Berlin v. Gorham v. Milan (Lancaster, Washington: real estate, to rent, health insurance)

[cleith]

I am potentially locating to the Berlin area for work (married with kids). I read all of the posts I could find, though some are a bit dated. I have a few questions:

1. Which place do you recommend and why between Berlin/Gorham/Milan?
2. I can't find much to rent (looking for 3 or 4 bedrooms). Any suggestions?
3. My impression from the posts is that Berlin is rather down on its luck, but Milan (more rural and lower taxes) and Gorham (more vibrant) are decent places. Has the starting of buiding the prison helped improve Berlin yet?
4. My wife is expecting. She wants to know what level the hospital is (couldn't find that information on the hospital's website)? In other words, some hospitals can handle certain types of procedures/emergencies and people have to be flown elsewhere. How is the hospital in Berlin?

Thanks.

[jakiedoodle]

I definitely would not recommend Berlin AT ALL. The jobs are VERY limited in the area. I have been up there visiting people I knew that used to live up there and every single time I went into a convenience store/gas station, 1/2 of the people that walked by me smelled like booze (including in the mornings!). My landlord used to live up there years ago and says the area is known for people being heavy drinkers. My boyfriend also lived up there for a short while about 4 years ago and said it's a "pit" (his word exactly).
From what I have seen the 5 or 6 times I've been there, I would have to agree!!
I do not know anything about the other 2 places you listed and I've never been to either, but I would not even consider Berlin if I were you. If you research online and compare schools for the district, you'll find that Berlin's students are far below the state average in Math and Reading....not a very good place to send children to school. Only 75% of it's residents even have a High school diploma!
Hope that helps.

[jakiedoodle]

I wanted to edit my post to say : check out schoolmatters.com and make sure to look at the community demographics section.....it will verify what I said in my post

[cleith]

Thanks for the info, jakiedoodle.

[Valerie C]

cleith, you might want to send a DM to daniellefort, who used to post here pretty regularly. If I remember correctly, she grew up in Northern NH (maybe Berlin, not sure) and relocated to Florida for awhile, and just came back to New Hampshire in the last couple of months.

[markg67]

I stayed in the motel at the bottom end of town (Berlin) about ten years back and will never forget having breakfast in the dining area which also doubled as a waffle house/cafe for locals.

Two overweight women were talking over their breakfasts. The age 5 or so year old son of one of the women was siting there picking away at his pancake high on carbs but not being naughty as far as I could see.

Eventually the boy wanted to get down from the table and the mother scolded him so he sat there silently until he asked again if he could get down. Then one woman said to the boys mother "I think he's about ready" - then the next thing the mother is draging this poor kid through the cafe to the rest room - then the lid of the toilet wacked down then the sound of spanking and screaming...

I was so shocked I just sat there stunned - if I could have that time again I would surely voice my disgust at that lower life form.

I talked to the motel owner about it (a Dutch guy who had been a sailor before retiring in Berlin) and he just said it was very conservative in those parts and thats just what happens - I suppose they were his customers and his livelihood but really, what sort of place is that???

[Asta]

For someone to make a sweeping generalization about a place just because they have visited a couple of times and witnessed something unpleasant is irresponsible. The town is not a pit that's full of drunks or fat welfare moms who beat their kids. It's full of hard-working people who are struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on the table, just like everyone else. Many families were devastated when the mills closed down. There are people in every town in the world who are not responsible or even desireable, but their actions alone don't make the whole town bad. Sorry folks, I grew up in northern NH. I didn't live in Berlin but I went to the school there for a year and a half, did volunteeer work at the hospital there, and knew a great many people who lived in town.

That being said, I agree I would not recommend Berlin, but for different reasons. It's a blue-collar mill town in rural northern NH that's been struggling economically. Some businesess have had to leave town. Some of the real estate there is kind of run-down. From what I understand, it's started to rebound now. Gorham borders Berlin to the south, and it is a little more vibrant because it attracts more tourists. Milan is very rural. The landscape surrounding Berlin is beautiful.

[daniellefort]

I was born in Berlin, lived here until age 18, moved to FL for 14 years and just came back because my family is all here and i missed having them around. I will say, if my family moved to FL with me, i probably would not have come back.

I can say, yes the jobs are scarce. Unless your being transferred with a job to Berlin or have one in place already, it will be very tough to find a full time job. Plenty of part time low wage paying jobs but to support a family, not much to pick from.The hospital is a good place to work if you can get in. Some of us work a little harder than others to be able to have the fun we do up here while yes, others will just live off the system but you'll find that anywhere you go. I have 2 jobs now just to make ends meet and that's only because i can't afford health insurance and i have a child with severe medical problems but i'm not afraid to get out off my butt and do something about it even if it means taking on another job. You'll find lots of people up here are in the same boat, just trying to survive. Just being able to afford heat for the winter requires people to work harder to keep warm.

As most towns, there are good places and bad places to live. The east side of Berlin is the crappy part. I grew up on that side of town and it's far much more run down now than when i was growing up. The northern west and east side of the river towards Milan is the nice area to live in. I work at the local hospital now. I was born there and my daughter was born there. The hospital currently is in the process of taking on another OB/gyn physician so they will have 3 on hand. Keep in mind, if you don't like this hospital, there's always Lancaster hospital (which just closed their OB/gyn clinic though) and the conway hospital. The hospital here in Berlin is now a critical care access hospital so unless it is something very drastic, they can take care of you here or they can airlift you to Dartmouth Hitchcock.

Milan is just north of Berlin. More farmers land out there. lower taxes than Berlin and the 2 prisons are there. Currently the Federal prison is being contructed and the State prison has been up and running for a couple years now. There is an elementary school in Milan and a convienience store but middle and high school will be served by Berlin schools and all your shopping/banking needs will be done in Berlin or Gorham.

Gorham is the tourist town. Many people passing through to get to Mt. Washington go through here so you will find motels, hotels, bed & breakfasts and many restaurants to choose from.

As far as the schools? I personally think it's the parents lack on their end why the kids fail. My nieces and nephews are doing great, my daughter is a special needs child doing so much better here than the FL schools and half of the teachers teaching we my teachers back 15 years ago. The schools are very involved in keeping children active with school activities. My nephew is in all the afterschool sports. they offer weekend ski trips, hiking trips, etc.

All in all, Berlin area isn't great for jobs but great for kids to keep them busy especially if outdoor sporting is something they like. the community often holds many functions aimed at children activities and i can say i had a fun childhood up here.

[Asta]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

I was born in Berlin, lived here until age 18, moved to FL for 14 years and just came back because my family is all here and i missed having them around. I will say, if my family moved to FL with me, i probably would not have come back.......................All in all, Berlin area isn't great for jobs but great for kids to keep them busy especially if outdoor sporting is something they like. the community often holds many functions aimed at children activities and i can say i had a fun childhood up here.

You sound like me, I grew up in northern NH, left the area for a while, then went back because I missed it so much. I have lived in a lot of places, but I will always consider northern NH my home. And not just one town in particular, but all of the North Country. I had a lot of fun growing up, there was always something to do and something to explore. We spent all of our time outdoors doing stuff with the other kids. We were too busy having fun to sit at home and watch TV. I think it's a good place to raise kids.

[markg67]

[quote=Asta;5849463]For someone to make a sweeping generalization about a place just because they have visited a couple of times and witnessed something unpleasant is irresponsible. The town is not a pit that's full of drunks or fat welfare moms who beat their kids.[quote=Asta;5849463]


Deeply sorry if I caused offence - I didnt mean to. The incident that I witnessed was very unpleasent but that aside I did like the rural feel to the town.

Berlin was also a welcome find after driving over Mt Washington in torrential rain and the motel itself was comfortable.

I have often been back via google earth pics etc... I really loved it in rural New Hampshire and Vermont!