Portsmouth - Pros and Cons

[NH2008]

Originally Posted by jojoboulette

schools are an issue, I'm 4.5 months pregnant...

I think you posted earlier about schools not being that great in Portsmouth. Did you end up in Exeter? If not, can you name some other towns near Portsmouth that are equally as nice? I love old(er) architecture, that's one reason Portsmouth interests us. No prefab McMansions, please... lol

No, we didn't end up on the Seacoast. The only town in the area that had a school district I liked K-12 was in York, ME, which is indeed lovely and charming. But we wanted to be in NH, and I didn't like the sprawl around Portsmouth. A lot of the towns with better school systems have lost their town centers or built them up to be less than charming, and because of the way school districts tend to meld here at some point (several towns consolidate) even towns that have great elementary schools seemed to worsen by high school. I really wanted to be in a classic NH town with a town square and great schools all the way through and I couldn't find that on the Seacoast. I'm sure others will disagree, but so be it.

As for organic milk, I pay about the same here. Organics are expensive, alas. I will say that there is a great grocery in Portsmouth called Philbrick's Fresh Market (I think - was last there over a year ago) that has lots of lovely and expensive things...like WFM.

[jojoboulette]

Organic milk is the same there? Wow. That's disappointing. But we might actually be able to afford it in NH... lol

As far as the schools go... can you be more specific as to what you don't like about Portsmouth schools? You showed me that site which has good info and interesting feedback from students/parents, but I'm wondering what other criteria/information you used in your decision?

Originally Posted by NH2008

No, we didn't end up on the Seacoast. The only town in the area that had a school district I liked K-12 was in York, ME, which is indeed lovely and charming. But we wanted to be in NH, and I didn't like the sprawl around Portsmouth. A lot of the towns with better school systems have lost their town centers or built them up to be less than charming, and because of the way school districts tend to meld here at some point (several towns consolidate) even towns that have great elementary schools seemed to worsen by high school. I really wanted to be in a classic NH town with a town square and great schools all the way through and I couldn't find that on the Seacoast. I'm sure others will disagree, but so be it.

As for organic milk, I pay about the same here. Organics are expensive, alas. I will say that there is a great grocery in Portsmouth called Philbrick's Fresh Market (I think - was last there over a year ago) that has lots of lovely and expensive things...like WFM.

[NH2008]

I really don't want to get into subjective opinion because I'm sure there are people here who have kids in the schools and many of them are probably doing well and getting good educations. Everyone's goals for their children, and everyone's children for that matter, are different, so online advice is only so useful (some people complain that their schools don't offer enough vocational/technical classes while others wish there were more APs and others need extensive special ed programs).

When I was researching schools, I checked out all the sites, looked at student achievement as measured by the NH Dept. of Education, and read the various school websites to see what their philosophies were, what percentage of students graduated and went onto 4 year colleges, and which colleges those were. This will give you a good snapshot of what to expect and of what the demographics are. A lot of student achievement reflects the SES of the students more than the quality of the school itself, so in many cases when you see an abrupt change in ratings for a NH school after the consolidation from single-town to larger school district, it's reflecting the merger of an affluent town with a less affluent town - for example, Hampton Falls K-8 is rated 9 on greatschools, while its high school, which serves several towns, is only rated 6. Finally, I would ask a local realtor what s/he thinks and has heard. While that's subjective, they will have much better insight into what buyers tend to think of the schools (and possibly what their own children's experience has been) than I would. Our agent told me the people she knew who could afford private school sent their kids to private high school.

Again, not slamming the Seacoast ... the whole package just didn't end up for us.

[jojoboulette]

thanks again, I'll check that out once we get closer to actually moving there... which I hope will be soon

[Sunday1]

loveautumn,

We're about to become empty nesters and like you, are exploring that area in terms of retirement. We were focusing intially on the Portland area for the next several years while we're still working -- but we happened to stay for a few days in New Market (at Wentworth-by-the-Sea, which is beautiful!!) and fell in love with the Portsmouth area. You can use a salary calculator on the web (just google it, you'll find several good ones) to determine the Portsmouth comparison to your exact location in California. I think it's important, though, to pay attention to your own lifestyle when it comes to cost-of-living data. It depends a lot (in our experience, having moved all over the country) on what kinds of expenses you personally tend to run high or low. We travel a lot and the airfares in and out of Portland, Maine vs. Boston or Manchester, for example, are a consideration for us. That sort of thing....best of luck - hope you find your dream spot!

[NH2008]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

loveautumn,

-- but we happened to stay for a few days in New Market (at Wentworth-by-the-Sea, which is beautiful!!) and fell in love with the Portsmouth area. t!

The Wentworth is actually in New Castle, which really is beautiful.

[Sunday1]

Originally Posted by NH2008

The Wentworth is actually in New Castle, which really is beautiful.

Oops. Thanks, NH. I can't wait to return when the sun is shining. It rained the entire three days we were there...but it was gorgeous, nonetheless.

[loveautumn]

yes, it's a dilema...every place I am interested in "retiring" to is on the expensive side to live (which is what I'm trying to move from in SoCal). But I can't live in a small town in the middle of nowhere! I've done alot of research and seems there's not alot of places left in America that have a reasonable cost of living. But, you know what they say....location, location, location.

[TakeAChance411]

It does seem that the best places to live are also the more expensive paces to live. I'm going through the same issues but more inland since thats where my job is gonna be. I like the h ouses and neighborhoods in two differnt towns near Manchester but can't afford the prices. I sure wish I could buy or rent a place in Londonderry or Bedford for the same prices that I'm seeing in Manchester and Nashua

Originally Posted by loveautumn

yes, it's a dilema...every place I am interested in "retiring" to is on the expensive side to live (which is what I'm trying to move from in SoCal). But I can't live in a small town in the middle of nowhere! I've done alot of research and seems there's not alot of places left in America that have a reasonable cost of living. But, you know what they say....location, location, location.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Originally Posted by steveusaf

The further you get away from the ocean, the cheaper it is usually. Good luck

Yeah, and the further you get away from the ocean, the better the weather is, usually.