North End

In any city, there’s a place where people want to live most. In Fall River, that’s North End, says Realtor Diane Belanger with Keller Williams South Watuppa, who not surprisingly lives there herself. “North End is one of the safest areas in Fall River — family-oriented, quiet. I think nothing about leaving my doors open, walking in the neighborhood or having packages delivered to my doorstep.”

The homes here run the gambit from single-family Capes with high-pitched roofs to ranch-style homes with attached garages and colonials with Nantucket-style, wood-shingled siding, most priced between $350,000 and $550,000. Townhouses and condos also list in North End for around $300,000, featuring balconies or back patios, single-car garages and hardwood floors. “Routes 24 and 79 are very close,” says Belanger. “So North End attracts a fair amount of professionals commuting to Providence or Boston. Business owners, landscapers and other blue-collar company owners live in the neighborhood, too. Several manufacturing and warehouse centers are nearby.”

North End students attend Frank M. Silvia Elementary, which received a B-minus from Niche. This PK-5 school holds “Celebration of Success” events that bring families and teachers together to engage students with their social and emotional development. Morton Middle, a C school, has a 13:1 student-teacher ratio and often previews programs offered at B. M. C. Durfee High, a B-rated school, to help students make better choices once they advance.

Tattapanum Trail, a 1.3-mile hiking path that starts on Wilson Road in North End and forms a big loop, is a short walk from many homes. Travel on Wilson Road farther across Watuppa Pond, and the neighborhood gives way to miles and miles of woods. Freetown-Fall River State Forest, a 5,000-acre pine and oak forest, features 25 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and off-road dirt biking. Also, within this area, locals can hunt and fish in several spots, including Watuppa Pond, famous for bass fishing, Doctor’s Mill Pond, the site of an old acid mill, and Copicut Reservoir, the source of the Copicut River. Along the Taunton River, Fall River Country Club with its classic New England golf course features water views on 17 of its 18 holes. Members can also enjoy live music and other events at its full-service clubhouse.

For everyday needs, North Enders can stop at Shaw's, a supermarket in the RK Plaza shopping mall, the closest to the neighborhood. And for breakfast or lunch, “Gina’s packs them in,” Belanger says. This family-owned restaurant on Wilson Road is a neighborhood landmark, where the food is served fast, and the service is friendly. Restaurant choices multiply the closer you get to the riverfront, which residents can access by taking an SRTA bus. In a former brick factory facing the river, Duke’s Bakery uses old-fashioned techniques to produce its quality products — and everything is gluten-free. If its sign doesn’t pull you inside, the aroma of freshly baked bread will. High ceilings, soft lighting and huge media screens greet you at Barrett’s Waterfront, where customers can grab a juicy burger, enjoy some mouth-watering fish and chips or satisfy their tastebuds with sushi or a poké bowl. Barrett’s offers live music on the weekends, giving customers twice the entertainment for their money.

After dinner, river-walkers might stroll over to the Narrows Center for the Arts, a venue that features live performances, visual art galleries and artist studios. “The city is turning the riverfront into a massive green space,” Belanger says. “The Route 79 roadway downtown has already been removed, and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority has plans to offer train service from Boston to Fall River as soon as 2024, which will probably affect rents and home prices here if we get a big influx of commuters.”

North End might be removed from the activity and hubbub of this quintessential New England river town, but its quiet streets and ready access to trails and woods make it one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Fall River.

Written By

Christopher Kopczynski

Photography Contributed By

Alan Bates

Video By

Chris Norton