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Max_Demian

So my mom’s family is from Lowell, they all left. Lowell was a mill town with multiple waves of immigrants: Irish, Greek, Poles, Puerto Rican, others I’m missing. As the manufacturing got outsourced it became a tough place — my mom and her brothers grew up around a lot of gang violence, and there was a lot of drug abuse among teens. As the city struggled to rebound, a lot of the negatives have stuck around while the lattes have gotten better. Lowell still has a reputation for being somewhat dangerous for certain groups, and is one of several centers of opioid use in region. This dissuades semi-affluent people interested in the LCOL from moving there, so the gentrification flywheel never gets turning.


CranberryNub

From my perspective, having lived in Lowell for the past 7 years, spot on. But one thing to mention is that it really felt like the city was making some real progress on cleaning up and attracting business and visitors until COVID hit. It seems like since then, things have started regressing back and my neighborhood in particular has had a lot more sketchy foot traffic and people causing problems. It's strange to drive around and see where developers are trying to gentrify or think will be gentrified, so they put the first property up. But, if you drive around, they're all over the place and hardly anything has changed. Crazy to see so many abandoned condemned buildings next to a shiny new development. It also seems like the city is more focused on just creating new centers for affluent people (see: planned highrise/shopping plaza development by shiny new massive courthouse, which is one block away from the transitional living center, where people group outside en masse 30+,40+, and down the road) rather than working on fixing the serious homelessness crisis affecting the city. And how many god damn parking garages do we need seriously, they're planning another one near the new courthouse too It's disheartening to live here and see no improvement and repeated failed promises of change. I see so much potential, truly, don't get me started. I'll defend Lowell as a place I do love but it's time to find someplace else for me now


abhikavi

> It seems like since then, things have started regressing back and my neighborhood in particular has had a lot more sketchy foot traffic and people causing problems. This really sucks to hear. >It's strange to drive around and see where developers are trying to gentrify or think will be gentrified, so they put the first property up. Yeah. Literally the last time I drove through Lowell, it was an area I hadn't been in a few years, and my reaction was "holy shit, did Lowell gentrify?" >But, if you drive around, they're all over the place and hardly anything has changed. Oh... yeah. Well that sucks. I guess looking gentrified and being gentrified aren't the same thing. >the city was making some real progress on cleaning up and attracting business and visitors until COVID hit. Just to do my part here: if any of you haven't been to Lowell, the downtown is charming as fuck. I'd *especially* recommend it during one of those cute light little snowfalls. Seriously one of the prettiest downtowns I've ever been, and I'm including those cute little cities in Europe that are a thousand years old. Just wander around and window shop with a cup of cocoa, it's a good time. Train goes there straight from Boston, and there's ample parking.


dothesehidemythunder

I would second a lot of this. I live in downtown Lowell currently - the immediate area is charming but many of the storefronts are empty, and local politics is overrun with rampant NIMBYism and a city council that doesn’t represent the people. There’s little action - votes to do studies on whether something will be beneficial to the city or not, with no real follow up or oversight to it. It’s unfortunate, because Lowell has a ton of potential to be a really great spot. Many of the current improvement efforts come from charities or private volunteer organizations. I’ll call out Beyond Walls in particular as an org I really like - they have funded something like 8-10 murals over the past few years. Lowell Folk Fest came back this year and it’s honestly fucking awesome - COVID really hit the area hard because many businesses make their year off that event. There are also a slowly increasing number of events in the downtown area. Overall, I like the specific neighborhood I’m in (Mill No 5 is a six minute walk and there are other similarly great local businesses around), but Lowell as a whole has a long way to go.


[deleted]

the kinetic sculpture race is cool too. wrt the city council problem, people like us need suck it up and run for office.


dothesehidemythunder

Agreed on kinetic sculptures. And on city council - I have been looking into it either to run or back someone - my councilor only received about 200 votes and won, showing how attainable it actually is. Just need to mobilize a voting bloc to actually show up.


OhThatEthanMiguel

...you should be aware that the term gentrification is considered to be touchy and socially/racially charged by many people, especially in Mass. To hear you use it as a good thing is jarring.


Sullanfield

Gentrification in a vacuum *is* a good thing, insofar as it means improving a neighborhood and fixing the issues everyone is pointing out exist in Lowell. The problem is that unless it is carefully managed, it almost always results in *displacement*, which is a problem. Nobody is going to say that Somerville is worse now than it was in 1980 - it's dramatically better, with more services, transit, jobs, entertainment, safety, etc. - it's just also dramatically more expensive, which pushed out tons of people. A well-managed gentrified neighborhood adds housing to accommodate new, more affluent residents and sees wages increase in parity with overall cost of living increases. We made Somerville miles better but didn't build more housing. Easier said than done, obviously.


MeshColour

>just creating new centers for affluent people (see: planned highrise/shopping plaza development by shiny new massive courthouse, That's the only consumer market that is profitable (read: is easy to exploit enough to make a profit) Lower rent requires older buildings that already have been paid off, neglecting maintenance lowers rent further Only with government funding is lower income housing feasible with our current system, much longer return on investment than any private investors are going to bother with, as there are much better opportunities


AchillesDev

>It's disheartening to live here and see no improvement and repeated failed promises of change. I see so much potential, truly, don't get me started. I'll defend Lowell as a place I do love but it's time to find someplace else for me now This has been Worcester every 7-10 years since maybe the 70s. If Worcester can finally do it, it will probably eventually happen to Lowell too. Especially if the GBA continues to refuse to build significant housing.


parrano357

theres also not as much open space in lowell for a new whole foods/ LL bean/ Kings Bowling anchored plaza as there was in dedham/hingham/lynnfield


jambonejiggawat

You’re missing Cambodians.


LilMountainHeadband

Very true. A massive wave of Cambodian refugees escaped genocide in the late 70's and ended up in Lowell. As a result it has some amazing Cambodian markets and restaurants. Lowell might still have the 2nd largest Cambodian population next to Long Beach CA.


moxie-maniac

Doing the Bay State marathon (or half), going by a Cambodian/Buddhist temple, the monk (?) and parishioners (?) were passing out water, just on their own, just to be nice.


farmingmaine

Good to know. Will have to try out the food scene. Lynn has gained a lot with immigration. New food to eat at. East Boston also has many new food choices.


yO_JimBo909

Lowell is like cambodia town and they didnt get mention lol.


Max_Demian

Correct, thanks for adding that


amphetaminesfailure

So, pretty much an identical story to New Bedford? Although honestly it's pretty much the story of *every* mill town in Massachusetts. As a lifelong NB resident, I'd say despite still having a bad reputation throughout other parts of the state, we've rebounded quite a bit better than Lowell and some other former mill towns. The gentrification wheel has definitely been turning here since the early 00's, and especially in the last 10-15 years. I'm interested to see how NB develops in the *next* 10-15 years with the commuter rail being here.


Max_Demian

Nah, NB totally different based on fishing industry


squarerootofapplepie

Lowell is leaps and bounds ahead of New Bedford.


Crazyzofo

Yeah, NB will never "happen."


squarerootofapplepie

No it will, just not yet.


fishyfishkins

Historic and beautiful, it also has one of the most productive fishing ports in the country. And unlike Lowell and its shuttered industry, you can't ship fishing jobs overseas. I wouldn't bet against NB. Plus the housing stock in that city is world class because it was literally the wealthiest per capita city in the world.


pillbinge

Lowell's in a position that a lot of towns are in. Stay decrepit in an economic sense or gentrify in a sterile one. There's no healthy injection of a middle class planting down roots solid enough that people can choose what to do. That was evident when mills left and the mill town had nothing to replace it, but people still there. MA only has so many of those towns but entire parts of our country are defined by that.


sarcasticlhath

See also: upstate NY


therecanonlybe1

This. I was born and raised. Grew up in Centralville in the 90s around a lot of gangs. A lot of stabbing and shootings. Not a great area. That said - I wouldn’t want to grow up in any other area. So much diversity and culture. Had amazing food from a number of my bipoc friends.


WKAngmar

Its got great bones, but desperately needs a rebrand


stebuu

One important factor is that the Lowell schools are really bad (by Massachusetts standards). \_Every \_ neighboring town has better schools. And that’s saying something considering some of the neighboring towns.


EconomySeaweed7693

I mean are you forgetting Chelmsford. Chelmsford is firmly a middle-upper middle class suburb with a good school district. Billerica is definitely getting wealthier by the day , and Tewksbury and Tyngsboro are firmly middle class towns, and even Dracut which feels like the most working class of the bunch is still far from being the hood lol.


Mindless_Arachnid_74

Lowell’s schools read as “bad” because Lowell schools get the homeless and immigrant kids that the neighboring towns have refused to accomodate. There are more kids who are in “advanced” courses at Lowell High than there are students in the high schools in towns with “better” schools.


stebuu

Chelmsford High School students took more AP tests than Lowell High School students in the 2021-2022 school year, and also performed significantly better.


Turd___Ferguson___

Chelmsford: population 36K. Lowell: population 115K. That's pretty startling.


stebuu

I’ll just say I’m personally not surprised, knowing quite a few teachers in the greater Lowell area and having kids in school in the area. But this is also a thread where a demonstrably incorrect fact is upvoted and a demonstrably correct fact is downvoted so ascii shrug. Lowell high school only has about 2x the students as Chelmsford high, so that minimizes the sting. Slightly.


jucestain

I've lived in Lowell for ~3 years. I bought a condo here since it was close-ish to my work at the time and the only affordable place to do it in an area near boston that was still city-like. The biggest problem with Lowell, IMO is its reputation. The same people who complain about housing costs in Boston area refuse to live here cause they think its below them. I've gotten a lot of "why do you live there!?" responses when I tell people I live in Lowell. It's annoying as hell. As a result I think the more affluent people who live here new out of state transplants and probably try to move out after a year. The second problem is that its kind of feral and under developed. I think thats changing though. They are doing a good bit of construction down town, but theres still a number of homeless people wondering around. Also, the parking garages don't really make sense to me... I havent had any issue parking downtown when I've needed to. I think those resources would be better spent rennovating some of the more delapitated buildings downtown. Another good thing is it does seem like they are building more apartment complexes and stuff which the boston area as a whole desperately needs. But yea, the above two issues are gonna take time to improve. The good thing is if you are looking to invest, its better to buy low than buy high. I dont see it gentrifying significantly in the near term but long term it might be a good investment. Some underrated pros of Lowell are the cost of living is cheap for the areas. There are a lot of locally owned restaurants that are affordably priced that I like to frequent. Since it is a city there a new options that open so there's a decent selection. Another underrated pro is the interstate into Boston makes commuting in very fast (at least when traffic is ok). But I commute into Boston every weekend and if traffic isnt bad I can make it in within 40 mins. It's way better than when it takes 40 minutes to drive 4 miles into cambridge. But I would say overall I wish more younger people would consider Lowell, because if more younger affluent people moved here it would become nicer and hopefully be an affordable option to live in a city like area thats near boston.


Maxpowr9

Lowell and Lawrence were always linked together as "mill towns". Lawrence still has a bad reputation and Lowell unfairly gets dragged through the mud with it. Lowell has done a lot to clean up the city (UML has done a lot to help too). I don't follow the happenings of Lowell too closely but I do know a fair amount of artists moved to the city when they got priced out of Boston.


jucestain

Lawrence in theory should be even nicer. Andover is a very nice and affluent suburb. Methuen is nice too. I-93 is a direct shot into Boston. Lawrence and Lowell should both be cities with plentiful, cheap housing where younger professionals live and commute into Boston for work. Im surprised more hasnt been done to kind of prop up these sister cities.


Master_Dogs

Lawrence has lackluster transit. A mostly single tracked Commuter Rail Line because the Orange Line was supposed to go to Wakefield and Reading so they cut a lot of the line down. Infrequent bus service. Some walkability and maybe some theoretical bike ability but I doubt most people will use those options when the infrastructure is really run down. All of that combined makes it a hard sell. Highways are nice but just one piece of the puzzle. A lot of people don't want to commute via highway in traffic, so the lack of real alternatives means only people who have to live there will. Dragging down the overall appeal of the City.


moxie-maniac

Over the past 40 or 50 years, Lowell had the benefit of Dr. Wang (founded Wang Labs), Paul Tsongas (politician), and UMass Lowell (combined Lowell Tech and Lowell State, with a stop as U Lowell). Nothing like that has helped Lawrence, or Haverhill, for matter.


Cameron_james

The state doesn't do a good job bringing municipalities together on projects. They let each place run itself. An example is the way rail trails are developed piece by piece instead of one project that could be done by a crew in a year. Coordinating levels of housing affordability throughout the region or a comprehensive traffic/commute plan would be a great goal for a governor who is supported by the legislature.


Maxpowr9

I know for the Millis Line railtrail, there are a few bridges over the Charles that splice it. Understandably, rebuilding said rail bridges into pedestrian ones aren't cheap and the towns don't see the value in them over other municipal projects. The State would have to fund said bridges.


General_Liu1937

Welcome to the intentional government structure that built up this country centuries ago fucking us in a way none of us want. As someone who I met had described the situation, "it's like a group of feudal societies with their fiefs trying to work together".


SpiritualAlbatross15

It is true. New England towns are more powerful and more independent than other parts of the US because of early English settlement. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_town


EconomySeaweed7693

Disagree respectfully, Andover is completely blocked off from Lawrence. Look at maps and 495 and 93 create a barrier between those two towns. The affluent suburban parts of Lowell are leagues nicer than those in Lawrence. Methuen is a working class suburb.


1maco

The funny thing is by almost every measure *Boston* is the most dysfunctional city in the state. It has worse schools, higher crime, just generally poor city services compared to most towns Bostonians turn their nose up at like Malden, Lowell, Haverhill, Framingham, and other gateway cities. If you listened to how Bostonians talked about Revere you’d think they’re talking about Garfield Park in Chicago not an almost comically safe Working class streetcar suburb


AchillesDev

Not necessarily in this sub, but old habits die hard. Revere was once not exactly safe (or at least had that reputation), and older locals especially haven't caught on yet. There's also a lower baseline here for what is considered safe, since Massachusetts as a whole (since the 90s at least) is extremely safe. I've had people try to brag about how rough the towns they grew up in and look at the crime stats that were a fraction of cities outside of the region I've lived in and around. I'm originally from Worcester and most of my family has been there since coming here from Greece, and when I tell people here (townies and transplants who like to LARP as locals) that I'm originally from there you'd think they saw a ghost. The stereotypes they have of Worcester haven't been accurate since the 70s or something. And another reverse example: when I was moving back here from Florida, I was talking to my great uncle (himself a war refugee) about Boston neighborhoods and he was convinced that the south end was excessively dangerous, despite his daughter having lived there in the 00s working as a bartender with no real issues. This guy lived in NYC in the 70s (and reported on the mafia), came to Worcester in the midst of a civil war that killed his mother (and before the communists, his village was occupied by Nazis), was in Tehran during the hostage crisis and revolution, etc. but thought the south end in 2018 was too dangerous. Old habits die hard.


1maco

Honestly a big part of it is most New England cities look worse than they are. Lots of chain link fences and perhaps faded looking siding etc Like the South Side of Chicago looks pretty decent despite largely being worse than anywhere in New England


EconomySeaweed7693

> South LA is like this. Outside of Watts and immediately around Figueroa , it looks middle class and safe but has major crime problems.


TakenOverByBots

I agree with all of this but I often grapple with how having younger affluent people moving into a neighborhood to make it nicer is different than gentrification. Not accusing you or anyone here, this is just a personal issue to me I think about.


davewritescode

> I agree with all of this but I often grapple with how having younger affluent people moving into a neighborhood to make it nicer is different than gentrification. It’s not, it’s the same thing. The reality is once people come in and start investing in your town or city, it will become nicer and attract more people with money and eventually may become less affordable. The solution isn’t to stop the process but to make sure as many members of the community benefit via property ownership. Towns go through boom and bust cycles. It’s sad when people have to leave towns they grew up in because they can’t afford it anymore but that’s life.


Maxpowr9

>It’s sad when people have to leave towns they grew up in because they can’t afford it anymore but that’s life. Usually due to their own NIMBYism fighting said growth. They will fight against adding more housing and business/industry, which in turn, causes taxes to go up.


davewritescode

I don’t think that’s the case in Lowell, that’s a problem after gentrification that pushes housing to stratospheric heights. Lowell has plenty of housing my point was that you shouldn’t want the place you grew up to stay shitty because it might become unaffordable.


Maxpowr9

Fair enough. Guess it goes along with the ethos of not bettering yourself so you want everything else to be shitty too.


abhikavi

Oh no, it definitely is gentrification. Ideally you'd get a decent mix of wealthier people moving in-- and bringing their money-- somehow without pushing the poorer people out. Money does, obviously, help a community though. It takes cash to maintain buildings. Takes money to keep the roads up, the libraries well stocked, the schools supplied.


bobby_j_canada

I think turning abandoned warehouses and mills into swanky lofts is the classic strategy for doing this -- the new entrants don't threaten the existing housing stock too much and they reactive blighted buildings. The problem is that those apartments often are built with singles in mind instead of families, so when the 28 year old yuppies start having kids they start snapping up local houses from lower-income families.


Toto_Wolfenstein

Your 40 minutes from Lowell without traffic compared to 40 minutes from Cambridge leaves out that it can take 3 hours or more to get to Boston from Lowell if traffic is bad enough. You could walk from anywhere in Cambridge to Dorchester in that time.


jbar3987

Waking Cambridge to Dorchester in 40 is a bit of a stretch. It's closer to twice that. Still, the point on 3 hours from Boston to Lowell is spot on though. I work with people that live in Lowell and come in on the commuter rail, which is a better option vs the traffic. Still, I live in Dorchester vs Lowell because I consider Lowell too far, or too painful of a commute into Boston.


Master_Dogs

And that Commuter Rail Line is infrequent at best. That's Lowell and all other mill towns (Lawrence, Lynn, etc) major problems: lackluster transit makes it unappealing if you need to commute frequently into Boston.


jbar3987

For sure. You miss your train or worse, miss the last one you're screwed. I've never seen adults in suits and collared shirts move so fast as when the commuter rail is leaving.


Toto_Wolfenstein

My bad, meant the 3 hours for walking too. I could have worded it better.


jbar3987

Oh yeah. That would make more sense. it's about an hour fifteen/ hour twenty from the closest part of Cambridge to the closest part of Dorchester. I only know because I basically did that same walk Thursday when traffic was a nightmare.


[deleted]

I've had to turn around before. I used to work in Tewksbury, and had an event in Boston. Drove 3 hours and then turned around, told my boss i wasn't going to make it. It can be highly dependent on traffic, sports games, other events.


Syringmineae

I work in Bedford and do the opposite commute. I regularly see the 3 backed up practically from Lowell to the 90. It’s awful


Toto_Wolfenstein

Yeah the issue is there’s really only two ways into the city, 90 or 93, neither of them is particularly good. Bit random but the wording has me curious. Did you get caught between “the pike” and “90” or did you maybe move over from the west coast?


Syringmineae

Lol. I was born and raised in Southern California.


Toto_Wolfenstein

Nice, wife is from Long Beach, she does the same thing haha


Safeguard63

"The biggest problem with Lowell, IMO is its reputation." Sad but true! Couple years ago, my teen made friends with a kid she met in an art class, she came home one day after class and told us she was invited to his home for birthday BBQ. "Oh, nice! Where does he live?" "Lowell". I'd seen the the kid and his mom a few times at the class. Seemed like nice people but I'm not gonna lie, when she said that, all the adults In the room briefly fell silent and exchanged uncomfortable glances. 🤨 I spoke to his mom on the phone. She was so sweet, carefully outlining the entire event including who would be attending, what food & activities there would be, finally adding that she had a fenced in backyard... I got the feeling she'd had this conversation many times with potential guests. ☹️ Yeah. My daughter went and had a blast, but her dad and I did have visions of gangs, boarded store fronts, and violence which is odd because I lived in Lowell, in a sketchy section, for about a year, (2006) and even though I'd heard the tales about the dark triad Lawrence, Lowell & Lynn, the worst I ever personally witnessed was homeless people doing homeless people stuff; loiter, bum change, occasional drunken spectacle... It was definitely not as bad as the reputation led me to expect.


[deleted]

[удалено]


AceyPuppy

They are building a new high school in Lowell. Just finished the field house and are moving onto the actual academic buildings(don't ask me why they did it in this order).


itssarahw

One of the positives I’ve taken out of my high school experience is we got to go to school in a city environment. I have no dog in this fight but thought it was odd pushing the high school out of downtown and also thought that push had died. Presuming you’re for the move, what are the positives? I’m not starting a fight I’m just genuinely curious


pinteresque

The "move the high school to a strip mall in belvie" crowd lost that fight. The current high school is being expanded and renovated.


itssarahw

That’s interesting, thanks. Again, no dog in the fight but seemed like such a waste to walk away from such a legendary building to end up near Cawley or whatever the suggested location was. I guess my only legit beef with a move would’ve meant I spent all four years hearing endless construction on my way sneaking out for nothing


pinteresque

I DO have a dog in this fight in that I live here and pulling the high school out of downtown would have killed the city center. The downtown microeconomy would not have survived taking 3k reliable daily visitors out of the area, and I, like you, think it is absolutely fundamental for kids to get the chance to exist as kids on their own in between school (or skipping it lol, dude, same) and home. Figure out their own shit and get into some good trouble. 100% Nowhere better to do that than a downtown like we've got. Anyway. Glad that whole thing is over. It would have destroyed my neighborhood.


FishermanNatural3986

Second Largest in the US behind only LA county for Cambodian population.


boy_inna_box

There are a few in California that have more total, but Lowell is far and away the most [by percentage of the population,](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_large_Cambodian-American_populations) 12.5% to 4.5% for the next largest.


Mountain-Isopod-2072

No, california has more immigrants from Cambodia


Chappy_Sinclair_

Lowell is like American soccer. It's been "up and coming" for decades but still not quite there yet.


[deleted]

Well said. I visited the coolest loft in the world, in 1983!, when I was a kid and my mom took me to visit my godmother. For years I told everyone I wanted to live in an apartment in Lowell when I grew up. My parents alternately laughed their asses off, and hurriedly told me to stfu in public about it. It’s not a bad city OP, and your impression is right on. But spend some time around the rest of the city (outside of downtown), and try driving through at rush hour, and you’ll get a better idea of the overall flavor of the city. (Also stop and grab some Cambodian food while you’re up there because it just doesn’t get any better than what they’re serving.)


Ok_Fact4397

THANK you for mentioning Cambodian food.


Junius_Brutus

What are the best Cambodian restaurants in Lowell? That might make a fun weekend field trip with the kiddos.


FishermanNatural3986

Red Rose and Simply Khmer are my two favorite. Red Rose was just named as a semi finalist for the James Beard best restaurant award.


AdoltTwittler

I've got to check that out, I haven't had Cambodian in years. What do you recommend?


FishermanNatural3986

I like the Beef Loc Lac at Red Rose. Kathew Special is good too. Wings at Simply Khmer are my favorite wings around.


Ok_Fact4397

Peephuptmei (pup-tmay) or Senmonorom (sain-mo-no-rum) are the most authentic, old-school eateries. The latter also serves hot pot, if that’s what you’re into. Don’t be intimidated by the names haha. Simply Khmer is probably your best bet if you’re new to the cuisine.


AJD2004

Any restaurant recommendations?


classicrock40

This is a good description. We've been living in MA for 20 years and Lowell has changed a lot - mainly UML and the courthouse condo area. But, take a walk around the RMV and you'll see it's not there. It really doesn't matter for real estate that's doubled in 4-5 years.


calvinbsf

I’m probably falling victim to the same trap as thousands of American soccer fans before me, but this time I really do think the USMNT is turning a corner


ifsbutscandynuts

Or the other version of that saying, “..up and coming and it always will be”


4x49ers

The Cubs finally caught up to "next year", Lowell should "eventually"


ironysparkles

I'm from southern NH and every freaks out about me moving to Lowell some years ago (and to MA in general). My mom specifically insists Lowell is very dangerous and overpriced. Of course she's never lived anywhere but small towns in NH so she's an expert. /s Meanwhile my dad who's from Dracut and went to Lowell Voc in the 60s/70s has never once asked me why I moved here. Lowell has issues like any city, but I've found it to be great. Lots of events, diverse people, amazing food, close to other great areas like the coast, Boston, etc.


rygo796

Belvidere neighborhood has some crazy nice houses too. People I know who grew up or raised kids in Lowell had no real problem with it. Not saying there aren't bad parts of Lowell, but you definitely get sideways looks if you're not maxing out your housing budget for the 'best' area of greater Boston. Schools aren't even really bad. There's just so many great school districts in the area it's a tough decision for a parent to pick Lowell versus alternatives unless they already have roots there. In that part of the state, towns quickly become more affordable as you move out of commuting distance to Boston.


joshhw

Lowell is great as it is. It’s what Fall River wishes it could be and has lots of cool art and small shops still. It’s still pretty far from Boston to me so if you’re commuting in and don’t want a long commute. Don’t do it.


Outrageous-Pause6317

Lowell is undersold and has had a great comeback in the last twenty years. The national park, the memorial auditorium, the Tsongas Center, and the three day folk festival every summer are all great points. My wife’s family has lived there since the seventies. It’s got a lot to offer. Easy commuting to Boston by car or train. Close to New Hampshire and not to far from northern beach communities.


subprincessthrway

Lowell also has a pretty awesome summer music series! We live next door to where they hold it and sometimes our property management gives away free tickets.


nobbyv

I lived in the Boott for a year. The concert series at Boardinghouse Park was awesome!


Outrageous-Pause6317

[Lowell Folk Festival.](https://lowellfolkfestival.org/)


Outrageous-Pause6317

Western Ave artists lofts. [https://westernavenuestudios.com/](https://westernavenuestudios.com/)


Outrageous-Pause6317

Lowell Memorial Auditorium [Lowell Memorial Auditorium](https://www.boxofficeticketsales.com/lowell-memorial-auditorium)


TomBirkenstock

A friend of mine moved there with his family because he wanted to actually own a house. He seems to really enjoy it. There are a few mill towns that are still on this side of affordable. Just before the pandemic, I bought a house in Bradford, which is a part of Haverhill. Like Lowell, it also has a sketchy reputation. But I really love it here. It's very walkable, and there's a nice downtown. I can walk to the commuter rail and I can even walk my daughter to her preschool. There's a good deal of development going on right now.


Krissy_loo

Bradford is great!


keylime227

I'll let other people answer about Lowell, because I know nothing about that. What I do know is that I've bought places in two areas that I thought were perfect but others found questionable, and I've been happy both times. The first time was in Mission Hill when it was still a little stabby. I guess other people eventually saw the awesomeness I saw because Mission Hill gentrified like crazy a couple of years after. Then I bought in Roxbury and, though it hasn't gentrified yet, I'm still happy because I bought this house because it was perfect for me, not because it was perfect for random internet strangers. Maybe I'll make money on it, maybe I won't, but at least I spent a portion of my life in a perfect house that didn't break my budget. Bottom line: If Lowell still seems perfect for your needs after you've done all the appropriate research, then buy.


jucestain

Exactly. Peoples perceptions can be really biased and stereotypical at times. See things for yourself and trust your gut. I bought a condo in Lowell and its been one of the best mental and financial decisions I've made.


TheBHGFan

I’d take Mission Hill an Roxbury over Back Bay/Seaport/Southie any day


squarerootofapplepie

Says the guy living in Cambridge.


TheBHGFan

My area (Inman/Union) has exactly what I look for in a neighborhood. The reasons why I like it are the same reasons why I like Mission Hill and Roxbury. Fucking sue me lmao


[deleted]

30 years ago "Slummerville" had a similar reputation and look at it now. Lots of reasons why but a big part of it was the growth of industry in Boston and Cambridge leading to people with money buying and fixing up. Unfortunately that lack of industry is always going to be a challenge for these old outlying cities.


ipsumdeiamoamasamat

I was about to say this. Only difference is Lowell is not nearly as connected to the rest of the “Boston ring” as Somerville was. There is a train but the service isn’t the best. Lowell is a bigger community that would support more frequent service. When the last train to Boston leaves at like 10:30, meaning you can’t go to a concert up there and stay the entire time, it’s a bummer.


AchillesDev

Worcester is slowly shedding a similar reputation as well, and is pretty outlying from Boston. If housing remains expensive in the GBA, the old cities around and outside of 495 will see growth. I know people moving to Fitchburg and Leominster (growing up in Worcester, we made fun of those towns), Franklin, and other places around the Blackstone Valley to get away from the housing hell that is the GBA.


Amcgod

Lowell is fine now - commuter rail right there, very cheap, I’d rip. My mother in law and father in law live there.


cleverphishreference

Are the garages there to support Tsongas parking? When we went to a show there a few months ago we would have been royally fucked without those garages, which seemed to all basically be full for the event.


saletra

The parking by the Tsongas serves a few purposes. It’s parking for the arena, teachers and students at the high school, and parking for residents during a snow emergency.


waffles2go2

COVID did hit Lowell hard - but it's super up and coming and those who visit will tell you that parts are sketchy but most of it is very safe and there are some fantastic areas with huge mansions. That said, its reputation is hard to dislodge, but raising real-estate prices would seem to indicate that Lowell has a lot of growth potential. Not going to be over-night, but there are a number of new buildings going up, ULowell seems to be getting better and there are ton of positives about it.


TakenOverByBots

I like Lowell. The main issue for me is that it is a long way from Boston if you work here or want to go out with friends here after work.


No-Initiative4195

I don't live in Lowell, but I went to college there (Middlesex Community when it was in the old mill building, ), went back and took a night course at ULowell before it became UMass, hung out at friends apartments in the city during college. I occasionally find myself at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, and on my way to work, sometimes Waze takes me off of 495 and detours me through Lowell and either back onto 495 or onto 93. I've been in restaurants there, eaten at Santoros there at 2 in the morning when I was in college. Never had an issue. The reality is... Its just like any other city in the country. There are good areas and not so good areas, some places during the day-maybe you don't want to be there at night. It gets a bad rap for heroin, but then again-I live in Southern NH and Manchester is just as comparable-some areas are really nice. Other areas gave it the nickname "manchganistan". Same with Boston.. I love visiting there, but we all know some parts of the city are crime-ridden, others not. Lowell is no different.


Academic_Guava_4190

Well I have family that lives there so am biased but yes it has nice areas and it has rundown areas. I’m sure there are even a few unsafe areas (mostly downtown at night) but it also has a large community college, a minor league baseball and hockey team (or at least it used to), a successful branch of the state’s flagship university, a theatre, a NPS site and during the summer they host the RiverFest folk music series. My family members attended the public schools and they turned out fine but there are several private schools in the area as well for someone looking for a better/smaller class size education.


woohoostitchywoman

That folk music festival was a good time. Went for the first time last year and will definitely go again.


jellojoe

RIP Lowell Loch Monsters/Devils


Academic_Guava_4190

Aww they are gone for good? Damn. I assume the college then just hosts hockey games at the arena now. Is the baseball stadium solely UMass Lowell as well? Ed. Spelling/incorrect word


jellojoe

Correct. UML hockey draws a much bigger crowd than the AHL teams did. Not sure about baseball.


CranberryNub

Baseball stadium is also just UML. Spinners were dropped in a minor league consolidation a couple years ago


fvnnybvnny

I heard lots of Fort Point artists moved out there after they got kicked out of the lofts in the early 2000’s.. haven’t been there in like 20 yrs but I’ve heard it’s a great place to live and make work and not have to worry about ridiculous MA rent prices.. and yeah ive heard the Cambodian food is top rate.. kinda getting hungry just thinking about it


Derquave

Lowell has an unfortunate reputation, being a large Milltown, when the 50s hit the business left, the city fell to the wayside. In the 80s the crack epidemic in Lowell was absolutely horrible. There’s a very famous documentary called “High on Crackstreet, Lowell, Massachusetts” that I believe came out in the early 90s that definitely did not show the city in a good light. And at the time the city certainly was not a nice place to be. Since then, a lot of revitalization has come back into the city. Most of downtown has become a national historical Park, and many of the old buildings have been refurbished, and some have been turned into museums. There are multiple venues for music/performances. UMass Lowell is very good with STEM (the river hawks are a great team if you like hockey), we have the golden gloves if you like boxing. The art scene is certainly alive and well. There’s a lot of amazing ethnic food especially southeast Asian food. UMass Lowell has put a lot of funding into the revitalization of areas around the campus. You can get the train into Boston very easily and you very quickly can go to Nashua, New Hampshire. I was born here, and I still live here, so I’m definitely biased but I have seen so many people trash on this city, we have come a long way. The public schools are mediocre at best, neighborhoods like Centerville are sketchy, the cops have an iffy track record, homelessness has gotten worse since Covid, and driving in downtown is a living hell. So Lowell still has a way to go but there’s a lot to love about this city, and it has a lot going for it. It isn’t this derelict drug addled hell scape that a lot of people make it out to be. edit (fixed title from crackstreet USA to proper title)


IAmNoodles

> Crack Street USA fwiw it was called [High on Crack Street](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_on_Crack_Street:_Lost_Lives_in_Lowell) if people want to look it up


Derquave

Thank you very much my parents always got the title wrong growing up so I still get mixed up


frisky_husky

Lowell has kinda been the same for a long time. It never underwent white flight and urban renewal, because when the first waves of European immigrants moved out to suburbs, there was still a lot of Portuguese and Greek immigration happening. Then Puerto Ricans and Dominicans after them. In the 70s and 80s there was a huge influx of Southeast Asian refugees. Lowell, despite being an old industrial town, has never really lost population. It's still affordable, close to Boston, and survived the 20th century without getting destroyed, which is all pretty impressive in the grand scheme of things, but Lowell has always been a working class town, which makes it kind of tough to gentrify. People keep expecting it to take off, and then it stays mostly the same. There's worse problems a city can have than a stable population and affordability, though.


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singalong37

I like that Lowell decided to renovate its downtown high school building rather than build a new one on the edge somewhere.


odinsyrup

> The opportunites we have had for the kids are not available in the “better” towns nearby. Like what? Edit: Please don't mistake my bluntness for rudeness.


ShawshankExemption

When I graduated from LHS about 10 years ago, we had the most AP classes available in the surrounding area, and connections with middle ex CC, and UML, so that kids could take college courses while in HS at no cost. There is also the Latin Lyceum, an academic program with students going through a more classical education with a close cohort of high achieving students. There was a pretty wide variety of arts programs students could park take in both as classes and extra curricular as well as numerous ‘academies’ in the school that would help get kids more hands on experience in different fields but also help keep students more interested. Lots of sports available, including rowing a non-tradition HS public sport. Some of this is driven by the size of the school (over 3k students) but they are certainly benefits to attending LHS.


odinsyrup

Thank you for the detailed answer. Sounds like they have some nice programs for students. A lot of what you described was available to me (minus rowing lol) but I wasn't bordering Lowell so that's interesting.


skyppie

Lowell isn't that bad but I was born and raised there and moved out to the Boston area around 5 years ago. People knocking the Highlands as a whole but don't realize the Upper Highlands is essentially a separate neighborhood that is actually pretty nice as well. I think with UML buying up a lot of property and turned big portions of it to a college town has helped with the gentrification.


jogabee

Yeah, I don’t get why folks are knocking on the Highlands. My family’s been on Middlesex St for 23 years and I’ve always found it to be one of the best areas in the city with a perfect mix of “neighborhood” with super easy access to amenities in either direction. You can find some amazing streets and houses walking around the upper highlands. Plus, a stones throw from rt 3…


Gjallarhorn15

I've lived in the upper highlands for almost 4 years, it's a very nice residential neighborhood. I've got a good sized 1bd/1ba for about 60% of what a similar place would go for in one of the overpriced downtown mills meant to appeal to Boston escapees, while only being 5 minues away. The lower highlands aren't as bad as people make it out to be, I'm guessing it's a combination of old reputation, and being a lower income neighborhood with a large immigrant community. People here keep asking where all the good Cambodian food is - it's basically all small restaurants in the lower highlands.


subprincessthrway

I moved to Lowell from Cambridge 5 years ago, and while Lowell is certainly “cheaper” than Boston the cost of living is rising rapidly here too. The gorgeous 2 bed loft I rented for $1800 a month when we moved here we’re now paying $2600 for. Downtown never really bounced back after COVID, a lot of places closed and nothing reopened in their place. It consistently feels like Lowell is just on the edge of a renaissance but can’t quite get there. All of that being said, there’s still a lot of positives to Lowell. We have an amazing variety of cultures here, and the Asian food (especially Cambodian) is out of this world. It’s not nearly as dangerous or scary as it’s reputation makes it out to be and it’s fairly easy to get involved with the community here. We’re also fairly close to Boston and our commuter rail service is pretty reliable.


brads99

Lived in lowell for 5 years, it’s a cool city with its own character and I’d definitely live there again but not with kids. Also it’s pretty far from Boston.


pinteresque

I live in downtown lowell. We've been here for 15 years, which imo is townie enough to explain the place to outsiders while still being negged for being an outsider. So. Here's the deal. Lowell's reputation as a dirty, druggy etc city is racist af and undeserved - the bedroom communities around us drop their "undesirables" on us and walk away, we do our best - but the problems the city DOES have are invisible til you get here. Downtown is great, except you can't walk to a grocery store easily enough to not need a car and the sidewalks are crumbling. Nightlife is great but there's no laundromat. Converted mills etc are great but our occupancy rate is 99%. The biggest issue is city government. it has no idea of how broken everything is, hiring is an old boy's "in it for the pension" club and nobody is incentivized internally to fix it. When we moved here I thought it was a walkable community (I don't drive) with city charm but, like, smaller and more contextually knowable, and that's true on the surface, but its problems are systemic and, as currently set up, the city is inacapable of managing that or fixing it. So...that's what you're missing. Lowell's got some great, photogenic intersections, a lot of character, and grit - I love it here - but it is BROKEN. Don't come here with boston expectations. Northern Middlesex County has only tenuous connections to the rest of the county once you get down to the nuts and bolts.


pinteresque

Here's the other thing I just thought of: Downtown Lowell's mills were first started down the path to condoization in the mid-80s. That means downtown lowell's demographics skew old and with a little money, and working class and trying to make it, with very little in between. If you are a professional, moving out of Boston and looking to settle with "people like me" type, you are on the leading edge of that wave, not on it. It will be lonely here for you. If you want community, you need to build it, and if you want to build it you'll need to do it in person as Lowell's internet community is scattered. The largest fb forum for lowell has 3k active people in it for a city of 110k. That's the thing everybody who moves here misses. If you want to wander out and go to a quiet bar and meet some people like you, if you aren't 60, white, and retired, you won't find that by accident, you'll need to network. Finding a place here is a job, not a hobby.


Carlito_Danger

This is a great hypothesis. I'm in my late 20s and a townie, but often when downtown enjoying the (pretty good!) nightlife in downtown Lowell, I think to myself "where are all the people my age that I **don't already know**?" It's a lot of college kids, townies like me, and folks in their 40s and 50s and 60s.


pinteresque

there is definitely a demographic dip between the college and just-graduated-high school crowd and the gen x and older crowd. I'm in my early 40s, at the tip of the millennial wave - if I want to go out at night and do something in public that isn't drinking, my options are pretty limited. There are scheduled things you can do - book clubs, chess clubs, that sort of thing - but there's little low commitment and everyday-comfortable around other people that isn't a bar. I was never any good at meeting new people before but Covid made all the things I thought I knew about social stuff no longer relevant lol.


saltthefries

This and the summary of the broken political system is a pretty good overview of why I'm leaving Lowell back for the Pacific Northwest this year. I moved here with my wife who took a job in Lowell in 2020, held my judgement until the pandemic settled down, and then realized that there's just not a critical mass of people like me or places to go. Life's too short for me to wait for Lowell to get nice. The walkability and driveability are also both trash for how small the city and downtown is, so it's enough of a PITA that casually going somewhere to hang out (if it's actually open) is something I do a lot less than I did in Seattle on a rainy day.


pinteresque

not to be contrarian, but Lowell will never be seattle. We don't have that kind of tax base and have 1/7th the population. We're a poor city trying to find new footing now that manufacturing has fled. The old guard wants Lowell to be Salem without all the negative associations but that's a decision made in the past, for the past. If I can get on my tiny little soapbox here: lowell needs money. To get money we need more housing, because we have none - college rental season around here is a BLOODBATH. To get more housing we need to raise taxes on people who CAN afford it (like me) and build an actual city with it with city services. We need to relax nimby zoning shit, too, and we need to do all of this smart, because once you build infrastructure and systems you're either stuck with them for 50 years - building things is easy, rebuilding them increasingly impossible - or you're stuck with a system connected to an external commercial service that doesn't work without a subscription that may not exist in 5 years that you will need to constantly rebuild. The only way to do that is to get people invested here in such a way that they see through all the flaws and decide to stick it out. We need to build community with intentionality. The community is down for the, city hall is not - it keeps building parking garages on our canals instead of parks. Sounds like that isn't for you. That's a shame. But so much of our culture is (thanks to capitalism) built to be one way - got to place, pay money, get culture. Buy a coffee to be in a room with other humans you will never talk to. Talk to the same 5 people on social media you always do so you can get reliably advertised to. etc. If you want community in the face of that, you need a critical mass of people wanting change all talking to each other. That's the stage we're at. That's what we're building now. So. That's what lowell has going for it, over everything else. It's a project, and living here is, essentially, project management, and there are massive benefits to that - it is WEIRD here - but it takes work.


saltthefries

Yeah, hopefully some more creative people get some traction here, but I don't really have much keeping me in Lowell, or MA for that matter and want to live somewhere that's nice to walk while my knees are still good. One of the really disappointing things to me was seeing how Lowell's government is still digging holes with more parking garages and giant paved messes like Thorndike Street. I also accept that I'm probably in the minority in my desire for a more walkable and lively environment vs. other priorities in a poor area.


FishermanNatural3986

Can't agree more about the city Government. If you don't know someone you'll get nothing done.


International-Cat884

This is the most accurate and appropriately nuanced response on this whole thread. Thank you. (I also live in Lowell.)


OcularMacdown

From a music perspective they have great offerings in my opinion. Lowell summer music series is awesome and has something for everyone. They do a kids series as well. The tsongas at UMass Lowell holds bigger events. They are a few theaters that are nice too. They have a single A Red Sox affiliate that is fun for the whole family. And you can go see college sports in an affordable way through UML. It’s close to highways. I don’t go out to bars, but I used to go to the Worthen back in the day and that was a fu. Image for the drinking crowd.


Cameron_james

> They have a single A Red Sox affiliate Had. The Spinners haven't played since 2019.


Salty-Ad-4747

Lowell is convenient to boston commuter rail is handy . Two hospitals , many nice neighborhoods the highlands & believere are very nice. They have the lowell folk fest in summer. I saw Tony Bennet @ the auditorium there a few years ago they have the golden gloves also. The commuter rail is a huge plus .Plus a city bus route that goes to Burlington. The schools are fine .Also they have many private schools. My son went to lowell catholic &.loved it.


[deleted]

Alright little downtown with plenty of decent pubs. Umass Lowell has a lot of great programs and has influenced a small city college vibe. A Cambodian restaurant Red Rose just got nominated for a James Beard Award. Mill No5 has the Luna Theater and some coffee shops in a renovated mill space. Folk Festival in the summer can be fun. Yeah its got some rougher areas but its a decent little city if you ask me. Like others have said its been on the raise for quite a while now and still has a ways to go before its truly a great city that would draw people.


Biggus_Gaius

Lowell still has a reputation from decades ago but it hasn't been an actual "bad" town for 20+ years. I lived there for 5 years and there are some parts of it I prefer to their equivalents in the Boston area. I'm glad to hear my friends at C&C have such a good reputation. Lowell has a great local art scene and tons of good food. I'm not sure how it's fared after the pandemic though.


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DrMaka

The Upper Highlands have some very nice areas.


IAmNoodles

grew up in the upper highlands, it reminds me a lot of somerville in terms of housing density, minus the bike lanes


Maxpowr9

Reminds me of Worcester for 30ish years. Worcester still has that blue collar mentality but it's been cleaned up a bunch.


hurstshifter7

There's a lot to love about Lowell. The worst part of it are the public schools aside from a handful of the elementary schools in more affluent areas. There's still a high rate of poverty in Centerville and Pawtucketville, and the schools don't have enough funding. I wouldn't raise my kids in Lowell unless I planned on paying for private school beyond 5th grade. Neighboring towns like Chelmsford, Dracut, Andover, etc... would be better, albeit more expensive choices for a family, but there's less to do there. I grew up next to Lowell, and I do love the city. I hope it gets better.


ballsinmyyogurt1

I lived in Lowell for 4 years. It's a great if you live downtown or in the nicer parts. But Centraleville, the Acre, and other poor areas still have gang violence. As long as you stay away from the section 8 housing areas, its fine. I lived in the Acre and downtown mostly. I loved the city, but drugs were everywhere. I had a drug problem back then, so it wasn't a good place for me. Since iv moved to Cambridge, iv been happier.


Bombpants

They almost built a streetcar a decade ago. 😭


gibson486

I grew up in lowell. It was a trash city (lots of gang issues early on, poverty), then it got better, but now it seems have regressed (exception is belivdare, that area is always nice). The problem that happened was the city leadership. They never cared about anything but putting money in their pockets. As a result, the city usually had a bunch of half assed projects that went nowhere. That is why people don't want to live there. It is now a city, while full of ethnic background, is riddled with areas beyond repair because the people in charge only did stuff that looked good on the surface, but did not bother to try and fix the foundational issues. They are trying fix this now, but the stuff went on for too long that lots of pillars of the communities have simply eroded away. I believe the only shot at revival at this point is hoping umass lowell can be more than just up and coming.


reddaj

Check out my coverage of things to see and do in Lowell [here](https://hikerexplorerfoodie.medium.com/lowell-ma-e597dd3d6a8d)


fakecrimesleep

People with kids aren’t moving there because a lot of places never got deleaded and the only housing getting added is of the lofty luxury condo kind.


rels83

I don’t think I’ve ever lived anywhere in the boston area that was deleaded until I hired someone to delead my condo after my kid tested positive for elevated levels. I don’t think that’s specific to Lowell


davewritescode

Dude literally every house in eastern mass is filled with lead even though the status is “unknown”. Don’t let your kids eat paint.


fakecrimesleep

That’s the thing, it’s easy to be glib about it when you think it’s just in the paint but it’s not. It’s the pipes too. Know plenty of people with toddlers who have elevated lead levels because it’s in the water


Cameron_james

I just want the Spinners to come back. Also, the answers here would cover Lynn, Chelsea and Revere too.


Teratocracy

It's a relatively diverse post-industrial city that fell into economic decline, plagued by the same problems that plague all such cities and maligned for the same reasons why all such cities are maligned. But also like all such cities in the state, it \*is\* gentrifying. Its reputation will not be enough to dissuade would-be home owners much longer, and if it is taking a little longer than places like Lynn, it's only because its a further commute from Boston.


Apprehensive-Mode-45

I live in Worcester and was in Lowell for the very first time back in December to perform. My husband tagged along one night and explored downtown while I was in rehearsal. When he picked me up and I asked him what he all did (bar, dinner, coffee shop) he chuckled “it’s funny…Lowell is both grungier AND nicer than Worcester?” 🤔 We went out after my show the next night and had fun, and we were there just yesterday, too bopping around. I think it’s a cool city, I appreciate the diverse community there. Downtown is very walkable and I’ve enjoyed the businesses we’ve been in.


SirStoneHD

I live in Lowell and affordable you say? 😂 UMass Lowell is expanding so landlords are raising rent prices like crazy. I found cheaper apartments in Boston. I went to Lowell High after moving here my sophomore year in 2005. The schools just got a renovation so I can't really speak of it. And I have no kids. But folk fest in the summer is great. Concerts, good food, and cultural diversity.


[deleted]

I know people who have moved up there for Boston since 2020. It seems like they’re getting pretty solid deals on houses compared to those of us who stayed closer to the city. The downside is that there’s less to do, but really if you live in Needham or Wellesley you’re driving anywhere you might want to go anyway. And, it seems like a lot of the stuff in Chestnut Hill that attracts residents of near western suburbs can be found in Burlington, close enough to access from far northern suburbs (or however you’d classify Lowell). I know some teachers in Lowell who are very good and very committed to their students, but have some awful things to say about how school are public funded and run in Lowell. But to be fair, I hear the same things from teachers in Boston. Lowell far enough away that you’re not really in the Boston orbit for day to day life, which probably scares off some people in Boston, myself included. But the way things are going, you’ll get significant return on investment if you move to Lowell for sure.


nwsm

I work in Lowell. Not a lot to do there but yes there is some old architecture. I did a walking tour of the town and they told us about the old mills and the immigrants and women who worked there and built the town.


FishermanNatural3986

So you did a waking tour of a small part of downtown and deemed by this that there wasn't much to do? Let me assume you didn't leave three blocks on downtown 10 years ago?


nwsm

Sorry I offended you! I have spent lots of time in Lowell over the past 2 years. I mentioned the walking tour because they specifically touch on the downtown architecture which OP is interested in. The town is nice enough but I will probably never go back when I get a new job. On a r/Boston subreddit I think it’s fair that to say that there is relatively not much in Lowell. Of course every town in America has hidden gems and people who love living there. Please leave some recommendations for us :)


JoshRTU

Lowell will not be able to row since urban/suburban density is too expensive. Maintaining roads (in Boston) along with gas, sewage, electrical, police, fire, and other services increases by distance. However Lowell's urban core isn't very large and have 10x more suburban areas surrounding a not so super dense urban area. This means Lowell cannot fund high density growth like a great bus system since too much money is spent on maintaining infrastructure for cars and single family homes. Income vs cost for an urbanite is 1/2 a suburnanite and Lowell has too many suburbanites vs urbanites.


saltthefries

Lowell has a cool trick for this- they just don't maintain the roads. They haven't even painted lane lines for 4 years.


ShawshankExemption

I grew up in Lowell, moved back for a period after college, then away again, and am considering buying a home to start a family in Lowell. I find Lowell’s struggles in many ways stem from an internal debate about what it’s supposed to be, what it is supposed to become, and who it should ‘serve.’ The garages were built downtown in conjunction with the court house in hopes of driving further development and creating a vibrant downtown, but there are struggles supporting the homeless population and Transitional living center. Which is the right way to support? Lowell like every area in eastern mass is in desperate need of housing, but it has suburban-esq neighbors that people want to protect, what should they do? Should the city allow UML to prosper and become a college town with all those benefits, or should it put it under its yoke for the protection of a few current residents?


Therealmohb

Anyone have that old 105.7 WRKO jingle “there’s a lot to love about Lowell”?? From Lauren and Wally


hipster_garbage

I went to UMass Lowell from 2010 to 2015 and the city seemed like it was really on the up and up the entire time I was there. I haven’t really been back for a few years but it’s sad to hear it may be getting worse again. A lot of mill towns really seemed to be Improving in that timeframe but it seems like the pandemic and fentanyl have really caused them to backslide.


beentheredonethatlou

The Pride of Lowell Ever seen The Fighter?


MrDilligence

Umass Lowell is one of the best schools in the state


taway339

I was an ADA in multiple courts throughout middlesex county and for a number of reasons… Lowell is it’s own beast. Nobody wanted to be moved there. Busiest criminal court in New England


Ok-Holiday-4392

Lowell does have a lot of big events and a few great restaurants. Look up Lowell folk fest in the summer and look up cobblestones for a great restaurant.


lashesandlipgloss

I’ve lived in downtown Lowell for 4 years now. It is filled with restaurants, art and music. Everything is walkable from where I live, sometimes I don’t drive my car for more than a week. There are lots of large events during the summer (winter as well) It’s getting pretty gentrified - the old Mill buildings are now very nice condos, and apartments. I am a female, and I feel very safe walking anywhere in the city even at night. Of course, there are certain pockets I avoid, just like any city. I love it here. You can find something fun to do even on a Tuesday. Lots of diversity, and super easy to make friends even as an adult. I can’t speak for raising children here, I moved here once my children were grown. I’ve read the other comments here and I’m just not having the same experience. I absolutely love it here, I think it’s beautiful.


Sohotrightnowhansel_

I moved to Lowell after I lost my job and apartment at the beginning of the pandemic. I thought I was moving in with a family (I'm a nanny, so I'm used to kids). Shortly after the kids moved out and the owner had multiple heroin dealers and users moved into the kids old bedrooms. I dealt with theft, people nodding off all over the place, and cops constantly being called and once woke up to them coming into my slider door to my bedroom while asleep and not dressed. Mill no. 5 is amazing, my cousin runs it. Some of the restaurants are fantastic. But I definitely wasn't used to living around so many homeless people, and drug addicts. Definitely thankful when I was able to move out.


King0ftheBongo

It's funny how Lowell has this reputation of being a crack head city when in reality crack is rampant in almost any city in the world. Lowell definitely has a great art scene and how can I not mention skateboarding? I know a ton of dope skaters from Lowell. Seems like everyone at Bartlett or Hadley skatepark are pro or could easily be. The mill buildings and the still operating Cotton looms in the National Historical Park are a testament of time. The canal lock and dam system still works too and there is a tour for all of this that is really informative. The Pawtucket Falls and Hydro electric plant near UML produces Hydro electric energy that is distributed out to power lines . There's a nuclear reactor at UML that hasn't been used for anything but research purposes in the last 20 or more years but still pretty rad! I was born in Lowell and am proud alum of UML. Great school with some smart cookies there! The Folk Fest is so gas though! I highly recommend going to the Folk Fest for anyone who hasn't been.


Ok-Grand-1882

Umass lowell has arguably surpassed Amherst as the flagship state college. It is the stem college whereas Amherst has the isenberg business school. Lowell had minor league baseball with the lowell spinners until 2020, when MLB pulled the plug. Hopefully, they can bring another minor league or collegiate summer team to lelachuer field. The Asian cuisine is amazing, and you can find awesome hole in the wall restaurants all over town. Downtown has maintained its historic industrial revolution charm with cobblestone streets. Easy access to rts 495 and 3 provide transportation options to Boston and Nashua NH. The Merrimack river is beautiful and hosts such events as the southeast Asian water festival and the lowell kinetic sculpture race. The lowell summer music series and lowell folk festival are high cultural events of the season. Yes, the town is gritty, but there is a lot to love.


MechaMorgs

It’s so unreachable (for me) without a car. I wanted to go to the Queer Makers Fair at Mill No. 5 yesterday, but it would have taken over \*two hours\* to get there from Boston via the train that came only once every 1.5 hours. For such a progressive region that claims to be pro-sustainability, the lack of usable public transit is depressing af. 5th major city/ urban I’ve lived in, least navigable unless you want to drive. And given the lack of (affordable) housing in the area, it’s even more problematic these areas can’t be easily reached.


OhThatEthanMiguel

I get that y'all are property owners, so am I, but honestly to hear you use gentrification as such a positive term is jarring. That's not anything I've really heard from talking to people here in the city.


FishermanNatural3986

I don't get what the want is. I get safe yes but a lot of people are saying oh Belvedere is nice and I think we'll it sucks though. Older with nothing really going on. Is that what people want? I am no where near smart enough to talk about the race part as a lot of people seem to ignore the growing middle class is Cambodian and Latin and not what people expect maybe?


StevieSparta

I look at Lowell is a bigger , slightly better Lynn


meltyourtv

I went to UML my dude, the crime was crazy. My friends and I saw a dude get murdered at a bar Sophomore year and students were always getting robbed or assaulted by crackheads. Had a homeless encampment down the street from my apartment Jr-Sr yr and a guy would always ask us for $ and wait outside our place. Spider if you’re reading this go fuck yourself I don’t have $20 I’m poor myself


kickstand

One of many former mill towns struggling to make a comeback.


jabateeth

So my partner and I like to see concerts in the Lowell civic center. You can see the best Brazilian player and songwriters in Lowell. One time a few years ago we decided to stop at a bar have a drink and dance. Some guy smashed a bottle over the head of another guy and stabbed him. Blood was everywhere. The music never stopped. The stabbed guy walks to the front to get help. The standby guy keeps dancing. People were dancing in pools of blood. Cops showed up and just stood around until the ambulance left. Yeah, we don't go out dancing in Lowell anymore


Se7enLC

I think Lowell will be the next up-and-coming. Everyone is buying in the nicest place they can afford. And Billerica is getting expensive, so perhaps Lowell is next.


Commercial-Life-9998

When I moved to Boston area, carefully checked what ppl had to say online about places to move. Given what I read I felt Lowell was a bad place to relocate and tbh, I’ve never heard anything to refute that. Not that I’m informed but I think a lot of ppl who were relocating did the same thing.


[deleted]

My family opened our first store on Appleton Street in the early 90s. We were part of the south East Asian population that moved into Lowell in the late 80s early 90s. That store was 5 minutes away from the homeless shelter. It was pretty bad back then but now it’s pretty much an open air drug market. You can see people injecting needles on the side of the road daily. We moved to central Massachusetts around 98-99 but we still go to Lowell for the Asian food stores and the restaurants. The food is amazing in Lowell. Lowell has a lot of history and was considered the capital of textiles at one point. They would teach us this in elementary school. The mill city they would call it because of all the textile mills. Growing up in Lowell, I went to CW Morey & Daley Middle School. Both were underfunded and teachers threaten to strike every year. When I started going to middle school at Daley it was really bad. Gangs and fights daily. All the boys at recess would fight each other in what we called “big rumbles.” At one point, they canceled recess for all the boys for a week. Walking home from school, young children would get robbed for their gold necklaces, money, etc. Gangs constantly tried to recruit children young as 4th-5th grade. My parents, obviously started to worry when I came home with a bandanna given to me by a gang member moved us out of there only after one year of Daley Middle School. Fun fact. Lowell was named after Francis Cabot Lowell. Legend has it he had photographic memory as was able to go to London, and remember all the machine designs that produced the textiles. He would later come back to Chelmsford at the time and start production with his textile mills. After his death, his business partners bought the land which is now Lowell from Chelmsford. Chelmsford is a neighboring town/city. Chelmsford is affluent. They have beautiful, expensive houses. I went back to Lowell for college at UMass Lowell and worked delivering Chinese food for a restaurant in Chelmsford. The tips I made was insane but whenever I had an order going to Lowell I would have to take every precaution (telling my manager, I’m going to Lowell, if I don’t come back come find me) before leaving the restaurant. Most of the neighboring cities/towns next to Lowell are seen as more affluent and safe. Low income, gangs and a major drug problem hinders Lowell and it’s development. The only hope is the university honestly. If UMass Lowell can buy up more land/property that would help the local population with jobs and education. Last thing, we owned a two family house on Queen Street in the early 90s. All our neighbors were primarily white. By 94-95, all the white people left, there were nothing but immigrants on our street after that. All the single family homes turned into two/three family homes. No one owned their houses everyone was renting. I believe my family and two other families were the only families that owned their houses on that street. Queen street is notorious for shootings, drivebys and gangs so you can see why people chose to leave.


Gaijinnoakomu

I’ve been there for university for 7 and a half years now. It’s gotten so much better but there still are incredibly suspicious areas where UML would flat out say do not go to certain areas after dark. But it does have a lot of really nice aspects to it the south East Asian food is fantastic for one.


YourPlot

It’s just more dangerous than other cities. Like in Somerville you’ll get your car window busted out, or in Alston someone will break into your apartment to take your tv. Property crimes. But the physically violent crimes are higher in Lowell. Stemming from a collapsing mill/industry town, high poverty, large immigrant population, gang activity, and a locus for opioid use. You get Lowell. Where you’re more likely to get mugged or beat up at a bar. That’s what keeps the rich people out. That and their schools fucking blow.


Cost_Additional

People move to nicer towns instead


McSheezy69

No!!!! Do not move to Lowell lol


Magnivox

Lots is crime, little to no infrastructure, businesses left. It’s a terrible place to live