Moving to New Hampshire, confused between two areas. (Merrimack, Londonderry: house, neighborhoods) - City-Data Forum

killiansmommy · 10-12-2009, 11:34 AM

We're moving to New Hampshire and buying our first house next year and I was wondering if someone could answer some questions for me. We have a 9 month old son so obviously schools are important, along with playgrounds, football/soccer fields and such. Are bedford and amherst good areas to raise a family? When we went a few weeks ago, we definitely liked Bedford but Amherst didn't seem to have any playgrounds or things for kids to do? Is this true or did I just not see it while we were there? Any other areas to look at would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

NH2008 · 10-12-2009, 02:21 PM

I think both would be great places to raise a family. Bedford is more of a modern suburb without much of a center, but with lots of stores and offices along the main road in strip malls. They do have a lot going on for kids and families. Amherst is built around the original town center, so the "downtown" is more about historic charm than "stuff to do." They have plenty of stores and strip malls along 101A, which is within Amherst borders but outside of the residential area. There's the Kathy Blake Dance Studio, Gymnastics Village and other stuff like that. Certainly both towns have playgrounds and playing fields. I think it comes down to your preference between historic charm and small town life vs. a more typical suburb.

GregW · 10-14-2009, 05:23 AM

I suggest checking out Londondery as well. PM ValC to get more info.

fishnfool · 10-14-2009, 07:00 AM

I'm just curious what it is you have against Ian's mother?

Sorry....couldn't refuse.

seamusnh · 10-14-2009, 08:04 AM

Amherst is a fine town to raise a family. There are playgrounds at the brick school in the village, at Clark school, and at the soccer fields on Merrimack Rd. A lot of young families belong to a pool such as Jasper Valley (Jasper Valley Swim & Tennis Club - Amherst, New Hampshire). Skiing is not too far away at Crotched Mountain and Pat's Peak. The middle school has an after school ski program and the high school has a ski team. Youth sports are very well run: MyRecDept.com (http://www.myrecdept.com/nh/amherst/default2.asp - broken link)

When we moved here in 1996, we did not consider Bedford as it did not have its own high school and we wanted to be closer to MA for the commute. In NH, only two high schools made the Newsweek top 1500 list, Souhegan and Hollis/Brookline. http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160 Bedford has a new high school that opened in the past 2 years.

GotBackHome · 10-14-2009, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishnfool

I'm just curious what it is you have against Ian's mother?

Sorry....couldn't refuse.

so sad.. it took me until just now to see the joke (knew one was there, just didn't find it).

gailley · 12-10-2009, 11:50 AM

Bedford, Amherst and Hollis are all good towns with good schools. Bedford is much more convenient to highways and stores, but you can still live rurally. I own homes in both towns and my husband is from Hollis. (Just moved to Amherst and haven't put the Bedford one on the market yet due to the economy.) I love Amherst - it's much more quaint, and has a nice little town feel. Bedford was great when I was raising kids and had to get to places quickly. It was quaint prior to the cluster developments. I dislike those neighborhoods, but people with young kids might prefer them.

maestramommy · 12-11-2009, 02:03 PM

When moving here we were choosing between Bedford, Bow, and Londonderry. We ended up choosing Bedford for the reasons given by gailley. We live right off the 101 and it's super convenient. Easy to get to places, but our neighborhood is actually pretty quiet. It was also commutable by bike for Dh, something he really wanted.

I've heard from some in Amherst that it's a huge soccer town. For kids I mean.