What about Hopkinton (Concord, Bedford, Milford: real estate, condos, home)

[retire soon]

We are about to retire and plan to move from Philadelphia. Want a town with a library, a good food store, a restaurant or two, and if possible a good bookstore or close access to a Barnes& Noble or Borders. Does anyone have information on Hopkinton or Gilmanton as places to live.
We don't want to have to drive just to get a bottle of milk.

[dwolfe035]

Well first of all, Philadelphia blows. If you are retired, why move to Philly. The city of brothas on drugs.

[Mark S.]

Hopkinton is a lovely little town. The town itself might not have all the amenities you want, but it is within minutes (easy minutes!) of Concord, which will have it all.

Concord is a lovely city. Probably one of the nicest in all of New England. You'll have more bookstores and shopping than you'll be able to choose from. As far as the major chains, I certianly prefer the Border's there. (It's right off the interstate and easy to find.) But there are smaller home-owned bookstores as well.

[PaddleOn]

Hopkinton is a bedroom community of Concord. It has no services of its own, but Concord is 15 minutes away, and Concord has everything.

Retired people seem to be happy in Hopkinton. Expect a very small town with nothing to do in town. It is a lovely town, very pretty. A nice place to come home to and relax. But you will need to go elsewhere for entertainment and services. There are NO restaurants in Hopkinton.

Gilmanton is much more removed. A nice town, but far from things. Very rural in the surrounding area. Lonely for retired people?

Small towns have tiny libraries. So personally I use B&N as a library, spending hours there each week. There's a good B&N in Concord.

There are 3 major food stores in Concord. I would never shop in the small stores in the small towns---way too expensive.

I suggest you investigate Warner, 20 minutes from Concord. Warner has a famous little country restaurant and a small bookstore. It's an active community. Contrary to Hopkinton, there are people on the streets during the day. They have a famous fall foliage festival. Known for its artsy, political liberal residents alongside working-class folks.

You can also investigate Canterbury, home of Shaker Village. No services, restaurants, or stores, but 20 minutes from Concord.

Gilford: many retirees in this town on Lake Winnipesaukee. Lots of condos on the lake.

Franklin: lower home prices; lovely library but small; easy access to shopping; working-class community; a real downtown which other small towns lack.

I think an important consideration is how close you want to be to a large city, the seacoast, or the mountains. What is your lifestyle? Your interests?

Concord itself has everything you're looking for: very good library; quite a few restaurants; several bookstores; good shopping. Also: major arts center; good medical services; easy access to the seacoast and Boston (both 1 hour); reasonably easy to navigate; some very nice residential neighborhoods.

The entire area south of Concord becomes increasingly crowded and unattractive. North of Franklin becomes isolated.

It's hard to advise you without knowing more about your desired lifestyle. Liberal or conservative?

[lucyem]

Hopkinton is very expensive. They have some of the highest property taxes in the area. Worth keeping in mind because you could move out to the next town over, be no further from Concord, and yet your property taxes could be quite a bit less.

[retire soon]

Thank you all for the information. It is very helpful. Will drop Hopkington as a possible place to retire given costs.
We are liberal, book-loving, semi-hermits, but do like to see people around. My husband is a retired journalist and I still do consulting. We will defintely check out both Concord and Warner and other communities mentioned by PaddleOn. Real estate taxes are a concern and NH has some very high ones! Much higher than center city Philadelphia (which is not populated 100% by drug addicts).
I like the NH geography, but am a Democrat and don't want to be the lone voice on issues like ensuring reproductive choice or getting out of Iraq as soon as possible, while not becoming isolationist.

[NeverTooLate]

Hi Retire Soon,
I agree about Hopkington. It is a beautiful area but the taxes are way out of whack...and that's saying alot for around here.
I am VERYpartial to Concord cause I live here and really enjoy it . A small city with a neighborhood feel. There is a lot to offer including higher education opportunities, shopping and theatre.
Another area you may want to consider is New London.It's about 1 hour north of Concord but is very popular with retirees. It has a university and small hospital also upscale shopping and food!
I am going to post some links for you to check out!
Any questions do drop me a line!

NH Profiles

City of Concord

State of NH

[kateg]

Hi NeverTooLate
You received some great replies on the area. i agree that Hopkinton is high priced. It is basically because of top notch schools. Since you don't need that Warner and Canterbury will offer the same for less. The home prices are less as well. Canterbury has a small country store that stay open late. The community is very involved. There is always something to do and Shaker Village welcomes new volunteers (great people). Warner has some good restaurants and a good bookstore. Plus nice people. Pretty much the same type of person settles in Warner, Canterbury or Hopkinton.

[dmoss79]

Originally Posted by retire soon

Thank you all for the information. It is very helpful. Will drop Hopkington as a possible place to retire given costs.
We are liberal, book-loving, semi-hermits, but do like to see people around. My husband is a retired journalist and I still do consulting. We will defintely check out both Concord and Warner and other communities mentioned by PaddleOn. Real estate taxes are a concern and NH has some very high ones! Much higher than center city Philadelphia (which is not populated 100% by drug addicts).
I like the NH geography, but am a Democrat and don't want to be the lone voice on issues like ensuring reproductive choice or getting out of Iraq as soon as possible, while not becoming isolationist.

Hopkinton is a great town. I just moved to it and love it. Yes it is quiet-just what I want w/ my job that keeps me busy. There are places to eat in the town center and a small market there as well. I go to Milford/Westborough for more shopping and can get to Milford w/out even getting on highway. There are 2 lakes you can live by and a great state park. I am in my 20s and love it. If you are going to retire you would love it here just as much. So far eveyone on my block has been so nice and inviting to the small community. Try and get a home by the lake! I think you will like it in Hopkinton and yes the taxes are alittle high but you get what you pay for in life.

[dzmjp]

Originally Posted by dmoss79

Hopkinton is a great town. I just moved to it and love it. Yes it is quiet-just what I want w/ my job that keeps me busy. There are places to eat in the town center and a small market there as well. I go to Milford/Westborough for more shopping and can get to Milford w/out even getting on highway. There are 2 lakes you can live by and a great state park. I am in my 20s and love it. If you are going to retire you would love it here just as much. So far eveyone on my block has been so nice and inviting to the small community. Try and get a home by the lake! I think you will like it in Hopkinton and yes the taxes are alittle high but you get what you pay for in life.

Dmoss, my family is looking into moving towards the Hopkington area - do you really like it there? Do you have any kids? Have you traveled down towards the Bedford area - how far is that commute? We are out in WA state, and I'm starting the research so that when we take our trip, I know what spots to drive to and through! ) I have a 2 year old daughter and are looking to expand still... is it a good family town?

Thank you! Dzmjp