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.
Hello,
I just accepted a new position in Manchester, NH and I am struggling with narrowing down my apartment hunt. I'm 30 years old, and am moving from out of state. Please help! Outlined here is kind of what I'm looking for:
-I want to be close to work, but I'm willing to make an exception for the right place. I don't mind an hour commute. (hour including traffic)
-Safety of course, huge. I want to feel comfortable walking to and from my apartment at all hours.
-Price: Negotiable. For a one bedroom, I'm willing to spend up to 1,100/month, and know I can get more for that price if I stay in Manchester or away from popular areas.
-Community: I'm moving to a new area and am single and 30, I would love it if the area had options for things such as meetup groups (running clubs, hiking clubs, etc) and other like-minded, similar-aged folks nearby. I would love it if I could walk down the street to get coffee, walk home from dinner, and most importantly, I would love it if there were trails/lakes/oceanfront/paths/etc nearby that I could walk out of my house and go for a run.
-Shops: Need to be somewhat close to grocery, shops, and definitely want a gym option. Sounds sort of silly but with long winters, it's nice to have one near by. (I mention this because I did a quick search and there didn't appear to be a ton of gyms in NH as a whole, so I want to keep it in mind...)
In sum: I love Portsmouth, but when I mention this, most say I'd hate the commute. But it seems to have everything I'm looking for, with the exception of proximity to Manchester. I'm struggling in finding a similar alternative. I drove up the seacoast this past weekend and drove through Dover, Durham and Newmarket (I noticed more inexpensive apartments that were closer to Manchester so wanted to check it out) but felt a little bit like I was too much in the middle of nowhere for a new move. I reaffirmed my love for Portsmouth, but haven't had time to check out any other areas. Anyone with some insider information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Yikes, yeah, Portsmouth is too !much of a hike, especially in the winter. I'd say maybe if it's your cup of tea, meet people there weekends, easier to do two days a week rather than five. Then find a place outside Manchester, or more west or far south, like Bedford maybe? People from the sprawl areas like to pretend they're sophisticated because we don't have as much crime in Manchester as DC or NYC, but I'd rather feel secure with an unlocked door than feel superior any day. Manchester proper isn't a great place to live in many areas, and coming out of state it's better to just avoid it, probably.
For the running? I'd give it up for winter, switch to snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, both of which will keep you in great shape and avoid messy broken ankles and other dangers of icy sidewalks. There aren't a lot of gyms because we are more drawn to getting outside in all our lovely nature.
Yeah, in my opinion Portsmouth is the coolest city in NH, and the best option for an active younger person. But, alas, being over in the far southeastern corner, it's not close (enough) to many other parts of the state. If it were, I'd live there in a heartbeat. I don't know that you should totally rule it out, though. Most of the commute for you would be on 101, which is a major highway (albeit not always in the best condition in the winter.....)
Have you looked at Concord? It's not exactly "youthful," but then again, neither is Manchester. It's the second largest city in the state (still less than half the size of Manchester) and there are enough things to do, although I have to admit that that's not always readily apparent and it takes awhile to get to know the area. (I'm only about 5 years older than you are.) It's also much less crime-ridden than Manchester. There's a new Runner's Alley location, with running groups meeting there. There are other Meetups to be found through that website. There are enough coffee shops and bars... True Brew (now with two locations) is a gem. Big city it's not, but if you live close to downtown, you'll have the things you desire. And, it's a straight shot down I-93 to Manchester. The commute is totally doable (and very common.) There are also TONS of trails in the area, for walking, biking, cross-country skiing, etc.. The Y in Concord is the best gym option although there's a Planet Fitness and a couple others.
Yeah, in my opinion Portsmouth is the coolest city in NH, and the best option for an active younger person. But, alas, being over in the far southeastern corner, it's not close (enough) to many other parts of the state. If it were, I'd live there in a heartbeat. I don't know that you should totally rule it out, though. Most of the commute for you would be on 101, which is a major highway (albeit not always in the best condition in the winter.....)
Have you looked at Concord? It's not exactly "youthful," but then again, neither is Manchester. It's the second largest city in the state (still less than half the size of Manchester) and there are enough things to do, although I have to admit that that's not always readily apparent and it takes awhile to get to know the area. (I'm only about 5 years older than you are.) It's also much less crime-ridden than Manchester. There's a new Runner's Alley location, with running groups meeting there. There are other Meetups to be found through that website. There are enough coffee shops and bars... True Brew (now with two locations) is a gem. Big city it's not, but if you live close to downtown, you'll have the things you desire. And, it's a straight shot down I-93 to Manchester. The commute is totally doable (and very common.) There are also TONS of trails in the area, for walking, biking, cross-country skiing, etc.. The Y in Concord is the best gym option although there's a Planet Fitness and a couple others.
And it has Hermanos and the Gyro place on Main street
As the crow flies Dover is a touch closer to Manchester but it's a longer drive (add 10-15 minutes depending on precisely where you were living in Dover). Portsmouth is basically all high-speed driving (95 to 101), whereas from Dover you'd be on slower roads the first half of the route cutting down to 101.
And as others have said, in the winter that 45-55 min drive can be longer in bad weather. Newmarket is charming, but it's not exactly a booming social scene - imo if you liked Newmarket and wanted something on that scale you'd be better off looking at some of the smaller towns in the Merrimack Valley.
But realistically I think you probably want Manchester or maybe Concord.
I suggest finding an apartment in Manchester close to work and using that time saved from commuting to look around to see what is available nearby. Figure Portsmouth NH and, even better, Portland Maine are weekend entertainment destinations.
I just want to chime in and second everything that Cowbell76 had to say about Concord. It meets all of your criteria, and there are miles of trails, conservation land and farmland surrounding the city. It's an easy drive to the mountains, lakes and seacoast as well, and it's just out of the north-of-Boston industrial belt; many of the surrounding towns are small and mostly rural. It's safe, friendly and feels like a big hometown.
So far as meeting young and like-minded people, there are several events and groups that are geared to the under-40 crowd, and there's a solid base of young and cool people in the area. Just bear in mind that Concord is loaded with baby boomers as well. (They're not cranky and crusty, though). On Thursdays, the Concord Monitor (local newspaper) posts a list of events and activities in the area; consulting that list should give you an idea of local offerings that are geared towards a younger crowd. Also, get involved with the Concord Young Professionals Association, which is a great way to establish a built-in social network. Downtown coffeeshops/bars like True Brew, Tandy's, the Barley House, The Draft (kind of a dive, but inexplicably popular among my friends) and O's are good places to pop in and meet people. The Red River Theater and Capitol Center for the Arts often have screenings/readings with discussion afterwards. It's a friendly little city. Being under 40 in Concord is like belonging to a private club; we're still outnumbered by the boomers, but there's solidarity among our ranks.
My recommendation would be to live in downtown Concord if you're interested in the city. Just about all of it is safe and nice - there aren't any bad neighborhoods, although there are a couple of bad buildings/landlords here and there. Most of the establishments and activities geared to a younger crowd are right in the middle of downtown. The neighborhoods surrounding School Street and Warren Street west of North Spring Street are especially desirable. Be advised, however, that the city is digging up the busiest 9 blocks of Main Street and changing it from a 4-lane to a 2-lane road, which will most likely reduce Main Street activity for some time. If you want to live outside of downtown, my recommendation would be East Concord, as it's home to the Society for the Protection of NH Forests conservation land, plus the expansive and newly-acquired Broken Ground forest off of South Curtisville Road (just past Mill Brook and Broken Ground Schools). East Concord is mostly suburban/quasi-rural, but rental units pop up every now and then. The far south end of Concord (south of West Street) and the west end (between Pleasant and Liberty Streets, west of Rumford Street) are also nice and quiet (yet convenient) neighborhoods with a good mix of apartments and single family homes. Also, UNH Law is on Washington Street, and landlords in surrounding neighborhoods rent to students, most of whom are close to your age.
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.
