# Worst Areas of Cities and Towns?



## Guest

Hi Everyone,

As my nieces and nephews have grown old enough to move out of their homes and go to college, I have become increasingly worried about them in their new cities and towns. This worry gave me an idea for a new thread here, and the answers may help more than just me.
*
In your experience, what is the worst (highest crime, most dangerous, etc.) area of each of the various cities and towns in Massachusetts?*

The ones I am most concerned about for now are: Fitchburg, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Brookline, Framingham, Westfield, Gardner, and Amherst, but I'd be interested in learning about any and all locations with which you have experience. The more information, the better!

Thanks!!!


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## TopCop24

Fitchburg is an absolute dump and slowly making it way into Springfield and Lawrence territory


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## screamineagle

TopCop24 said:


> Fitchburg is an absolute dump and slowly making it way into Springfield and Lawrence territory


+1


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## jettsixx

I heard the Cleghorn area was nice


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## Guest

What is it, exactly, that makes those places (Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Springfield) such dumps? 

Is it that there are a lot of gangs? Drugs? Violent crime? I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but I'd love to know what streets to avoid in certain dangerous towns.

For example, I know in Cambridge I would stay as far the hell away from Henry Gates's house on Ware Street as possible!!! But what specific locations in the other places should my little relatives avoid?

Thanks, everyone!


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## jettsixx

In my experiences I find that the more rental properties you have the worse the area seems to be.


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## rg1283

Fitchburg was a an industrial city that died when the factories closed (probably dieing since the 1970s), a real shit hole. Thank goodness Fitchburg State College Police are armed.

Framingham is fairly nice for the most part, the down town area can get crappy quick.

Springfield is the most crime infested city in that part of Western, MA hands down. parts of Holyoke aren't too far off either.

Boston I don't know much about (Murderpan, Roxbury, Dudley, parts of Dorchester)

Brookline for the most part is nice and rich, it is in a small area. 

Amherst is college town, its kind of a weird place to have colleges. Its not directly accessible via a real highway. 

Parts of Worcester are nice, there are some real bad areas of Worcester, Main South, Great Brook Valley are a few that come to mind.

Gardner from what I have heard has some crappy parts, I have only been there twice in my life. 

Keep in mind if you have kids you may not want to move to a "nice part of a city" just to have your kids go to school with punks. Also the more violent a city is the crappier the schools seem to be in some cases.


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## Deuce

For Worcester I think it would be easier to give the decent areas: west of Park Ave between Chandler St and Salisbury St to the Paxton and Holden lines. Go across Rt 20 and there's a small area of Worcester the rottens have yet to locate. That's it, the rest of our 44 sq. miles is infested...


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## LE6721

I've experienced most areas of the entire state, but will comment on Spfld specifically. 

Historically, areas such as downtown, north / south end were quite nice. Things have changed over the years and like other cites, people migrated to the suburbs. There are areas where it's not too bad like parts of Indian Orchard (even areas there have taken a dive), Sixteen Acres, around Cathedral HS etc. There are also areas around Springfield and AIC colleges that have turned into a war zone. Drive around, like other cities the bars on the windows will clue you in. Parts of Holyoke and Chicopee are headed down hill at lightspeed as well.


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## 94c

jettsixx said:


> In my experiences I find that the more rental properties you have the worse the area seems to be.


When a slumlord can collect $900 a month from the government for a tenement apartment that he lives 50 miles from, nothing good can come from it.

They'll trash it, he'll collect his rent, then abandon it.

If it doesn't burn to the ground, the next guy will come along and fix it up just to start the cycle all over again.


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## SgtAndySipowicz

Stay away from West Quincy, Quincy Point, Germantown and parts of South Quincy if you know anyone moving to the city of the Presidents. Quincy, like many other areas, has been changing and it's not for the better........


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## DEI8

I heard Warren Street Brockton was an awsome neighbor hood.


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## 94c

SgtAndySipowicz said:


> Stay away from West Quincy, Quincy Point, Germantown and parts of South Quincy if you know anyone moving to the city of the Presidents. Quincy, like many other areas, has been changing and it's not for the better........


I was recently at the Elk's lodge on Quarry St. and took a ride around the area. Looked like a good part of the city.


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## TopCop24

Stay away from any city or town that has a Malcolm X BLVD or martin Luther King BLVD. Those are dead giveaways for shitholes.


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## Rock

Why no mention of Lynn or Lowell? Beautiful parts of the Commonwealth.


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## cc3915

Two in Boston come to mind (actually 4). Dorchester: Codman Sq. and Upham's Corner. Mattapan: Mattapan Sq. and Morton and Blue ain't too good either. There are a few more also, most in the Berry.


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## vonart

LE6721 said:


> I've experienced most areas of the entire state, but will comment on Spfld specifically.
> 
> Historically, areas such as downtown, north / south end were quite nice. Things have changed over the years and like other cites, people migrated to the suburbs. There are areas where it's not too bad like parts of Indian Orchard (even areas there have taken a dive), Sixteen Acres, around Cathedral HS etc. There are also areas around Springfield and AIC colleges that have turned into a war zone. Drive around, like other cities the bars on the windows will clue you in. Parts of Holyoke and Chicopee are headed down hill at lightspeed as well.


I've lived downtown in Springfield for about 8 years now and I'll agree with everything that's said here. Areas that abut E. Longmeadow seem to be doing a bit better now, but downtown is getting worse every day. I'd also avoid Old Hill, McKnight (or is that McNight? I honestly don't recall), many areas that run along St. James Ave and St, and really anywhere very close to STCC, Springfield College, and AIC.

I really need to move (Lyman Street is not the place to be hehe).


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## SgtAndySipowicz

94c said:


> I was recently at the Elk's lodge on Quarry St. and took a ride around the area. Looked like a good part of the city.


Looks can be deceiving! The nicest neighborhoods (my opinion being a Cop here) in Quincy are Merrymount and Squantum (includes Marina Bay). Other parts are nice too like most of Wollaston, most of Montclier, most of Adams Shore and a few others. I work all over the place in Quincy and grew up here. I know when I am assigned to a certain area whether or not I'll be writing reports that day etc the 2nd I hear my assignment at roll call.......



TopCop24 said:


> Stay away from any city or town that has a Malcolm X BLVD or martin Luther King BLVD. Those are dead giveaways for shitholes.


A shame. I think MLK was a good man with good intentions. It's unfortunate that his name comes to mind when you mention bad neighborhoods. I don't think he would want to be associated with gangbangers etc. I don't know enough about Malcolm X to comment.......


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## Trifecta

Do not forget about the notorious PineHills. The Pinehills


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## jmestano

I live right near the Pinehills! It's a hoot. I have never once seen anything in the Plymouth police log relating to that part of town. 

The Gonks, on the other hand....


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## 94c

SgtAndySipowicz said:


> Looks can be deceiving! The nicest neighborhoods (my opinion being a Cop here) in Quincy are Merrymount and Squantum (includes Marina Bay). Other parts are nice too like most of Wollaston, most of Montclier, most of Adams Shore and a few others. I work all over the place in Quincy and grew up here. I know when I am assigned to a certain area whether or not I'll be writing reports that day etc the 2nd I hear my assignment at roll call.......


I hear you. It's just that I've grown accustomed to determining a neighborhoods worth by the number of boarded up houses.

Since my standards have lowered, a street without a boarded up house is OK by me.


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## Foxy85

Stay away from Prospect Street in Millville.... A rough area....there are at least 2 triple deckers down there, and man oh man, it is one bad section....


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## Hawk19

Jeepy said:


> What is it, exactly, that makes those places (*Fitchburg*, Lawrence, and Springfield) such dumps?


It's never a good sign when you're a stone's throw from the main drag of a city, and there's boarded-up vacants. The years I lived in Fitchburg, there was a D'Angelo's closed for renovation in a strip mall... for several years. Another sign of a bad place is drug rehab facilities. Guess what? They tend to bring in junkies!


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## Guest

SgtAndySipowicz said:


> Looks can be deceiving! The nicest neighborhoods (my opinion being a Cop here) in Quincy are Merrymount and Squantum (includes Marina Bay). Other parts are nice too like most of Wollaston, most of Montclier, most of Adams Shore and a few others. I work all over the place in Quincy and grew up here. I know when I am assigned to a certain area whether or not I'll be writing reports that day etc the 2nd I hear my assignment at roll call.


All those "nice" areas also have their dirty little secrets....the people living there just refuse to admit it.

That's why I choose to work one of the "busiest" (other adjectives may apply) sectors in the city; the people who live there know where they fall in the social strata, so it's easy to relate to them on that level.


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## Rock

Jeepy said:


> What is it, exactly, that makes those places (Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Springfield) such dumps?
> 
> Is it that there are a lot of gangs? Drugs? Violent crime? I don't mean to sound like a dummy, but I'd love to know what streets to avoid in certain dangerous towns./quote]
> Yes, those things make them dumps but it's also bad political decisions. For example; part of Lynn's "water front" also known as the Lynnway. You can't even see the water because the powers that be decided to put a Walmart, a methadone clinic, a bldg 19, a flea market and a water / sewer treatment plant. Who are you attracting with those amenities?


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## 94c

Rock said:


> , Walmart, a methadone clinic, a bldg 19, a flea market and a water / sewer treatment plant. Who are you attracting with those amenities?


A shoplifting junkie who needs a place to sleep?


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## Irish Wampanoag

By far of all the places Boston is the biggest shit hole...I saw it go from a great city to a full fledged project...just in 10 years


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## jmestano

Irish Wampanoag said:


> By far of all the places Boston is the biggest shit hole...I saw it go from a great city to a full fledged project...just in 10 years


Interesting perspective. I only lived/worked in Back Bay, so I can't say much about the rest of Boston, but I've always heard that if anything the city is becoming more yuppified (Southie, Back Bay, parts of JP and Dorchester, and Hyde Park all seem a little more gentrified now). Do you think the other areas (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan) are getting worse or better?


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## Irish Wampanoag

jmestano said:


> Interesting perspective. I only lived/worked in Back Bay, so I can't say much about the rest of Boston, but I've always heard that if anything the city is becoming more yuppified (Southie, Back Bay, parts of JP and Dorchester, and Hyde Park all seem a little more gentrified now). Do you think the other areas (Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan) are getting worse or better?


I was referring to the crime rate however yes hyde park, roslindale, JP, back bay, southie, even roxbury, dorchester, mattapan have indeed become more gentrified as far a median income per house hold for one defining reason. Instead of having an average of 2 to 3 people living in a house hold you now see 5 to 6 people living in a house hold which in turn equals more population and higher crime rate. Brighton for example had experience this trend well before the rest of the city and one cause was the housing bubble which increased the average house 100 to 120 percent in just 8 years 1998 to 2006. The city is over priced for a family of lets say four... The taxes use to be good however the school system sucks so in turn you will have to send your child to private school which will cost additional thousands of dollars a year. although in your situation your family has grown up and schooling is not a problem you could make a go of it..


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## Guest

Irish Wampanoag said:


> By far of all the places Boston is the biggest shit hole...I saw it go from a great city to a full fledged project...just in 10 years


I couldn't disgree more....the Mission Hill and Orchard Park projects are gone, and the respective neighborhoods have done a 180-degree turnaround. I couldn't believe they was the same places I used to work not too long ago.


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## GARDA

The scariest place in the Commonwealth right now has to be Beacon Hill...

Haven't you seen what those criminals up there are trying to take from our paychecks and collective bargaining agreements!


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## fra444

May not be the worst city in the state but my take would be from Fall River. East Main St. South Main St. ALL of the projects, Pleasant St from 16th St up to Mason St. and surrounding neighborhoods. 


Ya know what? With about 100,000 residents and only 10 of us on the street most nights, just avoid the whole place!!


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## Irish Wampanoag

Delta784 said:


> I couldn't disgree more....the Mission Hill and Orchard Park projects are gone, and the respective neighborhoods have done a 180-degree turnaround. I couldn't believe they was the same places I used to work not too long ago.


Well, Mission Hill has definitely not done a 180 and hyde park and roslindale where I was born and raised are defiantly not the same places I grew up..now it's New Jack City and I am being very kind when I use that term...


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## Guest

Irish Wampanoag said:


> Well, Mission Hill has definitely not done a 180


Compared to what it was 20 years ago, it most certainly has.


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## wolf9848

Having been born and raised in Dorchester, I'd have to say it has improved a lot since the early 90's.


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## 263FPD

As far as Framingham goes, Downtown is rather rough. South of the tracks; Beaver St. and surrounding area, Hollis St up to about Lindsay St. Charles, Cedar, Clafflin, Pine, Hayes, Highland Streets to name a few. North Side has it's issues as well but it is not as rampant.


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## Hawk19

fra444 said:


> Ya know what? With about 100,000 residents and only 10 of us on the street most nights, just avoid the whole place!!


Yikes! Those are some rather steep odds.


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## Big.G

Jeepy said:


> I'd love to know what streets to avoid in certain dangerous towns.





Deuce said:


> For Worcester I think it would be easier to give the decent areas: west of Park Ave between Chandler St and Salisbury St to the Paxton and Holden lines. Go across Rt 20 and there's a small area of Worcester the rottens have yet to locate. That's it, the rest of our 44 sq. miles is infested...


Deuce sums it up as easy as possible.

I'll try to shed a little more light on Worcester. I practically lived between Canterbury and Southbridge Streets up til my mid-teens. It was an absolute dump then and it still is now. A few years after things changed in my life and I got out of there, there was a shooting at the convenience store on Canterbury St. Apparently I was the only thing that kept my friends, at the time, on the straight and narrow. I heard at my Grandmother's wake several years ago that as soon as I stopped hanging around there they joined the Crips and it went down from there.

Here is an article that was in the Telegram last month. It is right in that area sandwiched in between Canterbury and Southbridge Streets.

Telegram.com - A product of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette


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## fra444

Hawk19 said:


> Yikes! Those are some rather steep odds.


 This is what happens with an idiot for a Govenor who keeps cutting public safety money, and then add in a power hungry Mayor who cuts cops and fire because we went against him!!

Mr. Mayor, this ones for YOU :flipoff:


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## Varanus224

As said earlier I think, Boston has been gentrified at an amazing rate but, dont let looks fool you just because there's a few sidewalk bistros on the lower end of Washington St now doesn't mean squat.

I think it makes things worse. Instead of having the same old targets to prey on. The junior stickup artists have learned a couple coming back from a night out is going to have way more cash,cell phones and Credit Cards on them then Larry the drunk.

Not to mention how shoving a bunch of 20 something liberals in a urban setting normally fuels the neighborhood drug market

In closing when it comes to cities and towns if it begins with an L you can pretty much write it off


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## 263FPD

_*


Varanus224 said:



As said earlier I think, Boston has been gentrified at an amazing rate but, dont let looks fool you just because there's a few sidewalk bistros on the lower end of Washington St now doesn't mean squat.

Click to expand...

*_


Varanus224 said:


> I think it makes things worse. Instead of having the same old targets to prey on. The junior stickup artists have a couple coming back from a night out is going to have way more cash,cell phones and Credit Cards on them then Larry the drunk.
> 
> Not to mention how shoving a bunch of 20 something liberals in a urban setting normally fuels the neighborhood drug market
> 
> In closing when it comes to cities and towns if it begins with an L you can pretty much write it off


What I am thinking of is if you mean Back Bay by Lower Washington St., some of the Queens there may give the little hellions from Villa or Castle Court a run for their money. Years ago when I was still doing private security work, I saw a couple of (ehh'em) guys that just came out of a certain bar that was not more then 200' from district D-4. Two of the local talent tried to rob them, and boys from the bar handed them their ass, (no pun intended)


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## Irish Wampanoag

USMCMP5811 said:


> Well Bruce, lately it has hit it's peak and is on the downward slide again


Now 20 years later the average person who gets robbed has more money on them and the cars stolen are twice as much...


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## Guest

Varanus224 said:


> In closing when it comes to cities and towns if it begins with an L you can pretty much write it off


Yes....crime is off the hook in Lexington and Lunenburg.


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## justanotherparatrooper

mtc said:


> Deer season starts WHEN ??


 Less then a month in NH


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## Big.G

mtc said:


> Deer season starts WHEN ??


In MA, it starts mid-October with archery. Good luck getting access to huntable land in Lowell.


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## DAMM

Stay away from about 99% of the city of Lawrence... This place is the biggest filth hole in the state. People always say that Mount Vernon in Lawrence isn't that bad, but I'd tend to disagree. It's just that the rest of the city is chaos. South Union Street is the worst area in the state from what I've seen.


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## 263FPD

DAMM said:


> Stay away from about 99% of the city of Lawrence... This place is the biggest filth hole in the state. People always say that Mount Vernon in Lawrence isn't that bad, but I'd tend to disagree. It's just that the rest of the city is chaos. South Union Street is the worst area in the state from what I've seen.


I participated in Federal Warrant Service in Lawrence back in 2004. From what I had seen of this city, there was no tax base there at all. Police cruisers at the station had bullet holes in them. I remembered thinking that no matter how my job got increasingly more active since I go on, it was nearly not as bad as this. At least once in a while I would be assigned a patrol of more affluent parts of Framingham. These cops in Lawrence are without a question earning their money and then some.

As far as you saying that South Union Street is the worst area in this state, don't take it the wrong way but you haven't seen too much of this state if you are making this statement.


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## Big.G

*Re: L0WELL*



mikey742 said:


> When are you have all of us over a venison BBQ?


You gotta kill it first to have venison...


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## 263FPD

*Re: L0WELL*



mikey742 said:


> When are you have all of us over a venison BBQ?


Hey, I agree. I will personally volanteer to shoot one of them in your yard and if the locals come, we will just tell them the shots must have been coming from Lawrence Hey, I'd buy that story, you know how Lawrence is.


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## Sig7

From experience Springfield is a shit hole around every college area except Western New England. The areas around STCC, Springfield College, and AIC are some of the worst in the city and the campus police officers at each of those are UNARMED :NO: and therefore unable to protect the students from the neighborhoods around them.


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