Completely freaked out by one poster's threads! (Manchester, Derry: real estate market, apartments)

[MJ5150]

In my opinion, there is *some* validity to the posts she made, but it was overly dramatic.

-Mike

[autumnlove07]

Originally Posted by avlis13013

My recommendation is to start off in a more urban part of NH. There are more activities and amenities. People are closer and you're girls will have more things to do. I live in Nashua and snow storms & power outages are not a big deal. The "blizzard" last year was a non-event. The snow came down and the plows pushed it away, just like every other storm. We heat with gas. A switch turns it on and off. No splitting wood, no hauling pellets, no worries about the oil man.

I also have two girls. They have done indoor soccer, gymnastics, tumbling, horse back riding, art class, music class, dance class, etc. and all of these have been 15 minutes from home. To me that's a big deal. We're busy and the less time we spend driving to things the better.

IMHO, starting off in a rural NH town is a big mistake and will be too much of a shock to most people. I've lived in NH my whole life and would probably fail in Keene.

Thanks for everyone's kind encouragement! I appreciate you taking the time to tell me how I can adjust to winter. I can't even believe I am worrying about it....I grew up on Lake Erie...where we cross-country skied in gym class!! haha! But, as I said, I left for FL when I was 20 so my memories of snow are only fond ones when I didn't have to pay bills or worry about bursting pipes. I think I really just need winter 101: NH style.

Thanks so much for the recommendation of going more urban to start. That really makes sense...less of an adjustment. We are currently really close to Jacksonville, FL so we definitely have a city nearby. I enjoy having the "culture" and those types of amenities close. I have started looking at Bedford...looks like great schools and not too far from Manchester.

I appreciate everyone's input, good and bad. As many of you have said, being up north is not for everyone. All I know is that FL is not for me...I am a Yankee and always have been! ;-)

[GregW]

Set yourself up for a winter vacation in NH. Spend a week in the White Mountains or around Peterborough or Keene and really check out winter. No amount of forum reading will substitute for a direct experience.

[RainbowHope]

I have lived in NH all of my life, but my husband lived in FL for a couple years and we have family still living there so we know a little about the cost of living.

This is just my opinion, but like some other posters said, you may be a little happier to live closer to the cities. Keene has grown a lot in the last 10 years (more shopping, etc.), but it is a bit separated from the rest of the state.

The big cities are Nashua, Salem, Manchester, and Concord - and I use the term "big" carefully. It is relative to what you have around you.

Nashua and Salem are on the Mass. border, so the traffic can be heavier in the rush hour times. There are also more commuters that travel into Mass. for work.

Manchester has a lot of amenities and nice suburb areas. It is an hour from everything - beach, mountains, lakes. Very central. I feel like Manchester is a bit of a melting pot for culture (which I like)...

Concord is (in my opinion) the gateway to northern NH, where things are more woodsy. We have lived in Concord, but we found ourselves constantly driving to the southern part of the state to do things we like to do (fly out from the airport, see shows at the Verizon, stores that they didn't have in Concord)...

As far as housing prices - the closer you are to any of these cities, the more expensive the housing will be. But, depending on what you are looking for in terms of amenities would depend on where you'd want to be.

As far as working in health care like you do, I would say living in Manchester or Nashua would be the best bets for having many options of places to work. Plus, the better hospitals in the state are in these two cities (unless you live in Lebanon and work at Dartmouth - but it may be too rural for you)...

As far as friendliness - I think that anyone in life attracts people that have personalities that are similar to their own. If you are friendly and outgoing, you will attract friendly and outgoing people. There are some great groups on meetup.com that can give you some shortcuts to finding people that may like the same things as you.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

[avlis13013]

^this is a quality post. Summing it up nicely.

[observer53]

With respect to any city or area, my rule of thumb, and frequent advice to posters, is: No place is for everyone. (and, as noted upthread, some people are unhappy whereever they are-- it comes from the inside, not the outside) In reading posts here, take the overly positive and overly negative ones with a grain of salt, and make the decision that feels best to you.

[J D Grayman]

I was born in Nashua, raised in Milford but lived out of state for 32 years thanks to 22 years US Army (Ft Bragg NC and Macdill AFB) and living just north of Tampa for 10 years after I retired from the service.

Florida and New Hampshire are 1000 miles and worlds apart. NH people may be a bit reserved, but for the most part are kind and decent, everbody in Florida is from somewhere else and you never know what you are going to get. In Florida, I was within 5 minutes of any number of stores, and could get almost anything 24 hours a day. In NH I am within a half an hour of 2 grocery stores, so I have to plan a bit more. The quality of life in Florida cannot compare to that of NH. Winter's are cold, but they only last a few months, Florida Summer lasts from May 1 through Oct 1 and the heat and humidity are unbearable (IMO). Scenery in Florida is subdivision, strip center, convenience store, beach. NH has everything from the coast, to lakes, to the mountains and there is a sense of history that Florida can't match.

Gas is a little more expensive, electricity a little too. You will have to pay for heat in the winter (I heat almost exclusively by wood) but it is somewhat similar to paying for air conditioning in Florida. Besides, there are several months Spring, Summer, and Fall when you just leave the windows open. No sales or income tax in NH (FL sales tax 7% in my county there), property taxes are a little high, but you can't have everything.

To me, there is no doubt that New Hampshire is much superior to Florida. Just don't try to change everything when you get here and you'll be fine.

[CaseyB]

Keene itself isn't rural, but much of the surrounding area is. Do you have jobs lined up?

[autumnlove07]

Thanks again for such great advice! This proves that kind people abound in NH! :-)

RainbowHope, your post was great and summed up everything I was concerned about. I will probably be contacting you at some point for some more advice. :-)

Observer, thanks for keeping common sense in mind. It is true...what is for one person is surely not for another. Truly, some people will find negatives wherever they are. Even in FL, where I REALLY HATE living, I can still state some positives. I mean, who else gets to live close to Disney! :-) Everyone down here says they feel like they are on vacation (well, mostly recent transplants) and appreciate everything FL has to offer and dismiss the negatives. To me, my heart has always belonged to New England, since I was a young girl. I just can't explain it. I have subscribed to Yankee since I was a teen! haha!

Grayman, I, too, was moved to FL through the military. Prior to that I lived in PA my whole life. You are so right about FL. Because there is such a mish-mash of people and strip malls nothing really feels genuine. We do have some historical things in St. Augustine but that's about it. To me, New England has the WHOLE lifestyle...not just the Flintstones with the background repeating itself.

Casey, no we do not have jobs yet. We are probably about two years out from moving. My husband is finishing his nurse practitioner degree. Typically, it is not hard for RNs to find jobs...but you never know.

Thanks again everyone!

p.s. I always wonder what continuously bring people back to NH/NE? People say it's cold and expensive yet it is always at the top of the "bests" lists?

[RainbowHope]

autumnlove07,

Happy to help in any way I can. :-)