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I am thinking of relocating to NH and was looking at Somersworth as a possibility until I noticed the crime statistics are significantly higher compared to the rest of New Hampshire. Why is the crime higher in Somersworth?
Former mill/factory town where the industry has mostly left. Lots of Section 8 housing. Run-down downtown. Gets a little of the Rochester effect since it's right next door. I consider Somersworth to be the next Rochester, and that's not a good thing. My in-laws live in Somersworth, but in the rural part near the Dover border. It's nice there, so as always YMMV depending on where you decide to live in the city.
I have lived in Somersworth for two years. I have also spent many years in Manchester and in Keene (other "cities" though quite different from each other). The one time I was a victim of a crime (home burglary) was in Keene. I have not noticed much of a difference as far as crime and overall quality of life in Somersworth compared to Manchester and Keene. There are good parts and less desireable parts in virtually all cities. I see a good police presence in the area. The most common police call seems to be for car accidents on busy Route 9.
I too heard about "higher crime" in Somersworth. But having lived happily in a very nice part of Manchester, I have learned that you cannot paint any city with a broad brush.
My husband and I relocated to the seacoast from Texas two years ago (and are now reloing to AZ), and we purchased in Somersworth. We lived on W. High and I can say that as busy as that part of town was and as well-known as our house was, we never had a problem. I'm sure there was stuff going on in the downtown area because it did look a little sketchy there, but in the neighborhood we were in, it was fine. We had a security system installed for our own piece of mind, but we have done that in our prior homes too.
I wouldn't let the stories you read deter you, just look at certain areas in Somersworth and you should be fine. A lot of nice well-priced properties are there (including ours!) that would be nearly double their cost in Dover and the town is investing in the school systems so that's a huge positive too. Drive around and take a look at the neighborhoods. They are nice there. Then you can make the decision for yourself. Good luck!
I wouldn't let the stories you read deter you, just look at certain areas in Somersworth and you should be fine. A lot of nice well-priced properties are there (including ours!) that would be nearly double their cost in Dover and the town is investing in the school systems so that's a huge positive too. Drive around and take a look at the neighborhoods. They are nice there. Then you can make the decision for yourself. Good luck!
There are certain areas of Somersworth that are nice but if you have kids they all feed into the same school system. They can invest all they want in the schools but the demographics of the city aren't changing. Throwing money at schools won't solve Somersworth's problems....
There are certain areas of Somersworth that are nice but if you have kids they all feed into the same school system. They can invest all they want in the schools but the demographics of the city aren't changing. Throwing money at schools won't solve Somersworth's problems....
I agree Steve, but it is a start. The should be working to get the rifraf out of the town and that means bringing industry to the town and putting tighter regulations on housing. There are towns all across New England that city council and the chamber of commerce can visit to see how they handled the situation, but I think a lot of ppl want to just turn a blind eye to it. Once they actually face the music of the area and begin the hard task of pushing the negative folks out, it will be a really nice little town.
I grew up in the n that town. In fact, grew up with the current mayor. Good friends since kindergarten. All I can tell you is I got out as soon as possible and feel depressed every time I go back.
I grew up in the n that town. In fact, grew up with the current mayor. Good friends since kindergarten. All I can tell you is I got out as soon as possible and feel depressed every time I go back.
I feel that way about my hometown too...refining community in Texas and absolutely HORRIBLE. They actually used our downtown for Robocop back in the 80s/90s because it naturally looked like a place that had already been bombed. How sad is that?
We didn't have a drug problem...well, we did, but it wasn't as bad as gang violence, crime (home break-ins, assaults, rapes, etc.) and very bad pollution. My family moved away to a beautiful small town in central Texas when I went off to college at 18 and we never looked back. Sadly, out of my graduating class of 500, only ~5-8 of us got out for good.
Now that I think of it, maybe because I grew up around something so much worse, that's why Somersworth didn't seem so bad to me.
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