Where should we live in MA or NH? (lesbian couple w/ child) (Boston: appointed, sales)

[Anne60640]

My wife just accepted a job in Nashua, NH, so we will be relocating from Chicago in May. We are a young, (20 something) lesbian couple with a 4 month old child. I intend to take the Massachusetts bar exam and then will hopefully practice as a lawyer after that. This means that I will probably have to communte to Boston. Where should we live? Any suggestions appreciated!

[Braunwyn]

Since gay marriage is legal in MA, that's the route I would take. You could probably get a home on the border of MA and NH and have equal driving distance between the two cities.

[ProvGuy]

Well there is no sales tax or income tax in New Hampshire, but you'll pay a ton in property taxes to offset that so it's not really a plus. A cool place to live in between Nashua and Boston would be Lowell. It's an old mill town with a revitalized downtown and lots of converted loft apartments and condos. It's cool urban living with nice restaurants and shops downtown. Nashua itself is also pretty cool with an old New England town center. Lowell has a commuter train to Boston though, which Nashua does not. Lowell to Nashua is about a 20 minute car ride and the train from Lowell to Boston I believe is about 45 minutes. If you want something more suburban you can try towns like Methuen or Dracut as well. Or you can always live in one of the towns closer to Boston (Burlington, etc.-they're all pretty nice).

You already married or are you planning to get married in Massachusetts?

[Valerie C]

Hi Anne. Besides location, what are you looking for in your next "hometown"? Are you looking for a quiet place to call home? Or is something in the city more to your liking? Will you be looking for nearby shopping, dining, theater, and eventually dance/arts classes for the little one (I know, that's a few years from now ) Are there certain stores that are important to you? (many are disappointed to learn that NH does not have a Whole Foods market as of yet)

It sounds like your best bet will be somewhere along the route 3 corridor, and there are a plethora of places that *could* work, knowing the wants and needs of your family before settling in can help to eliminate places that you'd prefer not to be...

If public transport is high on your list, New Hampshire is limited to bus service, but as ProvGuy said, train service in Lowell is nearby to Nashua. Here is the map for "The T" commuter rail service--check the website for more info (www.MBTA.com)



Hope this helps! You should get more replies once people start checking in after work

Originally Posted by Anne60640

My wife just accepted a job in Nashua, NH, so we will be relocating from Chicago in May. We are a young, (20 something) lesbian couple with a 4 month old child. I intend to take the Massachusetts bar exam and then will hopefully practice as a lawyer after that. This means that I will probably have to communte to Boston. Where should we live? Any suggestions appreciated!

[Peter Creedon]

Wakefield is a nice place.

[Braunwyn]

Originally Posted by Peter Creedon

Wakefield is a nice place.

I'm in Wakefield right now too, and it is nice.

[1979]

Originally Posted by Anne60640

My wife just accepted a job in Nashua, NH, so we will be relocating from Chicago in May. We are a young, (20 something) lesbian couple with a 4 month old child. I intend to take the Massachusetts bar exam and then will hopefully practice as a lawyer after that. This means that I will probably have to communte to Boston. Where should we live? Any suggestions appreciated!

You indicate that you would have to commute to Boston after passing the Mass bar exam. If you intend on working in Boston, while your spouse works in Nashua, this would be a long commute even if you decided to live at the mid-point between the two cities (somewhere near Billerica).

[mcj79]

My wife and I are in the same boat. She has taken a Job in Nashua, NH and I'm looking for a job here. We are planning to live on the MA side mostly for the civil rights and to be a little closer to Boston. There are a lot of cities/towns along the 3 that are a short drive to Nashua and not too bad to Boston. Going to Nashua from MA you would be going to the opposite way of traffic for the most part, so it is a easy drive and they are pretty good about clearing the roads. Going to to Boston will be the harder drive, though there are a lot of trains as folks have already told you.
We have found that Westford has the top schools in the area (97-98) in the nation. But the schools here over all seem pretty good and there are a number of private schools also. Keep in mind most of the towns are not that far from each other. Lowell does have a lot to offer but we have found out that the schools are not every good and some say its not as safe as the other towns around. We are looking in Westford, Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, and Billerica. If you stay closer towarrds the 3 in those areas the drive to Nashua won't be too bad.

[WORC]

I live in Central Ma. Its a little intolerant the closer to Boston it seems the more progressive thinking they are. JMO -I am a cop in the Central area and this is my take- I would stay on the MASS side of the state but it the path of the route.

best of luck to you and yours.

[seldomseen]

Provincetown would be ideal