Retired & Moving (Manchester, Nashua, Concord: houses, movie theaters, pharmacy)

[MtDreamer]

I know there have been posts about moving to New Hampshire but everyone seems to be in the younger age group. I love the back woods and would love to live in the middle of nowhere but unfortunately I have to realize I am no longer 30. I have been researching the towns and talking to a realtor but was hoping someone could give me further information. Like I said I love being in the forests, etc. but probably should be fairly close to a good hospital. (you never know what live will hand you) Also I have pets and would need to be near a Vet. This is a list of towns I have found interesting houses in. Dublin, Mason, Deering, New Boston, Hancock, Wilton, Croyden, Wilmot, Newbury, Sharon, Francestown, Webster, Chesterfield, Madison, Dunbarton, Weare, New Ipswich, Walpole. Are there any hiking clubs, cross country skiing, a social life for us older citizens??. Any help or info. would be appreciated.

[WannaComeHome]

Hi MtDreamer!
You seem to be looking in some of 'my' areas, so maybe I can help. We'll be moving to New Ipswich.

The closest hospital is likely the Monadnock hospital in Peterborough (where I was born!), there is also St Joseph's in Nashua. I would guess that Wilton and Mason would also go there. We actually looked a lot at Deering, but decided that while it was very beautiful, it had absolutely no amenities (barely has a library!) like a corner market, gas station, even sub/pizza shop - everything is in Weare, Goffstown or Hillsboro!

For New Ipswich, Wilton or Mason, you'd probably be looking at Milford for groceries and pharmacy, not completely sure about a vet. That's also something I'm looking at, I know I saw one in Townshend, MA which is just across the line, (next town below) but there's probably also vets in Milford.

there's lots of hiking in the Monadnock area, so likely also hiking clubs. Apparently there is a cross-country skiing place in New Ipswich, called "Windblown".

Hope this helps!

[Kathleen DeMello]

Hi MtDreamer,

Wilton, Mason, New Boston, New Ipswich, all give you the kind of country living you are looking for and in good proximity to hospitals both in Manchester and Nashua. Lots of vets around that are very good. Plenty of hiking and cross country trails. You'll love New Hampshire!

[Ken E]

Madison get's my vote.

[Verseau]

If it helps, here's a map of NH hospitals:



For the towns you mentioned, the nearest hospital would be in Peterborough (Monadnock), Keene (Cheshire), Manchester (Catholic, Elliot), Concord, Claremont (Valley), New London, or North Conway (Memorial), depending on the town of course. It might be a good idea to look at the towns on a map with respect to where the hospitals are.

I also managed to find a listing of veterinarians in the state, although I'm not sure how up-to-date it is.

[MtDreamer]

Thanks for all the great replys. Can't wait to check everything out. Will be headed that way in about 2 months. I love snow. Lived in Idaho for a while where we got 300" a year.

[MtDreamer]

WannaComeHome you stated you were moving to New Ipswich. Can I ask why you picked this town? On reading all the posts I see where you have been planning on moving for some time. Glad you have finally made it to where you can. Reading all the quotes from people there were so many negative comments about southern NH but I know to take everything 'with a grain of salt'.

[WannaComeHome]

I was actually born to NI (ok, the hospital is in Peterborough, but the house is in NI) and lived there until 2nd grade! when we were looking for a town to move to, I was checking all over and checked NI mostly on a lark, not really expecting much. quite surprised to find lower taxes, and most of what we wanted - and then way too many coincidences on the land we bought (old family ties!).

A number of years ago, my parents drove my DH & I around there, because while I could remember a lot about the town, I had no idea how to get there and wanted to show him. He thought it was a nice quiet town. When we went back a couple years ago, he was amazed how little it seemed to have changed! In spite of the housing growth you can see in the number of permits giving over the years (but all on back roads you don't really notice), it still felt and seemed like a small, quiet town you'd find more north in NH.

And it had basic amenities: 2 gas stations, couple of corner stores, bank, pizza/sub shops, even an on-again-off-again restaurant (I hope it's in business again!). He liked everything about it, and it's just over 1/2 hour from my family. so.... everything worked out.

He's still amazed how different it seems from the south-central and eastern towns that have so many people moving in. Yeah, you have to go to Rindge or Milford for your groceries and pharmacies (I'm hoping something might open up closer in the next 4 years!), but otherwise, it's got pretty much what we need. And surprisingly, the old textile mill is still in business - it's the second oldest in the state and now it's weaving kevlar for DuPont!

(still have about 4 years before DH retires, though)

[MtDreamer]

Flies. ! Thanks for the reply. Do miss the winters. We had 1.5 inches of snow last night here and today my dogs and I went outside several times to play in it. Probably be gone tomorrow.

[WannaComeHome]

Flies??? you mean the bugs? oh yeah, NH has them: especially black flies! but they're only out for about a month (then the mosquitoes come out!)

Actually, the reason people get so sour about southern NH is that so much of southern NH has become overcrowded, and kinda 'mass-ified'. It's not just people from MA moving up, but it often seems that way because of the proximity to Boston.

however, that really only counts from Nashua on east! Hollis doesn't feel the same, and the further west you go - even along the border- the more rural and 'old NH' it tends to feel. It's just that most people tend to think of only the south central/east part as 'southern NH'

However, if you're looking for good shopping and lots of movie theaters, and tons of restaurants.. you tend to find more of that in the areas with the largest population: south central/east.