Considering Hampton, is it nice, and is it safe? (Manchester: crime rate, house prices)

[movingover]

Just took a look at a house I like there but noticed on the realtor's web site that the town has a very high crime index, with rape being 4x the national average. That seems insanely high for a town of 9k people and a median income higher than the state average, and much higher than the national average, so what gives? Was the data I was looking at wrong?

[Annabelle]

You have the "town" of Hampton and then you have Hampton Beach. The high crime rate at the beach (both summer and off season) skews the stats for the town as a whole. Take the beach out of the equation and the crime rate for Hampton drops significantly.

[NH2008]

There are several "Hamptons." Hampton Falls is very nice, has a bucolic feel with lots of orchard/conservation land, and higher house prices.

[movingover]

Originally Posted by Annabelle

You have the "town" of Hampton and then you have Hampton Beach. The high crime rate at the beach (both summer and off season) skews the stats for the town as a whole. Take the beach out of the equation and the crime rate for Hampton drops significantly.

Do all the beach areas have high crime rates? How do you separate the two? I mean if you live a mile from the beach, how do you take comfort in knowing that you're fine if you stay away from the beach. I guess Hampton itself is out then for me.

[nocturnal rooster]

The crime is bad and everything is overpriced. I'd go to Hampton Beach to party but that's about it.

[movingover]

Originally Posted by nocturnal rooster

The crime is bad and everything is overpriced. I'd go to Hampton Beach to party but that's about it.

Is this true for Rye, NH? How about Portsmouth and Exeter? I visited Portsmouth and it seemed very clean and safe, maybe there are neighborhoods that are dangerous? I'd love to hear a comparison on crime between these towns.

Many thanks!

[nocturnal rooster]

Originally Posted by movingover

Is this true for Rye, NH? How about Portsmouth and Exeter? I visited Portsmouth and it seemed very clean and safe, maybe there are neighborhoods that are dangerous? I'd love to hear a comparison on crime between these towns.

Many thanks!

Portsmouth is good, but Hampton is a little shady.

Sorry, I don't know anything about Exeter or Rye

[dubthang]

Exeter and Rye are both really nice. Exeter is an really nice town with a good school district and downtown area. Rye is right on the ocean, and very pricey. Portsmouth is nice too. Hampton is nice to visit, but can be a real headache in the summer. The traffic is absurd.

Also check out Dover, Newmarket, Newfields, Stratham, Lee, Madbury, and Durham for decent towns near the seacoast. Dover is my personal favorite. Lived there for a few years.

[fishnfool]

The crime is bad and everything is overpriced. I'd go to Hampton Beach to party but that's about it.

Ha, ok, from someone who live there, the crime is NOT bad in the town of hampton. Hampton Beach though is shady and full of low lives that come up to party from Mass and Seabrook. North beach on the other hand, is great, quiet (except for summer motorcycles), and perfectly safe. When people say "beach", they don't mean the entire waterfront of Hampton, they mean the village area known as "Hampton Beach".

If you just drive down 1A it should be pretty obvious which is "Hampton Beach", and which is "North beach". Hampton beach is the main strip that looks like a burned out ghost town in the winter and 1970's Jersey Shore in the summer. If you like corny live music, fried dough, and Busch Light then Hampton Beach is just perfect.

North of that (hence north beach) along and past the sea wall is completely different.....mostly past the seawall though. Lots of "surfers" and high school kids hang out on the seawall to "be seen". There is an awesome and quiet beach just north of the seawall though that most locals don't even seem to know about. I live a few blocks from North Beach and it's nothing like the reputation that it seems other people have of Hampton. Coming from a very bluecollar rust belt city, Hampton seems about as dangerous and crime ridden as Mayberry. Traffic is a pain in the summer but there are plenty of backroads that get around it and easily avoid the tourists. It's not a bad place to live, just find a place north of Winncunut Rd. It's pricey compared to Exeter or places inland but you live near the ocean....it's always going to cost more, and IMO it's worth it. The people are friendly, the neighborhoods are nice, and schools are good, and the location is great to get to Portsmouth, Boston, Maine, or Manchester. Don't let these people scare you out of it....it's your best chance of living near the water and having a nice place to live. Most people sound like they've only been to the strip.

And unless you can afford a $500,000 home I would probably say Rye is out.

[MassYankee]

Originally Posted by movingover

Is this true for Rye, NH? How about Portsmouth and Exeter? I visited Portsmouth and it seemed very clean and safe, maybe there are neighborhoods that are dangerous? I'd love to hear a comparison on crime between these towns.

Many thanks!

I don't think those rape figures are wrong for Hampton. It's a somewhat seedy beach town with a few strip clubs and run down arcades, and of course lots of people are looking for action of one sort or other when they are visiting there, so there will be a fair amount of bikers, drinking, fights, and general knuckleheads looking for trouble, etc.

Personally, I would much rather live in Portsmouth or Exeter than Hampton. Both of these towns have real town centers to live in or just walk around in. For those days when you want to go to the beach, you are plenty close from either town to shoot over, and might also want to go to Rye, Wallis Sands, or Odiorne Point, which are prettier beaches.

Portsmouth has more going on as a small city for sure if you're looking for things to do in-town, while Exeter is a little quieter and more gentrified if you want that classic New England small town feel. Exeter does actually have train service to Boston though, so for a little town, it has some activity. Exeter would have a lower crime than Portsmouth, but I wouldn't call Portsmouth a rough town - any town will have it's bad actors.

To me, either Portsmouth or Exeter are nice choices - for raising a family I'd prefer Exeter, but if I were a young person looking for things to do I'd prefer Portsmouth.