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My husband and I are considering a move to the Sea Coast area and are trying to decide between Portsmouth and Exeter. We have 2 young school aged children. After looking at various websites and visiting elementary schools in each town, I think we would be satisfied with either school system. So it boils down to quality of life. We love the excitement and dining options in Portsmouth, but Exeter is so much more affordable. Given that we will be coming from across the country, is one of these cities more open to new people? Which of these cities would be considered more "friendly" and "welcoming"? Essentially, where could we make friends most easily?? I know the kids will be fine because of school, so I'm more concerned with the adults!!
Two-thirds of adults in NH are not from here. Portsmouth is busy and touristy and Exeter has a school that draws people from all over. Given all of this, I find both towns--and NH in general--friendly and welcoming to transplants. Native New Englanders think they have a reputation of being "cold," but after living in five states in different areas of the country, I do not agree with that assessment of New Hampshire.
With Facebook groups and most every town in NH having a library, town events and local stores, I believe you will have no problem making friends if you chose Portsmouth or Exeter, or othe surrounding towns. NH is a special place. If you want to make friends and find community, it's easier to do here than anywhere else I've lived.
We raised three daughters in a town of 10,000 people between Manchester and Nashua. It is nice to have a city nearby for shopping, restaurants, etc., but the city cannot match the feeling of belonging to the community in a town. Your kids are small, but eventually your life will be dominated by school, school-related activities, youth sports, activities such as karate, skiing, etc. It is then the size of the town will make a difference. I'd go with Exeter.
NH in general is welcoming and Exeter and Portsmouth in that sense shouldn't have any issues as far as new people. Once they warm up to you, they become a long-time friends is what the culture seem like around here (I moved from WA).
With that said, yes Exeter is cheaper than Portsmouth even though it's still considered an expensive place to live but schools are very well known with the Academy, charming downtown and very accessible from major highways. I love Portsmouth don't get me wrong but the houses are not something most people can easily afford.
Stratham/Exeter is somewhere that's sought after. Greenland is expensive as well but another location to consider. For education though anything in the Exeter school district is worth looking at as many surrounding towns do go to Exeter which include Brentwood, East Kingston, Kensington, Newfields, & Stratham.
Thank you all for chiming in! In all honesty I really fell in love with Portsmouth and that would be my preference. If both towns would be equally friendly/welcoming, is Portsmouth worth the extra expense? I know that's a very subjective question... Whatever we can afford definitely would not be our dream house, but maybe its worth it for the quality of life and entertainment value that it provides? Its all so intimidating moving from far away (chicago area) and I don't want to switch school districts on the kids more than I have to.
You should visit for a week and spend time in both towns. If I was really into wanting to be within walking distance to everything, then Portsmouth would appeal to me. I've been all over the U.S. and Portsmouth is one of the finest medium-sized towns I've seen. It just depends on your taste, though. It's too busy and crowded for me to want to live there but I love visiting it frequently.
If both towns would be equally friendly/welcoming, is Portsmouth worth the extra expense? I know that's a very subjective question...
It is very subjective. For what it's worth, I prefer Exeter, even if the cost is the same - it's quieter, greener, and there are fewer drunks, and there are still interesting shops and restaurants in the walkable downtown.
Once kids get to be about 5 or so, it is tough to more them. I agree with LeviDunn, come here for a week and get the feel of the two towns. I am not familiar with the schools in these towns, but we put three kids through the public schools in NH (Amherst) and had a good experience with the school systems. My wife and I are both from MA and manyof our friends and relatives have sent their kids to private schools from 7th or 9th grade onward. At $20k per kid per year, that makes it tough to save much for college...
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