Where would you move to??? (Manchester, Nashua: appointed, for sale, apartments)

[sorp dust]

Hi, my wife and I are trying to pick a place to move to. Kinda like throwing a dart at a map. New Hamshire looks nice. Close to big city, ocean, mountains etc. North Dakota is too flat, and boring. I am looking for opinions on the places to live. We are 28 no kids, like outdoor stuff (hike, bike, water sports etc.), good places to eat, no need for dance clubs or anything like that. We would like to be close to a big city, yet live in a city that is big enough to have everything a person would need (shopping, big supermarkets, Target). As far as job opportunities, more oportunity the better. Could commute doesn't matter. Don't know if something like this is out there, but your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[east2west]

You are throwing the map at the right state! If you like outdoor activities and are not into the big night scene, Concord, Manchester, Portsmouth or Nashua are all great cities to pursue employment and the surrounding towns will give you the best living there is. This is coming from someone who relocated our family here and we have not been disappointed. Each of these cities has shopping surrounding them and plenty of good restaurants. Nashua is closer to Mass, so there is more traffic. Manchester is the biggest city in NH with about 110K people. Concord is the state capitol and is a great family friendly city, I can say from personal experience. Portsmouth is on the seacoast. There are so many wonderful surrounding towns and each is unique. Tell us more about yourself and what kind of employment you and your wife will need and maybe people can join in and give you some advice on where would be best for you. From my perspective, you won't find a better state and I don't think you can go wrong with any of the cities.

[bryfry]

Outside of Manchester and Nashua you have Bedford, Goffstown, Litchfield, Merrimack, Londonderry and Hooksett, Derry.
Outside of Concord you have Bow, Hopkinton, Pembroke, Loudon, Weare, and others.
Don't forget Keene in the Southwest corner. There's lots to look at in that area as well.
This gives you a good start!!!

[sorp dust]

My wife and I both have college degrees, I have been in sales(financial, construction) and my wife is in Marketing and Promotions. We are pretty flexible as far as a job. Is it normal for people to commute to Boston area? In ND there is no commuting, 10 minutes maybe from work to home. We are just looking for something different in every aspect of life. Can it be found in NH?

[bryfry]

Some do, but it can be a hassle with nightmarish traffic. There is train service to Boston, but most people elect to drive. Check out Manchester. Pretty thriving city.

Check out this link to find out about specific towns:

NH Community Profiles

It will give raw data, but sometimes that's the best kind!! Helps me as I'm a major data dog. To me, all the answers are right there in black and white.

[east2west]

People do commute to Boston. To do that you need to live in either the seacoast area, (Exeter, Hampton, Kensington) to travel down 95, or the towns surrounding southern NH (Derry, Londonderry, Amherst, Hollis) and travel down 93. From what I hear, it is about an hour commute if you leave early (6am). If you work in Boston, you have to pay Mass income tax. If you are able to find a good job in New Hampshire, you will not have to pay income tax or sales tax. Only property tax. If you are flexible concerning work, I'd look in NH first and see if you can cut down the commute time to enjoy all the great outdoor activities. NH is different in that you have the cities and the proximity to Boston for cultural events, etc is close, while at the same time you can enjoy all four seasons. There are activities during each season, and something to look forward to each time of the year. The beauty of the state as demonstrated by the recent thread with pictures is a daily reminder of why people love living here. Also, people are very welcoming. Not in a overly friendly way, but in a reserved, glad to get to know you way.

[Katlakat]

I love coincidences! We put our free map of NH up on the wall and instead of throwing darts (we didn't have any) we closed our eyes and walked with a finger pointed out. So far its Laconia area.

I know that when we drive up there, we'll find all sorts of places we want to check out, but that's the end destination for now.

You can look here and get a feel maybe for jobs and which cities they are coming out of? That might help

craigslist: new hampshire classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

and don't forget to subscribe for your free tour guide, complete with high drool factors, beautiful pictures, and nostalgic places from here:

Welcome to New Hampshire

And for your very own, unique and one of a kind Pioneer hat; you'll have to do your personal shopping; I'm still looking for just the right one for myself!

Many well wishes for you and your journey!

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by Katlakat

I love coincidences! We put our free map of NH up on the wall and instead of throwing darts (we didn't have any) we closed our eyes and walked with a finger pointed out. So far its Laconia area.

I know that when we drive up there, we'll find all sorts of places we want to check out, but that's the end destination for now.

You can look here and get a feel maybe for jobs and which cities they are coming out of? That might help

craigslist: new hampshire classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

and don't forget to subscribe for your free tour guide, complete with high drool factors, beautiful pictures, and nostalgic places from here:

Welcome to New Hampshire

And for your very own, unique and one of a kind Pioneer hat; you'll have to do your personal shopping; I'm still looking for just the right one for myself!

Many well wishes for you and your journey!

Hey Katlakat,

we are moving out of Penacook and into Laconia in the fall.

[GregW]

Given your skills I would try to find a job in the Manchester environs. The expanded airport facilities have created a lot of growth in the area.

I live in Londonderry (BTW - PM me for info on a great condo in L'derry - MOD - no, not mine) and commute to Boston because the pay is about 50% higher. I use Concord Trailways bus service and it is only mildly annoying. Driving would be a major annoyance and the parking would cost more than the bus fare.

New Hampshire is a very nice place to live. Welcome.

[Katlakat]

Nice Niclolem! I just received my white mountains travel planner. I didn't know NH had all of these railways and yoga classes and such. From what it looks like, there should be plenty to do, and hopefully jobs to work as well. Good luck with your move as well