Trip recap

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by MtDreamer

getmeoutofhere I lived in Texas for 20 years and I know how it is. A friend there said lately it has been over 100 for over a week. As a retired person and hoping to move to NH this year I was wondering why you did not like Concord? Also being a single female over 50 but very active I was wondering if I would fit in buying a home in a more rural area like Sutton or New Boston. Any comments appreciated.

Sutton is more desirable than New Boston in terms of the outdoor recreation and park ammenities offered. Sutton has Wadleigh State Park, Kezar Lake, Winslow State Park (Mt. Kearsarge), and is close to Lake Sunapee as well as New London. The climate is a touch colder and snowier there compared to the Merrimack Valley where Concord is situated.
New Boston is fairly close to the Manchester/Goffstown corridor which has much more in the way of employment opportunities. The advantages about living in places like Weare and New Boston is the easy access to both Manchester and Concord.
I checked the MLS listings, and median house prices in both towns are comparable. However, Sutton would have a larger selection of smaller square footage homes to choose from.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by MtDreamer

getmeoutofhere I lived in Texas for 20 years and I know how it is. A friend there said lately it has been over 100 for over a week. As a retired person and hoping to move to NH this year I was wondering why you did not like Concord? Also being a single female over 50 but very active I was wondering if I would fit in buying a home in a more rural area like Sutton or New Boston. Any comments appreciated.

Yeah, the weather has been terrible.

It's not that we didn't like Concord, it just wasn't what we would be looking for.

My wife liked the more neighborhood-like feel of the houses in Derry and around there, how you have 8-12 in a given area.

[Pawporri]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

Sorry it took so long to get to this, been quite busy since we returned.

First off, let me say both my wife and I LOVED NH. I knew I enjoyed it, but she really seemed to fall for it as well. The more open spaces, how much less crowded it is, the air, the wider range of things to see and do.

We stayed at the Centennial in Concord (Visit the historic Centennial Hotel, Concord NH), and it was great. Highly recommended for anyone who needs a nice place to stay in that area. Room was large, service, was great, free Wi-Fi, it wasn't too expensive, and right off the freeway. Overall, A+!


We spent a lot of time driving around, seeing difference places. Spent a day in Portsmouth. Very beautiful, and lovely on the water, but felt a little too "touristy" for us. Also, house prices there are nuts! But a lovely place to visit.

Something we enjoyed, being from Texas, is that we could be in Portsmouth from Concord in about an hour or so, which is basically how much time it takes to do most anything in Dallas.

We were driving up to the mountains, but it was pouring rain, so we decided to go to Mystic Seaport instead, and what a great time that is! just like I remembered from my youth with my grandfather.

We went on the Mount Washington Auto Road, which was incredible, if a little nerve-wracking. Well worth it though, as it's absolutely spectacular! It's so cool to be able to have the ocean, the forest, and the mountains within a couple hours of each other.


We also scouted places to possibly purchase a house, and Concord didn't feel right.

Something that my wife especially will have to overcome is how different the housing set-up is there.

For people who aren't familiar, here is a typical Texas housing sub-division -






Just a bunch of houses crammed together. Also, almost every house here is brick construction, the siding construction that is so common in N.H. is only found on junky houses for the most part around here.


But hooray!! We found a place in Derry, called Harvest Estates that seems really nice and in our price range, though still a lot more than what houses here cost. Plus, we really enjoyed that area of the state.

Also checked out the Frost Farm, which I totally geeked out over, being an English nerd.

People were very friendly, if less outgoing than Texas. Something else my wife had to get used to, not striking up a conversation with everyone.

Anyway, a perfect trip, and now my wife feels much more comfortable planning a move there. Now if the dang old economy and housing market will turn around some to help accommodate us!

My sister lives north of Dallas and just came for a visit and loved it here. Sending you positive thoughts for a fast and painless move....We love New Hampshire....

[darylyh]

Loving this thread! We, too, are planning to come up out of sizzling Texas. Made a recon trip a couple weeks ago -- fell in love with the Amherst / Mont Vernon area.