Does NH welcome minorities? (Manchester, Nashua: cul-de-sac, fit in, houses)

[maestramommy]

We are an Asian American family currently living in the L.A basin, but looking to move out east, where there are better schools, values more consistent with ours, and more affordable (relatively speaking) houses. We were looking at Nashua. Out of curiosity I clicked on the "worst places in NH" poll/thread, and was surprised to see Nashua turn up, as I was told by a native NHite that it's a great place to live. I'm also concerned by the tone in some of the posts regarding illegal immigrants and Latinos. Granted, being in Southern Cal, I am very much aware of the problems and issues regarding illegal immigrants of any race, so I understand the frustration. But it does make me wonder whether I, as a minority would be accepted and welcomed into a typical neighborhood in NH. I am originally from Chicago (city), and DH is from NJ (suburb), so we're looking to move to a more suburban area, not more urban sprawl. Will we be facing discrimination, both subtle and overt from the natives? I'd like to hear some opinions on the subject. TIA!

[Rexicana]

I think no matter where you live, if your next door neighbor is a creep then it would be a tough place to live. We're in the Monadnock Region and while I don't see a lot of minorities around, there are some (we came from Cali where our neighborhood was a beautiful melting pot so most anything around here is less than that). We just moved here and haven't made a lot of connections, but it seems that most folks, regardless of race or background, are welcomed and happy and that people are interested in learning about their background. It is a pretty white state though. Around here I would guess it is because it is more isolated (gotta drive over that mountain to get to Boston). I have no idea about the rest of the state though.

Best of luck.

[GraniteStater]

I think that NH will become a lot more diverse over time because of the proximity to Boston. Nashua probably has more diversity than most other areas of NH, and is pretty much a suburb of Boston. The people are generally quite a bit more reserved compared with so Cal, though. Also, other smaller towns in NH are growing in both population and jobs. VT and ME will probably not see as much of an increase in diversity because the job growth is slower in those two states and population growth rates are also lower.

[Valerie C]

Hi maestramommy
I can understand your concern, but honestly what I see (and I see alot of people throughout my week) is a frustration with ILLEGAL immigration, particularly Latino, partially because of the seeming unwillingness to acclimate to the country they've chosen to live in (waving the flag of the country they've chosen to leave, while demanding "rights" like a drivers license or the right to vote, without having gone through the proper channels, refusing to learn the language that happens to be on our money, our constitution, and ironically enough ON the Bill of Rights

Having said that, yes, much of NH is Caucasian,with pockets of much diversity in the cities of Nashua and Manchester, less-so in Concord. Toward the seacoast, Portsmouth would probably offer the most in terms of more "liberal" thinking. Nashua in particular has a great mix of neighborhoods. Everything from inner-city/mainly absentee landlord neighborhoods where you'll find the usual problems that exist in that environment (no matter what race is or isn't the minority) to beautiful stately Victorian homes on tree-lined streets, and new cul-de-sac neighborhoods. There are a number of Latino groceries, Asian groceries, Brazilian restaurants. I believe the majority of Asian-Americans in the Nashua are Cambodians. You'll find that the suburbs will have a small share of minorities, but I've seen that people *usually*will judge you on who you are and not the color of your skin or which way your eyes slant.

I'm going to make a stereotypical remark, please don't take offense. It seems as though the majority of Asian-Americans that I've had the pleasure to know embody the best of traits. Parents with fantastic work ethic, students who excel and achieve more then their peers. Back when I was a Kung Fu mom and webmaster, a certain Vietnamese boy was the pride and joy of the school. He was by far the best student, natural talent, very flamboyant to watch perform. And the most humble and un-assuming student in the school. We all could learn a lesson from him.

[rmcewan]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

partially because of the seeming unwillingness to acclimate to the country they've chosen to live in

I always laugh when I hear immigration opponents complain about this. If integration and acclimation are the goals then why do we seek to distinguish ourselves with terms like "Italian American", "Irish American", etc.

Sure illegal immigration should be stopped, but the rest of us become Hypocrite Americans when we cite the lack of a desire to integrate as a negative result of illicit residency. If all illegal immigration stopped today, the integration problem would still be here tomorrow just as it was when Europe's poor where flooding through Ellis Island.

[GotBackHome]

As a rule of thumb, it's more your work ethic and attitude that is judged, not your skin color (or any other surface attributes). yes, pretty much everywhere people are now annoyed with the ILLEGAL immigrant situation. But if you're not using forged papers (etc), and you work hard and aren't looking for handouts that you might believe to be 'rights', you should be fine. NH people are actually pretty friendly.

Oh, about Nashua: while threads on this board will list Nashua as a bad place to live, you might recall that only a couple of years ago one of those magazines listed it as a top place in the country to live! So... no, it hasn't changed that much that quickly. But the board does tend to be very rural and fairly northern centric, so since Nashua is the second largest city in the state (and has everything you'd expect a city to have), it gets a bad wrap. and it's closer to Boston/Mass so it is also very different than anything more north.

My suggestion is to take a vacation and come on out and visit! I wouldn't say that Nashua was the vacation capital of NH .... but you can look around and see what you think. And Manchester (where you'd fly into anyway probably) is pretty close as well.

[maestramommy]

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

My suggestion is to take a vacation and come on out and visit! I wouldn't say that Nashua was the vacation capital of NH .... but you can look around and see what you think. And Manchester (where you'd fly into anyway probably) is pretty close as well.

Thanks! If Dh gets a job interview there, we will DEFINITELY come out for a visit. There was another position in Manchester, but I was told by a native that the schools aren't that good. Coming from L.A almost anything east coast might seem better to me, but is there a reason for this perception, deserved or not? I know from threads here that Manchester is a relatively large city, so it has the expected issues with urban sprawl. When I looked at a school rating site, the test scores in Manchester were definitely lower than in Nashua, correlating with a higher percentage of students who qualify for free lunch. So would you say that the quality of the schools is affected by the economic demographic of the student body?

And BTW, the work ethic and attitude is one of the many reasons we are moving out east

[Valerie C]

Maestramommy, coming out from L.A.. one thing you'll notice (and hopefully like about the area) is the relative closeness from one town to another. Manchester is less than 30 minutes from Nashua, so you could chose to live in one and work in the other, or in any of the many suburbs of both cities. As for your other question on free lunches & test scores, well that's open to interpretation that I'd prefer not to get into here

Rmcewan, it may sound hypocritical, but IMO, there's a big difference between becoming acclimated to the country you chose to live in (which starts with learning the language) and completely giving up your cultural identity. I'm ALL FOR immigration and see no problem with someone referring to themselves as Irish-American, Asian-American or what have you, bringing along their customs, but not demanding that their new country change on their behalf. And we pick up their customs along the way as well, THAT is what makes America great! If I moved to Mexico or France or wherever, how far do you think I'd get by waving my American flag and demanding my "rights"?

Originally Posted by maestramommy

There was another position in Manchester, but I was told by a native that the schools aren't that good.
<snip>
the test scores in Manchester were definitely lower than in Nashua, correlating with a higher percentage of students who qualify for free lunch. So would you say that the quality of the schools is affected by the economic demographic of the student body?

And BTW, the work ethic and attitude is one of the many reasons we are moving out east

[GotBackHome]

I think even Manchester would be better than around LA. neither Manchester nor Nashua (and Manchester is the largest city in NH, Nashua is #2) are anywhere like what Riverside is becoming, or Van Nuys...

If you want good schools, you might consider Hollis. Actually, I'd say more the quality of the schools is affected by the taxes the town levies - although beng a city (and therefore expensive) does tend to skew things a bit with Manchester

[Hyun-Soo]

IM KOREAN-AMERICAN.
P.S. DONT GO TO NEW HAMPSHIRE. ITS A GREAT STATE, THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY, BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIT IN. That's just the way it is. Most New Hampshirans are opposed to development and so many newcomers.