Commutes within 10-12 miles of Manchester airport (Derry, Merrimack: real estate, 2011)

[JukieF]

My husband is most likely going to be taking a job in Manchester; the company is located right next to the airport. I've been looking at property online and trying to find houses that are within a 10-12 mile commute, maximum. Without knowing the area, it's really difficult to tell what the commutes are like. I've "driven" some of them on Google Earth, but that doesn't give you an idea of what rush-hour traffic is like.

I've been looking in Manchester and at neighboring towns like Amherst, Auburn, Bedford, Goffstown, Londonderry, Litchfield... I wonder if anyone can tell me what the commutes are like from these towns (not distance but amount of traffic) and how they would compare living in these different towns. We're hoping to buy something that's a little more rural rather than in the middle of town, but it would be nice to have some decent amenities nearby. It seems to me (please correct me if I'm wrong) that it might be easier (less traffic) to get to south Manchester from an outlying town rather than driving through town from north Manchester.

We're not yet to the point of contacting a real estate agent (who could answer a lot of these questions for me!) because my husband hasn't accepted the job offer yet. But I'm trying to do as much research as I can ahead of time because if he does accept it, we're going to have to move very quickly to find a home there.

Thank you so much in advance for your help.

[buck naked]

It seems to me (please correct me if I'm wrong) that it might be easier (less traffic) to get to south Manchester from an outlying town rather than driving through town from north Manchester.




you could be right - 10 minutes from Derry to Manchester airport using backroads OR the highway - however 93/293 sweeps around the city in a circle - you really can get there from anywhere...chuckle.i

[jakiedoodle]

I am in Candia, which is 10 minutes from the airport via Route 101 / 293. Very easy commute. A good friend of my mom's works at the airport and has no problems getting there taking that route. He lives the next town over from me in Raymond (further from the airport).

If you are looking for amenities....you would go either to Hooksett or Manchester if you were in Candia. I usually go to Manchester - the same area that the airport is on has just about EVERYTHING you'd need....restaurants, grocery shopping, the Mall of NH, Wal-Mart, several banks, Starbuck's and Dunkin Donuts, gas stations, etc. etc. etc. : ) It really is very convenient from Candia.

Do you have any children and need to think about schools?

[BF66389]

I also have to ask if "mileage" or "time" is more important to you? For example- there are some towns that may be farther distance wise, but faster time wise...etc.

[Valerie C]

Good for you JukieF, in getting the research done ahead of time. I wish there had been a tool like City Data when we moved half way across the country for my husband's job transfer... You've probably already seen from your map searches that much of the airport is actually located in Londonderry. And you may not be aware that there is a bridge project that will give excellent airport access from "across the river" from the Bedford/Merrimack area, once it's done. You also don't hear much about Litchfield, but would provide excellent access to the airport--depending on which side of the airport the job is located. Some areas are closer to north Londonderry, others closer to Manchester, etc...

Other than location/distance to the airport, what are some of your other consideration for your family? Schools? Shopping?

This website may be helpful for you to look up the various amenities of each town. Right now, I know you're focused on location and proximity to the airport, but as you narrow your search, the details will become more important:
http://www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi/communpro.htm

[paradiddle]

Litchfield is a good choice for you ( bad for most others because it is landlocked).

I used to work at north end of airport in an industrial park and lived in West Side of Manch Vegas - 10-15 min drive

Londonderry is sweeeet as long as you can afford it. ( Right Val ?)
probably an excellent time to buy.

On the cheap: I like Allenstown or Goffstown.

I really like Dunbarton also. You can't go wrong which ever way you go except Derry never did it for me.

(I'm starting to miss NH already - buying more lotto tickets so I can live in Fla and NH).

I never found commuting from the north of the airport that big a deal. Brown ave can backup going north. S. Willow going by Mall of NH has more traffic than going south but not awful. You may also work at times when it doesn't really matter. Depends where exactly around the airport you would be.

[GregW]

I suggest you take the airplane landing patterns into consideration. We live about 10 miles south of Manchester airport in line with the south end of the N/S runway (35) and during busy hours the aircraft noise can be substantial. Aircraft landing to the north practically follow High Range Road in Londonderry and it can get quite noisy.

There are three other approach routs to the airport. I suggest getting a local map and drawing lines parallel to the N/S and NE/SW runways extending about 10 miles out. Those neighborhoods will have the greatest noise. This is landing noise as take off noise diminishes quite near the airport.

[StAcKhOuSe]

traffic is horrible from manchester. try londonderry or candia. if u pick goffstown u gotta pretty much go through manchester to get there

[seamusnh]

The bridge that Val mentioned will make getting to the airport from the west a breeze. It will go from the Bedford tolls, across the river to the airport. It takes me about 25 minutes from Amherst to the airport now. If you are going to have kids in the school system, check out Amherst and Bedford. Souhegan High in Amherst was rated one of the top 1500 high schools in the country (top 6%) in a recent ranking. America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

[maestramommy]

My Dh works in Manchester (right next to the airport, hey!). We live in Bedford, which looks to be right west of the airport. He usually bike commutes, and it's less than 7 miles, which translates into a 30 minute bikeride, or a 10 minute caride. But we live on the east side of Bedford, very close to the highway, which shortens the commute considerably.

Dh also checked out flight patterns before we moved, and it seemed as though the planes don't affect us. I have found this to be true, because I didn't hear ANY planes until this spring (we've been here almost a year) when we were outside a lot. Even then the planes aren't very loud.