Moving back to New England (Rochester, Dover: rentals, condos, affordable houses)

[thazell]

Hello-
Have you ever felt like you're living amongst a foriegn tribe?? I do.

I grew up in Beverly, MA and moved to Portland, OR 18 years ago. I miss everything about New England and want to move back. I'm drawn to NH b/c of the things that I've come to love about OR (lower cost of living, coastal, lower population).

I'm looking for opinions on some towns to research/visit. Important to me is: <10 miles to the coast, out of the way of major traffic, small town charm, tolerant of diversity, cultural flavor (I'm single).

Thanks!

[miakelly]

Check out Portsmouth.

[dognh]

With just 14 miles of coastline, the number of towns within 10 miles is obviously limited.

Here they are:

New Castle: An island, very expensive, very small, no town per se, almost walking distance to Portsmouth.

Portsmouth: Seacoast's only city. Has all the culture and diversity you are looking for. Great Old New England walking downtown. Plenty of shopping and restaurants/nightlife, great for singles. Housing is relatively expensive, though there are lots of rentals and condos. Largest population on the coast, so there is traffic.

Rye: Upscale residential town on the beach. Expensive, low taxes, great for beaches, but need to go to Portsmouth for shopping, nightlife, culture. Quaint, picturesque harbor.

North Hampton: Similar to Rye, a little more populous and a little, and i mean a very little, less expensive away from the beach. A family town. Quiet. Not much for singles.

Hampton: Touristy in summer. On the beach. Traffic. More affordable than N. Hampton or Rye. decent for singles, there are restaurants/nightlife at the beach, affordable houses condos and rentals. A little tacky on the culture side, but certainly diverse.

Hampton Falls: Similar to N. Hampton, but smaller with no waterfront. Great for apple picking.

Seabrook: Avoid it. Unless you can afford beachfront - even then not a lot going on for singles.

Newington: Smallest geographic town in NH. Commercial area, plus Pease tradeport. Strip mall land for those in Portsmouth area.

Greenland: Slightly inland from the beach. Family residential. Small town charm/old colonial farming. Nice Great Bay waterfront. Not much for singles.

Stratham: Upscale residential town inland from beach. Again, nice quaint NE town, but not really for singles.

Exeter: Quintessential NE downtown, culturally divers, cultural activities, arts, etc. Very artsy fartsy. many families, but could be possibilities for singles. There are condos and rentals available unlike the surrounding towns. Not too much traffic, but not rural.

Kensington: Rural, residential family town. Not for singles.

Durham: Not sure if it's within 10 miles, but basically a college town. Much of what you're looking for you'll probably find there. Increasingly populous - traffic getting down to Portsmouth.

Madbury: Residential town next to Durham. Not much for singles.

Dover: Decent size city. Not quit as hip or New Englandy as Portsmouth, but up and coming. It's a possibility.

Based on everything you've mentioned (except for the traffic small town thing) I'd go for Portsmouth - in particular because you are single. It will offer you the most diversity and enjoyment. IMHO.

[NH2NCMom]

Very informative post by dog...but I'd recommend Dover/Somersworth/Rochester if traffic is a major concern for you because Portsmouth does have a lot of traffic and so doesn't Hampton. Portsmouth is more expensive than Dover, with Dover being more expensive than Somersworth.

Less than 10 miles from the beach - well that could still be a bit of a stretch in some of those towns, because "beach" is very loosely described. If you want sunbathing, then Hampton and Rye is the place, if you want water access, then Dover and Portsmouth - but all within a 20 - 30 minute drive of beaches (on a good day of traffic).

Dover is a very populous city - more residential than Portsmouth - and last I knew 27K people is not a small city. Portsmouth actually is smaller in population than Dover - so that I will have to disagree with Dog on. (minor details though)

I personally would live in Dover and work and play in Portsmouth and other areas - it's a short drive.

[thazell]

Thanks for the run-down, very informative indeed. I'm visiting family in MA over the 4th and will drive up to get a quick sense for both Dover and Portsmouth.