Burlington,Vermont or Manchester, New Hampshire? (Nashua, Concord: condos, crime, townhouse)

[Paulc1383]

I am 24 years old and currently live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was wondering if anyone could compare these 2 city's for me, mostly the "downtown" areas where I would look to live and work. If you wanted to relocate, what are the pro's and con's of the two, and which one would you ultimatley decide to choose. All and any advice will be appreciated. Thank you all so much.

[paradiddle]

I can't compare but will tell you what I know. I moved to Manchester and lived there for over 10 years. Very close to Boston (1 hour). Has everything you need - shopping , industry, schools, hospitals. close to beach (1 hour).
Close to winter sports. Downtown Manchester is rebuilding and getting more youthful. Small clubs and restaraunts. Nice airport. City is centrally located, good job market and you can be in in the countryside in 10 mins. I am in Fla now because I like summer weather more but I would move back in a heartbeat if I need to.

Burlington - my friend lived in. Very beautiful college town on Lake Champlain.
Closer to Canada. I would consider it somewhat remote but it may be all you.

[Valerie C]

Like the reply above, I can't compare the two, but paradiddle is correct in stating that Manchester is becoming a more youthful city. There are many diverse neighborhoods, some definitely have a inner-city feel to them. OTOH, there are some great walkable older neighborhoods (the North end), townhouse condos, tons of non-franchise stores/restaurants of varying ethnics. One of the few real "cities" of New Hampshire, if you are used to city life in Philly, you can handle Manchester! Oh, and Adam Sandler was raised in Manchester and graduated from Central HS

Can't tell you a darn thing about Burlington VT, except for what I read on wiki:
Burlington, Vermont - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[paradiddle]

I would pick Manchester over Nashua.....

Go to the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester. Adam used to eat there. They have a nice signed photo picture on the wall!!

I live in Fla. now but if I win the lottery, I would have a house in/near Manchester and one in Fla.

[ogre]

Pros and cons? Well . . . one is in VT. The other's in NH.

[middle-of-nowhere]

Which one do you like better... Boston or Montreal?

[nicolem]

Burlington has a great downtown and is right on Lake Champlain. That being said- it is very very liberal-actually progressive. I really enjoy visiting there but I personally could never live in Vermont.

Manchester is being revitalized but it does have some bad sections and crime. Not sure about crime statistics in Burlington(they did have a high profile murder of a college student a year or two ago) but I feel perfectly safe walking around Burlington downtown. I don't feel perfectly safe in parts of Manchester. That being said-maybe there are parts of Burlington I have not been in that would scare me.

Burlington you would have worse winters-that lake effect snow. That is something that I would consider. Not that NH doesn't have a lot of snow but that lake effect snow can be really crazy.

Manchester you would be closer to Boston if getting to a major city is important. Manchester is really a great location-close to highway for mountains, lakes, Boston, etc.

Burlington is closer to Canada.

If politics are a thing for you NH and VT are different. NH tends to be more on the conservative side while VT tends to be more liberal.

What work do you do? That may be a factor in which place would be better for you.

Stock up on pizza and cheese steaks before you leave Philly- you cannot get them up here like you can down there. I am a former Jersey girl and have yet to find a good cheesesteak. I have found a few good pizza places but I have to drive to an hour to get there. If you are a typical Philly native, the food will be a culture shock for you. Don't know how important that is, I know it was for us and it was a shock. No Herr's chips, tastycakes, buttered rolls etc. etc. No Wawa either

Good luck,

Nicole

[paradiddle]

Originally Posted by nicolem

Stock up on pizza and cheese steaks before you leave Philly- you cannot get them up here like you can down there. I am a former Jersey girl and have yet to find a good cheesesteak. I have found a few good pizza places but I have to drive to an hour to get there. If you are a typical Philly native, the food will be a culture shock for you. Don't know how important that is, I know it was for us and it was a shock. No Herr's chips, tastycakes, buttered rolls etc. etc. No Wawa either
Nicole

Ah It ain't that bad - I'm in florida and there ain't no good food down here at all....not even chinese...

Cheesesteaks - try Dangelos - it's a sub shop chain in New England - very good and consistent - know for there cheesesteak

Pizza - Manchester - try Alley Cat Pizza - pizza can be a challenge to find the taste you like - I'm from Boston and it was hard to find that North End Italian thin crust style - Papa Ginos is a New England Pizza chain that I like.

Wawa - any Cumberland Farms or 7-11 is about the same

Herr's chips - try local Granite State Chips made in Salem NH but should be in a lot of stores

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by paradiddle

Ah It ain't that bad - I'm in florida and there ain't no good food down here at all....not even chinese...

Cheesesteaks - try Dangelos - it's a sub shop chain in New England - very good and consistent - know for there cheesesteak

Pizza - Manchester - try Alley Cat Pizza - pizza can be a challenge to find the taste you like - I'm from Boston and it was hard to find that North End Italian thin crust style - Papa Ginos is a New England Pizza chain that I like.

Wawa - any Cumberland Farms or 7-11 is about the same

Herr's chips - try local Granite State Chips made in Salem NH but should be in a lot of stores

Hi Paradiddle,

Tried Dangelos-I did not like it. I am still on my quest to find a good cheesesteak here-not a steak and cheese.

Pizza- I tried Alley Cat-it is good. I have found a couple of pizza places that are pretty good-Checkmate in Concord, Elvios in Lincoln. We get Pizzareia Regina whenever in Mass.

About Wawa-no way nothing compares to Wawa-you cannot go into Cumberland Farms or 7-11 and get edible hoagies, buttered rolls, soft pretzles, breakfast sandwiches. etc. etc. etc. I could go on and on. Salad, soup,mikshakes, mac and cheese etc. etc. I could get all my meals for the day at Wawa.

I will try granite state chips-hopefully they have bbq.

It must be a regional thing, as you say you are from Boston and I am originally from NJ. My dad lives in Venice and I am down there all the time. I think that they have better food than NH. I love Fratelli's pizza-closest thing to NJ down there. I think that Amores and Lunas make decent cheese steaks and Italian food. I can get a better hoagie in Publix-made with Boar's Head-than I get anywhere in NH. I like Sharky's and Bogie's. I know I am forgetting some too.

Thanks,

Nicole

[nhyrnut]

I Have lived in Both. Burlington Is Nice. FREAKING COLD in the winter. But Aside from that it is A safe Haven for Illegal Immigrants. The Mayor Actually got on the news and said Come on up, we wont report you. VERY VERY LIBERAL. Nice town. Go to Nectars and get some Gravy fries. As with any college town the bar life is hopping. Church st is A great place to shop on a summer day. And I have never been to a more homeless friendly city. But if you don't agree with there Views Stay clear. They are Very Closed minded there. Drugs are Abundant but mainly pot ( I mean People will smoke in public parks)


OK Now Manchester. For 1 it is the Largest City North of Boston In New england. With this does come crime. Being 45 min from Boston Is not a help. Manchester has Hokey Baseball Arena Football and Concerts. The Currier Gallery of Art and so much More. The people are More Open to other Ideas, Conservative only in Taxes and spending. It has all a small city could want, and some they don't.
Now Both have traffic, If you go to Burlington to check it out Try Taft corners. It is like Manchester's So willow st at Christmas Year round. But both places have pro's and con's. It really comes down to what kind of person you are.