Carroll or Coos County? (Berlin, Conway: vacation home, employment, safe area)

[tracydawn]

My husband and I feel most at home in New England (we went to college in Portland, ME). We want to relocate to New Hampshire from Cleveland, OH. We have narrowed down our county choices to Carroll or Coos.
Our biggest factors are crime, schools, scenery, and we would rather be closer to ME than VT. What towns would you suggest?

[vter]

What about jobs? Northern NH is very rural and employment opportunities are not that prevelant. There are a couple folks on this board that are more intimately familiar with this region, so hopefully they can chime in for you!

[DareToDream]

Vter is correct - What kind of jobs would you be looking for? We're in Grafton County. I know Lancaster is in Coos county.....I *think* Conway and Bartlett are in Carroll county? Hmmmm....yep, they are Carroll County NH - Links to New Hampshire Towns and here's one for Coos County Coos County NH - Links to New Hampshire Towns .

If the towns aren't listed as a "hot link" on the site, try googling the town for more info.

[GraniteStater]

Look at towns that have the lowest property tax rates. Some good choices in Carroll County would be Albany and Freedom. Conway seems to be the bigger tourist town in the county with a lot of niche shops and restaurants. I would avoid the higher priced ski areas like Bartlett or Jackson unless you have $$$. In Coos County Randolph has the lowest property tax rates in the eastern portion of the county. I would avoid Berlin. You could also look into Gorham or Shelburne in that area if you want to be close to Maine.

[tracydawn]

I am in Hospitality and my husband is a free lance artist so tourist towns that are affordable are preferable. We are leaning towards Conway, but I cannot get a good grasp on public education.

[ellamia26]

Hi! Well we live in Conway, (Carroll County), and I have my whole life. I would definitely prefer to live in this area as opposed to Coos County. I myself prefer easy access to the grocery store and Settlers Green for shopping. It is most definitely a safe area. The best schools are in the Conway disctrict, (Pine Tree I hear is great), and in the Bartlett district. Although Bartlett is about 20 minutes north of town. The Conway area is about 10 minutes from the Maine line. I think taxes are around $3000 for the most part around here, too. Good luck!!

[GraniteStater]

You could also look into Madison, NH if you want a smaller town setting, but still want to be right near Conway.

[NH2008]

Hi there,

I grew up in Cleveland and my parents finally moved to our family's vacation home in Carroll County a few years ago. It's beautiful. You've got the mountains and the lakes, lots of beautiful old houses, and proximity to Portland, which is a great little city. North Conway is convenient for shopping and would be perfect if your career is in hospitality. If you like classic New England small towns though, I'd consider Jackson, Madison, Freedom, Eaton, etc and go for the best of both worlds. North Conway gets a lot of traffic and tourists during summer and ski season. That said, it's also where you'd head for the Children's Museum, to see a movie, go to the doctor, etc.

I think the biggest issue for you may be schools. A lot of the young families I've met (by which I mean all) send their kids to a private school in Wolfeboro as they haven't been very happy with local schools. (Kennett takes the kids from our town as well.) Moultonborough is supposed to have great schools.