Moved to NH from Fla and hated NH considering Mass in maybe 6 years... (Boston: real estate)

[Berrypie_skyhigh]

So I moved to NH with my husband in 07 to 08. We moved to Keene out in the western part of the state and HATED it. Moved back to Fla.. I love Fla but my husband is a New Englander at heart and I love New England but I think we just chose the wrong place to move. Tooo much snow, too much cold for too long and too small of a town. We live in one of the biggest cities in Fla and can't move to a town less than 100,000.

My husband is a police officer working on becoming a Judge and I don't work due to health problems. It has to be a reasonable town affordable wise. By the time we move husband will be making $100,000 + so thats for income. We're planning on having a child next year and would like to move when our child is ready to start school. I know it seems far away but we made the mistake of jumping too quickly at NH and lost a lot of money and have a sour taste in our mouth and I really want to do some reasearch..

I like Danvers, Melrose etc but they're a bit pricy but thats the feel I want without TONS of crime. So please send suggestions my way thanks!

[Valerie C]

Hi BerryPie When you're ready to give New England another shot, you might consider the south shore area of Mass. Quite a bit less snow and cold than what you got in Keene (a beautiful place, as you know, but a bit on the secluded side especially if you're used to having everything you need nearby. The lifestyle change can be pretty frustrating...)

Good for you starting your research now I wish I knew more about the south shore, but I'm in southern NH, and really only know the north shore area of Massachusetts well. The Danvers area would have *almost* but not quite as much snow and cold as New Hampshire... Of course winter 07/08 was unbelievably snowy for everyone, even in Mass! I'm sure you'll get lots of responses soon. Good luck!

[CityGirl52]

From my experience working in downtown Boston with both south shore and north shore co-workers? The south shore seems to always always get hit more than the north shore with the snow storms and WAY more snow than we have on the north shore! They were always always coming in late more than us and I mean always, there was always either a tie up OR something else that held them up from getting in to the office especially when it came to snow, so trust me, they get hit with the storms way more than us! I think if I were moving to Massachusetts, I'd pick the north shore to live, but that's my personal preference. I always really liked the real estate on the north shore a lot better, but don't go by me, that's just my taste and my style!

BUT, then again, if you insist on checking out the south shore real estate? I'd check out Hingham first down thru that a way! I'd move there IN a heart beat! It would be ideal to get in to downtown Boston too for you from there, rather than driving up from Scituate or Cohasset, even though they have the commuter rail now, Hingham would be closer for you, it's also right near Weymouth & Quincy, you can shoot up to downtown Boston in no time! Also, they have the commuter boat right there too, so remember that, it's GREAT that way!

North of Boston? I myself always liked Melrose, as it was always a charming community with beautiful homes. To me it's a lot nicer than Malden or Medford too in my honest opinion. The orange line (Oak Grove) is right there and it's minutes from downtown Boston, they have wonderful schools and their downtown shops are quaint & also there's Turner's (seafood) restaurant (it's great!) I meet family members there quite a bit!

Also, don't forget to check out Wakefield, see if there's anything near their beautiful lake Quannapowitt! It's a really nice area of Wakefield to be in, you can run, walk and/or jog around it all you want, any time of day, any time of the year, it's quite nice. That's another town I'd live in, in a heart beat!

Wherever you decide to live? Try to live NEAR Boston to get in to the City when you want to, you know what I mean? Hingham, in my opinion would be a great place to commute from just a little south of Boston and either Melrose or Wakefield just a little north of Boston, all of these towns would be ideal during our crazy winter months with the snow storms we get hit with! I've seen quite a bit of all of these communities and I think they each offer so much, in one way or another!

Good luck to you and your husband, wherever you decide to move to!

[sbradley86]

Well in my eyes, when you make your trip back up here there is two reasonable options. I know you didn't care for NH all that much, but keep in mind that the south/south eastern part of NH is a lot like mass only much cheaper to live.

Salem/Derry/Londonderry are great towns, all though Salem is starting to be overrun by Lawrence. Decent school systems and fairly safe. A bit less safe but significantly larger would be Manchester NH, which has decent schools.

Now, if your just completely done with the idea of NH I say move to the tip of the north shore. I am currently in Gloucester and it's an alright place to be. The area where Manchester by the Sea/Gloucester/Rockport is doesn't get as much snow in the winter. I've always noticed this.

[lrfox]

I'd also consider the Providence RI area as well. It's pretty, it's large enough (175,000 city proper, 1.6 Million people in the Metro), it's close to Boston and there's a lot to do. It's also a bit warmer than areas around Boston and North, and tends to be spared a lot of the snow. It's still VERY much New England, but being in the southern part, it's a bit more temperate. It's somewhat cheaper than the Boston area and schools are good in most of the surrounding towns.

[VlyRoadKid]

Hi. I'm kind of curious what it was (aside from the cold) that made you hate NH AND what your husband liked about it. Coastal winters can be brutal--very RAW!!! Maybe you can arrive at a compromise. Here in the Connecticut River Valley,the temps are on average bout 10 degrees higher, year round.

If you want a crime-free area, steer clear of the cities and that means ALL of them! Even in our little, newly-declared "city" of Greenfield, there are murders, etc. But you must weight that against the relative safety of you, your kids and what kind of lifestyle you like.

If you are happy with a quiet, rural lifestyle, then try the Berkshires, or even the "foothills" of them, like Conway, Ashfield, Haydenville, Leyden, Whately, Williamsburg. These towns BORDER the "Valley", as we call it, but are somewhat removed.

From these towns, you are only 10-20 minutes away from the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, with theaters, restaurants, nice walks at night, concerts, movies and so on. The crime is not non-existent, but FAR lower than in most other parts of the state.

However, housing prices here have NOT bottomed out, as they have elsewhere. That should tell you something: EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE HERE! I'm not kidding. It's almost impossible to find a good house that could accommodate a couple kids for under $240,000. By Boston standards, that, however, is low!

The snow thing: here in the Valley, the snowfall is almost ALWAYS less than it is in the Berkshires (to be sure!) and even in the "Central highlands" of MA. My friends who ski always go out to the Berkshires when there's no snow here.

As for someone recommending Providence, RI, for a family? I wouldn't. MY friend, who went to Brown University, said it's a hotbed of drugs and gangs. I didn't believe me, so he showed me the bullet holes in his old Volvo! 'Nuff Said, I hope!

One thing you can always do is telecommute--live here and work...well anywhere! I have friends who've done it for years. For a police officer or judge, that would be hard, but if he loves New England enough...he might look into other options....????

[KarynO]

My favorite towns...Danvers, Marblehead, Swampscott, Beverly, Amesbury, Newburyport, Ispwich, Topsfield, Hamilton, Wenham...These are beautiful New England towns.