Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-22-2016, 08:42 PM
 
1 posts, read 873 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hello all! First time posting on here. I am currently living in Burlington, Vermont but will be moving to either Mass or NH to work in Lawrence. I've looked at a few areas and I am deciding between Derry or Nashua in New Hampshire...Or Andover, Amesbury, Newburyport or Haverhill in Mass. Based on what I have seen about them they all sound like good choices. But wanted to get someone opinions from people who live in the area. Wanted to live within half an hour from Lawrence. Coming from Burlington, I love how lively and young the area is and wanted something similar. I'm 25 years old and single. Wanted a walk-able town or city that has a few bars and good places to eat downtown. I will be renting. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-22-2016, 09:41 PM
 
317 posts, read 331,731 times
Reputation: 326
Newburyport has a great downtown. Definitely a lot going on, very charming, on the water, near beaches. It would be first on my list.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-22-2016, 10:02 PM
 
652 posts, read 750,174 times
Reputation: 853
Downtown Andover is becoming more walkable but is pricey and bars don't really cater to the young despite the college in town. Nashua and Haverhill both have some cool bars/restaurants going on in their downtowns, but maybe someone else can speak to how desirable they would be to live in day to day with crime considerations, etc.

Derry is the burbs as far as I know.

You could also afford a lot of home in Lawrence (house, loft apartment, etc) if you feel like being a pioneer. There is some really good food and a lot of dive bars and a very walkable downtown. But nothing like the Burlington vibe. crime a serious consideration too, but has improved under the new mayor.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 05:18 AM
 
513 posts, read 647,010 times
Reputation: 703
Budget will be a pretty big consideration, but assuming no budget constraints, I will second Newburyport and add in Portsmouth, NH. Newburyport and Portsmouth are similar seaports, but Portsmouth is slightly less spread out. I would also check out Lowell.
Andover is great, but is more of an established suburb, I wouldn't want to live there if I was 25.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,947,733 times
Reputation: 4626
Renting, 25 y/o and wanting to be in a place with some good restaurants and bars-my vote is Haverhill. The downtown is thriving, lots of nightlife. I no longer live in Haverhill, but my 20s would have been WAY different if we had the variety of places to visit (the entire downtown was a boarded-up danger zone in the 70s and 80s...)

If you're on Pinterest, check these out:
https://www.pinterest.com/haverhillm...taurants-bars/
https://www.pinterest.com/haverhillm...-ma-art-scene/


Arts Scene in Haverhill:
Arts & Culture, Events, and Restaurants in Haverhill MA
Riverfront Cultural District - Discover Haverhill

Also check out the usual suspects (Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 09:06 AM
 
9,880 posts, read 7,212,572 times
Reputation: 11472
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valerie C View Post
Renting, 25 y/o and wanting to be in a place with some good restaurants and bars-my vote is Haverhill. The downtown is thriving, lots of nightlife. I no longer live in Haverhill, but my 20s would have been WAY different if we had the variety of places to visit (the entire downtown was a boarded-up danger zone in the 70s and 80s...)

If you're on Pinterest, check these out:
https://www.pinterest.com/haverhillm...taurants-bars/
https://www.pinterest.com/haverhillm...-ma-art-scene/


Arts Scene in Haverhill:
Arts & Culture, Events, and Restaurants in Haverhill MA
Riverfront Cultural District - Discover Haverhill

Also check out the usual suspects (Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc)
I agree - the Boston Globe real estate section highlighted Haverhill this week. One of the pro's was the downtown restaurants, cafes, and bars. One of the con's of course is the crime associated with drug use and property crimes that affect urban areas. Here is a link to the article:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...nJJ/story.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 12:14 PM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
26,654 posts, read 28,682,916 times
Reputation: 50530
Amesbury has a young vibe and would be cheaper than Newburyport. You could still get to Newburyport easily to walk around and avail yourself of amenities. Amesbury has a cute, walkable downtown with artsy shops and little restaurants and cafes. It has a more countrified vibe than suburban once you get out of the downtown area. It's also very close to I-95 and I-495 for commuting.

The town has several condos but also a lot of rentals in old houses or just apartment complexes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Southern New Hampshire
4,643 posts, read 13,947,733 times
Reputation: 4626
Quote:
Originally Posted by robr2 View Post
I agree - the Boston Globe real estate section highlighted Haverhill this week. One of the pro's was the downtown restaurants, cafes, and bars. One of the con's of course is the crime associated with drug use and property crimes that affect urban areas. Here is a link to the article:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...nJJ/story.html
That was a good read, thanks for sharing. My favorite was the mention of WXRV (The River) which was formerly WHAV. I spent alot of time in that studio as a kid, as my mom and stepdad both worked there in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Tom Bergeron (Hollywood Squares, Dancing with the Stars) interned as a HS student at the station-it's where he got started in broadcasting. Just a little trivia
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-23-2016, 07:00 PM
 
652 posts, read 750,174 times
Reputation: 853
Quote:
Originally Posted by robr2 View Post
I agree - the Boston Globe real estate section highlighted Haverhill this week. One of the pro's was the downtown restaurants, cafes, and bars. One of the con's of course is the crime associated with drug use and property crimes that affect urban areas. Here is a link to the article:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...nJJ/story.html
Another great fact is that the Commuter rail stops downtown in Haverhill, which will get you into the city or to Lawrence, Andover, Malden, etc.

Lowell definitely worth considering as well, it might be a little further along in gentrification than Haverhill, but I'm not certain.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-19-2016, 12:16 AM
 
6 posts, read 6,275 times
Reputation: 13
You may be able to find some nice housing in parts of Lowell and Haverhill (especially the Bradford neighborhood). For walkability, and nightlife, though, I'd recommend you look at Amesbury and Newburyport. Amesbury's housing will be more affordable than Nbpt and there are many restaurants in both downtowns. Rentals in both towns tend to go pretty quickly. Here's some current rental data for these 2 towns:

Amesbury: # of 2BR rentals in MLS today: 1
$1850/month including heat and all utilities

Newburyport: # of 2 BR rentals in MLS today: 2
$2500 7 room house for rent and $3000 Plum island 4 room house for rent

Additional: 2 BR downtown fully renovated brand new apt for rent by owner: $2500

Haverhill: 8 listings for rent from $1200-$1845

Last edited by CaseyB; 04-19-2016 at 06:25 AM.. Reason: no soliciting allowed
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:01 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top