Looking for retirement state (Nashua, Concord: crime, new home, construction)
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Hello,
I am retiring next year (2009) and looking at several states to go to. Since I am in California and want VERY badly to leave, New Hampshire with their Live Free or Die attitude is very high on my list. My sister who lives in New Jersey suggested Sandown or Nashua. I am really in to fishing and boating as my hobbies and often fish the Pacific outside San Fransisco. Can anyone tell me if there are new homes going in that do not use oil as a heating source and how populated the Sandown or Nashua areas are? And how close to the coast they may be. I know lots of questions, but need to start now...Thanks.
there are new homes going in with electric heat...not really a cost saver...new homes with oil are the norm, but some people supplement the oil with wood or pellet stoves.
great fishing on the coast of NH as well in the many, many lakes - all boating on the lakes requires a boat license now
Here's a map for the upcoming NE Sustainability Association Green Homes Tour: Green Buildings Open House (http://www.nesea.org/buildings/openhouse/googleMaps/ - broken link). It will give you a brief idea of some alternatives used around here if you click around.
I retire in 40 calender days. I researched several states and settled on New Hampshire. The south has worn thin with me and I have 3 kids who deserve a crime free environment along with the best education. Taxes are expensive but I feel we're paying for sanity and security. See you soon and good luck.
Also be aware that some towns have property tax breaks for older citizens. For example our town, Hollis, has a graduated system that reduces the assessed value of the home for tax purposes by about 150k at age 65 and by around 200k by age 80.
You also need to consider that the NH idea of "city" is not the CA idea of "city". I believe Nashua has ~80k residents? That's a "town" in many other areas of the coutnry.
We've found (Hollis is a rural/larger zoned town that borders Nashua) that we can get to Ocean/Lakes/Rivers/Mountains/Big City (Boston) all within an hour on most days...kind of a nice central location.
Also many new homes in non-city served areas have propane instead of Oil; its price is rising but it is more economical. It seems that mixed use heating is a fairly good bet (electrical for "spot" heating like a bathroom in the morning), pellet/wood to supplement, and propane/oil for primary.
Hi sgtart
It's never too early to start asking these questions, and I'll bet you get plenty of differing opinions. There's a huge difference in feel from Nashua to Sandown. Sandown is closer to the coast, but just a bit off the beaten path. It can feel isolated, mainly because there are no stores (except a little general store) in town. Shopping is in nearby Plaistow or at the Hannafords at the crossroads of 111/121A. In fact, since Route 121A (a state road) runs through it, it's one of those places that feels more isolated than it really is. The majority of homes in Sandown are oil-heated, but there are pockets of new construction here and there that would have forced hot air/propane heat. Natural gas lines run through part of town, but there is NO natural gas service.
Nashua is much more built up, being one of NH's few cities. As was mentioned earlier, for NH it's a city, many other states would consider it a little town! There is lots of shopping, including every big box store you could want, plus fast food, tons of strip malls, etc. Plenty of traffic lights, etc even in the more secluded parts as you get toward Hollis. I was just out that way today, and even at 1 in the afternoon it's a busy place. By comparison, I was in Sandown a couple of weeks ago, and was able to get some great shots of a falling apart barn while standing in the road yeah probably not the best place to stand, but the 2 cars that went by were kind and didn't run me down Didn't want to hit the crazy lady with the camera!
I have a real good friend who lives in Sandown. He really likes it there.He does a lot of fishing and can be to the ocean in a half hour or so. I think it boils down to what kind of lifestyle you want. Theres a whole lot of difference between a Sandown lifestyle and a Nashua lifestyle. Sandown gets my bet by a longshot.
Portsmouth has been lasted as one of the 'best places to retire to' but has since become expensive.
Concord always wins some sort of - best small city type contest....
Amherst (where Dartmouth College is) is Yuppie part of the state... (as you would think!)
Very trendy and $$$ around the Big Lake.
Prices etc. get cheaper as you head more north...
paul
pittsfield
Actually Dartmouth is in Hanover- which is out west near the Vermont border. Amherst is in the southern part of the state near Nashua.
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