning on going in there at night and seeing how I feel about it.

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csdots t1_iv0poqm wrote

There’s security. It’s very busy/full during the day and very quiet after 6:00-ish.

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BostonBoy01 t1_iv1fmvh wrote

SRT?

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[deleted] OP t1_iv2x3bv wrote

Lol that was a really good guess but no, late model Mustang GT, not as bad as an SRT but still enough for me to worry.

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GaryVanHagar t1_ivaqupw wrote

Be advised. Rent is insane. We live next to a crack den and it’s 1800 a month.

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ironysparkles t1_iuvrr31 wrote

Last I checked Lowell has a cer capita crime rate lower than the national average.

I live near downtown and my apartment complex has recently sent out a notice about car break-ins, but generally if you're parking somewhere lit and not leaving valuables visibly in your car it's not going to be a problem.

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[deleted] OP t1_iuw3zmb wrote

that's an average, in terms of property crime its way higher than the national average, which is why my primary concern is my car and the garage. I spent the insane money for the reports for the neighborhood, 33rd overall percentile for downtown area. Its very safe (on paper) for violent crime (54th percentile) but for property crime which includes all kinds of theft its the 29th percentile.

This is why i'm concerned

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joshualan t1_iv8cv43 wrote

Live in downtown rn, homeless is the worst it's ever been :/

edit: mill no 5 is p safe tho, you're good

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RickyDontLoseThat t1_iut813x wrote

Frankly, it's a little hairy downtown right now. With time things may change. Maybe for the better. The markets are tight everywhere it seems. It's an expensive game of musical chairs.

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vtjohnhurt t1_iutnh5w wrote

What do you mean by 'hairy'? Do you mean housing is expensive?

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RickyDontLoseThat t1_iuuh431 wrote

No. I mean hobos will be shitting in your doorway and shooting up behind your dumpster. We're kind of in a post-pandemic limbo period where a lot of things are starting back up but the streets are still a little deserted at times and the only people out there are the disadvantaged and homeless. I live and work in downtown Lowell. The rental rates are creeping up too.

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vtjohnhurt t1_iuvwh4c wrote

Much of the public urination, defecation, drug use in downtown Lowell comes from the weekend bar crowd. Sidewalk disturbances happen on schedule 1:40 am - 2:05 am Friday-Sunday. Pretty easy to avoid.

Likewise for the 30 minutes when the high school kids are walking home after school.

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[deleted] OP t1_iuya6h0 wrote

Thanks for the reply, this is the kind of info I’m looking for

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[deleted] OP t1_iutb6ds wrote

That’s what I was afraid to hear, but such is life. What are you seeing these days that’s making you say that?

It’s so odd, you look at these places and they’re beautiful and have tons of amenities, I can’t figure out why they built them where they did.

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vtjohnhurt t1_iutncp3 wrote

> I can’t figure out why they built them where they did.

It's a great location if you want to live in an extremely walkable area with economic and ethnic diversity.

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[deleted] OP t1_iutwzcq wrote

I mean maybe but I just don’t think it’s a long term play. Malden is arguably worse and they sell apartments for $4k a month just because of the orange line.

There aren’t a lot of Boston commuters in Lowell, so they can’t capture that crowd who is used to paying high rent.

Which is why I don’t understand their play, maybe they feel there’s enough market in and around Lowell to hit their money goal

Either way, I don’t think cultural diversity is what they’re selling.

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Sbatio t1_iutz9bk wrote

Lowell is awesome and no matter what part you consider there is a diversity of cost in housing you won’t find else where in the region. (Mansions next to regular housing next to tiny cottages)

The public schools are good and safe until High School then it’s a little rough but that’s partly a function of it being the largest high school in the state. Their academically advanced program gets kids into the Ivy League.

Unchanging Reasons Lowell is uniquely stable financially:

  1. ⁠⁠UMASS Lowel is never leaving and continues to make HUGE financial investments and improvements to the city.
  2. ⁠⁠It’s a National Park, that’s never changing and protects the beauty / history of the city. Also more guaranteed money.
  3. ⁠⁠Medical Infrastructure, as rural hospitals continue to close and have poor outcomes the city’s hospitals continue to grow and expand.
  4. ⁠⁠District Court House isn’t exciting but having it here draws money into the economy.

And! Location Location Location:

a. At the intersection of 93, 495, RT-3 and lesser main roads.

b. At the end of the Commuter Rail to Boston.

c. 35-50 minutes to the beach.

d. 5 miles to tax free NH

e. 35–50 minutes to Boston Logan

f. 4 hours from Lower Manhattan if you leave at the right time. (Closer to NYC than Boston is.)

g. 15 minutes to the closest ski mountain.

h. Vandenberg Esplanade along the Merrimack River. (Beach, boating, fishing, exercise, and beauty.)

It’s also a diverse and integrated city. It’s so rare! Everyone living mixed up together, people from all over the world. There is huge value to kids raised in this city.

There is no place like it!!

Things to do in Lowell by me, Sbatio the Mod

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vtjohnhurt t1_iuu6sni wrote

> It’s also a diverse and integrated city. It’s so rare! Everyone living mixed up together, people from all over the world. There is huge value to kids raised in this city.

This is a huge value to me a grownup without kids. The walkability makes it a very healthy place for me to live.

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wissahickon_schist t1_iuuebmp wrote

Unless LHS has changed dramatically in the past 20 years since I left Lowell, which might be the case- when I was there (class of 03) the hugeness of the school was far from a liability. The state at least used to give a lot of great funding. I was offered a full ride to Phillips Exeter, Bishop Guertin and Lowell Catholic and chose LHS for Show Choir and the Communications Academy. Did a concentration in photography in the CommAcad and have now been a moderately successful commercial photographer for 10+ years.

Again it’s been a long time, but my experience at LHS as a borderline-“gifted” queer white guy with mild ADHD was the best I could’ve hoped for. Coming from Franco and two years at Wang, LHS introduced me to different cultures and religions, and allowed me to safely explore my identity with very few negative experiences.

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Sbatio t1_iutyf3b wrote

Being a rental property owner is a no brainer in all of Massachusetts. Buy into Lowell if you can.

I have an annoyingly long list of why Lowell is uniquely awesome, if I find it I will share it.

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In-Verse t1_iuukb7c wrote

Why do you say that Malden is arguably worse?

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[deleted] OP t1_iuw4ww4 wrote

Rent is just too high for what that city is, managed apartments with parking come to $3k+ on average. I'd rather live in Somerville at that rate, Malden isn't far enough away from Boston to have that "quiet" feel, but its not close enough to feel like you're in the action. The city itself is fine, I spend a lot of time there.

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In-Verse t1_iuwwd42 wrote

Thank you for your response. I also like Malden. I've had a good time going up Waitts park and walking on the bike path. I am jealous of their Super 88.

I can't believe Malden got that expensive.

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[deleted] OP t1_iuxiecl wrote

The food in Malden is great, I particularly love the hotpot place that very clearly used to be a chilis. They kept the interior decor and just added hotpot stuff. Just hard to get something affordable, my friend is paying $2.6k for a 1 bed with one parking spot. If you’re curious to see what I’m talking about check out the “J Malden center” complex. It’s bonkers

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Sbatio t1_ivavv7k wrote

I have been thinking about your post and was out for dinner last night. We didn’t want to go home so we took a drive around..down from Tyngsboro, past the Esplanade, over the Aiken St Bridge, down into the Acre, past the new courthouse and went over to Gary’s Restaurant and Bar (a cool spot to check out).

The Acre seems to have all the potential to become a really nice/expensive neighborhood in the next 15-20 years but is yet to start transforming. That means cheaper buy-in, higher growth potential.

But i just surfed through Zillow and there are a lot of gorgeous condos along the river and it looks like supply is building up(market is slowing down) if you can lock in a rate before the next Fed increase and then drag your feel closing on a place you might realize a substantial benefit.

I saw some 2 family houses in South Lowell in the range of 2 bed condo prices (when you include the condo fee). That would be the best investment IMHO.

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[deleted] OP t1_ivcl22b wrote

I think the potential is there, the acre especially since it’s bad reputation drives down the cost. But it’s bad reputation (deserved or undeserved) is what’s slowing down development there. The acre could be nice, but nobody cares about it so it continues to rot.

My specific confusion with Jackson street lofts, and Appleton is that they are right next to the homeless shelter. I guess the long game is hoping the homeless population decreases or the shelter is relocated.

Middlesex street specifically, I think is untapped potential for sure. It’s a perfect area for a little strip with stores and restaurants. I think people shy away from it because of the homeless.

South Lowell is probably the hottest area I’d say, it has the best feel overall. One of my coworkers lives there and he really likes it.

I really don’t hate Lowell, it’s just that for me personally it’s not going to work out. We looked because the cost of living is low and we want to buy a house so we need to save money. My fiancée lived there for years, her parents lived there and I went to school there. Everyone seems to think I hate the city. But I’m just being realistic, with one of us having a commute to Boston, it’s a tough sell already. Combined with the lower than average safety, it becomes a very hard sell.

I see Lowell eventually going the way of Lynn, it’s reputation will never die but eventually the property value will start to go up. It is a city screaming for an industry, Macom is definitely really helping the city out by sticking around. Time will tell, but that area of the state is a hothead for RF and Microwave development. Raytheon spawned off a lot of smaller companies in the area over the years.

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bbaction101 t1_ivv2wfu wrote

I live in downtown closer to Market St and have noticed that Jackson Street and Middlesex St east of South St is generally fine. The rowdy-ness around the Transitional Living Center is far enough away from the Jackson/Appleton lofts that I wouldn't say it's a significant factor to the safety of the area. Not saying the area is perfect, rather it's about as safe as anywhere in downtown. I experience way more unhinged folks on Merrimack St than around Jackson St.

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ironysparkles t1_iuvrfp0 wrote

Amenities as in the apartments made from old mill buildings? They didn't build them there. The mills have been there for forever and they were converted to apartments. It's amazing usable space and every city has issues overall and in certain areas.

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[deleted] OP t1_iuw60e5 wrote

Yes they all offer a good list of amenities, all of them have a gym, allow pets, most have keyless entry, rooftop balconies, the list goes on.

And I'm sure you know, but I know they didn't build the buildings. I know what a mill apartment is.

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ironysparkles t1_iuw7mz7 wrote

Yes I know the amenities, they offer them because they're desirable! You literally said you don't know why they built the apartments where they did lol

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[deleted] OP t1_iuw7zs7 wrote

i'm confused, why would you think i meant build the mill? I meant built the apartments, which they did

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ratbas t1_iuv1aqb wrote

Pick your apartment complex carefully. Some of them have pretty negligent management. I'm not sure if Dee Tension is on here under any name, but on FB he's always good for a few horror stories of that nature.

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