Commuting from Nashua out the 101A or???? (Amherst, Brookline: for rent, townhouse)

[Valerie C]

LOL Wanna... I wrote a post way back when I first came on board at city data about black flies and mosquitos and mud... I must try to find it and post here!!

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

How exciting! (oh and you'll get a taste of spring coming in before the black flies! how nice. don't worry, they go away after a month - when the mosquitoes come out )

HEY, I found it
http://www.city-data.com/forum/1184419-post13.html

[Valerie C]

Mud Season comes WAY after "Oh look, the FIRST SNOW of the season. Isn't it just beautiful (magical, wonderful.. insert lovely descriptive term here)".

Several weeks after "PRETTY SNOW SEASON comes DIRTY SNOW Season. That's when the snow piles up on the sides of roads, and becomes a dark gray/black from the tons of salt, sand, pollution, etc.

Next usually comes DAMN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Season, this comes and goes (sometimes we have a day of 75 degreez in January, just enough to get our perennial bulbs excited, only to be frozen to death hours later...

Eventually, we come to I'M THROUGH SHOVELING SNOW Season (that's when you notice your neighbors have begun to trudge through snow knee deep instead of trying to keep up with that white lumpy rain that just keeps falling...

MUD SEASON comes between I'M THROUGH SHOVELING Season and WHEN WILL THIS RAIN END Season (you've heard that April Showers bring May Flowers... well they also bring the first of New Hampshire's state bugs, black flies. Luckily they're also known as "May Flies", which means that they MAY be here through the entire month of MAY. They are especially fun when they fly up your nose and even MORE fun if you happen to be digging in the garden when this happens... the excitement never ends.

When the cute little black flies go away, we're sometimes into June. June is wonderful. We can work in the garden, spend time hiking, biking, enjoying life in and outdoors. June is all about flowers blooming, grilling salmon on the grill, setting up the lawn furniture and playing a game of lawn jarts (I think we bought the last set before they were outlawed!) June is wonderful.

Next in the seasons come MOSQUITO Season. Warm summer days and nights seem to kick off this season, and it co-mingles with DAMN IT'S HOT Season and IT'S NOT THE HEAT, IT'S THE HUMIDITY Season. Don't let these seasons get to you--Summer is the shortest season we have, so ENJOY that HEAT! Soak up that HUMIDITY! Because all too soon... it's BACK TO SCHOOL Season, when we have to listen to whiney kids lament how it's just not fair (but hey that $150 pair of Nike sneakers might help...) Within a few short weeks, this season becomes LEAF PEEPING or FOLIAGE Season. Crystal clear blue-sky days mixed with sugar maple reds and oranges, birch bright yellows, brilliant burning bush everywhere. Columbus Day may be the celebration of the explorer who got lost, but explorers from the other 48 states drive up Route 93 (all 2 lanes of it) to see the show...

Just a few weeks after the Mother Nature shows her colors, the leaves turn brown and crispy, fall to the ground, making way for LEAF PILE Season, and in some areas, this is also LEAF BURNING Season. Enjoy it, because guess what... sometimes even before the kids have had their pilgrim play at school, it comes again, yes FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON Season... and so it goes

[LarkspurLady]

Valerie, I think you are trying to test the noobie.

[Valerie C]

All in good fun LarksprurLady

One thing we can say is that we never get bored with the seasons!

[LarkspurLady]

ValerieC said: All in good fun LarksprurLady

Ha! I knew that... I loved the little essay on the seasons, and read it to my husband. The relocation wheels are turning, and we are scheduled to have movers come NEXT Wednesday! And are coming today to scope out the size of their job. My eyes are kind of big and wild right now, lol.

So I was kind of advised against a commute from New Ipswich... would a commute from Temple to Nashua be just as bad? there's a house that has a lot of the things we are looking for there that available for rent... And what about commuting from Raymond (another one there we like)

[WannaComeHome]

yes, Temple is just as bad. possibly worse. You've got to understand that there aren't that many roads that easily go across the state. and if you have to take smaller roads to get to things like 101A, they're only going to be 45mph at best.

Seriously: look in Milford or MontVernon. Try not to go any farther west than those (Temple is two towns west! It's just above New Ipswich). Problem with Raymond is that it's east of the Merrimack river, and bridges across to Nashua are few - and therefore congested.

You really want to go through this thread and save off some of the maps for your personal use. they can really help you! http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-h...geography.html In particular, save off the town map that I posted (3 from the bottom of the page) since that has town names so you can see where a place is (wrong side of the river, too far away...). Just above it are some regional maps that show major roads - Nashua is in the Merrimack Valley region, New Ipswich & Temple are both in the Monadnock region, Milford is on the edge of the Merrimack map, Raymond would be over on the seacoast.

You can also go to mapquest, enter in the address of the house you're interested in, and get directions to your DH's job (or at least Nashua) and it will give you an idea of how long it will take to get there (with no snow, and hitting all the traffic lights green!).

Good luck with the move! It's exciting, but definitely stressful!!!

[LarkspurLady]

Thanks Wanna... I really appreciate the input. You know, I pour over the maps, and check the mileage between Nashua and whatever rental I'm looking at... when it says 45 minutes, it doesn't sound that bad... but I guess that's why some of these houses have been for rent for a while; they are too out of the way for folks who are working in Nashua.

It feels weird not knowing where we are going to live... an interesting exercise in trust and going with the flow. I think I keep looking at houses in order to feel in control, but really, I haven't any. It's going to be about timing, and what is available within a 30-day window, and who will think we are a great little family, pets and all. I still haven't been able to talk with the realtor who will be assigned to us to help us find a place, so I don't know to what extent she/he can help.

When my husband went there for his interview it was during the last storm, and he was very impressed with how clear the roads were from Manchester to Nashua. So he's thinking "piece of cake," for any commute up to about an hour, whereas I'm thinking "OMG, I have to learn to drive in real snow!" and am planning on keeping the freezer stocked, and beans in the cupboard, lol.

Milford, Mont Vernon, Amherst, Bedford, Hollis, Merrimack, Goffstown, are all on the short list... however we probably have a rent-budget ceiling of 1600/1800tops. There's a cute one in Mont Vernon now, will have to wait and see if it's available once we are there. Downside is there is no garage, and I think as noobies to serious snow, we would fare better with a garage.

Once were are there and in our temp housing, this will all become real. It IS exciting and I'm squealing inside, but I've also been getting a little snippy from the stress. Cross-country in a minivan with teenagers and pets should be, well, memorable.

[Valerie C]

Raymond wouldn't be the easiest commute to Nashua, but much easier than coming from Temple or New Ipswich! Traveling 101 west till Manchester, then following 101/293 to Rte 3 to Nashua would seem somewhat round-about (plus you have tolls in Merrimack to get through each day) but I know plenty of people who do the reverse (live in Nashua area and travel out toward the seacoast areas. While I don't consider Raymond to be part of the seacoast, it's in that general direction, and ease of getting to either Rte 3/93/95 can be considered a plus for location. That said, I agree with Wanna, Mont Vernon would probably be the easiest to Nashua. Once YOU are here and looking, you'll get more of an idea of how traffic flows (or not, as the case may be...)

Cross country with pets and kids, yup been there and done that. Except ours was in a quad-cab pick up truck with 2 kids, 2 (large) dogs & 3 adults. Back of the truck was full of things that we chose to move ourselves, and oh yeah, we were pulling a muscle car on a travel trailer. We must have looked like The Beverly Hillbillies

[WannaComeHome]

When my husband went there for his interview it was during the last storm, and he was very impressed with how clear the roads were from Manchester to Nashua. So he's thinking "piece of cake," for any commute up to about an hour, whereas I'm thinking "OMG, I have to learn to drive in real snow!" and am planning on keeping the freezer stocked, and beans in the cupboard, lol.

Milford, Mont Vernon, Amherst, Bedford, Hollis, Merrimack, Goffstown, are all on the short list... however we probably have a rent-budget ceiling of 1600/1800tops. There's a cute one in Mont Vernon now, will have to wait and see if it's available once we are there. Downside is there is no garage, and I think as noobies to serious snow, we would fare better with a garage.

Amherst, Bedford & Hollis are all likely to be kinda expensive. Nice towns, but pricey (I grew up in Hollis, I can't afford to live there!). Ok, now how long to do you expect to be renting? If you think you'll be buying a house before next winter, then whether it has a garage or not isn't as important.

Part of the problem with the snow, is that while NH is really good about clearing the major roads, each town is different when it comes to the smaller roads, and Temple has a mountain that you have to go over, and it can close down if the snow gets too bad.

[GregW]

I have a friend that owns a three decker in West Manchester in a decent neighborhood. It might not be suburban normal but the rents are reasonable. Urban Nashua undoubtedly has similar three bedroom apartments. I always suggest, but rarely achieve, live as close to work as possible. I think renting in urban Nashua for a year or two would be a good idea so you could really learn the area before you settled.