Living in Nashua with Children (Concord, Portsmouth: homes, neighborhoods, schools)

[ctaraschi]

Hi, We have two young children and are considering moving to Nashua, NH for it's more reasonable priced housing, but somewhat urban feel. We are concentrating our search on the North End area, as we are not ready to give up the urban feel of our current neighborhood. Wondering if anyone out there can give us a better feel of whether it is a good place to raise kids...i.e schools, parks, etc.. I have read all the offical websites, but looking for some more personal input.

Thanks

[buck naked]

more reasonable compared to what? and what would you describe as urban? I feel that most of Nashua is city. The north end is lovely with all the mansions, but is that what you are looking for? there are a multitude of roads behind the mansions that have smaller homes, but IMO you could do just as well in other towns, if not better.

[Valerie C]

ctaraschi, it sounds like you're looking to stay closer to your neighbors and to the conveniences of city living. It's nice to be in an area where there are actual sidewalks to walk on, and kids can walk to friends house, not to have to jump in the car for every little thing or put themselves at risk by riding bikes or walking on the shoulder of winding country roads with cars whizzing by. Are you looking to move to the neighborhoods that come off of Concord Street (one of my favorite areas in Nashua)? Folks I know who live in Nashua are there because of all that the city has to offer. Lots of rec. activities, schools have programs that the smaller towns just can't afford to offer, etc. One of the things I love about NH is that while most towns are still true to themselves and are remaining more rural/suburban, yet there are cities - pockets here and there across the state that offer a slightly more urban feel, while still being relatively safe--moreso than other urban areas in other states (IMO)

[NH2008]

I haven't responded because I am not an authority on Nashua by any means, but I have spent a few nights there and driven all around on several occasions because we are considering moving to Hollis and I wanted to know what the nearest city was like. Have you been to Nashua?

I am not sure what you mean by "urban" feel. Compared to rural NH, yes, Nashua may feel urban to you. Compared to a bustling city (Boston, NYC, Chicago, etc), I wouldn't describe it as urban at all. The downtown is walkable and very cute with better and more diverse restaurants than I would have expected, but you'll have no problem parking on the street. No traffic, no crowds. It's small - very small. Other than that, I found the city sprawling and suburban. You can drive around and see strip mall after strip mall filled with every chain store and chain restaurant you've ever heard of. There is one huge mall. It feels like many newer cities do (or cities that have grown a lot in recent years)- instead of having a compact urban center, stores are spread out.

Portsmouth feels much more urban to me. It has a compact downtown and gets more crowded (for better or worse) because of all the tourists and because it is compact. It has a lot of museums and cultural events. If you are looking for an urban feel/hustle and bustle in NH, you might want to check that out.