Moving to new Hampshire this summer (Manchester, Nashua: real estate, insurance, zoning)

[magebby]

Greetings, I am looking for more imput, I recieved some good info from Dina re: Derry vs. Londonderry. We want a traditional new england town with lots of family activities, good eateries, downtown area, friendly NICE home. we are moving from Washinton state and have 3 school age kids and one college bound this year. Residential not too rural, GOOD schools, and football. i am a labor and delivery RN and am looking at Nashua hospital and my husband is finishing a digital technology degree IT/ MIS work. Any advice is good. Thanks-Alyse

[cmp1111]

Originally Posted by magebby

Greetings, I am looking for more imput, I recieved some good info from Dina re: Derry vs. Londonderry. We want a traditional new england town with lots of family activities, good eateries, downtown area, friendly NICE home. we are moving from Washinton state and have 3 school age kids and one college bound this year. Residential not too rural, GOOD schools, and football. i am a labor and delivery RN and am looking at Nashua hospital and my husband is finishing a digital technology degree IT/ MIS work. Any advice is good. Thanks-Alyse

I can only speak to the areas to the north and west of Nashua, but I live in Merrimack, just north. Many of the towns to the west just don't have everything you want. Merrimack's a little bigger with some decent restaurants, but no downtown area. Amherst is definitely much more "traditional New England" with a lovely village area, but no restaurants or shopping in that area (though the very southern edge has a food/shopping highway area, technically in Amherst.) Milford has a nice downtown with some shopping and cafes, but the school district might not be as good.

To get the eateries, downtown, football, etc. Nashua itself might be your best choice.

I like Merrimack - there are 3 elementary schools but only one middle and high school. I live on an acre that feels somewhat rural but is still only 10 minutes to the grocery store. We lack the downtown, but downtown Nashua is only about 15-20 minutes away. It's central to Nashua and Manchester, which is also nice for having dining/shopping choices.

Good luck!

[Valerie C]

Hi magebby/Alyse,
There are many towns that you *might* consider in the Nashua area, most, as cmp1111 noted, do not have a traditional "downtown" area.

Milford has "the loop" with several businesses, it's a walkable area. Not so sure on schools in Milford... The developers building new homes there will tell you that "people move to Milford for the schools" but I'm just not sure, haven't heard much either way...

Amherst is a great town. Make sure if you visit, you MUST stop at Moultons, the general store in the village. They make the best soup and sandwiches (anyone notice that I know where to find the best food LOL) and a wide variety of specialty foods, some but not all "made in New Hampshire" type of stuff. I think there are 4 or 5 golf courses in Amherst, and Amherst schools are very highly rated, Souhegan High serves Amherst and Mont Vernon students. Mont Vernon is just to the north of Amherst, and is very rural in nature.

Another town on "that side of the river" is Hollis, great schools, etc, couple of golf courses. Oh, and just to the north of Merrimack is Bedford. A bit pricier for homes than say Merrimack or Nashua. There are 3 elementary schools, then for something a little different, Bedford has an intermediate (grade 5-6) and a middle (grade 7-8) schools. And a brand new high school.
The reason I mention "that side of the river" is because the Merrimack River divides Manchester/Litchfield/Londonderry/Hudson from Nashua/Merrimack/Bedford. We are lacking BRIDGES going over the river (I've wished for a ferry more than once while driving in Merrimack...) and the traffic going over the bridge of Hudson into Nashua (or vice versa) can be very slow going at certain times of the morning or late afternoon.

Dina filled you in on Derry and Londonderry (both great schools, I think both her and I are partial to Londonderry, since we live here in town). In addition to the excellent school reputation that Londonderry has, sports programs AND a very active music and band program.

Pinkerton Academy is probably Derry's biggest draw, that and the downtown. Pinkerton Academy also serves the nearby towns of Chester and Hampstead, both nice but very quiet "bedroom communities" with very little business activity.

Echoing cmp1111's comment that Nashua is where to go for eats and shopping, yes. The downtown is nice, not huge, but fun to explore. At one end of Nashua, the DW highway has every sort of store you could want, including the Pheasant Lane mall, Funtown, Trader Joes, etc. and at the other end (following 101A toward Amherst) there is more more more, Lowes, Home Depot, tons of stores, etc

Enough from me Hope this is helpful!

[Annabelle]

Take a look at Exeter. Traditional NE town with great downtown, good schools, some decent restaurants, outstanding rec programs, community activities, town pool, Exeter Hospital, and high school football team won the state championship. Football (as well as most sports - boys and girls) are big within the SAU #16 school system.

[southward bound]

If you're going to be working at a Nashua hospital, I'd recommend you stick to the west side of the Merrimack river, just for commuting ease. Nashua has some lovely residential areas. Exeter a good town, but way too far, and on the 'wrong' side of the river. What Val said about Amherst, you might consider that. I think Hollis is way too expensive, but lovely.

[NH2008]

I can echo Val. Hollis would be a very easy commute to Nashua and has the top-rated schools in NH. Newsweek recently rated the high school the best in the state. There is a lovely, traditional town square with a general store, church and library. The town has a few restaurants, a grocery, and the basics (vet, dentist, insurance, etc) and is about 15 - 20 minutes from all the big chain stores in Nashua. They have tried very hard to preserve the rural feel with strict zoning, so there are still a bunch of farms and a 2000 acre conservation area for hiking.

Amherst is extremely beautiful with a lovely town green and a general store. It's about 15 minutes north of Hollis, so slightly farther from Nashua and closer to Manchester. Unfortunately, although the population is very similar to the population in Hollis, Souhegan Co-op (the high school) has a controversial philosophy that a lot of people don't like. You can check out GreatSchools.net for more info. I believe it is slightly cheaper than Hollis.

Amherst borders Milford (which used to be part of the town before breaking free) so it would be very easy to access the downtown.

Nashua itself is very convenient, but it feels more like a generic, sprawling suburb to me than the traditional New England town you are looking for. You will find lots of convenient stores here, though, as well as the hospitals.

I was in Exeter this afternoon. The Seacoast is great, but it's a long drive from Nashua, it's more expensive, and the schools aren't as highly rated as the schools in Hollis and Amherst.

Hope this helps! I was in all these towns yesterday with a real estate agent, which is why it's all so fresh in my mind.

[leebedford]

Hi,
We are moving to New Hampshire in April 08 and looking for long term rental properties but there is not much available.
Does anybody know of any Real Estate agencies in New Hampshire in central New Hampshire?
Lee

[casualobserver]

What is central NH to you?.........Lakes region? or Concord/Manchester?

[ITNick]

I live in Derry NH, and lived in Nashua for a few years. Nashua is more like a city, it has all the big chain stores, and Route 3 has been recently expanded. If you want city life Nashua is it. I did not like people walking the streets at all hours (near the center of Nashua). I work off hours and did not enjoy all the entertainment / live bands etc. It was very noisy. I chose Derry because it is a quiet community yet close to ALMOST everything. Driving at 4:15 pm, it takes 45 minutes to get south of Boston (lots of great paying RN jobs there). Derry also has Parkland Medical Center and other Doctor's offices right in Derry. Derry is also minutes away from Manchester and Salem both places have all the major chain stores, Best Buys, Barnes and Noble, etc. Londonderry is a great town, with better houses and a better infrastructure. Londonderry and Derry are right next to each other. I have no complaints about living in Derry (5 years now). I am an IT Manager, I come home and enjoy my gardens, play video games, shovel snow ... , a simple New England life. One suggestion, if you can afford it MA is ... even better. They have more laws to protect citizens , NH is a different state with less protections, lower un-employment benefits, etc, but NH also costs less. Hope my bable helped ;-)

[ymom]

Hi.
We are moving to NH this summer too. 3 kids, 14,12,and 10.
Have you gotten any info. on Hudson or Merrimack? Londonderry looks good.
What are you thinking of?
Thanks! Ymom