Hey all. I'm receiving a job offer to work in Fall River. I keep hearing that it might not be the best place, crime wise, so what are some decent surrounding areas to live? I don't mind working somewhere "sketchy" but I'd like somewhere generally safe to sleep. I'm down for commuting up to 30-40 min away. If you have any recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it. Also! Any other tips for renting, living in MA, anything! Thanks in advance.

Edit: I'm sorry for the lack of response, just came back from a 11 hr work day. Thank you everyone for your input! I will definitely research these areas.

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Fishercat5000 t1_jdzi7r3 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:02 AM

#2,412,539

Fall River is pretty small. There are lots of nice towns in the area. Most of these towns are rural to suburban. Dighton, Berkley, Somerset and Freetown come to mind.

Adorable_List3836 t1_jdzii0g wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:06 AM

#2,412,572

I live pretty close to Fall River and I don’t really think it’s that bad, I used to go there a lot for work and I’ve had family that lived there, it’s like any small city, there’s going to be some type of sketchiness. If your looking to rent an apartment, I would personally be looking at East Providence, Pawtucket or Taunton, but the sketchiness level will be on par with Fall River. Pretty much anything surrounding Fall River is going to be a suburb and apartments will be hard to find. I would stay away from New Bedford though the sketchiness goes up a notch there. Swansea, Somerset, Dartmouth, Falmouth, Seekonk and Rehoboth are all nice but apartments will be limited and houses are crazy money. Don’t forget that you won’t be too far from Rhode Island so check that out too.

vases t1_jdziiuh wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:06 AM

#2,412,576

The neighborhood up the hill in NE Fall River is pretty nice. Most of the towns within 30-40 minutes should be fine. If you want more urban living outside of Fall River that's not a town, you might like parts of New Bedford, and the Providence metro is nearby.

ZaphodG t1_jdzk4fp wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:28 AM

#2,412,768

Replying to vases (#2,412,576)

Agreed. The northern part of Fall River east of Highland Avenue around Bristol Community College is ok.

wet_cupcake t1_jdzol8g wrote on March 28, 2023 at 11:21 AM

#2,413,442

I know it’s not MA but you should check out Tiverton, Portsmouth, Bristol. Still very close. Went to college in Bristol and love the area.

Dseltzer1212 t1_jdzvuwv wrote on March 28, 2023 at 12:31 PM

#2,414,579

There some very nice homes in Assonet in the Assonet Bay Area

uncle_freshflow t1_jdzw8rx wrote on March 28, 2023 at 12:35 PM

#2,414,639

Replying to wet_cupcake (#2,413,442)

2nd this, these are some great towns to live in, but can be pricey. Also recommend looking in the Bridgewater area, lots of college students around so more rentals available than in other Massachusetts suburbs. Plus closer to Boston and access to commuter rail.

wet_cupcake t1_je017v1 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 1:16 PM

#2,415,500

Replying to uncle_freshflow (#2,414,639)

Agreed they can be pricey. But you can also find a decent amount of rentals. Still have friends who have stayed 10 years later in Bristol. Certainly can be done.

funferalia t1_je05ozz wrote on March 28, 2023 at 1:50 PM

#2,416,339

Freetown, Somerset Swansea and North Dartmouth

LowBarometer t1_je08cmu wrote on March 28, 2023 at 2:08 PM

#2,416,879

There are some nice neighborhoods in Fall River. One is off Eastern Ave near Diman High.

Kriegenstein t1_je0a1d5 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 2:20 PM

#2,417,210

Replying to wet_cupcake (#2,413,442)

Bristol is great, I grew up there, but getting out of Bristol to go anywhere is a nightmare. South over Mt. Hope Bridge to Fall River is slightly less of a mess, but it still sucks.

Kriegenstein t1_je0a896 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 2:21 PM

#2,417,249

Replying to Fishercat5000 (#2,412,539)

Rehoboth as well. It's about 22 minutes from Rehoboth to Fall River. Same with West Bridgewater.

stevenl1219 t1_je0afmh wrote on March 28, 2023 at 2:23 PM

#2,417,291

Growing up in Somerset, I've always loved how conveniently close it is to Fall River. The only thing that sucks about it is the high property taxes.

OkayTryAgain t1_je0f7og wrote on March 28, 2023 at 2:55 PM

#2,418,081

Replying to Kriegenstein (#2,417,249)

Seems odd to lump those two together. They aren't exactly neighbors. Or neighbors of neighbors for that matter.

wet_cupcake t1_je0fzk0 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 3:00 PM

#2,418,215

Replying to Kriegenstein (#2,417,210)

Metacom Ave was my nightmare during my time at RWU. South I preferred and ultimately settled in Portsmouth for a bit.

Wholesomeguy123 t1_je14jp8 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 5:36 PM

#2,422,408

Nobody here mentioned Westport yet, also close to fall river...

torniz t1_je1kl2v wrote on March 28, 2023 at 7:16 PM

#2,425,260

The north end of Fall River is not so sketchy, same for the southernmost portion of the Maplewood neighborhood(Tucker St/Kennedy St south to the Tiverton line. Bonus for the latter, you’re close to shopping and amenities.

Automatic_Lecture910 t1_je1zhxc wrote on March 28, 2023 at 8:47 PM

#2,427,689

Berkley is nice, rural.

Magisterbrown t1_je241aq wrote on March 28, 2023 at 9:16 PM

#2,428,498

New Bedford is relatively cheap, coastal, and parts of it are very safe. Strongly advised.

funferalia t1_je28htz wrote on March 28, 2023 at 9:46 PM

#2,429,269

Replying to stevenl1219 (#2,417,291)

Somerset Where Some are Set and some are not 😆

ZaphodG t1_je2g0lq wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:38 PM

#2,430,586

Replying to Adorable_List3836 (#2,412,572)

New Bedford is like Fall River. There are sections where nobody would want to live as well as some nice neighborhoods. The West End around Buttonwood Park is solid middle class and is close to Route 140 so access to Fall River is easy.

ZaphodG t1_je2giu8 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:42 PM

#2,430,685

I’d point out that without knowing the housing budget, it’s tough to say anything useful.

amaranemone t1_je2hit0 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:49 PM

#2,430,854

Taunton is better than it looks. It has a ton of parks.

Omphaloskeptique t1_je2l8er wrote on March 28, 2023 at 11:16 PM

#2,431,548

You're gonna be doing a lot of doobie-rolling when you're living in a van down by the river!

Junior_Emotion5681 t1_je4dq52 wrote on March 29, 2023 at 10:03 AM

#2,442,933

I work in Fall River Industrial Park and I commute from Weymouth. My commute is around 40-45 minutes. Morning commute so I’m going against rush hour, it’s sooo nice. All my co workers that live around like Assonet and stuff, yeah it’s nice and like 10 minutes away, but they don’t have anything to do or anywhere to hangout.

On the other hand, I’m extremely close to Boston. When I got the job, I told my wife I wanted to be looking for something along 24, first week I told her, never mind, I love my commute. 2 months into the job, still feel the same. Better close to Boston than close to work.

Junior_Emotion5681 t1_je4duw7 wrote on March 29, 2023 at 10:04 AM

#2,442,951

Replying to Adorable_List3836 (#2,412,572)

Falmouth is way too far. Better move closer to Boston and commute to Fall River than commute from Falmouth. Specially during the summer.

Kriegenstein t1_je4s1kx wrote on March 29, 2023 at 12:37 PM

#2,445,556

Replying to OkayTryAgain (#2,418,081)

No, they are not. I mentioned it because it was one of the towns that had not been mentioned by others, and both are a reasonable commute to Fall River.

Jimmyking4ever t1_jeeyr2g wrote on March 31, 2023 at 3:02 PM

#2,533,060

North end is perfectly fine. Lived there with and without kids for years.

My uncle still lives there in a condo hasn't had any issues.

The only thing I'd warn you about is South Winds. Everything is included in rent but you don't get your deposit back.

Worst thing to happen there was the upstairs neighbor had their dog pee on the balcony and it got my roommate.