Moving to Farmington, NH (Rochester, Dover: sales, real estate, house)

[PCSingtoNH]

Hello,
My husband and I are currently stationed in Misawa Japan. We are moving to Farmington in July. My husband will be stationed at Pease ANG, even though he is active duty Air Force. Can anyone tell me more about the area? We purchased a house already using a realtor, and were assured that the area was very nice. It sounds like there is a lot to do. How is the job situation in New Hampshire these days? I am concerned about finding a job in the local area. Can we purchase a car in Massachusetts or Vermont and still register it in New Hampshire? We have been overseas for a long time, so we are not sure exactly how things work in the states Is there alot of wildlife there? Is there any good veterinarians in the area? I have two furry daughters that I will need to find a good vet for. Are there any dog parks in the area? I know, these are totally random questions, I just have so many! Anything anyone can tell me about the area would be helpful. Thank you!
Tracy

[Pawporri]

I live in Farmington and take my dear dogs to Dr. Davis at Broadview Vet clinic in Rochester, which is only 6 miles away, she is the best. My dogs just love her and there are many Vet that specialize in different things. New Hampshire has no sales tax so you may want to buy a car here. I think the unemployment here is 6% and that is high for New Hampshire. I think there is a dog park in Portsmouth. Farmington is a small town and has lots of nice people here. We have deer, turkeys, foxes, woodchucks and last year had a bear by my garage. Farmington is central to many things. Lake Winnipesaukee is hugh some 70+ miles long and is so lovely, starts in Alton 10 miles north of Farmington. South is Portsmouth, 29 miles to the ocean. East is Maine very close. We have old fashion Farms for apple picking or peaches, blueberries, raspberries etc. Butternut Farm is my favorite in Rochester. We have lived many places and this is where we have retired because we love it here. It's a great place to live.

Carrie

[steveusaf]

I'm also in the AF and originally from Portsmouth, about 40 minutes from Farmington. There's a dog park in Rochester, although it's a member's only park (about $20 per year I think). It's pretty nicely maintained and all the members seemed to know each other and be pretty close. The website is:

Rochester Dog Park, Rochester New Hampshire

Portsmouth has a city-run dog park near South Mill Pond but its not nearly as nice. The Rochester dog park is a private non-profit and is a nice place. You can visit for free once by filling out a guest form. That's what I did when I was home on leave.

Farmington didn't really have a good reputation when I was growing up (rough, bad schools, very poor) but I think that might be changing as it becomes an affordable location for people who don't want to pay Portsmouth (and now Dover) type real estate prices and want to live in the country. I'm not sure the schools have caught up with the up and coming nature of the town, if you believe sites like greatschools.net. Not sure if schools are a concern to you, though. Farmington is in a nice location due to it's proximity to the Seacoast and to the Lakes Region.

I'll be in town next month shopping for my retirement house land (5.5 yrs and counting), and I'll probably end up buying in that general area, but probably not Farmington because of the schools. Who knows, though, maybe someone will change my mind - there's more to schools than standardized test scores....

I'm jealous - I've been looking for full time Air National Guard jobs at Pease for quite some time. At this point, I'm better off staying active duty and qualifiying for an active duty retirement. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone guard/reserve at no later than my 10 year point. I miss home. Have fun and enjoy NH!

[buck naked]

Farmington has a lot of new, upscale suburban neighborhoods going up fast.... it's not the same old robber town of 30 years ago.

It has a nearly new grammar school, (less than 10 years old), a middle school and a high school with about 300 students (including Middleton). some amazing athletes there..... The teacher/student ratio is very low.


Rochester is the neighboring town and has every store you will need including 4 supermarkets, Home Depot, Lowes, Kohl's, and K-Mart and the usual variety of dollar stores, craft stores, etc.

You will like it!

[adr123]

Moving in July so I suppose you are already here! How is everything?

You'll find wildlife almost anywhere but more-so if you live on the outskirts of town. We've had a lot of skunks running around Main Street lately! I've also had two moose run through my backyard in the past few years.

The school has more like 600 students (I just graduated about a month ago). It definitely has a bad reputation because of standardized testing. The staff is underpaid and teachers are leaving the school at an alarming rate! Not as many courses are offered here than Spaulding High School in neighboring Rochester 10 minutes away.

We also take our dogs to Broadview Animal Hospital.

[nhfinehomes]

Originally Posted by adr123

Moving in July so I suppose you are already here! How is everything?

You'll find wildlife almost anywhere but more-so if you live on the outskirts of town. We've had a lot of skunks running around Main Street lately! I've also had two moose run through my backyard in the past few years.

The school has more like 600 students (I just graduated about a month ago). It definitely has a bad reputation because of standardized testing. The staff is underpaid and teachers are leaving the school at an alarming rate! Not as many courses are offered here than Spaulding High School in neighboring Rochester 10 minutes away.

We also take our dogs to Broadview Animal Hospital.

Does a student who lives in Farmington have the option to go to any other neighboring schools? We're considering this area and will have school age kids in a few years so schools are a concern for us.