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Hello,
I'm new on here, but was looking for some input on a good spot to live in southern NH. We currently live in GA (though I am an AL girl) and are looking to move to southern NH. My husband is originally from a town in Litchfield county, CT and we have a lot of family and friends in and around Franklin/Tilton and surrounding areas. My husbands job is based in Woburn, MA so we would need to stay south of Manchester to keep his commute down. He is used to a large amount of traffic now, as we live west of Atlanta, but he works in the city. We have 2 small children, so schools are a large factor in our decision. We like to be able to go to the "store" with ease, but shopping doesn't have to be a mile from our house or anything. I've done a lot of research, and have considered Londonderry, Hampstead, Plaistow and Pelham. Does anyone love one of those over the others for raising a family? BTW, the winters up there make me a bit nervous. Haha!
I like Londonderry but even as a New Englander, not in winter. Your husband being from Litchfield Cty, will have experience with snowy hills but does he really want to go back to that.
Maybe you should move somewhere about Woburn. It's flatter and a bit less snowy. If you aren't used to driving in snow and being somewhat isolated in winter, maybe NH is not for you. I live in MA on the MA/NH border so will leave the rest to the NH natives. If it's the high MA prices that are putting you off, consider Amesbury MA and Salisbury MA. It's still quite a drive to Woburn but the towns are cheaper than those high priced places around Boston.
Well...4 fairly different towns. I guess Pelham/Hampstead probably have the most in common - rural, residential.
Londonderry has the biggest name recognition.
Plaistow is a bit more of a retail area, as 125 captures both through traffic and people crossing over from Haverhill - just in the first half mile north of the border there's a Shaw's/Kohl's/Market Basket/Home Depot/Walmart. As you move north towards Hampstead or east towards Merrimac/Newton it will be more rural as well.
Curious what your price range is - and what does he mean by "keep his commute down? 30 min? 45 min? 60?
Maybe you should move somewhere about Woburn. It's flatter and a bit less snowy. If you aren't used to driving in snow and being somewhat isolated in winter, maybe NH is not for you. I live in MA on the MA/NH border so will leave the rest to the NH natives.
That's actually partly why I asked about price and desired commute range.
I guess I'm not entirely clear why the OP wants NH particularly in this case, and the 4 options given seem a bit scattershot rather than on a particular theme. The price difference between Londonderry and No. Reading doesn't seem all that great on paper (for purchase, anyway - haven't looked at rents), and No. Reading gives you better schools and a more manageable commute.
Honestly, they are very scattered. We were looking more in NH to be able to drive up to see family and friends around Franklin. I'm currently a stay at home mom, so I would like to be able to visit them more until I get to know people around where we might live. I'm not used to driving in snow for sure. Off subject, I was told to use a empty parking lot full of snow to start learning? Anyways, we have looked up to $400k for homes. That would be our max though. We have also looked around places in MA, and I find we either can't afford the areas, or the schools are rated very low. I'm not willing to sacrifice my kids education for a more affordable area/house. Being more rural in snow is something I hadn't thought about. Might be something I need to rethink. My husband commutes 37 miles each way now. Typically takes 45-60 min now, so anywhere around that would be okay. He would like to stay closer to 30 min if possible.
Thank you for the Amesbury and Salisbury recommendations. We hadn't looked over that far. It looks like they have pretty good schools, too.
You'd probably like the Amesbury schools better but the two towns are right next to each other. Salisbury is coming up in the world with a gorgeous brand new library that just opened about two days ago and more redevelopment plans in store. Amesbury has a cute little downtown and is kind of a nice place. Amesbury has a Stop & Shop grocery store which is more expensive than the usual one people go to which is called Market Basket. But Market Baskets are located in nearby (expensive) Newburyport and Seabrook, NH. I guess you could consider Seabrook too -- that's where there are stores like Target and Kohls, Staples and Home Depot. But you are close to them anyway in Amesbury or Salisbury.
Amesbury has rtes 95 and 495 for commuting. Rte 95 is the same as rte 128--get used to it, lol. From Amesbury you can easily go north or south.
Amesbury has nice old houses and several condo communities--it's a nice place. If you want a gorgeous library the Salisbury library is only minutes away and Salisbury also has a great beach that has plans in the works for upgrading.
With either Amesbury or Salisbury you have the small city of Newburyport very close by for interesting restaurants and all sorts of things to do. You can still partake of Newburyport amenities such as a beautiful YMCA without having to pay exorbitant prices to live there.
Thank you so much for all the info. We will make sure to look around that area now. It sounds a bit like where we live now. Small, but close enough to shopping and other things to do. I was not impressed with the property taxes in NH for sure. I know they don't have sales tax, but I don't know if we buy enough to make up for that difference or not. I guess every state gets their taxes one way or another. Such a big move and so much to consider, and it really helps to get opinions from people that know and live in the area.
If you're hoping for a close to 30 minute commute to Woburn and you have a $400K budget then your options are fairly limited.
In New Hampshire, you might consider Pelham and Salem.
In Massachusetts, you should look at Methuen, Tewksbury, Wilmington and Peabody.
Suggestions like Amesbury or Salisbury, may be fine, but that could easily be a 75 minute drive during the morning commute. You could add Groveland, Georgetown and Rowley in to the mix if you want a more rural flavor.
Thank you so much for all the info. We will make sure to look around that area now. It sounds a bit like where we live now. Small, but close enough to shopping and other things to do. I was not impressed with the property taxes in NH for sure. I know they don't have sales tax, but I don't know if we buy enough to make up for that difference or not. I guess every state gets their taxes one way or another. Such a big move and so much to consider, and it really helps to get opinions from people that know and live in the area.
Amesbury/Salisbury is a very nice area. Though I still think your husband is signing up for more commute than he needs to - that's a 45 min drive door to door with no traffic (or inclement weather) at all and the requisite amount of speeding.
Keep in mind NH doesn't have sales tax OR income tax. So property tax is carrying a major revenue load, second only to business tax. See the second chart here: Where The Money Comes From | TransparentNH
It's one of the major downsides to living in NH but working in MA is that you'll still pay Mass income tax and NH property tax. In some situations it can still work out affordably, but you're giving each state a significant cut.
Edit - should have refreshed before posting to see gf2020's post. I agree with that list though would again add No. Reading.
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Haha!
