COL, rents, and salaries in NH (Manchester, Nashua: appointed, apartment, to rent)
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I know you said it would be a while before you would buy a car, but have you checked out the cost of leasing a car? Here's a search of the Portsmouth Toyota dealer (I've never been there, so I am not vouching for them, this is just an example):
I know you said it would be a while before you would buy a car, but have you checked out the cost of leasing a car? Here's a search of the Portsmouth Toyota dealer (I've never been there, so I am not vouching for them, this is just an example):
Maybe the difference in cost between that and public transportation is do-able?
Something to consider, good luck with whatever you decide to do
Thanks for that. It's a good suggestion, but you might find this funny: after living without a car for well over 25 years in NYC, and only renting a handful of times in all those years, I am not a very confident driver. In fact, driving scares me quite a bit and I've never owned a car, even going back to the years before I moved to New York. So, I don't feel my skills are good enough to get behind the wheel, and I don't know enough about cars. I wouldn't buy or lease one until after I have taken enough lessons to brush up, and to learn defensive driving. Many people have driven so consistently since they were teenagers that it's like second nature to them. They hop in and feel very comfortable commanding a potentially dangerous half-ton machine down the road, but I don't want to take the risk - for everyone's sake. Furthermore, until I do feel ready to take those lessons and start driving, I need to save my money.
What I am is a confident user of public transportation, having done it all my life, and I'd rather go with the familiar.
Hm, well, perhaps you could get a job at a large University. There should be housing and essential services nearby so you can walk when the weather is too bad to drive (or take a taxi in extreme situations), and drive to more interesting places when the weather is good.
NH winters and inexperienced drivers don't go together very well. I honestly don't think you're going to find any place with adequate public transportation here. Maybe Portland ME? Or someone already suggested Providence.
I doubt anywhere else has even close to the level of public transport that you're used to in NYC
Well, no, of course not! I wouldn't expect anywhere to offer the same level as NYC, and am not looking for that; to expect the same level of public transportation options as where I am would be unrealistic for all but a handful of large major cities.
I did say I don't mind walking quite a bit. It's not uncommon in NYC to walk for 20 or 30 blocks, even more. Roughly 21 blocks equals 1 mile, so as long as an area is safe, I don't mind walking.
Before I moved to NYC, I had grown up and lived in NJ which has an extensive bus system. I took it all over. Still, in some towns, there were very few bus stops or infrequent service, and so I would have to walk quite a distance or wait a long time. Done it in all kinds of weather. I've been a bus rider my whole life, and don't expect perfection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KCZ
NH winters and inexperienced drivers don't go together very well. I honestly don't think you're going to find any place with adequate public transportation here. Maybe Portland ME? Or someone already suggested Providence.
Yes, I mentioned that I am also looking into both Providence and Portland, but I came here to find out more about New Hampshire. No matter where I wind up, I'd want to live as close as possible to where I work to minimize any need for commuting.
The thing is, you're going to run out of stores and restaurants and places of business pretty quickly in a walkable area anywhere in NH. On a public transportation line too, frankly. In NYC, you can live in a neighborhood and never run out of interesting places to go and things to do, even in a 40-block radius. New Hampshire is a fairly sparsely populated state. so of course our public transportation options reflect that. I'm actually rather surprised at your expectations.
There are some really good points raised on this thread, and OP, I think you might have some unrealistic expectations for NH.
I moved here after living very comfortably car-free in two very walkable major cities with comprehensive public transportation systems. So, I understand your current lifestyle. I have lived in both Manchester and Concord, and I suspect you would be unhappy if you moved here and expected to continue to live an urban car-free lifestyle, or at least to enjoy such a lifestyle. (As an aside, I think your COL expectations are a bit off.) You could maybe do it if any city in NH has Zipcar (not sure) but I don't know why you would when there are many better options. If you were absolutely set on trying, I would recommend Concord because you can actually get to five grocery stores, a couple bookstores, and a hospital all on foot as long as you live fairly close to downtown. You could conceivably even walk to big box stores because there are sidewalks... though they are frequently impassable in the winter. There is a bus that goes out to those places. They have some dedicated bike lanes so you could bike in good weather, if you were ambitious.
There are a couple important things to consider. First, no, public transportation is not an important part of state infrastructure. Even in the cities which have it, it is all bus, limited routes, and very infrequent stops. I was looking at some routes in Manchester, and during most of the day, they stop at any given stop every 45-75 minutes. You should also realize that unlike in major cities, where people from all walks of life use public transportation on a daily basis, public transportation in NH is primarily used by the elderly, disabled, community college students, poverty-stricken, and the homeless. From what I can tell, it is designed to fulfill basic transportation needs (hospital, some big box stores, etc.) for more vulnerable members of the population. It does not meet all transportation needs, perhaps for the simple reason that it couldn't meet all transportation needs.
Don't forget that Manchester, the state's largest city, has only a little over 100,000 people. From there, populations decrease rapidly as you go down the list of the largest cities. Concord is third-largest, I believe, with only about 42,000 people. Portsmouth and Keene are only in the low 20,000s - a population which would be considered a small town in most places! So, even if each city had transportation that was comprehensive for that city, you would still need a car at times because there is just not enough available within each city. Even if you want to make friends... you will need a car. They are likely to live far from you and it's not like in big cities where everyone just hops on the subway.
Re: walking. There is an interesting phenomenon studied by urban planners... I can't remember what it is called or the exact details, but basically, it has to do with pedestrians' perceptions of distance, and their tolerance for walking, changing depending on the built environment. It can feel like nothing to walk city block after city block, but walking the same distance on an industrial/commercial stretch, with a busy road on one side, and large parking lots on the other side, and few or no trees, can feel like much further and be much less easy to tolerate. This is what you would encounter in many places if you wanted to walk to a grocery store or big box store. Also you really need to realize that even in the "cities" of NH, there is not much of a walking culture. Outside of the small downtown area during the day, you might actually not encounter any other walker. This can make walking yourself seem far less enjoyable.
Last edited by cowbell76; 03-08-2017 at 04:49 PM..
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