Worst places in N.H. (Rochester, Salem: transplants, lawyers, buying)

[nhyrnut]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Kateg, how about Keene and the surrounding little towns there? Do you know about that area? I'm trying to stay away from places that have grown so much they have lost that country atmosphere, and sure don't want to live in an area littered with mobile homes.

This is a VERY VERY liberal area of the state. Be Careful all the VT overflow from Brattleboro is in this area. with VT mentalities. I don't mean old time VT I mean new LIBERAL VT mentality.

[southward bound]

Merrimack is still a nice town, though it's grown over the years. Some of that growth wasn't planned well, but they learned, and a lot of the resulting problems have been corrected. I don't know of another town in the S NH area that offers all that Merrimack offers, including the two lovely lakes.
There's a beautiful subdivision on Baboosic Lake where homeowners have a private beach, boat launch, picnic areas with grills, tennis courts, kids' play area etc. You feel like you're on vacation all year long when you can relax after work on a summer's eve and watch the sun go down over the water, or participate in all kinds of winter sports, including ice fishing. Yet, you're still only 10 minutes from good shopping. As a growing 'bedroom community' Merrimack has done very well by its residents. Their school needs are met for a good long time now with the new school in operation, and that should help stabilize the tax rate, too.

[New Hampshire]

Originally Posted by Yankeehombre

The portion of my proprty taxes that pay just for schools is now $280 a month!

Just curious, do you or have you ever had children in the school system?

[44734370]

If I had to give a thumbs down vote for a city, it'd be Rochester. I was raised in Rochester, and it's definitely gone downhill over the past 20+ years. There isn't too much that it has to offer any more. It really seems that all there is left in Rochester is bars. No one seems to care that much about the barely breathing revival of the Rochester Opera House. Artstream is another place of interest, but it's usually not visited. Culture isn't thriving at all. Oh, and if bars aren't your thing, your only other option is getting out of Rochester and into other cities or hanging out at Dunkin' Donuts. (Sad, I know. I don't understand it, but alas, it is a very popular hang out spot.)

If I wasn't at work or in Laconia visiting my boyfriend when he was home from college in Rhode Island, I was either at home or trying to find something to do in Portsmouth, Dover, or Hampton. There are a couple of decent restaurants, but not much of anything else. The school system isn't exactly great, the crime rate has spiked, and the job market is a nightmare. It's sad, because Rochester has some good potential, but it's just going to waste. The city's government doesn't seem to care enough to do anything to help prop the city up and breathe some new life into it. It's just rotting away and attracting some unsavory characters in the process.

I now live in Winooski, Vermont (which is just north of Burlington. I moved here with my boyfriend after he was offered to stay on at the restaurant that he did his externship at for his senior year of college.) I still stay in contact with friends (and obviously family) in Rochester, and I still read the Fosters Daily Democrat, and it just seems to get worse.

Granted, everywhere you go, there are going to be some problems, but I've watched Rochester fall. At this point in time, unless the city gets it's act together and turns things around, I wouldn't recommend that anyone moves there.

[OCCASparky]

I dunno--you get out towards the north end of Rochester or out west towards Farmington it's getting a lot better.

[DaveV]

Originally Posted by OCCASparky

Ouch. Painful but true. And I'm on the seacoast. Pains me to see the MA people screwing up traffic, pretending they own the place, driving up prices, then go back to MA and talk smack like we're a bunch of inbred hicks.

They want all the advantages but none of the responsibilities.

Kinda like the CowHampshirites who work in Mass cuz the jobs/benefits are so inferior in NH(I sit next to several..)

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by DaveV

Kinda like the CowHampshirites who work in Mass cuz the jobs/benefits are so inferior in NH(I sit next to several..)

I'm not one of them. I make a lot better money here than I could in Mass.

AND I get to keep it!

[GregW]

I have been commuting to Mass for over 25 years because my profession pays about 50% more with better benefits in MA. Hate the travel, appreciate the money.

[Yankeehombre]

NO, never have, I just get to turn out my pockets to send everyone else's brats to school. It's really a statewide problem. There's no broad based tax to support schools here, so they throw homeowners under the bus!

[NH Yankee in England]

Originally Posted by nhyrnut

I want to know what towns people would NOT want to live in. You can't just say a Town or City in N.H. without stating the reasons for it. So where in N.H. would you not want to live and WHY?

Newmarket is old and run down. Not quaint. Disrepair all around. BUT, I am currently in England. You think prim and proper. Kids being shot or stabbed on a daily basis here. Gang and turf wars, as well as just plain viscious activity. High cost of everything. Gas over $10.00 a gallon, most everything else is 2 times the cost of in US. Most I have met here dream of selling all they have and moving to Southern Europe, Spain, or Med. We have many problems back home, but not as bad as over seas. They also have a serious illegal immigrant problem! We just have to stay on our political reps to do their job or vote them out. Personally I found my piece of mind by moving to East Tn. Can't wait to get back to my home in the Foothills of the Smokies. I keep up with NH, as it is where I came from and I still have family there and many friends.
Also my grip with NH is property tax, for a tax free state why do so many have to sell their homes due to sky high property taxes.