Where in New Hampshire? (Manchester, Nashua: places to live, manufactured, housing)

[Peter Creedon]

Do the images of Northern Massachusetts end, and new hampshire takes on its own persona? When I was in NH a couple months ago, I noticed that NH looked like N. MA past Manchester.

[WannaComeHome]

um.. I"m not entirely sure what you're asking, but only the south central/east part of NH is that much like MA.

Go out to the Monadnock area and it's more like the rest of NH.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Peter Creedon

Do the images of Northern Massachusetts end, and new hampshire takes on its own persona? When I was in NH a couple months ago, I noticed that NH looked like N. MA past Manchester.

You will find that most of NH north and west of Concord is quite rural. The county with the fastest growth since 2000 has been Belknap, which is in the Lakes Region.

[fishnfool]

I noticed that NH looked like N. MA past Manchester

I am assuming by "past" you mean south of Manchester? North of Manch. you're talking forest, mountains, lakes, and very little people..... i.e. nothing like mass.

I have never actually been on 93 south of Manchester so I can't speak for the greater Nashua area, but overall there is a very different feel than Mass. The seacoast is slightly similar to the north shore I guess. I would contend that Seabrook and Salisbury are pretty similar, and Newburyport is a lot like Portsmouth....which makes sense because they are all within 15-20 miles of each other, but that's about where the similarities stop. The entire atmosphere is quite different once you cross the border.....for the better in NH. The central and northern parts of the state have more in common with Maine or Vermont than Mass.

[Verseau]

What does "Northern MA" mean anyway? Franklin County looks nothing like Middlesex County.

[GregW]

Long Post -

For one thing northern Mass and southeast New Hampshire have very similar geology. The upland surface is composed mostly of glacial debris that formed when the glaciers melted in place15,000 years ago. There is relatively little water sorting of the features except in the larger stream and river valleys. This surface lent itself to hilltop grazing with the crop farming mostly in the river bottom flats. The area is also littered with meadows formed by small mill and beaver ponds that have silted in and become vegetated.

This geological setting led to similar settlement patterns that are still apparent. Massachusetts has be more heavily developed for industry, commerce and housing. Southern New Hampshire has been, particularly until building I-93, just too far away from Boston. The exception to the dispersed industrialization is the city of Manchester. The Merrimack River was, and is, a great source of reliable water power and the falls at Manchester provided the place where a major textile center developed. The cities of Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill in Mass were built on the same river at existing falls or rapids.

These textile cities were devastated by the shift of the industry to the southern US and then overseas although they are still in the forefront of textile development. Polar Fleece was invented and manufactured in the Malden Mill complex in Methuen, Mass. IIRC Velcro was invented in southern NH.

As the mills left the area most of the hillside pastures reverted to forest. This is why you see all the old stone walls in the woods. This started with the opening of the Erie Canal and the US Civil War. The first opened much better farmland to cultivation and the latter killed off a lot of New England farmers. The result was abandoned farmland.

Northern Mass and southern New Hampshire have a similar modern culture. Both have been caught in the recent deindustrialization of the economy. If this trend reverses they are ready for the resulting growth. Northern NH is quite a bit different but is changing for the better (IMHO anyway). Both are decent places to live with strong community ties.

[BF66389]

I think you may also find that similarities to MA differ from town to town...for example there are plenty of small towns in MA (farther from the city) that resemble small towns in northern NH (Dunstable perhaps?)...likewise there are small towns in southern NH that have maintained a NH character (Hollis, for example...)

I'd say your best bet is to check out a few specific towns and see what you like. Even up north I've noticed pretty big differences between towns- some are very isolated, some are touristy, some are "sporting", etc...

[GregW]

Just reread the title. We have a Wear in New Hampshire. So where anyware else is Wear in New Hampshire.

Funny. a bunch of big guys with a net just arrived. I wonder who they are looking for?

[WannaComeHome]

Originally Posted by GregW

Funny. a bunch of big guys with a net just arrived. I wonder who they are looking for?

... How'd you guys get here so soon? Did you come by town balloon?? (they're coming to take you away, ha!ha!)