Considering a Move to Derry, NH (Manchester, Salem: new home, to buy, theater)

[aleigho]

We have found a home we like and are about to make an offer. Can anyone tell me anything about what to expect in Derry? What does the town have to offer? Anything I should be concerned about? We have 2 boys that will be attending elementary school. Thanks-

[boscoo]

I guess I' m biased towards L'derry as I live there but Derry has alot to offer.

[buck naked]

I lived in Derry for 22 years. I loved every minute of it! It's a great town and convenient to shopping and commuting to Boston. It's a half hour from the beach and one hour from skiing. When I moved there in 1980 it was still a fairly small town, but now it's a small city. The farm across the street from me became condexes. 100 homes on 40 acres. I tried to fight it, but I was the only one that showed up to object at the town planning meetings and the selectman was connected to the builder. It was a losing battle for me. For a while, there was a moratorium on new building, the schools could not keep up with the population increase, but that is long gone.


So good luck with your new home! The elementary schools are outstanding in Derry.

Pinkerton Academy is a private school and has it's own long list of problems. (You will never hear about them from the academic staff). As long as you conform to the many rules, you'll be fine.


My youngest son was deaf and had an IEP at Pinkerton. However, he could not pass English for the life of him. He spent every summer in summer school repeating english classes. Because he was "convicted" to summer school, he was not allowed to participate in school sports or attend class trips or functions. He desperately wanted to play ball but was not permitted because of his english grades. During his senior year, the school had the gall to complain that he did not participate in class functions or sports programs. When I informed them, IT WAS THEIR RULES that EXCLUDED him, at first they seemed surprised but then admitted that they may have made a mistake. Too late for him though.

Hope you have better luck with that school then I did. There's not much for alternatives.

[aleigho]

Thanks for the response- I did the poll because we also have option #2, Londonberry and option #3 in Amherst. I've done my homework, and all of these towns look to be pretty good towns, but coming from out of state I'm of course very nervous and want to research as much as possible before being locked into a contract. We were in all three of these towns last weekend and I really liked the fact that Derry had some 'life' ie the drug store was open 24 hours (wow) and it seemed to have a few places to eat etc. Our favorite house was actually in Wilton, NH, but I saw the schools and got pretty scared. We are now focusing on Derry because it seemed to be the perfect size (not too small, not too large). Londonderry also seemed to be nice but a little more on the quiet side which has it's own perks and then Amherst I loved from the first time I drove through, but I am concerned about being an "outsider" there. I'm sure I'll run into a little of that no matter where we live, but I got the feeling Amherst was a *very* close knit town when I went into the cafe to eat. The fact that our realtor was with us didn't help I'm sure, but I felt like I was on display lol. The schools in Derry and Londonderry were the main reason we were focusing our house hunt there, and so the comment about Pinkerton was quite interesting. I didn't realize it's a private school, I thought it was public. Can you clarify a little on this?
My younger son also will have an IEP so I'm concerned about the special education programs in both towns. We also were wondering about the park and rec- like sports etc. What sorts of things do the kids get involved in there? I appreciate any and all information anyone wants to give. I'm really looking forward to the move, and hopefully we'll make the right choice for our family.

[buck naked]

there are a lot of sports programs and the Derry recreation program is awesome.

Pinkerton is a private school, but because it is located in Derry and there are no other high schools, derry students attend and the town picks up the tuition costs. A few other towns also send their students to Pinkerton. Auburn, Hampstead to name a couple. They also have other options so the number of students from those towns are limited. Pinkerton wants to eventually exclude all other towns except for Derry.


Special ed programs are the absolute best in Derry. It's the bright child that gets left out for the most part. Special needs children are put at the top of the list for help.

Derry, like Londonderry, is considered a bedroom community of Boston. LOL

Everybody I knew, including myself, did that commute every day.

[inkandpaint]

Hello!
In 1983, my family moved to Derry. I was in 7th grade. I graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 1989. The school is enormous and for the most part, beautiful. The amenities and choices in curriculum offered are exceptional! I left Derry for a few years, but returned to buy my parents' home on Big Island Pond (the best kept secret in Derry.) My niece graduated from Pinkerton 4 years ago and my nephews are all in in elementary school/middle school and I can't say enough good things about the school system. Derry offers a balance of that feeling like you're somewhere rather rural (winding roads, stone walls and horse farms) but you're really only 15-20 minutes from anything you "need" (shopping, dining, etc.) Towns/cities like Manchester, Salem, and Plaistow offer every store and restaurant you'd want, and Manchester has some nice little cultural things (Currier Art Museum, art galleries, League of NH Craftsmen, Palace Theater). For bigger cultural activities, Boston is only 45 minutes away.
The local hospital, Parkland Medical Center, is quite a good one, and nearby hospitals in Manchester are also excellent. Derry, Hampstead and Windham all have great parks for the kids, too. I wish you luck!

[seamusnh]

The choice is interesting. With few east-west crossings, it seems as if the Derry/Londonderry area is far away to those on the west side of the river. You mentioned Wilton. Have you looked at Mont Vernon? It shares the school system with Amherst from 7th grade onward and the elementary school is good. A very nice town.