Northwood and Nottingham (Manchester, Nashua, Concord: house, job market, neighborhoods)

[JC1953]

My husband and I are relocating to NH from TN. At this point we are looking at housing in the Northwood and/ or Nottingham area. I really like what I have seen and heard so far about Portsmouth, but the housing costs are that area seem alittle steep for us.
I would appreciate any and all info about these two towns. From what I can see it looks like Nottingham is about 21 miles from Portsmouth and about 25 or so from Manchester.
Schooling is not a factor,it is just the two of us and the dogs.
I am really looking for quick access to the ocean, small town feel - quaint shops, resturants, but also with access to a major shopping center.
Also, how is the job market in this area or the state, from Manchester to Portsmouth. My field is Accounting / Finance.
Thanks,
JC1953

[southward bound]

Since you haven't had any replies yet, I'll give you my two and a half cents' worth - or less, depending on how you view it.

I don't know much about the area except that we used to go to Northwood Lake quite a bit, and it's very pretty out that way. I wouldnt mind living there.

[NHtoNC?]

Originally Posted by JC1953

My husband and I are relocating to NH from TN. At this point we are looking at housing in the Northwood and/ or Nottingham area. I really like what I have seen and heard so far about Portsmouth, but the housing costs are that area seem alittle steep for us.
I would appreciate any and all info about these two towns. From what I can see it looks like Nottingham is about 21 miles from Portsmouth and about 25 or so from Manchester.
Schooling is not a factor,it is just the two of us and the dogs.
I am really looking for quick access to the ocean, small town feel - quaint shops, resturants, but also with access to a major shopping center.
Also, how is the job market in this area or the state, from Manchester to Portsmouth. My field is Accounting / Finance.
Thanks,
JC1953

I feel bad that no one responded. If you haven't moved already, here's my suggestion: If you can find a house that is reasonably priced, Exeter, NH may be the town that matches your description. It is cheaper than Portsmouth - I call it a mini-Portsmouth. It also has a train that goes to Boston, MA, Portland, ME, Durham, NH, Newburyport, MA. It has a quaint country feel, very nice town, great schools (not that you need that), nice downtown shops, nice river, great community feel and plenty of services and free outdoor entertainment during summers, etc. It's a hop skip and a jump to the ocean (10 mins), 15-20 mins to Portsmouth or Newington (shopping district with malls, everything you need), 4-6 mins to 3 major grocery stores and Staples, good selection of restaurants, great natural food store, takes pride in its history, great library, voted one of the most walking and biking friendly towns in the country, close to rte 95 and 101, and GREAT parks. Property taxes are high everywhere... you might as well get services, community programs and events, etc with it! During the holidays it is so picturesque. There is a lot of pride and sense of community in Exeter. Nottingham and Northwood are nice and offer more land, but are bedroom communities- most people just sleep there, there is no downtown to speak of and hardly any community events. Newmarket and Durham (home of UNH) have a lot of college students living in them. I believe Newmarket has been hit by floods very badly and I wouldn't recommend moving there unless you don't mind construction all the time. Dover might be worth considering too. It is cheaper than Portsmouth and I think it is almost the same size and close to the ocean, although not a quaint little town it is still nice.

I hope you will get into winter sports though... winter can be long in NH. Wear layers!

[Valerie C]

In your field, it's probably advisable to staying in a reasonable commute to one of the major job areas such as Portsmouth, Manchester, Concord and Nashua. No reason you have to live on those towns! Portsmouth is beautiful, somewhat of a hassle to deal with if you're living too close to major routes (traffic heading to Maine for beaches/shopping, etc) Of course there are great neighborhoods, and prices are much reduced from where they were 2 years ago.

Since schools are not a consideration for you, I would recommend that you might have a better quality of life in an area that doesn't tax as heavily for a highly rated school system. You simply won't be using that service, so why pay for it? Towns like Lee, Durham and Madbury (home of the highly rated Oyster River school district) have had tremendous increases in the last couple of years. In fact, a cute little cape-style home I had listed in Lee came with a tax bill of nearly $7,000!! WHO wants to pay that, if you're not even using the school system that you're paying for. Exeter is always a nice choice, great downtown, nice shops as NH to NC says. Brentwood and Nottingham are convenient to Rte 101, which would give you east/west access to the seacoast/Rte 95 and also Rte 93 to get to Boston or White Mountains.

So many towns, so many towns!!!

For the furkids... access to a dog park might be nice. I bring my dog to the park a couple times a month, hopefully more often now that the weather is cooler. Here's a list of what's around:

Amherst
* American K9 Country. Fenced dog park.
Location: 336 rte 101 (across from camp road bedford/amherst line) (Thank you Kara Diorio)

Boscawen
* Jamie Welch Memorial Park. Ball Fields. This is NOT AN OFFICIAL DOG PARK, it's baseball fields and tennis courts. But there is a good-sized fenced in ball field which is open to pets as long as you are willing to scoop the poop! Location: West Road (off King St). Directions: Exit 17 off 1-93 onto Route 3 North. Head into the Boscawen town center (King Street) and West Rd is on your right just before Cumberland Farms. The park is at the end of the road, which curves to the right. (Thank you Jen Berry)

Concord
* Concord Community Dog Park COMING SOON! We are still fundraising but we already had the land donated by City of Concord! Location: Will be at the site of Terrill park at Manchester and Old Turnpike roads. Friends of the Concord Community Dog Park. Directions: We are still fundraising! We need funds for the fencing, benches, etc. please contact Doug Campbell, at dcampbell8069@aol.com to find out how to help! (Thank you Kara O'Donnell)

Derry
* Derry Dog Park. Off leash fenced dog park. Some agility equip, toys, kiddie pool in summer, picnic tables, double gated, mostly dirt, tents for shade. Location: Fordway St (next to Derry dog pound). Directions: I-93 to exit 4 = Rt 102, Go East towards Derry, Right at 1st set of lights = Fordway St. Park is less than 1/2 mile on right. Next to dog pound. (Thank you Stacey Mottram & John P. Tomaselli)

Hampstead
* Hampstead Conservation Center. Many trails with beautiful wooded landscape. Dogs only with voice command off leash. there is many hikers and mt. bikers. many feild dogs. very buggy in summer great winters. Location: West rd. Directions: 93 north, ext 3 take right off ramp. lights take left. striaght to rt 111 east. west rd on left. come to a rock wall on right slow down you will see parking lot. (Thank you Kathy Nelson)

Nashua
* Nashua Play Group. Nashua Play Group sponsored by Nashua D.O.G. (Thank you Alan Wolfson & Ernest Grindle)

Contoocook
* Hopkinton High School. NOT AN OFFICIAL DOG PARK, but there is a good-sized fenced in ball field that is open to dogs. Ball Fields. Location: 297 Park Avenue (Rt 103). Directions: Exit 6 or 7 off of I-89. Follow signs for Rt 103/Contoocook. (Thank you Jen Berry)

Portsmouth
* Portsmouth Dog Park. This chain-link fenced off area at South Mill Pond is posted with the following rules: Clean up after your dog. No unsupervised children under 12. No children under 6. Remove all spike and choke collars. Dogs need collar with ID license and vaccination tags. Dog to be controlled by voice. No dogs left unattended. No puppies under four months. Limit of three dogs per person. Use park at own risk. Owners responsible for all dog actions. No glass, littering or motor equipment. Dog with bite history must be muzzled. Dogs in park must be spayed or neutered.
Location: South Mill Pond. Directions: From the city center take Pleasant street and bear right at parking lot. Dog park is in center of park at South Mill Pond. (Thank you Pamela Welch) (DON'T let your dogs swim in or drink the water in South Mill Pond - it's polluted.)


Raymond
* Riverside Bark Dog Park. Off leash dog park. Open from dawn to dusk. Location: Sundeen Parkway. Directions: Rt 101 to exit 4. (Thanks you Tom O'Neill)

Rochester
* Rochester Dog Park. Fenced dog park. If you are not a member we invite you to sign up for a "ONE DAY" complimentary pass. Location: Taylor Avenue. Directions: Route 125 south of Rochester, turn left onto Toll End road toward waste management. First left onto Taylor Avenue. Park is on your right. (Thank you Kate Wilcox)

Peterborough
Peterborough Town Beach, located on Cunningham Pont at Route 101; open daylight hours. (comments: beach was donated to town by town resident and author of 'The Secret Life of Dogs' on the condition that dogs be welcome there.)

If you have further questions, please send me a private message. I'm happy to help if I can...