What Can You Tell Me About The Seacoast? (Manchester, Dover: house, dorms)

[bluecountry]

In the next year I am going to be looking after school to move and begin full time work.
I am in mid 20s.

I attended undergrad at Northeastern in Boston.
I am in graduate school at UCONN Storrs.

Both areas had their pros and cons.
Boston was an area with a lot of young people, and things to do.
It also was expensive, and being such a big metro area, it had that I wouldn't say unfriendly vibe, but you could easily blend in and not be acknowledged.

Storrs, CT is pretty, and closer to my family in Northern VA.
However, it is rural, isolated, and hard to meet people.
There is very little to do.

I've got friends in Boston and the Seacoast.
I have been to the Seacost, and it struck as being a nice are.
It had a nice, established character yet seemed down to earth.
It didn't appear crowded, it was somewhat near Boston, but not isolated.

I like the town of Portsmouth.

I wanted to know, for a person in their mid 20s from out of state who knows a couple, but that's it, of locals, and is kind of an introvert, would this area be a good fit?
Is there stuff to do, are there a good amount of young people, is it an open, friendly area?
Or, being from out of state and introvert, is it more reserved for those who already have connections and would I have a hard time not being isolated?

I'd not want to move further from my family to have it be like Storrs, CT.

I'd like a place that was big enough to have things to do, a good amount of open, young people that would not be hard to meet, yet wouldn't be too small so everybody knew your business or too big where you could go pass by.

Thanks.

[hokegoalie]

Portsmouth is a fine town for a younger professional. I just recently moved to Hampton and have found the people to be nothing but extremely polite. Portsmouth is a nice town with a decent arts/shopping district that will allow you to delve into a number of different interests. I'd highly recommend it.

I find people from Boston to be much more exclusive and this is coming from someone who was Prep-school educated in Massachusetts. Portsmouth is a much more "down-to-earth" place.

[steveusaf]

If you're an introvert, you might have trouble anywhere. Portsmouth, though, has just about everything you'd want socially, and if it doesn't, you can easily make a trip to Boston. The downtown and waterfront area is popular with everyone, including lots of 20-somethings. I would say you wouldn't have any issues meeting people if you're up to it - no one will shun you because you're not from the area. Portsmouth just ain't like that, at least when I lived there.

[fishnfool]

I agree with what everyone else said. I moved here 2 years ago and have a great group of friends now. Portsmouth/Seacoast is definitely the place to be around if you're in your 20s. Dover is pretty popular as it's a little cheaper than Pmouth.

I have found though that a lot of 20-30 somethings that attended UNH stick around and pretty much stick to their own circle of friends from college. Almost all my friends out here moved from somewhere else and were in a similar boat as myself.

I'm not sure if you're into sports but this league is a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people. I've met most of my good friends out here through this in some way or another.

nhssc.com

[merrit]

I'm really surprised...but Portsmouth is a good town for an out of state, young person with stuff going on?
How come...what seperates it from Amherst, MA or Storrs, CT?

[GregW]

blue - I graduated from U-Conn in Storrs. I never had any problem meeting people. If I had been a batchlor, it was, and presumably still is, a target rich environment. The sea coast is highly variable including the University of NH within a short drive of Portsmouth. I think the NH seacoast is one of the real garden spots of the universe.

[SFT]

As much as I love the New Hampshire seacoast during the summer, I find it depressing during the winter. Portsmouth is pretty cool, but I feel like it is more of a town than a city.

I personally prefer the Manchester area as there are plenty of areas around Manchester that are more rural and you still have the city within 15-20 minutes, or less depending on where you live. Also, Manchester is only like 35-45 minutes from Hampton and Portsmouth. If you are a skier/snowboarder, Manchester area is pretty close to some pretty decent mountains as well. Manchester is also a little bit closer to Boston, MA if you ever wanted to make trips down to that area.

Everyone will have a different opinion though so probably best to just make a few visits.

[jmatt]

Originally Posted by GregW

blue - I graduated from U-Conn in Storrs. I never had any problem meeting people. If I had been a batchlor, it was, and presumably still is, a target rich environment. The sea coast is highly variable including the University of NH within a short drive of Portsmouth. I think the NH seacoast is one of the real garden spots of the universe.

Funny. I graduated from UConn too.

[Pike]

Originally Posted by jmatt

Funny. I graduated from UConn too.

How did YOU find UCONN compared to the Seacoast.
I find Storrs (live in Tolland) as a graduate student to be isolated, depressing, and IMPOSSIBLE to meet people.

From what I have seen about the seacoast, I like it.
Would this place be a lot better and easier to meet people?

[jmatt]

Originally Posted by Pike

How did YOU find UCONN compared to the Seacoast.
I find Storrs (live in Tolland) as a graduate student to be isolated, depressing, and IMPOSSIBLE to meet people.

From what I have seen about the seacoast, I like it.
Would this place be a lot better and easier to meet people?

Hard to say really. I went to UConn as an undergrad---lived in the dorms the first 2 years, spent the third in England, lived in a house in a rural area off 44 next to a gravel pit the last year. So, I knew a lot of people while there. That said though, I was really ready to leave after graduating, and I wouldn't have wanted to live off campus without knowing anyone. It is a pretty isolated area--especially if you don't have a car--which I never did.

I'm from NH, and never lived in the Seacoast area, but the area around Portsmouth is a lot more densely populated than the far NE area of Conn--and if you lived in Portsmouth it would be very different than around Storrs--and a lot more cosmopolitan. I'm sure you'd like it. I know I do.