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I lived in Southern California for 50 years and moved to Londonderry six and a half years ago to be near my family who moved here in the early 80s. They have been on heating oil, septic and well water all that time and have no issues with it at all, in case you're worried about that (re: your statements about wanting natural gas and city water/sewer). In fact, they drink their well water from the tap because it tastes so good.
This is my post about Londonderry schools from another thread, since you are asking about schools:
Quote:
Originally Posted by C2ShiningC
My own personal experience with NH schools is through three family members who have gone through the Londonderry public school system. None ever had problems with bullying, drugs or anything negative at all. All received excellent educations, and all three were accepted into the top schools in the country in their chosen fields of study. Two have graduated with undergrad and graduate degrees from two of those top schools, and the third is in their last year at one of those schools, and will also be attending graduate school. Two are employed at top companies in their fields. All are intelligent, creative, well-rounded individuals, and successful and happy. I have seen much the same with their friends from the same school system.
In regard to winter, you can read some of my thoughts about it here: Winter advice My biggest problem with winter is not the snow, which is beautiful, but the fact that it is brown/grey for six months of the year. Once the leaves are gone in late October/early November, you will not see them again until early to mid-May. There will be flowers and signs of spring earlier than that (and this year may be much earlier due to our non-winter this year), but it is quite drab for a very long time. I am thankful for the abundance of the Eastern White Pine which provides most of the green during winter. This year has been harder on me because the snow being on the ground makes everything a lot prettier and there was very little. The plus side is that I have never felt anything before like the exhilaration I feel when spring does arrive - the sudden explosion of green everywhere is just magnificent. I actually like spring in some ways more than fall - I call it the "lemon-lime season," when all the trees change color in a softer, more pastel version of the autumn foliage.
Summers can get uncomfortably hot at times, so you might want to make sure you have at least some window air conditioners. I don't have any, and I live upstairs, so it is pretty uncomfortable at times. I have experienced the heat and humidity in Texas, and it is nothing like that here, but it can still be uncomfortable. The only other problem I have with summer is the mosquitoes - they simply didn't exist in any real way in SoCal, and here you have to go inside once it is dusk, or pack on the DEET, or swath yourself in mosquito netting. Also there are black flies in May which can be a real pain.
But all that said, I wish I had moved here sooner in my life, and kind of wish I had grown up here with nature all around me. Londonderry is not really out in the country compared to most of the state, yet the abundance of wildlife around here is amazing to me. I often hear Great Horned Owls and Eastern Screech Owls at night, perched in the trees in the yard. There is a pair of Red-Tailed Hawks that has picked a tree across the street to build their nest this year, and they perch in trees in the yard here right outside my window. There was a fox family living in the yard a couple of years ago for two seasons - they would bring their kits out onto the lawn to play. I have seen a bobcat, a moose, a porcupine, deer, beaver, woodchucks, muskrat all within 20 miles from where I live, and I still listen in wonder when the Canada geese fly overhead, which happens all the time. I love it here, and think it is a great place to raise a family. If only there were decent Mexican food . . .
My husband and I moved up to NH 6 years ago from New York City. We moved up here b/c we love the outdoors and we were tired of the congestion and traffic in NYC. We've just turned 40. Don't worry about the property tax, you will save money by not paying the other taxes every other state has. Our prop tax is about $6k a year, not bad considering what we would be paying if we paid sales and income tax. We've save so much money living here and eventhough I miss NYC, I can never go back b/c it would cost too much. When we came here we didn't know where to live in the state we just wanted to be w/i 2 hrs of Boston and ultimately we made the wrong choice. We chose a town that was too rural and far from more populated areas, it's cute and all and we've enjoyed it thus far but we do not have kids and most people our age here do so we have nothing in common. There is also no night life whatsoever and considering where we are from it is starting to get to us. When I say nightlife I mean restaurants other than pizza and chinese.
NH is great and we are moving but most likely north to the White Mountain region. I would say make sure you move to a place that feels right to you and your family. Research it all first and if you are not in a rush rent first so you can move easily to another town if it's not working out. If you want the seacoast, I hear Portsmouth, Newmarket area is nice.
Good post on living in Londonderry. Our condo is on the top of a small hill up from the pond. Most winters the NW wind across our pet glacier keeps the place about 10 deg colder than anywhere else but the pastoral view is worth the chill.
For some Mexican food try La Caretta in the mall off Chrystal Ave in Derry. Kind of bland but decent. Real Mexican or southwstern spices would kill half of the customers on their first try.
I have not had any issues w/ lymes disease, haven't seen a deer tick once, just wood ticks. It may depend on where you live in the state, not sure. Always important to check yourself but that's everywhere.
Oh I wanted to mention winters. They are not bad at all. We left NYC b/c I figured it I was going to have winter, I wanted snow. I have it and it's great, we can go snow shoeing everyday after work right behind our house. Spring is the best, it's an early one this year, we only had a couple of snowstorms and the snow has melted already. The bulbs are popping up and the birds out, by far my favorite season.
Good post on living in Londonderry. Our condo is on the top of a small hill up from the pond. Most winters the NW wind across our pet glacier keeps the place about 10 deg colder than anywhere else but the pastoral view is worth the chill.
For some Mexican food try La Caretta in the mall off Chrystal Ave in Derry. Kind of bland but decent. Real Mexican or southwstern spices would kill half of the customers on their first try.
I ate at La Caretta once, it was pretty good, although their margaritas were insanely expensive. I found a restaurant in Nashua that has good reviews on Yelp called Tacos Colima that I still need to try.
If you eat there, Clam Haven in Derry opens today.
I do indulge in the Clam Haven but prefer Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine when we do one of our outlet crawls.
IMHO all resturant alcohol drinks are insanely expensive.
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