Suggestions please? (Nashua, Concord, Keene: good schools, incomes, tax)

[Rook73]

My fiance and I are looking to move to NH with our 11yo daughter & 3 cats next summer. I've been reading through the forums, and have seen a few places that look interesting. We do like to go for walks/hikes and be outdoors. Currently we are in SE Virginia - where they have hot humid summers and a rainy season they call 'winter.' I'm from NE originally, and we've both lived with & enjoyed real winters.

I'm looking for suggestions on what areas to look at and anything else you think we might need to know.

Thanks!

[GregW]

Need more info: What do you do? Where will you be employed? What sort of price range? How inportant are really good schools compared to good schools? Are you planning to commute to Massachusetts? Do you want mountains, hills or seashore? City, small town, suburb, really rural? We have all of these in New Hampshire.

Come and visit a couple of times. I suggest Concord and north in the fall and winter and the seacoast in the spring.

[Rook73]

Originally Posted by GregW

Need more info: What do you do? Where will you be employed? What sort of price range? How important are really good schools compared to good schools? Are you planning to commute to Massachusetts? Do you want mountains, hills or seashore? City, small town, suburb, really rural? We have all of these in New Hampshire.

Come and visit a couple of times. I suggest Concord and north in the fall and winter and the seacoast in the spring.

I work in secretary/office positions and he works retail; we are both flexible on exactly what we do. We don't have jobs lined up and will look closer to our move next summer. The schools don't have to the Best but good, yes. I'd rather not commute to Mass; I don't mind commutes up to 30-45 min but the tax fun with Mass sounds like we should avoid it (They tax *both* incomes if one of us works there?). I'd prefer mountains and small town/rural.

Thanks for answering so quickly- I knew I was going to forget something!

[JMishy]

Retail? Goodness, come to North Conway. We have a TON of retail stores and live in the heart of the Mount Washington Valley. Seriously, it seems that every retail store is hiring (my favorite stores are in OVP/Settler's Green. Try googling it!) There are also a bunch of office positions that I've seen in the paper and a whole lot of places to hike. Our winters are not for the faint of heart, though! Just a warning.

[gradRun]

I second North Conway, it's a really beautiful area and it seems like they keep putting in more and more stores. There's also retail in Tilton - so easy access to the Lakes Region there. There's also retail and I would assume office work in Concord. The areas less mountainy but there are beautiful rural areas within a 45 min drive. I'd caution though that a enjoyable 45 min drive in the Summer and Fall will be longer and more difficult during the Winter and Spring, especially if you're relying on back roads to get around. NH does a good job of clearing the roads, but black ice and snow storms can make a normal commute unpleasant.

Nh has a few bigger employers in state, although most tend to be in the south. Timberland and EMS come to mind. I think EMS has its big retail store/office around Peterborough.

It's definitely worth your while to come up and tour the state a little. Each area has its own feel.

[GregW]

Secrararial and retail positions are pretty much universal. Come up for a visit and check out places like Concord, Conway or where ever. I do suggest actually getting a job before moving. Nobody has any idea what is going to happen to the economy in the next 6 months.

[Rook73]

Universal job is one of the things I like about my job - I can pick where I want to live instead of the job dictating it. We are watching the economy, and it's actually one of the reasons for the move.

Conway & North Conway look wonderful - thank you! And JMishy, I found another of your posts; we may be staying at the B&B up there when we visit (can't think of the name, but they have horses).

Currently the plan is to visit in Jan/Feb - We'd have a week for the trip, and the drive up from VA will be one day each way. We'd be starting in SW NH and driving in a loop - Keene, Plymoth, N. Conway, and back. Any other places we should stop? Any spots we shouldn't miss?

And, is there anything I need to do to the car for the trip?

[Ken E]

You might want to make sure you have some good tires on your vehicle and enough antifreeze/coolant in the radiator.North Conway should be hopping around then. Just south of Conway in West Ossipee stop at The Yankee Smokehouse. It will be the closest thing to Virginia BBQ You'll find up here.The area just south of Conway is real nice Madison, Freedom,Tamworth is a nice area.

[NH2008]

I was going to say exactly what Ken said. (Hadn't thought of Yankee Smokehouse but I should have - yum!) You would probably be working in North Conway, but for living check out Conway, Jackson, and Freedom. Stop for lunch at Jonathan's Seafood in North Conway!

You might also want to check out the Nashua area. The city has a huge mall and lots of retail, as well as various city amenities (restaurants etc).