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We are a family of 3 (Me, my wife, 4 yrs old daughter) currently living in San Francisco Bay Area (specifically Foster City, San Mateo county) -- After living in this bay area for 3.5 years, I am feeling this place is no longer an attractive place and I can never call it home.
I work in Software (Oracle Applications domain) as full time employee, I am the sole bread winner earning 6 digits salary. Now, I have an option to move & work from almost anywhere in the US (for the same company). After thorough research(considering our personal preferences) we have shortlisted 2 places i.e,
1) Bellevue/Seattle area - Washington state
2) New Hampshire (Nashua)
Here are our personal preferences in the order of highest to lowest priority:
-- Good public schools (from elementary through high school)
-- Job Opportunities in Software (Oracle Applications Domain)
-- Weather (except unbearable heat & humid, anything is fine)
-- Nice People
-- Reasonably low cost of living
-- Relatively cheaper rents & cheaper housing
-- Nice commutes
-- Outdoor activities & visiting places
Both places that I have shortlisted have NO state income tax which is a big plus for me, and I have fallen in love with the picturesque greenery that's out there in Bellevue/Seattle area but the rain/drizzling is little concerning, on the other side, Snow & long winters in New Hampshire are also concerning. The pros & cons of these 2 places are almost equally weighing hence we are in a dilemma to make a decision.
Could someone who has knowledge on both these places please guide me on what you think would be the best ?
This is tough. If you live in Nashua, I'm assuming you'd be working in the tech. industry in the Boston area, right? If that's true, It's really a tough comparison and looking at what you want, it seems as if you couldn't go wrong either way.
I'd like to hear what your hobbies are as well. Do you have an interest in history? How do you like your mountains? How do you feel about access to other major metros besides the one you're settling in? Are you REALLY indifferent about Rain vs. Snow?
I'm partial to Boston, but I love Seattle. To me, it seems like you'd be happy either way. A little more info may help to sway some of us one way or another.
Here are our personal preferences in the order of highest to lowest priority:
-- Good public schools (from elementary through high school) - There are great public schools in NH as well as parts of Mass about 20 minutes south.
-- Job Opportunities in Software (Oracle Applications Domain) - Not sure about Nashua, but the Metrowest area outside of Boston has opportunities for you.
-- Weather (except unbearable heat & humid, anything is fine) Summers can be humid but bearable. It's worse in the city. Winters are long and cold.
-- Nice People - New Englanders are not known for their charm and warm smiles, but you shouldn't have any trouble making friends in NH. There are lot's of nice people in the more rural and suburban areas.
-- Reasonably low cost of living - NH is very reasonable, but you need to get outside of Nashua since lot's of Mass/Boston residents moved up there to escape high cost of living and taxes. Nashua isn't bad but you can do a little better if you commute from a northern suburb depending on how far you want to commute.
-- Nice commutes - Commutes within NH aren't bad, but once you go south into Mass traffic gets heavy depending upon where you go.
-- Outdoor activities & visiting places - If you like the outdoors you'll love New England. White Mountains for hiking and climbing, lot's of rivers for kayaking, beaches, skiing, snowmobiling, hiking trails, autumn foliage, fishing, hunting, camping, bike trails...you've got it all. Then there is Boston a short distance away and all it has to offer.
I am originally from the Manchester NH area and would recommend it! We lived in Bedford and we knew all our neighbors very well and the schools were very good. Gets to the 90's a few times in the summer but not too bad. Very pretty state as well!
I am not into activities like trekking, hiking. But I would love to walk/jog/bike and as my child is young, having enough opportunities for outdoor activities that kids can do like playing in the parks etc., is definitely needed. The most important thing I am evaluating now is, how much Seattle and Nashua would allow us to spend outside the house and not being locked by the 4 walls. Would the heavy snow and severe cold in Nashua prevent us from going out on say week ends and playing in the parks etc., Similarly, does it rain almost everyday in Seattle area or only half of the year, again on the rainy days, does it rain from morning through night constantly or a few showers inbetween ?
Also does it get very hot & humid(I hate sweating) in Nashua ? As of now, I am inclined towards Seattle area, but still evaluating things about Nashua.
-- Any insight into all these is highly appreciated.
Have you ever been to Nashua? The city itself is not very nice. It's mainly malls and strip malls (for all of the people coming over the border to avoid sales taxes). Other parts of southern New Hampshire/northeastern Massachusetts are quite beautiful, however.
You should also consider how much time (if any) you want to spend in the "big" city. Bellevue is minutes from Seattle whereas Boston is a much further drive from Nashua. From Bellevue, it's easy to go to Seattle for dinner. People don't really do that from Nashua. They go to Boston for a ballgame or to hear the symphony, etc.
I prefer Boston, personally. The other advantage is that Boston has a lot of commuter trains if you don't want to drive.
I am not into activities like trekking, hiking. But I would love to walk/jog/bike and as my child is young, having enough opportunities for outdoor activities that kids can do like playing in the parks etc., is definitely needed. The most important thing I am evaluating now is, how much Seattle and Nashua would allow us to spend outside the house and not being locked by the 4 walls. Would the heavy snow and severe cold in Nashua prevent us from going out on say week ends and playing in the parks etc., Similarly, does it rain almost everyday in Seattle area or only half of the year, again on the rainy days, does it rain from morning through night constantly or a few showers inbetween ?
Also does it get very hot & humid(I hate sweating) in Nashua ? As of now, I am inclined towards Seattle area, but still evaluating things about Nashua.
-- Any insight into all these is highly appreciated.
You have a handful of days in the Summer that you will sweat.
As for going out on the weekends in Winter: It depends on you. I'm out all the time. My family and I have a blast in Winter as we do in Summer.
So it depends on you.
Honestly, it sounds more like you would do better in a suburb such as Bellevue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tpk-nyc
Have you ever been to Nashua? The city itself is not very nice. It's mainly malls and strip malls (for all of the people coming over the border to avoid sales taxes).
LOL What? Have YOU ever been to Nashua? I would totally disagree with that.
Does it HAVE strip malls and box stores? Yes, or course. Are they prevelant and obnoxious? No!
Nashua is a nice small city with a vibrant classic New England downtown area.
Nashua/ Southern NH can get humid in the southern months, but not terrible. New England summers are beautiful. The temperatures are normally between 70-85 degrees, and while some days get a bit hot and muggy, the majority are not. As long as you're looking at Nashua, you may want to look into Portsmouth NH. It's got a great downtown area and the coastal location keeps it a little cooler and comfortable during the summer and slightly warmer during the winter (thus avoiding the highest snowfall accumulations).
Portsmouth also provides some scenic areas to jog and bike as well. It's on the coast so you're able to access aquatic activities as well. Accumulated snow can make it difficult to run around in parks, but it also means that you can sled, snowshoe, cross country ski, tube, and downhill ski. It's also perfect for building snowmen and snow forts Obviously downhill skiing can get expensive, but the rest of the activities are free and there are plenty of areas to take advantage of them. My friends and I used to play, "snow football" when there was good snow on the ground. It makes tackling much easier. So no, snow won't make it too hard for you to get out of the house, there's plenty to do and it's not too tough to do it.
Personally, I'll take the snow over the rain, but that's upto you. Southern NH also probably puts you in better proximity to major metro areas. While Seattle is close to Vancouver and not too far from Portland, Southern NH is close to Boston and within driving distance to New York City (just over 4 hours) and other major cities. It's also on a major transit corridor so like tpk-nyc said, taking rail to Boston or anywhere else is easy to do.
Snow may hinder commutes to work or school from time to time, but it won't limit your ability to be outside. In fact, snow provides a winter wonderland for the young ones and most kids thoroughly enjoy it.
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