NH natives - I need your insight! Please? (Dover, Portsmouth: sales, how much)

[unruley]

We are a family with 3 litle kids who are thinking about making the across country re-location from Seattle to NH. My husband would be working at the shipyard in Portsmouth and I am a Registered Nurse. We would like to live somewhere that would have a feasible commute time to Portsmouth, but would have a good community to raise our children (good schools, places to do sports, cultural centers). As we are completely in the DARK about your amazing state, any ideas, feedback or suggestions would really help! My deam would be to live somewhere not too rural, but still have room for the kids to play. Close enough to big ammenities but actually being able to afford a home Can you help us??

[BF66389]

One big question- what is a feasible commute time wise? I think you'll likely have a good number of options.

[unruley]

Thanks for pointing that out! I would say less than 1 hour of drive time?

[chris410]

Originally Posted by unruley

Thanks for pointing that out! I would say less than 1 hour of drive time?

You will have lots of options (good towns/good schools/easy commute)

what do you consider affordable? the closer you get to the ocean, the more $$ your going to spend.

[unruley]

Well, that all depends on how much we can sell our home out here for. I have heard that the cost of living in NH is a little more that out here, but I think our wage may stay about the same. Playing it safe, I think that we would be looking at a morgage in the 250-300,000 range.

[Brave Stranger]

Look at Dover. Nice town.

[Verseau]

You should have no problem finding a town with everything you want. There are basically four towns that I think best fit the bill:

Durham: really close to Portsmouth (15-20min), great cultural and sports amenities (it's home to the University of New Hampshire), fantastic school system. It's definitely a college town but there are plenty of family-oriented neighborhoods. However, it's rather pricey. Neighboring Madbury and Lee share the same school system and are perhaps slightly more affordable, but they are primarily rural/exurban towns.

Exeter: a bit more affordable than Durham but slightly farther from Portsmouth (still under 30 minutes). Another fantastic school system, vibrant downtown, and lots of culturally-minded people associated with the prep school in town (Phillips-Exeter Academy).

Dover: the most affordable town on the list, and still only 15-20 minutes from Portsmouth. A successful and increasingly vibrant downtown; less gentrified than the first two towns. The schools don't get raved about as often as Durham's or Exeter's, but by all indicators they appear very strong.

Newmarket: similar home values to Exeter, and located between this town and Durham (about 25 minutes to Portsmouth), so well-situated for access to amenities. It's the smallest of the four towns but still has a nice little Main St. The schools may not be quite as great as the others, but I think they are still above average.

And a little added bonus: all of these towns (except Newmarket) have Amtrak stations, providing easy access to Boston or Portland.

One thing to bear in mind is that all of these towns have fairly high property tax rates (especially Durham). It's a bit of a trade-off, though - the towns with lower tax rates in the region tend to have higher property values. You can find more affordable towns to the west and north, but they are primarily rural/exurban and the schools are hit-or-miss.

[steveusaf]

Verseau made some good recommendations. Be aware though, that all the towns mentioned except Exeter will involve a trip down the Spaulding Turnpike (Rt 16) over the Little Bay Bridge to get into Portsmouth. Not a big deal usually, but it can get a little backed up during rush hours. They're working on a project to widen it right now, and it should be done by the time I'm done with the AF and moved back to Barrington. Hopefully it will make the commute a little easier. I wouldn't consider it a show-stopper.

Dover would be relatively convenient to the shipyard, as you could take the back way into Eliot, ME down to Kittery via 101/236. Be aware that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is physically located in Kittery (at least the entrances are), and that's what counts for the Maine Dept of Revenue. Your husband will pay ME income tax on his earnings there no matter where he lives. Your income will not be taxed if you live in NH and work in NH.

That being said, if he's the primary breadwinner you might want to consider living in Kittery, Eliot, or the Berwicks in Maine. You'll be paying the income tax on his income anyway, you might as well live somewhere with lower property taxes. Those towns are relatively convenient to Portsmouth and Dover, where you can do your tax free shopping. Something to consider - don't rule it out.

FWIW - I'd say Dover's High School is nothing to rave about. Out of the four towns mentioned by Verseau, Dover would be by and far the least desirable. Eliot and S. Berwick, ME have a great school system. Kittery - not so sure.

Good luck

[Verseau]

Thanks for the info on the Maine towns, steve. Sometimes I forget all about that state next door.

[seamusnh]

There is not much of a reason to live in Maine if one works in NH. Maine has a graduated state income tax so if a couple makes over $40k, it is 8.5%. Maine has a 5% sales tax so you'd probably be coming to NH to shop...