Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been reading a lot of posts on this forum but have a couple questions still. All the information posted by other people. I will be attending UMass Dartmouth this fall and looking for some smaller information. I am born and raised in Boston/Cambridge area and the furthest south in MA I've been is Weymouth haha so I don't know anything about the two places. While other people have said NB and FR are not as bad as has been said here are some concerns:
-how are the roads in the winter?
-how's the parking availability(resident parking? Etc.)
-traffic situation in nicer weather or in general.
-how is the Portuguese population?(I'm Portuguese but in the city there not as much as those to people) are they concidered the Rican's of Boston?(like really obnoxious and loud?) sorry if I offended anyone but they've kinda recieved a bad rap here.
-gang activity?
-public transportation to campus from anywhere?
-public transportation in general.
I think that's about it for now.
Further mention I will be dual majoring in Portuguese and history so a night life isn't the most important thing to me.
You're not going to live on campus as a freshman? UMass Dartmouth is well suited for on-campus students with a lot of new housing right near the core of the University. I'm not sure whether freshmen are allowed cars, but Boston is easily accessible by bus from Fall River and New Bedford.
Most of the questions you're asking are highly dependent on individual neighborhoods, rather than each city as a whole. One of the biggest problems with many of the opinions on these forums is that they're made of sweeping generalizations and as such are inaccurate. New Bedford and Fall River are certainly not the best places on earth (I think most people would much prefer New Bedford over Fall River), but they're certainly not terrible either. There are neighborhoods in each that are fine (great, even) and neighborhoods to avoid.
Roads in the winter are another thing that depends on the neighborhood and which specific roads your talking about. The South Coast (Fall River, Dartmouth, NB, etc) has a FAR more mild winter than Boston/Cambridge. When you get 12 inches of snow and 28 degrees, Fall River and New Bedford get rain. That's not to say that there's never snow, but being a warmer coastal area reduces the amount. Furthermore, highways and primary roads are cleared first (major highways you'll use are I-195, 140, 24,79, 18 and 6... all cleared first) while secondary and side streets are cleared later. to get from either Fall River or New Bedford to UMass Dartmouth, you'll spend the majority of your drive on either Route 6 or I-195. Both roads are well maintained in the winter. Side streets in whichever neighborhood you choose may not be plowed or treated as well, but that's something to ask the potential landlord when you start narrowing down places.
Parking availability is yet another neighborhood-specific question that's tough to answer with a general response. However, generally speaking, Fall River and New Bedford are easier places to find parking than Cambridge/Boston. I don't know of a single neighborhood in either city that requires "resident parking" stickers. Furthermore, metered parking is essentially limited to the downtown areas of both cities. I highly doubt you'll have trouble finding parking. Also, the more limited snowfall reduces the the number of parking bans. Off-street parking isn't too hard to find, so you may want to look for places with that.
Traffic in Fall River and NB isn't bad in good conditions, period. Acushnet Avenue can be closer at rush hour and construction delays aren't uncommon (the 140-195 interchange is rough right now), but traffic shouldn't be too much trouble for you.
I'd be more careful with my wording if I were you, but I get your point. No, the Portuguese population is NOT a group that's looked down upon locally. They're an established (generations of Portuguese people live in the area), assimilated population. There aren't "Portuguese ghettos" or anything like that. If I had to compare them to a similar group, I'd say that they're like the Italians in Boston (specifically North End) or Providence (Fed. Hill). They've been around for so long and contributed so much to the culture of the area that they're not only accepted, they're embraced. People visit from all over to go to the Portuguese Restaurants and festivals in the area. It's one of my favorite reasons to visit (you should get some friends together and head to NB for the Feast of the Madeira if you can... so much fun).
There is gang activity in both cities. However, it's mostly isolated in certain neighborhoods (often based around larger housing projects). Even in the "bad" areas, there is no such thing as "gang turf" where you'd be bugged by them. Gang on Gang violence is relatively infrequent and isolated to tougher areas. Avoid these areas (United Front Homes in New Bedford and Sunset Hill or Corky Row in Fall River are among the worst) and you'll avoid run-ins with gangs. I wouldn't worry about it. The worst of Boston is far worse than the worst in New Bedford or Fall River.
UMass Dartmouth and Fall River and New Bedford are served by SRTA, the local transit company. There is bus service to or from campus from either city. Here's UMass Dartmouth's page on local transit. This is the LOOP bus from downtown New Bedford's UMass Dartmouth Campus to the main campus. There are good options if you don't own a car. I personally wouldn't want to have to ONLY rely on public transit, but you can do it if you want. If you must rely on transit, living on campus may be the best option.
If I were you and I wasn't going to live on campus, I'd choose New Bedford. It's a little larger than Fall River, a little closer to campus (certainly more linked-in with UMass Dartmouth) and there's quite a bit more to do. Downtown New Bedford is actually really nice. It's come a LONG way in just the past 5 years. There are a lot of bars, museums, restaurants, coffee shops, smoothie bars, cafes, etc to explore. Lots of students take advantage of this area and looking for an apartment here may be a good idea. It's also served very well by local buses as well as Boston and Providence bound buses. The Whaling District is the most historic section of downtown. An apartment there would be ideal. UMass Dartmouth has two buildings where classes are held downtown and their College of Visual and Performing Arts is located there.
In addition to Downtown New Bedford, the County Street Historic District is great as are the West End and Buttonwood Park areas (Buttonwood is very close to UMass Dartmouth). The far North End is nice, but it's far from Campus. Same goes for the Southern end of Rodney French. I'd avoid the South End around Brock Avenue and the North End along N. Front Street and Bellville Avenue. Acushnet Avenue in the North End (affectionately referred to as "The Ave") is sort of New Bedford's "little Portugal." There are all sorts of Portuguese shops, bars, restaurants and venues along this stretch. the neighborhood around it can be dicey, but it's great to visit during the day, especially if you're studying Portuguese.
In Fall River, I'd only suggest the Highlands neighborhood. It's a sprawling area and it's really divided into two section (upper and lower highlands) but it's the nicest and the safest. Downtown Fall River has less to do and fewer places to live. Columbia Street has some cool Portuguese restaurants (including Sagres, and Cinderella) as well as a good Portuguese market (Chaves). There are some students who live in the far North End (near exit 8 on Route 24) but that's a hike to campus.
^what else to say?! Haha. I was hoping you would reply because everything I have seen from
you seems to be the most in depth! Earlier I was saying about the puerto rican thing is not to be negative or in anyway offensive but they,over time, have developed a bad stereotype in boston.
The reason I won't be on campus is because I am married so other wise I would be on campus. So while know both town have, over time, received negative looks on each other I'm looking for which would be better.
We do own a car but I'm just trying to get a grasp on things with if the car is diwn for a week if I have to find friends that live in the area for a car pool. I was sure what the winter situation would look like weather better or worse.
Thanks a lot for the good advise I'll be sure to post here if I have any more!!
^You're welcome. I know that certain groups have a bad reputation in many cities (you'll hear the same about Guatemalans in New Bedford or Cambodians in Fall River). I'd go with New Bedford if I were you and there are plenty of options to get to/from campus without a car. There's also a lot more going on in New Bedford.
"so bad" may be an overstatement. Still, Fall River and New Bedford's school systems aren't among the best. New Bedford has shown improvement recently (only one school in the city listed as "underperforming" this year) and Fall River's high school (Durfee) is often noted for the abundance of programs it offers. They're hardly great systems, but they're not the worst and the opportunity is there for motivated students.
The problem is that it seems unmotivated or moderately motivated students are allowed to slip through the cracks.
The reasons for this could fuel debates for years and the list is a mile long.
Dropout rates are high in both cities (among the highest in the state). Some attribute this to high student-teacher ratios (thus the whole students slipping through the cracks thing). Some attribute it to administrative and staff shortcomings. Some attribute it to cultural issues (many believe the large minority populations that attend these systems don't see the value in education). Some say language barriers prohibit those minority populations from success in school.
Personally, I believe it's a big mix of all of those reasons and more. The student-teacher ratios are higher, but not outrageous. There are problems with the running of the schools and some teachers and staff members are subpar, but many are excellent. Many of the minority groups don't view high school education as important, but many others do. You would know that the Portuguese came to the area to work the boats and other trade type jobs. As the population has become established, second, third, fourth, etc generation Portuguese residents go on to college and find professional careers requiring a degree. Still, new immigrant groups have language and cultural limitations.
There are some great middle, elementary, private and charter schools in each city. The vocational high schools are very good (especially GNB Voc). The big problem is the huge public high schools. Durfee and New Bedford High. While one can obtain a great education in either, more needs to be done to allow for those not necessarily sure what they want to do to succeed.
I graduated UMASS Dartmouth and know quite a bit about the area. I can tell you it is great living on campus freshmen year!! However, if you decide to move off campus New Bedford has some great student housing. Check out Rockdale West on Rockdale Ave.....many students reside there. Also the far North End of New Bedford near the airport is nice as well. Dartmouth also has some off campus apartments but at slightly higher rents. Craiglslist (south coast) is a good site to view for local apartments. In Fall River check out the Highlands I hear it is fairly safe there. Make sure you extensively check out neighborhoods in both cities before you make a move. The do have some real tough areas. Also some real nice ones too.
I actually drove the shuttle bus on campus ( The Dart Van ) and it will take you pretty much anywhere on campus. There is a bus that runs to downtown New Bedford and the North Dartmouth Mall.
Hello All,
I currently live in Washington DC and will be taking up a job in UMASS Dartmouth. I was wondering if I could get some information as to which areas should I be looking in to rent a studio or 1 bed room apartment. Over the past few weeks I have got mixed opinions about the New Bedford and Fall River areas. The general opinion however is to avoid the downtown areas in these places.
Other areas like Dartmouth, Westport and Fairhaven come highly recommended. I have been checking on craigslist for ads regarding 1 BDR apartments. Most of them are either in Fall River (FR) or New Bedford (NB). I have barely come across any postings for the Westport or Fairhaven or Dartmouth areas. Also I have been checking rent.com but the options are quite limited.
Are there specific websites / sources to find apartments in Westport or the Dartmouth area. If not, I was wondering if there is an approximate geographical location within the NB and FR areas which I should be looking into. The rent in these areas (via postings on craigslist) varies from $525 - $800 for a 1 BDR. Is it true that the cheaper 1 BDR's posted on craigslist are not in a safe area.
Fall River and New Bedford are where you'll find most of the rentals (you've been searching, I don't need to tell you that). Both of those cities are old manufacturing and textile mill towns that have fallen on hard times since the exodus of those industries. Almost any issue in either town is likely related to the decline of the city's formerly predominant industries. Unemployment is high in both towns while education is low and there is some crime in pockets of either city. The population of these communities is very insular. Many residents rarely leave their respective city and opinions of their cities are often reflective of that. On the down side of that, many locals treat these small cities (both around 90-95,000 people) as if they are much bigger than they are. Just know that for most real "urban" amenities, you will be traveling to Boston (about 50 minutes away) or Providence (20-30 minutes away).
The flip side of the insular attitude is that the local take on crime is often overblown. That's not to say it doesn't exist. It does. There is gang activity and pockets of occasional violent crime. Generally, it's isolated to certain areas of either city (unfortunately, it's often a public housing project that is central to the crime). I lived in metro D.C. for a while (Kensington, MD) before moving to the Fall River/NB area (and eventually Boston via Portland, Maine). I can safely say that there is nowhere in Fall River or New Bedford that looks anything like the worst parts of D.C. At the same time these two little cities lack many of the great things D.C. has to offer as well.
While the two cities are so close together and often talked about as one, it's worth noting that they are different in many ways. Fall River was founded specifically for textile and manufacturing industries. It grew during that era and has been in decline ever since. It is scarred deeply by urban renewal. Of course, industry brought wealth and with wealth comes good things and you can still see that in Fall River. It has a few neighborhoods chalk full of beautiful Victorian Homes (which can be had at very low costs) and some other great architecture. The waterfront park area (Heritage and Bicentennial Parks) are quite nice as well. Still, most of the city is in very rough shape and doesn't appear to be improving.
New Bedford is a little different. New Bedford has an industrial past like Fall River; but the city was around as a significant port long before that. The result is a more colonial looking urban core with cobblestone streets and colonial seaside architecture. Downtown New Bedford is a far more attractive place than Downtown Fall River. It was the whaling capital of the world (Moby Dick was written by Melville while he was on a New Bedford boat and many of the city's landmarks are described in the book) and twice in its history the wealthiest city in the world (the second time coming with manufacturing and textiles). There is rich architecture and history everywhere. Unfortunately, like Fall River, the city has declined since the glory days. Unlike Fall River, New Bedford has made quite a comeback in the past half decade, particularly downtown. New Bedford's port is growing in terms of traffic, it's the highest grossing fishing port in the nation and there seems to be a budding high-tech manufacturing and healthcare industry. Add to that that small businesses are popping up and thriving downtown (4 times as many independent businesses opened downtown than closed during the recession). It's still early and as you'll see the city has a LOOOONG way to go, but improvement (especially in this economic climate) is a good thing.
As far as areas to live, I drew up this map for those moving to the area. Basically, Green is a good area to look (cross-check street addresses on craigslist ads to the highlighted areas) and Red areas are places to avoid. Also, UMass Dartmouth has a listing of off-campus rentals.
As far as the bad areas go, United Front Homes and North Front Street in New Bedford are the worst (Sunset Hill in Fall River is pretty bad, but a little more isolated away). However, I'm a bit surprised that your sources advised you against living near downtown New Bedford. If you enjoy an urban environment, it's just about the only place to be in the South Coast. In addition, it's quite safe and quite attractive (it's not a big area, but it's nice). 13 Blocks of the downtown area make up the Whaling District National Historic Park. There are some good museums there (an Art Museum, the Whaling Museum and a small Ocean Explorium) as well as a number of good restaurants, shops, galleries, UMass Campus and a nice theater. If I were in your shoes (I prefer an urban area) The downtown area of New Bedford would be my first choice by a long shot. I'd also consider the Lofts at Wamsutta Place. It's one of a few new Mill Conversions in New Bedford (two are still under construction) that's complete with a pool, small museum (two, actually), gym, and security on site. I think the units are beautiful and reasonably priced. They are located right near I-195.
The Highlands in Fall River (upper and lower) are nice as is the County Street Historic District in New Bedford (near downtown). Areas on that map that aren't highlighted aren't necessarily good or bad. It just probably varies too much to highlight a certain color. If you have a question about a specific address, feel free to ask and I'll let you know what I can.
Rentals are harder to find outside of those cities because the towns outside are mostly single family and suburban or rural. Craigslist has some from time to time but your best bet may be the UMass site. Basically what you're looking at is urban v. rural. New Bedford and Fall River are the urban centers, but most people who live in MA or RI and want urban environments go to Providence or Boston. Any why not? Those cities offer far more than New Bedford or Fall River. Still, there are pockets of each of those cities that are just fine. If you look there, you'll probably do quite alright. If you'd prefer the rural areas, keep looking... Westport, Fairhaven and Dartmouth are beautiful.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Apartment Rentals near UMASS Dartmouth
