New Bedford - Finding a safe area in the path of progress for a house hack

[Alex Longinidis]

As the title says, I am looking to buy a house hack in the New Bedford area in the near future.  I've been running into a sticking point when looking at properties, which is the fact that I don't know what the good/safe areas to buy in are, or how to find that info.  Figured here would be the best place to start.

For context I just want it to be somewhere my girlfriend would feel safe.

Is anyone able to help me get pointed in the right direction?