my daughter just relocated to Boston,MA from Illinois for a super job.
anyone know good/bad abut Boston? what to watch for? she's thinking of renting an apt. in Lowell,until she finds a house to buy-ever hear of Lowell?
all info MUCH appreciated.....
I can't advise you about the different areas but I can say that Boston is a wonderful, exciting city with lots to offer a young person.
Just wondering, where do you live now?
Lucille
Lowell is lovely if you like urban and if you like old. It's the country's first true mill town and it really went downhill for a while but is making a spectacular comeback. I would consider living in Lowell for sure, but be aware that if she is commuting in to Boston itself, it's at least 45 minutes on a good day.
Your daughter will find that Boston is shockingly expensive after Illinois, unless she's been living in Chicago. There are still areas that are less expensive, Lowell being on that list along with Lawrence and parts of the North Shore.
I'm in Salem and would be glad to chat more with her if she'd like. She can reach me at epc123 at mindspring dot com.
Elizabeth in Salem, MA
Lowell is a tough commute to Boston, depending on which end of Boston she'll be heading toward. I am in Raymond, NH, that's southern NH and realtors tell people that they are an hour from Boston...then people move here and find that it might be an hour to Boston in the dead of a starry summer night. They soon relocate or get a new job when they hit the southbound traffic. Route 3 through Lowell to 495 is better than it used to be...but still a white knuckle ride.
Hi,
I live in Chelmsford which is right next to Lowell. Dr Brat summarized it well. Lowell is an old mill city, and some parts are seedy, but some areas are pretty nice and they've made a nice effort to revitalize it. It has a nice center with a bunch of museums. My kids were born at Lowell General. In the summer, the kids and I go sometimes on the little walk by the river and go swimming at the little beach they have there. This weekend I'm going to see a Lock Monsters game at the Tsongas Arena with my son and his hockey team. They also have concerts and theater and the Folk Festival in the summer. And of course, U Mass Lowell is there. A friend of mine from work has a friend who moved to an apartment in Lowell center and she loves it. She moved there because she could find an apartment in a urban area like she wanted at a price she could afford.
I commute from Chelmsford to Lexington for work and that's a nice 30 minute drive for me on back roads. But to go all the way in to downtown Boston would be longer and I actually don't have a good feel for how long it might typically be in traffic. They recently widened route 3 which helps but it would still probably be a tough commute to Boston but not ridiculous. They also have a commuter rail that runs from Lowell to the North Station in Boston so that might be an option for commuting as well depending on where she needs to end up... According to that schedule it looks like that train ride takes around 45-50 minutes.
Boston is a great city. Good luck to your daughter. -Evelyn
Dr Brat and Evelyn summed it up well. Lowell is not close to Boston except in off hours. I live in Billerica, 5 to 10 minutes from Lowell. I have been down to Boston during rush hour, and I do not recommend it if she really is working in Boston. Which leads me to ask the next question, is she really working in Boston? When I interviewed here, over the phone the company said they were in Boston. It turned out they were actually in Billerica, they say Boston to give people an idea. I do enjoy Lowell, just like any other city there are places to avoid, but nice parts to. I love going to the Lock Monster Hockey games, the folk festival, and the National Quilt Museum If you our your daughter need any info feel free to email me.
-Margaret
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Is she really in Boston or near Boston? Boston itself has some nice suburbs that would be near by. Waltham is quite popular with the young crowd and has many good ethnic restaurants. Watertown is also good. I work in Cambridge and live in Hopkinton, so for me it's just a ride down the Mass Pike. Many people who work in Boston proper use commuter rail or the T to get into town. Lowell, like any area has its good and bad sections. But commuting into Boston by car from Lowell could be a real hassle.
George
Thank you George , iread your letter and had some nice Boston memories come up ,,, i loved Watertown , liven in Newton myself ,,, loved Cambridge and waltham was cute .,,,,, mirjam
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