I’m house hunting - are there decent neighborhoods in Lawrence?

Submitted by mushank3r t3_10m7thn in massachusetts

So I’m a transplant from California; I’ve been on the North Shore for five years now. I’m looking to buy a house for the first time, and frankly, I do not make enough money to stay on the North Shore. I have been looking primarily over the border in Nashua. I do not wish to go west toward Worcester or Leominster where I could also afford. I am seeing a house tomorrow in South Lawrence. To be exact it is on Exeter Street and just off the 114. At first glance on Google maps the neighborhood looks pretty middle class and not especially dirty. I’m wondering if South Lawrence is perhaps a little safer than some other neighborhoods.

If anyone who’s actually lived in Lawrence could give me some knowledge of the area it would be much appreciated. I feel I should also say that I’m aware of the reputation that precedes Lawrence, so please refrain from unhelpful comments just saying how shi**y it is.

Thank you!

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[deleted] t1_j61idzn wrote

The south bank of the river has some great restored lofts that a local restauranteur called Lupoli redeveloped. I lived in one of the places on Merrimack St about five years ago. It even had underground parking and was across the street from the commuter rail, if you’re working in Boston.

Just don’t go too far north across the river; downtown gets kinda seedy pretty quickly.

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[deleted] t1_j61k2hl wrote

Here’s a link. Back when I lived there it was called the Monarch. Looks like they’ve made it nicer since then:

https://theriverwalklofts.com

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mushank3r OP t1_j61kdqv wrote

Awesome thanks! So would you say that south of the river is a bit safer/nicer? The area I’m looking at is south of the river but north of Colonial Heights.

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[deleted] t1_j61knjw wrote

I never felt in danger, but I’m also a tall hairy muscular 6’5” gay man with resting bitch face, so that could have something to do with it. 😁

I suggest driving around at a few different times of day and maybe doing a walk. Lawrence varies a lot block by block.

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mushank3r OP t1_j61l710 wrote

Lmao I gotcha, yeah I’ll be seeing it in the daytime tomorrow. Thanks for the info! 🤝🏻

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[deleted] t1_j61lity wrote

Good luck! Come back and tell us what you think

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bv8ma t1_j61pg8s wrote

The Mount Vernon area always seemed pretty decent. I've never lived in Lawrence, but I had friends on the northern border with Methuen and I went to Central Catholic, from what I've seen I wouldn't want to live in that area.

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677536543 t1_j6219it wrote

Yes, South Lawrence, especially the Mount Vernon neighborhood abutting Andover is the nicest neighborhood in the city. Basically the closer you are to Andover/North Andover, the nicer it gets. This doesn't mean you won't have the general city atmosphere but it's definitely not the ghetto.

If you're not tied to a specific area and are comfortable with the commute, I'd suggest looking in Salem, NH and the surrounding areas. Real estate tends to be cheaper in NH. Might be worth it for a little more peace and quiet. Even check out Haverhill.

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plzbubblewrapmy_____ t1_j61pmnw wrote

I went to school nearby in Lowell. Don't move to Lawrence. You're better off in dracut or tyngsboro or something

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ekac t1_j62uewr wrote

I grew up in Methuen for about 30 years, spent a few more living in Andover.

The problem with Lawrence is the municipality. They had a really bad Mayor some time ago, and he really fucked the place up. He's gone, and some recovery has happened; but it's digging out of a deep hole. I remember fire and police departments from neighboring cities had to help out when their nightclubs were having all kinds of fights and closing late. Here's an older article about the nightclubs. Check out the Eagle Tribune, it's the local paper in Lawrence.

Neighboring Methuen also has huge issues with corrupt police.

Lawrence spent a lot on a highschool, but it's a nice new high school in what is essentially a demilitarized zone. They expanded their hospital, but mostly to serve victims of violence (domestic, gun, etc). They've repurposed old mill buildings to appeal to businesses, but those buildings were remodeled by a slumlord who doesn't maintain them. I know, I had to work in that building - the elevators never worked and the windows were filled with live bugs. Fucking gross.

I honestly don't feel comfortable eating at most restaurants in Lawrence. I'll go well into Andover for food. The Merrimack river has it's own reputation. Also you'll be downstream from the Lowell water treatment plant.

Exeter Street is near what is fondly referred to as "the stadium projects". Part of the Lawrence Housing authority. It is a State Family funded development. It is basically the demilitarized zone near the highschool I mentioned. It is low-income housing. Are you comfortable with that kind of neighbor? This is NOT the "good" part of Lawrence.

So it's a decay from corruption, crime, and poverty. You won't see much benefit for your taxes.

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WikiSummarizerBot t1_j62ug9i wrote

William Lantigua

>William Lantigua (born February 19, 1955) is a politician in Massachusetts. He became Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts in January 2010 following his November 2009 defeat of Lawrence City Councilor David Abdoo. Upon taking office, Lantigua became the first elected and second serving Hispanic mayor in Massachusetts history.

^([ )^(F.A.Q)^( | )^(Opt Out)^( | )^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)^( | )^(GitHub)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)

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beachTreeBunny t1_j64lsjd wrote

How about Salisbury MA? Housing prices here are lower than surrounding towns and you get the beach too. There is no traffic on 95/128 S in the AM until you hit Reading. It’s about 30-35 minutes to Lynnfield/Peabody. Slight slowdown where 128 merges with Route 1 when everyone switches lanes but it clears right up.

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SeaJay1187 t1_j653u4x wrote

I’m going to be honest, unless it’s a money thing, choose somewhere else. Lowell is far better and Lowell has a bad rep itself. Sorry, I know you asked to avoid shit posts, but I can’t say it enough. My family works in the schools system there and I am horrified by so many stories I hear.

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RandomUserNameXO t1_j61gltj wrote

Where do you need to commute to?

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mushank3r OP t1_j61ji9s wrote

Currently, to Lynnfield. That may change in the next year, but would still be somewhere between southern NH and the north shore.

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RandomUserNameXO t1_j635slh wrote

Ok I’m that case I would not recommend southern NH- your commute will be a nightmare even though miles wise it’s not terrible. Traffic down Rt 3 to 128 is basically a road to hell.

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BAMFA1812 t1_j6mxnfm wrote

Have you considered Methuen? I also work in Lynnfield and commute everyday via back roads and it takes me between 35-45 minutes.

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mushank3r OP t1_j6nvp2y wrote

Yeah I’ve been looking everywhere in the area, I’m looking for a two family so there is simply less availability which is why I was looking at this specific Lawrence property. Unfortunately I lost it yesterday though before I could get an offer in so the search continues.

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Trifle_Southern t1_j63s5st wrote

I used to commute Nashua to lynnfied and that was a super easy 40 minute drive!

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[deleted] t1_j61hxz1 wrote

[deleted]

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mushank3r OP t1_j61jwtq wrote

Thanks, do you know anything about the South Lawrence neighborhood - south of the river but north of Colonial Heights?

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1000thusername t1_j65fdso wrote

Have you looked at some surprisingly reasonable but better QOL places like Georgetown, grovel and, some parts of Haverhill, Salisbury, Merrimac? Same general region, but you might be happier.

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spottedraccoon t1_j6bc7bk wrote

c'mon over to haverhill instead, the water's great

we were in a pretty similar spot, love the north shore but its too pricey. was deciding between haverhill, lowell, nashua, lawrence because we like more of a "city" feel. really couldn't get behind lawrence and feeling uncomfortable going down certain streets. haverhill is honestly great, was able to get a lot more house than we expected and feel very safe

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[deleted] t1_j6cnvhe wrote

[deleted]

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mushank3r OP t1_j6dsoy2 wrote

I would love to! Definitely open to and have been looking at Haverhill, the only reason I’m looking at this Lawrence property is bc I’m trying to get in to a multi-family and obviously there is just less available given my search parameters.

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nightshade448 t1_j629mek wrote

Exeter St runs from near the high school to a big strip mall. I wouldn’t want to deal with that traffic or teens daily. Mt Vernon, as others have mentioned, is a really nice, safe neighborhood. Tower Hill has some amazing old mansions but is surrounded by more run down houses and is closer to downtown. Wouldn’t recommend.

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Icy_Arachnid_260 t1_j6303v5 wrote

Have you looked in Gloucester, Beverly or Saugus?

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Capricore58 t1_j65bys3 wrote

Bro he said he can’t afford the north shore. If he’s looking at places in Lawrence, those same size places will be 2-3 times more expensive in Beverly or Gloucester

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vitico1 t1_j63c8jl wrote

Nothing wrong with Laurence I lived there for years, never had any incidens, have many friends there still, and it's a great place to invest in real state, some of my friends have quadruple their investment in less than 10 years, don't pay attention to the negativity...

South Lawrence is very nice.if you can find something in that area go for it, also checkout Methuen, and Merrimack it'd be priced around the same, but rent is much higher in Lawrence (that's where I would put my money).

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Catduardo t1_j65f5gq wrote

Tower hill area around Dartmouth street

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NastyEggFarts t1_j61gsqf wrote

Decent if you like hearing gunshots…

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exek25 t1_j625v3q wrote

Commute wise you’ll find yourself 5 minutes or less from 495 (with multiple options to enter/exit the highway), 7 minutes to 93 and a minute from rt 114. Less than 15 minutes to tax free shopping in New Hampshire. One minute from Pollo Centro. One of the best chicken restaurants in Lawrence. Exeter st is a working class neighborhood. It’s not the best part of Lawrence and it’s not the worst. You’ll be sandwich between the 24/7 convenience store and the housing projects. The convenience store is busy one and might see people walking to and from it at all times of the day. The intersection of Exeter and 114 does see it’s fair share of accidents. Depending on the day you might see Lawrence PD doing red light/ crosswalk enforcement on or near the intersection.

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Old_Ad855 t1_j620ugd wrote

Lawrence is beautiful can’t go wrong in any neighborhood

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