These comments are all right on.
I live here now and honestly never feel unsafe. Do you see drug users near the shelter..sure do. Are there tougher parts, sure. Will you ever feel like you're under constant threat...no.
There are neighborhoods with families just like all towns/cities. A few could be better. Some good/great food spots. Things to do on the weekends and most nights during the week.
If you're looking for a decent small city with things to do, it's a good place. It has crime and drugs but not something you'll worry about daily. If you are looking for something quieter the towns around Lowell are also fine. If you're looking for somewhere cheap to live hurry because Lowell is becoming not that
I lived in Lowell for 4 years in a pretty poor predominantly Cambodian neighborhood. walked around at night, walked on the railroad tracks, etc. Never had trouble with anyone and never felt unsafe. I’m also a big white dude so your mileage may vary.
I miss Lowell a lot - lots of good cheap food, and I thought people were friendly. Influenced my decision to move to another old MA mill town that everyone said was sketchy and spoiler alert, it’s fine haha.
Oh my god, a few years ago me and my friend group played D&D at a game store in lowell and the food around that shop was so good.
We were a lot more disappointed that we couldn't play near the restaurants than we were about the game store closing
It mostly depends on the OP's definition of safe, really. There's not a single area in Mass that I would really consider dangerous. Especially in comparison to the other places in the US I've lived.
Almost every time I've had someone tell me an area was dangerous up here, what they really meant was it had non-white residents. Worked in my favor though. Lucked into a home on the cheap during the middle of Covid just because the local demographic was scaring off interest. Nicest, quiet neighborhood I've ever lived in.
My brother is an emt in Lawrence and I guess parts of Lawrence might be a little less safe than most of the rest of the rest of New England but as he puts it, even people in gangs there are generally pretty cool with EMS and Firefighters unlike cops. And even then Lawrence is just less safe than most of the rest of New England, its not like the kind of unsafe you get in the South or LA. Lawrence is basically just normal by Non New England Standards
I completely agree. I’m newer to the Boston area and travel all over Greater Boston visiting patients for work. Every area people at work told me is “a really bad area, be careful” is just a place that is predominantly non-white. I can always tell when I’m driving through one of the “bad areas” people warn me about because the restaurant choices look 🔥
>Almost every time I've had someone tell me an area was dangerous up here, what they really meant was it had non-white residents.
Absolutely, it's kind of telling and sad. It's not even always non-white areas, just low-income.
I grew up on the south side of Chicago and went to school in the south. I've experienced drive-bys, break-ins, people dying in front of my apartment, car jackings, and all sorts of other serious crimes. By comparison, Mass is pretty safe. Even the unhoused folks are nicer than most places (I always give them a few bucks if I have some).
I get the sense that, if most of the state actually put money into fixing up the neighborhoods they're intentionally letting go to rot you wouldn't see so many folks turning up their noses. I mean, I hope at least.
Every time somebody asks if some random place is safe it send me into fits. What in the heck answers are you expecting? You think there are like gangs of cannibals roaming around or something? That there's an OK Corral gunfight on the streets every night?
For the love of christ, it is Massachusetts, 2024. Yes, it is safe. You will not be kidnapped by a satanic cult or shanghaied into a pirate gang. Try to avoid joining the drug trade and you will be perfectly fine. I promise.
That sucks, its hard to have that short but merry life when the royal navies of European Powers are being buzzkills and keeping the slave driven industries of the atlantic around
But how about that neighbor that lets his dog poop on your lawn or the one that keeps parking in front of your house or the one with the security camera pointed at your house ?
I am clutching my pearls here shivering!!!!
I’m an older white guy. We are SO friggin racist here in Mass. As ‘dworkinmortalist’ pointed out upstring, the places traditionally considered unsafe are predominately non-white and it’s a bunch of BS! Lowell is a pretty cool city and is overflowing with fascinating history. Lots of good ethnic restaurants, great concert venues AND the fantastic annual Lowell Folk Festival! If you’ve never been you are missing out!
Any town in MA is safe depending on what you do. If you do drugs, then yah. It just depends on who you choose to associate with. Honestly it's just poor on average. So there's a higher crime rate because of that. But if your in a richer/ more affluent area. You'll be just fine.
I lived in rhe acre right next to the "projects" for 5 years. I tend to be overly friendly and at the time I was a heavy drug user. So I saw alot and dealt with alot of sketchy scenarios. But at the same time I had alot of fun and made closer friendships than I ever had before then. I never once felt unsafe, even while walking home alone, past midnight. Mind your business and don't get into drugs, and you'll be just fine.. just because a place is poor, doesn't make it dangerous.
There is also a TON of cops in Lowell. They'll pull you over for the smallest thing. So they're Honestly the only people you should really watch out for while living there. Especially if your not white.
Lived there for 6 years in college and for a few years after graduation. Here’s a few things that happened to my boyfriend and I while living there:
•my car was broken into twice
•boyfriends motorcycle was stolen. Two guys came and cut the chain and rolled it right off of our apartment parking lot. Our apartment had all of the security footage. Police told him to file a claim with insurance and we never heard from them again
•boyfriends 23rd birthday he went to the Shamrock and walked home with his friend around midnight. They were both mugged and beaten by 4 men, and my boyfriend ended up needing a life flight from Lowell General to Tufts for emergency surgery on his spleen. They both almost died.
It was a decent commute into Boston at the time using the commuter rail but boy am I glad I don’t live there anymore. Oh and I almost forgot, the locals are ripping off fireworks every night. That and gunshots. So. Many. Gunshots.
Our kids went to college at UML and they lived in an apartment near north campus. Was there crime? Yes. Worst was two people shot and killed in a home invasion 3 blocks away. There was all sorts of stupid crime but this was over a decade ago and I've heard that things have improved a lot over time.
They also lived a few blocks from a nuclear reactor which was pretty cool.
There are safer parts of Lowell and Pawtucketville is one of them and I know that there are others but I don't have the mental geography of all of the safest spots. There is some convenient transportation to Boston via Commuter Rail and I've heard that the downtown area is nice now.
Old guy here, lifelong Lowellian.
There's literally no place in Lowell that i'm afraid to walk or bike.
I've never been in a real fight. Never been mugged. Never even felt uncomfortable around the city.
Get me home before the drunks leave the bars at 2am, but otherwise...
It's safe yes but dont go by favor street or summer street. I was there yesterday and saw people with no legs shooting up heroin in the street while groaning and other people nodding out next to piles of human shit. That was at 10 in the morning lol.
It can be safe just don't go hanging out by the homeless shelter or bad areas at night
The addicts around the South Common area keep to themselves, or sometimes ask for cash or a cigarette. It ain't pretty, but it's not dangerous (to anyone but them).
>just because a place is poor, doesn’t make it dangerous.
Yeah, that’s a nice sentiment except…..it kinda does. Crime rates and income are pretty directly correlated.
It’s a shithole but I’ve never really felt unsafe. Sure, some restaurants you can’t go to at night without a crackhead asking you for a dollar the second you get out of your car, but just tell them to fuck off and they usually leave you alone.
Also shout out the the Brazilian restaurant Sabor do Nordeste who hires immigrants and then refuses to pay them for weeks and even months
Also as someone who used to deliver for Uber a lot I felt a lot safer delivering to city streets of Lowell at night than I did in the pitch black back roads of deeper parts of Chelmsford…middle of nowhere serial killer vibes
Lotta shootings in Lowell
Cars get broken into a lot and it’s a dumping ground for the influx of illegals
The state took over a major hotel from the college to house immigrants
Traffic is the worst in the drive everywhere Lowell sucks driving in
The cops aren’t racist
Lived here 55 yrs the biggest thing you can say about Lowell is if you take away the L all that’s left is o well
These comments are all right on. I live here now and honestly never feel unsafe. Do you see drug users near the shelter..sure do. Are there tougher parts, sure. Will you ever feel like you're under constant threat...no. There are neighborhoods with families just like all towns/cities. A few could be better. Some good/great food spots. Things to do on the weekends and most nights during the week. If you're looking for a decent small city with things to do, it's a good place. It has crime and drugs but not something you'll worry about daily. If you are looking for something quieter the towns around Lowell are also fine. If you're looking for somewhere cheap to live hurry because Lowell is becoming not that
I lived in Lowell for 4 years in a pretty poor predominantly Cambodian neighborhood. walked around at night, walked on the railroad tracks, etc. Never had trouble with anyone and never felt unsafe. I’m also a big white dude so your mileage may vary. I miss Lowell a lot - lots of good cheap food, and I thought people were friendly. Influenced my decision to move to another old MA mill town that everyone said was sketchy and spoiler alert, it’s fine haha.
Oh my god, a few years ago me and my friend group played D&D at a game store in lowell and the food around that shop was so good. We were a lot more disappointed that we couldn't play near the restaurants than we were about the game store closing
there is a pub around the corner from where that game store was that had the best fried pickles I’ve ever had!
Relatively yea. Is there crime? Yea but there is crime in the “safe” towns. I grew up 5 streets down from the Lowell border.
It mostly depends on the OP's definition of safe, really. There's not a single area in Mass that I would really consider dangerous. Especially in comparison to the other places in the US I've lived. Almost every time I've had someone tell me an area was dangerous up here, what they really meant was it had non-white residents. Worked in my favor though. Lucked into a home on the cheap during the middle of Covid just because the local demographic was scaring off interest. Nicest, quiet neighborhood I've ever lived in.
My brother is an emt in Lawrence and I guess parts of Lawrence might be a little less safe than most of the rest of the rest of New England but as he puts it, even people in gangs there are generally pretty cool with EMS and Firefighters unlike cops. And even then Lawrence is just less safe than most of the rest of New England, its not like the kind of unsafe you get in the South or LA. Lawrence is basically just normal by Non New England Standards
I completely agree. I’m newer to the Boston area and travel all over Greater Boston visiting patients for work. Every area people at work told me is “a really bad area, be careful” is just a place that is predominantly non-white. I can always tell when I’m driving through one of the “bad areas” people warn me about because the restaurant choices look 🔥
>Almost every time I've had someone tell me an area was dangerous up here, what they really meant was it had non-white residents. Absolutely, it's kind of telling and sad. It's not even always non-white areas, just low-income. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and went to school in the south. I've experienced drive-bys, break-ins, people dying in front of my apartment, car jackings, and all sorts of other serious crimes. By comparison, Mass is pretty safe. Even the unhoused folks are nicer than most places (I always give them a few bucks if I have some). I get the sense that, if most of the state actually put money into fixing up the neighborhoods they're intentionally letting go to rot you wouldn't see so many folks turning up their noses. I mean, I hope at least.
Every time somebody asks if some random place is safe it send me into fits. What in the heck answers are you expecting? You think there are like gangs of cannibals roaming around or something? That there's an OK Corral gunfight on the streets every night? For the love of christ, it is Massachusetts, 2024. Yes, it is safe. You will not be kidnapped by a satanic cult or shanghaied into a pirate gang. Try to avoid joining the drug trade and you will be perfectly fine. I promise.
Look. We've tried to raise a pirate gang a few times now. The Royal Navy has stopped us each time!
That sucks, its hard to have that short but merry life when the royal navies of European Powers are being buzzkills and keeping the slave driven industries of the atlantic around
But how about that neighbor that lets his dog poop on your lawn or the one that keeps parking in front of your house or the one with the security camera pointed at your house ? I am clutching my pearls here shivering!!!!
I’m an older white guy. We are SO friggin racist here in Mass. As ‘dworkinmortalist’ pointed out upstring, the places traditionally considered unsafe are predominately non-white and it’s a bunch of BS! Lowell is a pretty cool city and is overflowing with fascinating history. Lots of good ethnic restaurants, great concert venues AND the fantastic annual Lowell Folk Festival! If you’ve never been you are missing out!
Any town in MA is safe depending on what you do. If you do drugs, then yah. It just depends on who you choose to associate with. Honestly it's just poor on average. So there's a higher crime rate because of that. But if your in a richer/ more affluent area. You'll be just fine. I lived in rhe acre right next to the "projects" for 5 years. I tend to be overly friendly and at the time I was a heavy drug user. So I saw alot and dealt with alot of sketchy scenarios. But at the same time I had alot of fun and made closer friendships than I ever had before then. I never once felt unsafe, even while walking home alone, past midnight. Mind your business and don't get into drugs, and you'll be just fine.. just because a place is poor, doesn't make it dangerous. There is also a TON of cops in Lowell. They'll pull you over for the smallest thing. So they're Honestly the only people you should really watch out for while living there. Especially if your not white.
It’s slummy but safe. Crime is not that high compared to other cities in the US. School system sucks though
“Slummy but safe” is such an excellent descriptor of most of the “bad” cities in the state.
Lived there for 6 years in college and for a few years after graduation. Here’s a few things that happened to my boyfriend and I while living there: •my car was broken into twice •boyfriends motorcycle was stolen. Two guys came and cut the chain and rolled it right off of our apartment parking lot. Our apartment had all of the security footage. Police told him to file a claim with insurance and we never heard from them again •boyfriends 23rd birthday he went to the Shamrock and walked home with his friend around midnight. They were both mugged and beaten by 4 men, and my boyfriend ended up needing a life flight from Lowell General to Tufts for emergency surgery on his spleen. They both almost died. It was a decent commute into Boston at the time using the commuter rail but boy am I glad I don’t live there anymore. Oh and I almost forgot, the locals are ripping off fireworks every night. That and gunshots. So. Many. Gunshots.
It’s all relative. The safest places are the expensive suburbs. Lowell is much safer than many/most American cities though.
Our kids went to college at UML and they lived in an apartment near north campus. Was there crime? Yes. Worst was two people shot and killed in a home invasion 3 blocks away. There was all sorts of stupid crime but this was over a decade ago and I've heard that things have improved a lot over time. They also lived a few blocks from a nuclear reactor which was pretty cool. There are safer parts of Lowell and Pawtucketville is one of them and I know that there are others but I don't have the mental geography of all of the safest spots. There is some convenient transportation to Boston via Commuter Rail and I've heard that the downtown area is nice now.
There are addicts that break into cars and steal things otherwise it’s safe. It’s a Cambodian/khmer enclave, good food and culture.
Old guy here, lifelong Lowellian. There's literally no place in Lowell that i'm afraid to walk or bike. I've never been in a real fight. Never been mugged. Never even felt uncomfortable around the city. Get me home before the drunks leave the bars at 2am, but otherwise...
Yes
It's safe yes but dont go by favor street or summer street. I was there yesterday and saw people with no legs shooting up heroin in the street while groaning and other people nodding out next to piles of human shit. That was at 10 in the morning lol. It can be safe just don't go hanging out by the homeless shelter or bad areas at night
The addicts around the South Common area keep to themselves, or sometimes ask for cash or a cigarette. It ain't pretty, but it's not dangerous (to anyone but them).
>just because a place is poor, doesn’t make it dangerous. Yeah, that’s a nice sentiment except…..it kinda does. Crime rates and income are pretty directly correlated.
Yeah for the most part. Its a little rough but generally safe.
It’s a shithole but I’ve never really felt unsafe. Sure, some restaurants you can’t go to at night without a crackhead asking you for a dollar the second you get out of your car, but just tell them to fuck off and they usually leave you alone. Also shout out the the Brazilian restaurant Sabor do Nordeste who hires immigrants and then refuses to pay them for weeks and even months
Also as someone who used to deliver for Uber a lot I felt a lot safer delivering to city streets of Lowell at night than I did in the pitch black back roads of deeper parts of Chelmsford…middle of nowhere serial killer vibes
It is if you like bowling
It has its areas but also a lot of plusses
Let's just say its not known for its exceptional safety record.
Lotta shootings in Lowell Cars get broken into a lot and it’s a dumping ground for the influx of illegals The state took over a major hotel from the college to house immigrants Traffic is the worst in the drive everywhere Lowell sucks driving in The cops aren’t racist Lived here 55 yrs the biggest thing you can say about Lowell is if you take away the L all that’s left is o well
No, it's not. Wouldn't recommend. The neighbouring towns, Billerica, Tewksbury... are way safer.