Nashua, NH/ MA Area… possible relocation… (Boston, Lowell: sales, real estate, car insurance)

[mcj79]

My wife may have a job opportunity in the Nashua area. My wife grew up in upstate NY but we know very little about New Hampshire. We are currently in Long Beach, CA. So we enjoy a culturally diverse community, with many true ethnic restaurants, entertainment, sporting events, museums, the beach and such. We hope to live in an area that has many of the same amenities we currently enjoy.
Can you let me a little about the Nashua, NH area? What is the city like? What is there to do for folks in there 20-30’s? Would the area be welcoming & open to a lesbian couple & family? How are housing prices & quality? Are there better areas then another for gay families & good schools? How far Nashua it from Manchester, what is that area like and would it fit our family better?
On the map it appears to be just over the boarder from (Tyngsboro, N. Chemlsford, Lowell) MA. What areas in MA might be with a commuting distance to Nashua, NH? How far of a drive would that really be during the week?
What are these areas like? Would they be a better fit for an 20-30 something, lesbian couple or young family? Is there much do to or any good places to eat or hang out in these towns??? And what is housing like in these areas?
We would be hoping for a area that is nice & safe, open & welcoming, fun with some entertainment and stuff to do and cool people to hang out with. We would also like to be in a area were we could get a decent updated home 2/3+bed, 2+bath, nice sized kitchen & living space, room for our pool table, and a nice yard for our doggies. For under $400,000 after looking on line I think we could a nice home for $270- $360, coming from CA our perception of what you get for the money maybe very different.
Please we would love some constructive feed back!

[brightdoglover]

Hmm. I live 20 miles south of Nashua in Massachusetts. I think any commute from south to Nashua would be pretty easy, going against traffic.

I'd say Manchester is another 40 miles or so northwest of Nashua. It's absolutely not cool, for anyone, never mind someone urbane. I'd forget about Manchester right away.

That said, the only mildly urbane area around Nashua is Nashua itself, and it's pretty mild. A few good restaurants, a bit of arts scene. Surrounding areas in both NH and Massachusetts are very suburban. Nothing of interest at all, I must say. Let's see, and you want a house. If you can pay up to $400K, I'd suggest Arlington (Mass.) Bordering Cambridge, but has single-family houses (modest ones, at $400k or less, very urbane area without crowding or real crime, very easy to get into Cambridge/Boston for some real nightlife and all sorts of restaurants (some good ones in East Arlington) and not a bad commute against traffic to Nashua.

Come to think of it, that's what I'd do, if I wanted to live somewhere at all cool and work in Nashua. Also, property taxes in NH tend to be higher than Mass. because it's the only tax they have in NH.

Best wishes on your move.

[skytrekker]

Nashua, while a very pleasant town, with much to offer will lack allot of what Long Beach has.
I suggest buying in Massachusetts if you are seeking a bit more 'pizazz' - The closer you are to Boston; you will give all of what you had in Long Beach, plus some.

[drouhin]

Another "nay" for Manchester here. It has the rep of being the most conservative town in NH. I haven't spent that much time in Nashua, but it seems like it would definitely be more welcoming than Manchester for a lesbian couple.

[seamusnh]

If you work in NH and live in MA, you'll still pay MA state income tax. If you live in NH and work in MA, you pay MA state income tax. If you have work in NH and can live in NH, you'll save on income tax, capital gains tax, sales tax, and car insurance. Real estate is generally lower in NH than MA but that depends on the town.

[mcj79]

Thanks for the feed back we will check out the areas you all talked about a little bit more. It all depends on the job offers! I have to admit the idea of being able to take a train in to Boston for the weekend sounds great! But I know my wife hopes to stay at a 30 minute or less commute to work... maybe we can find a medium or get a job offer in Boston!!!!
We might have more question if we get some offers out that way... oh, I have one whats the cost of living outside of housing like... what type wage would support a young family comfortably? The basic nice home, 2 modest cars, dinner out maybe once a week, going out as a couple or family a few times a month to a zoo or game or something, shopping food/clothes... We've used the salary comparison things on-line but sometimes they don't tell you everything... what is your sales, income and property tax like????

[mcj79]

Hey, I just got a call from my wife and she is going to setting up with a company in Nashua in the next few weeks. I was talking with her about the all the feed back/ information I was getting from this site and we cam up with a few more questions. Coming form LB/LA area traffic can be a interesting thing... we measure distance more in time then miles. As 10 miles could time you 10 minutes or 60 minutes, depending on the path and time of day.
I've looked up the miles/direction on Google maps, but what does that mean in time and stress, for typical 8-5 job, Coming from the MA side, maybe Lowell (just another city that showed up on the map), or Arlington, MA areas? How is the public transportation? Can you take a train or bus from one to the other?
Also, How far out from Boston do the trains go? How long does it take via train to from Arlington or Lowell area to Boston? I'm guessing train would be better then driving??
Are there any areas a bit out side of Arlington/Cambridge, that have easy train/driving access to Cambridge/Boston? That might still have a cool little "downtown" coffee shops/ dinning community areas? We might settle for that if it means a lower housing cost (would be looking for under $400, lower better), being closer to her work and still close enough to grab a train on the weekend to the Boston area. We are hoping to only have about a 30 minute drive to work... is this possible?
Thanks for all of your help, it is so cool to be able to get the inside info from people that are in the area... the companies always say its a "great area"!

[brightdoglover]

Public transport is lousy if it exists at all for trains out of Boston to Lowell, and none to Nashua. You do not want to "grab a train" from Lowell to Boston- I believe there's a commuter line, which runs infrequently, takes time, and ends up in a part of Boston where you'd then have to get a cab or one or two more trains to anything of interest.

The thing to do if you want to train into Boston/Cambridge is drive to the end of the Red Line, Alewife station, on the Cambridge/East Arlington border. The red line will take you a straight shot to most areas of Cambridge and the Boston Common. It costs, I think, $5 to park, max, at Alewife. You could drive there easily from anywhere north of Arlington, including Lowell, Nashua, etc.
Lowell is struggling to get "quiched out," and has some advantages to it, thanks to the late Paul Tsongas, but it's still not remotely a cool place to live. Lots of junkies, empty streets at night except for low-riders, all the office people gone to the suburbs.
Regarding commuting, if you go against traffic, it's a matter of miles, not time, unlike So. Cal. I used to live in Arlington and commute to Lowell against traffic, and it took maybe 30 minutes. Arlington is extremely well placed for access to Rts. 2 and on to 93/3 for NH, plus, there's a bus the length of Mass. Ave. if you don't want to drive or train into Cambridge/Boston.
I honestly can't think of any other place that might suit you. Living closer to Nashua means living in a boring suburbo, town or exurb, barely towns at all. (Former farm towns, meaning not much as a walkable downtown/charm thing).
You might consider buying maybe west of Nashua, having a crowded but short commute into Nashua, and an easy drive to Alewife or into Cambridge for city life. Driving into Boston at almost any hour represents the height of annoyance, and really isn't worth it. If I'm going into Boston, I drive to East Cambridge, eat at the Afghan restaurant (industrial parking nearby) and catch a cab across the river to Boston, no matter which part- I did this for Blue Man Group, and for Springsteen at Fenway Park. Also, the Afghan restaurant is tops- one of a three-chain owned by Hamid Karzai's family on the East Coast.
Believe me, I've lived around here for some 34 years, and have only come up with real compromises. In my 20s/30s, it was Cambridge or Arlington, and no house for dogs. I now live 25 miles NW of Cambridge (still my locus, in ways) and have five dogs and a half-acre and custom little contemporary in the woods near a lake, a mile from Rt. 2 and I-495. What saves me is I work third shift, so I drive into Cambridge/Belmont at night, and out in the morning against traffic. If you have choices, it's pretty crazy to pick a place to live where you work normal office hours and go with traffic. Just not worth it.

[neil0311]

If you're planning to work in NH...live in NH. If you live in MA, you pay MA income and sales taxes, excise tax, and MA auto insurance. Property taxes in NH are higher, but unless you make a tiny salary, never buy anything, and don't drive, they do not offset the higher taxes in MA.

[mcj79]

We see the advantage with income taxes of living in NH. And does make scene to save on income tax and other taxes. I'm going to try to check into tax & insurance rates... anybody actually know the rates? And while you all make good points, we still what that city feel (at the very least close buy) neither or us are suburban girls really. I either want to amenities of the city/town (walking to dinner/shops) or lots of land/space around me. I really hate all the houses looking the same and what not. From what I've read NH won't have the city vibe... that its more suburban. Also, we are married here and we would like to live some place we are married. I'm checking into NH Domestic Partner/ Civil Union/ Marriage in all the places we are considering. Does anyone know the inclusiveness of NH's DP/CU laws? Also, concerned about 2nd parent (or "stepparent") adoption, how each states laws might effect our family. Unfortunately, there is a lot of extras to consider for us... And legal safety might offset income/tax loss.