Help me compare Sutton/New London to Sunapee/Newbury? (Concord: coop, homes)

[notdancingqueen]

Well - we did it! DH took advantage of an opportunity in Lebanon so we are moving to NH soon. When I am not feeling sick to my stomach, I'm excited about it. :-) We've been up a few times (him twice, me and the kids - 4 and 8.5 yo - once) to look around and get a feel for towns we might want to live in. For a variety of reasons we want to be between Lebanon and Concord (absolute max is 40 minutes from Lebanon). We're drawn to New London, Sutton/N. Sutton, parts of Wilmot...and are also wondering about Sunapee and Newbury. Can anyone help me compare them? Or suggest other towns that are similar?

What I like about NL/Sutton is that they had (to me) a neighborhood/community feel -- I liked the main street town/village green, that there are a few restaurants/shops and that some/many of the homes are in neighborhoods/developments as opposed to just being scattered along a mountain.

We looked at Grantham, too, but we didn't feel as drawn to that town because it felt like the opposite of what I liked about NL/Sutton. Eastman felt too much like what it is - an unnecessarily expensive, planned community with lots of rules (ex: the relo person driving DH around was horrified when DH asked about ski boats on the lake -- "Oh my GOD, no! That would disturb the peace!")

What about access to farmers markets, CSAs, coop food stores (loved the one in Lebanon near Jesse's!), child care, etc.? I understand both Sunapee and Kearsarge schools are quite good.

Also keep in mind that we are coming from a major east coast metro area...so our definition of crowds, traffic, noise, etc. are likely pretty different from yours. Meaning, I don't want to bring the city with me *at all* but neither do I want to be 30 minutes off an interstate, then a 6 mile private dirt road to get to my 50- acre property that is 5 miles from the nearest neighbor.

Thanks so much - Jackie

[notdancingqueen]

Hello? LOL!

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by notdancingqueen

Hello? LOL!

I can't answer your questions about the area you'll be moving to, but welcome to NH!!!!!!!

I'm sure someone will be around sooner or later who knows the area you'll be in!

[bryfry]

Great town, New London. Has it's good and bad points.
If you use the search tab above, you will find many past posts about this.
Here are a few:

Link

Link

Link

Link

[notdancingqueen]

Thanks Dare 2 Dream!

Thanks BryFry :-) I actually started one of those threads! I know you were looking at NL for awhile as well - you had a great discussion going. I was hoping folks could get a little more specific and compare NL/SUtton to Newbury/Sunapee -- I am trying to get a leg up on scouting around and comparing them myself - people have such good info to share here.

Oh well - maybe something will come along later!

Thanks!

[buck naked]

Newbury is the gateway to Sunapee...LOL Sunapee is fun as I pointed out on another thread - I've hiked the Newbury cut, which is an old railway line. It's a great walk. There really is no comparison to New London or Sutton. Sutton is more rural than any of the others mentioned. New London is a college town and is fairly upscale.

Sunapee is tourists, tourists, tourists and sometimes artists..... It is a destination for many and home to some fortunates. I haven't heard if they've instituted the view tax, but it's pretty hard not to have one anywhere around Sunapee. A fantastic town. I know, I'm blubbering......but I ski and I love the beach and Sunapee has the best of both worlds.

[itsjustme64]

A little more information on the areas you expressed interest in.

All of the communities you describe are really connected to Lake Sunapee. The town of Sunapee is west and north in relation to the lake, and has a busy tourist summer season. Sunapee Harbor has music in the summer, and I think if I were moving to the area, Sunapee would be tops on my list. It has an established school system, low taxes, and a lot to do in the summer. Its proximity to Mt. Sunapee also makes it a great choice for winter. As to commerce, there is a pizza shop, bank, gas station/convenience store in the middle of town. You're close to New London and Newport for grocery shopping as well.

New London is on the other side of I89, and is more of a community into itself. It is connected to Sunapee, but is more of a quaint New England college town with a common, grocery store and shops. New London tends to be more liberal politically. For instance, they just voted in a non-idling measure that limits the amount of time you can warm up your car in the winter. That may be good or bad in your view, just be aware of that before moving to town. New London definitely has the most options for you regarding stores. For instance, there is a Dunkin Donuts in New London!

Wilmot is a pretty, rural town that I don't think fits what you are looking for. If you find the right house, that's good, but I think it might be a little too quiet for you.

Newbury is at the southern end and eastern side of Lake Sunapee. This is a great choice, like Sunapee. Its property taxes are low, and there are many beautiful homes on the lake. There is one commercial area, at the southern tip of the lake, (Newbury Harbor), that has an ice cream shop, restaurant, country store, ski/bike shop, and a gas station/convenience store. Depending on what part of Newbury you look into, you may be pushing your 40 minute limit. If you're near the north part, you just hop up the lake road onto the highway exit, and you're 25 minutes to Lebanon at that point.

Sutton is a good choice as it is very close to I89, and has Kezar lake in town. Sutton can look like a smaller version of New London with its common, but Sutton is much quieter.

You mentioned not liking Eastman due to excessive prices and rules. I think Eastman's prices are pretty reasonable compared to the other areas, but the housing stock tends to be older. It is one of the original planned development properties (35 years ago!), and the owners share the land that comprises the lake, golf course, trails, and open space. I believe Eastman has over 2000 acres of open space. People come to Eastman to be in a place that has outdoor activities such as hiking, xc skiing, tennis, golf, kayaking, swimming, etc. If those activities are important to you, then Eastman would be a great choice. If you want a power boat, then Eastman is definitely not for you. Eastman's other benefit is its proximity to Lebanon and I89. I would say the big negative of Eastman is the age of the housing stock. The rules I would call a small negative.

There's my 2¢. I think you'll be happy regardless of the community you choose. Welcome to NH!

[notdancingqueen]

Thanks itsjusme64 -- That was a very helpful comparison! Some folks have warned us away from Sunapee because they say it's largely a tourist/second home/retiree town -- we're coming up again this week so we'll drive around and see how it feels to us. I'm getting the feeling that it doesn't much matter where we'll be of the places I mentioned because when I plot out the homes we're seeing on a map, we've focused on the parts of the towns that are all closer to New London (Wilmot Flat instead of part of Wilmot that are farther north, for example, and parts of Sutton that are practically in New London.) Well, except for Newbury -- that's farther out by definition.

[itsjustme64]

I think some things to think about are how far you want to be from a grocery store, or a gas station, or a hardware store.

As to tourism in Sunapee, I have friends who live in Sunapee, and they never complain about the tourists. It's busy on weekends in Sunapee Harbor in the summer, but it's nothing like Cape Cod.

I have lived in this area most of my life, and I have never said "I better avoid Sunapee today with all those tourists."

Now if you ask me about the traffic in West Lebanon on Rte 12A on a Saturday morning, I will say "Avoid it at all costs!"

[notdancingqueen]

I don't think it was the crowds that were a concern (and I'm coming from the DC area so whatever NH thinks is "crowded" ... it's all relative!) I think it was more the "less of a community" feeling because so many residents aren't there year-round.

We're coming up on Monday night for a few days, though - Sunapee is definitely a place we'll be driving around.

As for distance from amenities you mention...yes, a real factor for us. Would like to be within 15 minutes of most stuff if possible (decent small town stores/restaurants - not big box/chains stuff like you'd see in W. Lebanon.)

Good childcare for my 4 year old is important, too. Farmers Markets/CSAs...all that stuff. So much to think about!