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.
Well I picked a great week to visit New Hampshire - just in time for the snow. On Tuesday I visited Rye (toured the elementary school), Madbury (toured Moharimet elementary), and Lee (drove through the Mast Way parking lot...) And of course Portsmouth, which is where I stayed.
It seemed like there was nothing to Madbury and Lee - no sense of a town there at all that I could find. I would guess that everyone goes to Durham for grocery shopping, restaurants, etc. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit Durham - I was going to do that on Wednesday but the snow made it impossible to see much.
Impressions - downtown Portsmouth is great. My wife will like it a lot.
Rye Elementary seems like a nicer school than the two Oyster River elementaries, though I would definitely send my kids to any of them. Can't comment on the education quality - from what I hear any of them would be great.
Definitely more vacant land in the Lee/Madbury area, and for a more affordable price. I did find some lots for sale in Rye but not much. Of course it's winter..
Conclusion - need to come back when there's not snow on the ground, and bring my wife next time.
The next time you come back try to visit Kingston jgreen. It's a great little town within 30 minutes from the ocean. I lived there when I was renting a few years back and loved it. home prices are reasonable but I can't vouch for the property taxes.
You didn't miss much in not getting to see Durham. Durham is home to UNH and it's a great place if you're a student but if not living in a college town gets old pretty quick.
Having spoken with many friends in the area, I get the strong impression that Durham is the absolute best seacoast town in which to raise a family.
Yes, it's a "college town" but it manages to somehow retain its independence from the university while embracing the obvious benefits of having the largest college in the state next door.
The population goes up in the winter and down in the summer. Unusual for a coastal town. A lot of Durham residents tell me that Rye and Hampton can have the summertime traffic. Of course, they're smiling as they tell me that.
The town has a nice "small town" feel (barber shop, pubs, a nice restaurant or two, parks, outdoor skating rink etc) and makes the most of the natural surroundings.
And, of course, the schools are great. One result of having so many professors in town is that the schools will always be well funded. Reading between the lines: the taxes aren't low.
But they aren't low anywhere on the coast.
Having the train there is great. And Portsmouth, Boston, Portland and the White Mountains aren't far away at all.
If I could choose any town on the NH coast to raise a family, Durham would be on my short list for sure.
If you could pick any seacoast town to live in you'd pick Durham over Rye?
To each his own.
UNH is Durham. If you can deal with that then it's not a bad town. Personally I'd find the presence of the students annoying.
I thought I'd just pointed out the obvious distinctions between the town and the university.
The residential area of the town is apparently larger than you realize. You can go whole weeks in Durham without seeing a college student. Even while school is in session. In the summer, you can go months.
Not that students are inherently "bad" or "trouble". From what I gather, apart from being a boon to the local economy, many take part in social life there in a positive way (ie active church membership, local school volunteering, music tutorial, etc).
Sure, the nightlife is active on the weekends and the pubs are full of energetic youth and high def tvs showing baseball or football games. If you can deal with that, then hanging out in town on the weekends is for you.
If not, the other 85% of the town is all yours .
As I've said, I have a number of friends in the area and to the person, they would choose Durham over Rye (a packed but smaller version of Hampton's drag strip in summer) to raise a family for the reasons I've already given.
If you really think Durham = UNH, my guess is you haven't really seen Durham, NH beyond a single street or two.
But, as you've said, to each his own.
Last edited by HarrisonTweed; 02-03-2011 at 01:33 PM..
Rye is beautiful, but yes, very expensive. Portsmouth is great if you like being in a "city", but not like Boston. It's quaint if you're in the right spot. Hampton, North Hampton, Hampton Falls, and Seabrook might be good choices as well. My boyfriend lives in Hampton and his mom works at the elementary school - great community in Hampton as well. Close to the beach, lots of kids, and not far from Portsmouth, either.
FYI Durham has some of the highest property taxes in the state, rye some of the lowest. Also, in Durham you have to deal with the awful Spaulding turnpike during rush hours.
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.
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.
