North Vs South Vs West
The northern cities of Fitchburg, Lowell and Lawrence are all mill (or former mill) towns.
The northern cities of Fitchburg, Lowell and Lawrence are all mill (or former mill) towns.
The northern cities of Fitchburg, Lowell and Lawrence are all mill (or former mill) towns. Thus they have a longer history and more original buildings in their downtowns. They also have more highway networks through and around them. This has given them the best shot really so far and possibly the best potential.
The west has the advantage of being along I-90, the big corridor west to Worcester, Springfield, Hartford and New York. So, while they got their boost from simply being "along the way" it has worked to their advantage.
The south has had two disadvantages: The first is that they have been on the way to former booming fishing and whaling cities of New Bedford and Fall River, both of which have lost alot of their original job base. The second is that the south has typically not had nearly as well developed suburb and retail boom as the north. This has changed significantly over the past decade. From the Comcast Center (formerly the Tweeter Center, formerly Great Woods) to the Wrenthem outlets, to big box store influxes, this area has some of the greatest growth potential in Greater Boston.
