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I am thinking about personally relocating to New Hampshire as my main residence and moving 2 companies to here to save on taxes. I'm visiting for the first time later this month and have been looking up information on various real estate site and using google maps.
I'm wondering if any locals can advise me on why Dover has incredibly cheap single family homes and commercial real estate compared to Durham?
Dover looks to be a walkable, relatively densely packed area compared to Durham. I am relocating from a lifetime of living in major cities and well developed suburbs, and to be honest a neighborhood like Durham with it's expanses of trees and too much privacy between homes kind of freak me out!
What am I missing here? Don't most people want to live in more densely packed neighborhoods that seem to have more restaurants and services? Why is Dover incredibly cheap? Is that area safe at night?
A lot of what makes Durham so desirable is the Oyster River School System, which is one of the finer ones in the state. Dover Schools? Not so much. Durham is a college town with a lot of "culture" and hip stuff going on. There's a certain type of person that this appeals to (rich, liberal). But mostly I think it's the schools.
Don't most people want to live in more densely packed neighborhoods that seem to have more restaurants and services?
Actually this statement would be diametrically opposed to the sentiment of most New Hampshirites. A far more common sentiment would be: ' you see the new house they are building down the street, we may be able to see it in the winter, time to move.'
I lived in Dover for 26 years (I'm 27), and went to UNH, and lived in Durham.
Dover like most NH communities is extremely safe. I just finished a year living in Laguna Beach, CA. Laguna at night is more sketchy all year round than Dover (My neighbors had a Maserati, and a rolls royce, that kind of community)...sooo that should answer anyones questions about safety.
I lived only a few blocks from NY St (off Oak st.). New York St used to get a bad rap, and it still is a dumper street than most of Dover, but in no way will your life (which is laughable) ever be in jeopardy. Before I moved, there was a robbery of a home on Garrison Hill, because the doors or windows were unlocked. To me, that was extremely shocking, but not scary. I believe the suspects were caught, like they always are.
Durham has more sprawling lots in comparison to Dover. Oyster River is a praised school system. Housing in Durham has a lot to do with UNH. UNH housing is very limited, making homes more valuable to buy and rent.
I wouldn't live in Durham, despite many tree lined streets, beautiful large homes, and more private lots. UNH is growing, and more investors are buying homes in Durham residential communities to rent them to students or staff . Plus if you're not a student at UNH, there is NOTHING to do. Dover offers much more entertainment for someone beyond college age.
OH, and the "well Dover has UNH kids who party, and make noise." Please. A Durham UNH party has no comparison, even if it is 30 minutes by foot from campus in a nice neighborhood.
Last edited by Eastcoast1988; 08-05-2015 at 02:43 PM..
I technically live in Madbury, but I can step 100ft to the East and stand in Dover, Durham or Madbury by the Scammell Bridge. Anyhow....I think the houses in Durham are larger, and the plots seem to be more spaced and seem to be larger also. Also, it seems the homes are better kept overall. The school district in Durham is one of the better ones in the state....Dover is in the middle somewhere. So far as something to do....I drive 5 minutes to Dover or 10 to Portsmouth? I am an hour pretty much from Manchester, Concord, Boston, or Portland? I love all the hockey/basketball that happens at UNH. Both towns have Amtrak. I would think Durham is quieter? Taxes are surprisingly similar once you get down to it......Dover's downtown is much larger and quite diverse. Both towns are extremely safe, but I would give Durham the nod here overall. I think overall there is just a wider and more overall selection of residential or commercial real estate in Dover......Durham is more "family home, or student housing" and not much in between. I think your sentiment about people wanting to live where more people are......is opposite the NH mindset, someone else mentioned that.....but it is true.
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