Fall River can relax for now, as Brockton is named the ugliest city in Massachusetts (Boston: real estate, public schools)

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by redplum33

IMO, Worcester is the most depressing larger city in New England.

Originally Posted by matrix5k

When's the last time you went to Shrewsbury St?

What am I missing on Shrewsbury Street?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by redplum33

IMO, Worcester is the most depressing larger city in New England.

More depressing than Springfield? Hartford, Bridgeport?

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by redplum33

IMO, Worcester is the most depressing larger city in New England.

Originally Posted by massnative71

More depressing than Springfield? Hartford, Bridgeport?

Add New Haven to your question.

And yes. I didn't say the most crime ridden. I said the most depressing...and I stand by that.

[matrix5k]

Originally Posted by redplum33

What am I missing on Shrewsbury Street?

There's a lot of nice restaurants now. Been that way for at least 12 years.

[Iced_Coffee]

Worcester can definitely be depressing, but I think some of that is a symptom of the weather there as much as much as it is the built environment/infrastructure. There are areas of Worcester that I think are perfectly nice. Some areas are crappy. But it's not a tiny city like Lawrence/Fall River/Brockton/etc. It's bigger than Providence (both in population and in area). IMO, it's too big for a blanket city-wide assessment like this.

I've grown to like the place a bit over the last decade or so.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Iced_Coffee

Worcester can definitely be depressing, but I think some of that is a symptom of the weather there as much as much as it is the built environment/infrastructure. There are areas of Worcester that I think are perfectly nice. Some areas are crappy. But it's not a tiny city like Lawrence/Fall River/Brockton/etc. It's bigger than Providence (both in population and in area). IMO, it's too big for a blanket city-wide assessment like this.

I've grown to like the place a bit over the last decade or so.

To me, the most "depressing" aspect of visiting (different than living there) these cities is the lack of vitality relative to their population. They just don't offer as much as many other similarly sized cities elsewhere. That applies to everything from entertainment to public services, healthcare, etc.

Brockton is comparable in size to Boulder, CO and Bend, OR, but it looks like a shell of a city in comparison. Both of those places (and dozens of other similarly sized cities) have active city centers full of shopping, dining, bars, breweries, galleries, services, etc. Some of that is due to close proximity to Boston and other small/mid-size cities (Brockton doesn't need a Level 1 Trauma Center with several within 25 miles), and some is due to general suburbanization. But a lot of it is the rust belt effect. When industry left, they were drained of population and wealth. So instead of streets full of shops and restaurants and shoppers walking between them, we have empty storefronts (or services that nobody wanted close to their homes) and mostly empty sidewalks. There's little reason to go downtown.

If you live there, it's even more pervasive. There's far less economic opportunity than there was 50-60 years ago. And buildings and neighborhoods serve as reminders that things used to be a lot better. Educational attainment is abysmal. And there is a general feeling of hopeless and even acceptance of the current state of affairs. It's extremely depressing. Crime dominates the discussion on CD, but it was (by far) that hopelessness and and lack of indication that anything is turning around any time soon that are the hardest things about living in these places.

Brockton is really depressing. Other places have more optimism and some clearer redeeming qualities. New Bedford has managed to retain a very attractive and vibrant downtown area. The days of big department stores are long gone, but it has great mom and pop shops, really good restaurants, some nice attractions, and is a place that surprises first time visitors. It also has an active working harbor and some pretty coastal areas. Worcester is probably the best of the bunch. It's not a physically beautiful place, but it's seen a lot of private investment and turnaround. It still has a long ways to go, but there's an unmistakable and growing optimism around the place.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Other places have more optimism and some clearer redeeming qualities. New Bedford has managed to retain a very attractive and vibrant downtown area. The days of big department stores are long gone, but it has great mom and pop shops, really good restaurants, some nice attractions, and is a place that surprises first time visitors. It also has an active working harbor and some pretty coastal areas.

Right, but New Bedford still has your abysmal educational attainment problem. It’s really expensive to fund enough special education and ESL to bring up the skill level of the workforce. There’s the state-run vocational high school but the failure is K-8. The cherry sheet for state aid and Federal special Ed money helps but it’s woefully inadequate in a school system where most of the students aren’t at grade level.

It’s tough to achieve prosperity without a skilled workforce. A slice of those people are likely to be displaced through gentrification when commuter rail shows up later this year. That is limited downtown because there is public housing south of DNB, Weld Square north of DNB, and the Kempton Street public housing to the west.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Agree? Disagree? Can't honestly say there's a whole lot aesthetically pleasing about the place. Downtown is a dump. The city is pretty much...a dump.



https://www.boston25news.com/news/lo...N34WAHZ74TC2A/


"“The only architecturally interesting part of Brockton is City Hall,” ALOT wrote."

Totally disagree. Fitchburg is easily the most ugly city in MA, followed by Worcester. Then its a tie between FR Lowell and Lawrence.

Brockton downtown is the most bombed out- but definitely not the ugliest city in MA.

By far its fitchburg.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by redplum33

Add New Haven to your question.

And yes. I didn't say the most crime ridden. I said the most depressing...and I stand by that.

New Haven is amazingly beautiful and not depressing. It can even be compared to someplace like Fitchburg Lawrence or Worcester from an aesthetic POV.

[Union Thug]

I'm surprised "Holyoke" gets a pass, it's the first MA city that came to mind when I heard "ugliest"