Manchester vs. Concord (Derry, Dover, Londonderry: rental, houses, job market)

[zeno44]

Hey New Hampshire Enthusiasts,

Manchester vs. Concord...any opinions? Perusing rental options, and Manchester has quite a bit more from which to choose, probably because it's bigger. Any reason to move to Concord or an adjoining area, vs. moving to Manchester?

[WannaComeHome]

kinda depends how you feel about moving to the 'big city' vs moving to more of a small town feel (ok, Concord's not quite a 'small' town, but it certainly feels more like it than Manchester)

[dognh]

If I were renting, I would probably stick with Manchester, unless there were a specific reason to go Concord - like work.

If you're married and/or at some point considering buying property, you may want to consider Concord if you're interested in a smaller city setting.

This is all taking into account that you set on either Manchester or Concord proper.

[zeno44]

Thanks, WannaComeHome and dognh. Either the medium-sized town or larger city setting is OK. We may eventually buy another home, but we're looking at other parts of the country (like NH) and would want to check it out for 6 mos. or more before making any commitments.

Also, we're not set on Concord or Manchester specifically, but over by Portsmouth and Dover it seems a little more expensive. Maybe that's not true(?) North of Concord appears to get kind of remote, so up north may not be the best for folks used to cities. Just scoping it out. Any other comments are welcome.

[AngelaK]

If schools are a consideration for you, Concord and towns around it, like Bow and Hopkinton are good choices. Londonderry is also nice, close to Manchester, yet houses with more land, better schools etc. Of course, prop. taxes in these places are higher, but worth it if schools are an issue for you.

[zeno44]

Good to know. Thanks, AngelaK .

[WannaComeHome]

Also, we're not set on Concord or Manchester specifically, but over by Portsmouth and Dover it seems a little more expensive. Maybe that's not true(?) North of Concord appears to get kind of remote, so up north may not be the best for folks used to cities. Just scoping it out. Any other comments are welcome.

yeah, zeno, that's pretty accurate. The seacoast area is a bit more expensive - although posts seem to have Portsmouth relatively lively. and north of Concord it starts to thin out. I've always considered Concord to be the northern edge of the 'southern NH' - also the weather pattern changes (weather bands tend to go through on an angle, so while Keene and nearby are in the snow belt, Milford and points east are not and Concord is about the northern edge of the south central/east weather band).

If you don't mind the city-er aspect, you might check out Derry.

[Positiveone]

While on the subject of Concord & Manchester. Between the two cities which has the better job market?

Also some mentioned Derry, but is Derry the town where the taxes are pretty high? How are the property taxes in the suburbs of Concord Vs Manchester burbs?

Thanks!!

[zeno44]

The "snow belt" concept could come in handy. Good info. Thanks!