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My girlfriend and I are moving to an apartment or rental this summer and we are trying to find a decent place to be in. We want to keep costs down and commutes down but we don't know very much about the individual towns above.
What are these places like? What type of people live there? Are there places to avoid? Are these places safe?
We are looking to find a place that is under 1400 everything included [rent, electric, heat, hot water, parking, cable, internet] but is also within a 35 minute commute to Devens, MA.
Any thoughts suggestions opinions would be welcome!
Milford is much less like "MA North", and has more of a New Hampshire feel.
You've picked three very different towns to look at. I'd suggest adding Hollis to your list; it's sort of like Nashua with more horses.
Brookline and Nashua basically exist because they border Massachusetts, so really you might as well live on the MA side of the border. Milford is going to be a longer commute, but has more character and brings you closer to the rest of New Hampshire.
All these towns are relatively "safe", assuming you are looking closer to Rt 122 and so don't need the usual warnings about Nashua's "Tree streets"
Hollis is remotely different from Nashua, despite sharing a border. One passes into Hollis from Nashua and sidewalks and street lamps almost instantly disappear! A few roads in Hollis are unpaved. Oh, and there's no public sewer (try well water), or garbage pickup (you haul it yourself), and no major stores. But it has a very quaint town center, and is minutes from shopping in Nashua and neighboring Amherst.
Brookline is actually much like Hollis (sharing the western border of Hollis), being very quaint and small town oriented, despite abundant farmland slowly being developed by McMansions (these towns have strict building laws). Both are fairly affluent small towns of Nashua, consisting of single family homes. Don't expect much in the way of rentals.
Milford has a decent town center and is commuting distance to shopping in Amherst and Nashua. It's more middle class, but is also family oriented.
I don't know your ages, but unless you're interested in living in relatively sleepy towns that are geared toward families, where one must drive out of town for most items, I wouldn't recommended them to a child free couple.
Nashua would have the most rental options with plenty of amenities right in the city. But even so, I'd otherwise suggest just living in MA, if one is going to pay MA taxes, anyway.
Nashua would have the most rental options with plenty of amenities right in the city. But even so, I'd otherwise suggest just living in MA, if one is going to pay MA taxes, anyway.
This. As others have stated, you'll pay MA income tax even if living in NH, so you might as well shorten the commute and save on gas/frustration.
If schools/education are not a priority, you should have no issues finding a rental in Leominster or Ayer ... both offer access to restaurants/bars and other wants a younger couple might have. I find both, if selective about the neighborhood, to be perfectly safe.
In fact, nearly every inch of NH and MA is safe by national standards. I've lived/worked in or near a number of the most crime ridden areas (Boston/Roxbury, Lowell, Nashua, Worcester, Manchester, Fitchburg) and have found most of the overt crimes are generally petty - small drug deals, smash & grab type theft, etc. In short, if you avoid the trouble, the trouble will largely avoid you. There are few instances in which random people are selected and targeted.
I currently rent in Ayer while I house-hunt and find the area to be incredibly safe despite a rougher reputation. On my early AM/ late PM dog walks, I encounter plenty of older retirees out for walks or young woman jogging on the rail trail ... this speaks to how safe the area is.
My gf will be working in MA as she has a good job in Devens. I will be transferring to a job in either Nashua or Amherst. If I read this right she'll pay MA income tax but I won't pay any.
For married couples, MA, unlike Maine, doesn't take joint income into account
Quote:
Originally Posted by Butchy_Boy
My gf will be working in MA as she has a good job in Devens. I will be transferring to a job in either Nashua or Amherst. If I read this right she'll pay MA income tax but I won't pay any.
Correct. If you're a NH resident living and working in NH, zero state tax on your income.
For a NH resident working in MA, they only tax income earned while in MA (so if she works from home 2 days a week, tax burden is reduced by 40%).
Quote:
Hollis is remotely different from Nashua, despite sharing a border. One passes into Hollis from Nashua and sidewalks and street lamps almost instantly disappear! A few roads in Hollis are unpaved. Oh, and there's no public sewer (try well water), or garbage pickup (you haul it yourself), and no major stores. But it has a very quaint town center, and is minutes from shopping in Nashua and neighboring Amherst.
I suggest finding a job for yourself near Devens. The saving in commuting expense and higher wages will more then make up for the Massachusetts income taxes.
I love Hollis myself. And, if I wanted to live in a house again (maybe someday, I don't know), I would be looking there. For now I am as close to Hollis as I can get and still be in Nashua. There is the added benefit of Nashua town sewer and water and natural gas too.
Anyway, given the OP's posted budget, I think they would be hard-pressed to find something in Hollis. Location-wise and lifestyle it probably checks all the boxes, but under $1400 including heat, electricity, cable, internet? I would highly doubt you could find that there Also, not many rentals in Hollis in general.
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Milford is much less like "MA North", and has more of a New Hampshire feel.
For married couples, MA, unlike Maine, doesn't take joint income into account
