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We're a family of 4 considering a move to NH. We'd like to live within a 30 min. maximum commute to Milton and will be visiting next month to look around. From what I gather on-line, it seems that Durham has a great school system (Oyster River) but that the high taxes reflect that. Great schools are really important to us, and we realize that you usually get what you pay for. We also love good, local organic food options as far as restaurants. We're primarily focused on Durham, Portsmouth, Dover (?) and Wolfeboro (in that order). I would really appreciate any and all opinions on these towns and any other possibilities that I'm missing. Thanks so much.
tkx7 is right... don't let property taxes fool you. I will mention that one thing you should know about Durham is that that's where UNH is, and it's not a lot of fun to live there when the college students are at school. I personally wouldn't buy a house there because of that.
Wolfeboro gets crazy during the summer season because of the proximity to Winnepesauke. So, again, I wouldn't personally buy there. All roads in and out of Wolfeboro are jammed on the weekends during the summer.
Portsmouth is nice (BEAUTIFUL downtown area and pretty decent night life). The Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce is always scoping out good companies to lure them in, but they have a good balance of industries too. Dover is a bedroom community to Portsmouth and Durham. It's a nice town.
For the record, there aren't very many school systems in NH that suck. That doesn't keep us from complaining about them though. lol. For the record, stay away from Franklin, NH (they were so bad they lost their accreditation). But other than that, most of our schools are pretty decent. And most of the high schools participate in Project Running Start, where the kids can take college-level classes at the high school, and get credit toward both HS and their college degree if they enroll at the Tech. (I think that program has expanded to include the university system in NH too, but I would have to check).
Thanks for all the helpful information! We'll be staying in Portsmouth, so we'll definitely check it out. I wish we were going to be visiting during the school year so that we could get a more realistic picture of Durham. I've heard from one person who lives there with Elem. school-age children that unless you live right downtown or near campus it's not a problem. She has a friend who lives across the street from a frat-house and they're moving! On the other hand, a lot of people on this forum keep mentioning the revelry of co-eds at all hours. We lived in Northampton, MA for almost 3 years (about a mile from downtown) and loved it. Can anyone here make a comparison between Durham and Northampton as far as the impact having UNH or Smith College right in town makes? I'm picturing that Durham would be a bit more like Amherst, perhaps?
Also, how do the Portsmouth schools (I have a 1st and 4th grader) compare to Oyster River SD? Thanks in advance for all the help!
Durham is nothing like Northhampton, MA which is more similar to Portsmouth except without the water. Downtown Durham, in my opinion, is geared 98% to the UNH students because basically it is extension of the campus. Take UNH out of the equation and Durham is a residential/rural community with a "village" for a downtown. You can anticipate the college impact in both Durham and Northampton by looking at the populations vs. the college enrollments. Northhampton with 28,000 residents has 2,500 Smith College students. However, Durham with 9,700 residents has 14,000 students at UNH. Granted many live off campus in Dover and Newmarket and surrounding towns but Durham is their core.
Both Dover and Portsmouth have the feel of Northampton, MA. I very much like all three large towns/very small cities however you look at them.
Wolfeboro is a town for nice vacation in the summer or fall. Pretty area, but I wouldn't want to live there with children. Too "out of the way" and dull, dull , dull in the off season.
Why the 30 minutes to Milton? Is that where you are working?
You didn't mention a price range or house size that you are interested in. That would be helpful information.
Lee or Madbury, in the ORSD, or Dover are probably your best bets. As mentioned above, Durham is pretty much all UNH, and you can't get from Portsmouth to Milton in 30 minutes.
The best towns near Milton are Brookfield, Wakefield, and rural areas of Wolfeboro. If you want rural and a bit more isolated as well as affordable I would look at Ossipee and Tamworth. All towns are close to major roads. Many towns in southern Carroll County are in the Governor Wentworth school district. (High School is in Wolfeboro- serves Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro, New Durham, Brookfield, and Ossipee).
"you can't get from Portsmouth to Milton in 30 minutes."
of course you can - it's a straight shot down route 16 from exit 17
why not live in Milton? - there are some beautiful new homes on Governor's Road and Nute Ridge. 4 bedroom homes under $200K.
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