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We would like to move our family of 5 from central MA to NH. We need to be no more than 2 hours from Boston so my husband can commute to his office once a week.
We are in love with the mountains and lakes, and would like access to both. We have 3 young children (ages 10, 8, 4) so schools are very important, as is a strong sense of community. I would love to hear your suggestions. I wouls also love to hear from other young families who have made the move.
We would like to move our family of 5 from central MA to NH. We need to be no more than 2 hours from Boston so my husband can commute to his office once a week.
We are in love with the mountains and lakes, and would like access to both. We have 3 young children (ages 10, 8, 4) so schools are very important, as is a strong sense of community. I would love to hear your suggestions. I wouls also love to hear from other young families who have made the move.
I would suggest the Plymouth or Holderness area. Both are on top of the lakes and mountains as well as close to I-93. The commute to Boston from this area would likely be pretty bad, though.
the problem is that the Lakes (let alone the mountains) are more than 2 hours from Boston - especially with rush hour traffic. Hollis (right beside Nashua) is 45 min to Boston with no traffic.
However, many towns have large ponds (some view them as lakes), and once you're in NH, the Lakes area and the mountains aren't all that far away for vacations or weekends.
I don't know, I live in the Lakes Region (near some 3,000+ ft. mountains) and I can get to Boston in just under 2 hours. You'll have to live reasonably close to I-93, though. Unfortunately, the schools in the Newfound Lake area where I live are not that great.
My top suggestions would be Meredith and Ashland -- nestled between the lakes and mountains, easy access to I-93, nice little downtowns with strong community feels. I've heard mixed (but mostly good) things about the schools. Ashland's elementary school won the state education department's "K-8 School of Excellence" award in 2007 and Meredith's (Inter-Lakes) elementary school won the "Elementary School of Excellence" award this year. But as always, don't take those as 100% accurate indicators of the schools.
Another option would be the Lake Sunapee area -- a little bit farther from the heart of the White Mountains, but still a pretty mountainous area with lots of lakes and ponds. I think New London is the town that best fits your criteria.
Wanna is right that you don't necessarily have to be right in the Lakes Region or the White Mountains to enjoy them. They're never a long drive away, and there are plenty of smaller ponds and mountains closer to Boston. If you're more concerned about the commute, you might also want to take a look at towns like Hollis and Hopkinton, which are known for having great schools.
Warner is a nice town by Sunapee. Gilford in the Lakes region has a good school system and you are close to lake and skiing. Any place that you move to, just don't have your husband work on Fridays! The traffic is significantly heavier on Friday nights!
Moultonborough is supposed to have some of the best schools in the Lakes region. As others have said, though, a lot of southern NH does have lakes and mountain views, and you could live much closer to Boston (Hollis, Amherst, Bow, Bedford, Hopkinton) and have great schools without such a long drive for your husband or a long drive to the mountains.
Lmatckie,
I like mountains and lakes, good schools, and a sense of community too. I would add oceans to that list also. You'll fit right in living in NH!
Last edited by vter; 08-05-2009 at 05:48 AM..
Reason: responded to a post that was deleted
We would like to move our family of 5 from central MA to NH. We need to be no more than 2 hours from Boston so my husband can commute to his office once a week.
We are in love with the mountains and lakes, and would like access to both. We have 3 young children (ages 10, 8, 4) so schools are very important, as is a strong sense of community. I would love to hear your suggestions. I wouls also love to hear from other young families who have made the move.
I know this post is old, but I would also recommend New London for mountains and lakes. There are two town beaches, views to Mt. Sunapee and Mt. Kearsarge in different parts of town, and skiing at Sunapee is 15 minutes away. I-89 makes the commute to Boston easy, about 1 3/4 hours and there is direct non-stop bus service to Boston on Dartmouth Coach.
The Kearsarge school district which also includes six other towns is excellent, (my boys go there). I have lived here 10 years and it's a great place to raise kids.
Just about anywhere within 10 miles of I-93 and south of Franconia Notch.
If you only need to go to Boston once a week North of the Notch is about 3 hours away. There is a considerable drop in RE prices North of Franconia (there are a couple of great old farm houses for sale in Landaff) but the schools are marginal. Good parenting can make up for the schools.
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