Art and Science Loving, Multi-Racial Family Moving from Chicago (Salem: areas, market)

[Peabody99]

I would look into Newburyport, MA. Such an awesome area, I visit whenever I can! We work too far away to live there but it might be perfect for your family. I'd check it out. Also Portsmouth is great but not sure about NH schools.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Dm84

No. The mindset in New Hampshire is completely different. There is no income or sales tax and the government spends less on everything, including education.

They spend less but usually end up with a better product in the end. Just look at the roads, the difference is striking. Most of the higher taxes in MA (like IL) go towards waste and corruption, and taking care of people with no intention of contributing to society.


As far as schools, NH is the same as MA in that some towns have good schools and others not so much. Both states have highly educated populations, and that DOES trickle down to the school systems. Can't really speak for Portsmouth, I know the Exeter schools have a good reputation (but also high property taxes). I would ask around the NH forum for advice, if you haven't done so already.

[bugelrex]

Originally Posted by ChampagneMolecule

Thank you, everyone! My husband has been getting similar advice from colleagues. Looks like we're narrowing our search to New Hampshire!

The next relevant question would be how are tech jobs in NH?
Are they primarily industries where tech work is more likely to be outsourced to India?

[rethcir]

It's not imposssible or uncommon to commute from Southern NH and the NH seacoast to the tech jobs along 95 or 495 in MA. I did that for a few years after college. Given most progressive tech companies tolerate working from home, it might be a good compromise to drive down a couple days a week and WFH up there.

There are a few tech employers in the Portsmouth area. Liberty Mutual runs their east coast IT out of Portsmouth for example. There would be a lot more in the Nashua (Lowell) and Manchester areas.

Technology firms in NH should be no more likely to use outsourced resources than in MA other than the tech employee candidate pool being smaller.

[NJ to MA]

Originally Posted by Dm84

No. The mindset in New Hampshire is completely different. There is no income or sales tax and the government spends less on everything, including education.

This may be true, but that is offset by higher property taxes. Of course if you are renting, you don't care about that unless it means higher rentals as a result. And nothing near the ocean will be cheap.

[Valerie C]

I scanned quickly through the responses thus far, but would like to make a coupe of suggestions. First, due to your budget and the desire for a house with in a neighborhood, with a yard - I would suggest New Hampshire. There are few towns in northern Essex County (Massachusetts) that you would provide an very doable commute to Portsmouth (reverse commute, as most of the traffic will be heading south toward MA. Newburyport would certainly provide some of the culture that you are seeking (very similar to Portsmouth, with an even more active waterfront area that has multiple festivals celebrating the arts, music and more. Unfortunately, the 350k budget would severely limit your selection (that's the price of a teardown home in Newburyport). You could consider Amesbury or Haverhill (both of which have experienced downtown renewals that put them back on the map. Haverhill in particular is being considered by many who formerly would have turned their noses up at such a 'gritty city'). I know plenty of professionals (CPAs, doctors, lawyers, etc) that would never consider leaving Haverhill - but schools can be challenging and require that parents are highly involved and students are self-motivated.

Financially though, keep in mind that MA residents that work in NH will be responsible to pay MA income tax. New Hampshire doesn't have income tax on employees, but does have a significant business tax on self-employed and contractors.

Towns in New Hampshire to keep on your radar: Exeter, Stratham & North Hampton. Perhaps Dover (an active downtown, lots to do but very spread out and many students from nearby UNH-Durham. For that matter, you could also consider Durham, which has great schools (part of the coveted Oyster River school district that includes Lee, Madbury and Durham.

None of the towns/school districts that I mentioned in either state are 'pressure cookers' that are commonly found in the wealthier suburbs of MA, which would probably fit your families needs better. Quirky is to be celebrated, imo

Originally Posted by ChampagneMolecule

We are looking to make a home somewhere between Boston and Portsmouth. We are leaning towards northern Massachusetts.

My husband will be working in Portsmouth, NH. I’m self-employed and work from home. We are in our mid 40s and have two kids, ages 9 and 11.

We have spent the last year living in the South Loop of downtown Chicago, and we enjoy the walkability, the museums, the parks, the lake, and the access to a vast and colorful culture. We are renting a tiny apartment in a building that is new and shiny and full of young professionals. It’s been a great experience! But we’d like a small house with a yard, where our kids can stretch out a little bit and, ideally, have access to neighbors with kids. Our current budget is $350K. We would consider renting for a couple years until we save up more for a larger downpayment.

Before moving to downtown Chicago, we lived in an upper middle class suburb outside of Chicago. It was not a good fit for us. We would rather see native gardens than a chemical-soaked, weed-free, extremely well-manicured lawn. And I do not love shopping malls.

We are a mixed race family. I’m caucasian, my husband is asian.

Our eldest daughter excels in math, science, and art and is socially awkward. Our youngest daughter excels in language arts and music and is socially confident. We’d love to find a school that would be a good fit for them.

We tend to gravitate toward quirky, places with a creative atmosphere. A friend who lives in Northampton, MA (which we love, but is too far from Portsmouth) recommended we check out Salem, MA.

We would also consider Portland, ME … but my husband feels better living closer to Boston. He works in technology and wants to be nearer to a big job pool.

Thanks for any an all suggestions!

[Space_League]

Portsmouth itself sounds ideal but it's an expensive city.

It's hard to come to terms with the fact that a family can afford to live in a premier neighborhood at the heart of an urban center with well over half a trillion dollars in economic output, but is priced out of a remote New Hampshire town of 21,000.

In reality, it comes down to expectations.

340k in portsmouth

I knew a family who lived on this street - it's a good place to raise kids but you're still 10-20 minutes outside of "here"







and you're paying a premium for that.

I would look into Exeter or Dover

[BostonBornMassMade]

Maybe Manchester?

[OutdoorLover]

1. Dover
2. Exeter

I would suggest renting first for a year. That will allow you to really get to know the area and take you time choosing what town and what house to commit your financial resources to. Real estate transactions are very expensive to cycle on if you change your mind.

[mwj119]

Welcome to New England- We just moved from the Chicagoland area as well!

Agreed with Dover & Exeter, but back to MA for a second-

Newburyport will be everything you want. Cool art scene, farmers markets, movies on the harbor, incredible food, etc. etc. etc. That said, it's gotten pretty expensive in the last decade.

Though i just knocked Amesbury in another post, I think it may be a decent fit for your family. Close access to Portsmouth via 95, but you maintain train access downtown. The downtown is nicer than ever before, and we recently noticed some new lil restaraunts and shops. Of course, you'll have the option to swing over the Newburyport to take advantage of all it has to offer. It is definitely more blue-collar than some other towns listed, but it may offer a nice little home for <$450k.

If you're looking for more walkable and a bit more socioeconomically diverse, i'd head down to Salem, MA. You can still make the commute to Portsmouth, and it's going to offer a lot of what a big city will offer. We like the waterfront and the extensive downtown, plus it's becoming a lot more dog-friendly for our little Chocolate lab (which should tell you something about the direction of the city).