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My family and I are thinking about moving to Peterborough, NH from PA. We've been here since 2010 when we had our son, to be near family. Now that he's almost 8, we're looking to relocate back to New England (I grew up in VT and also lived in NH, MA & CT, as well as a few other states; my husband's from MA). We are looking for a family-friendly, smaller community feel, nature, good schools, arts, music, yoga, etc. We can both work from home and my husband will need access to the airport now and then.
Can anyone share their thoughts about schools there? About the town?
It's a neat little town. Postcard quintessential New England downtown. It is small, though, so you'll need to drive to Nashua or Merrimack/Bedford/Manchester for shopping needs. Based off your interests, and depending on your budget, you may want to look into the Seacoast too.
Schools in Peterborough are considered good and generally taxpayers continue to support rising educational costs. The town itself is nice with strong zoning to protect the historical "feel". People are generally friendly and you will get out of it what you put into it. I would consider it safe but others may have different views. It is not very big and while there are things to do - some may find it too small and laid back for their tastes. Hospital is good and both our kids were born there.
Keene and Milford/Amherst is where we would shop and then Manchester/Concord if really needed a shopping adventure. Shaws for food shopping in town. Good hardware store. Mix of socioeconomic levels but generally tend to be more educated. Many writers and artists in the area. Library undergoing renovation. It's small town New England. Check out Cheney Ave, Old Street Road, High Street and Sand Hill Road areas for housing...
Last edited by illtaketwoplease; 08-22-2018 at 12:36 PM..
It’s a cute artsy town with some nice shops and diners. Harlow’s has got some good veggie chili and Green Grocer’s got some interesting selections. The people.. aren’t the worst. Just DON’T send your kid to ConVal.
Wow, thank you for all the thoughts LeviDunn, illtaketwoplease & Xanthippe! Yes, I understand that you get what you put into it.
My husband and I are weighing the cost/benefit of trading New England and nature and a dream of life back in the country for the family that we have down here--which we appreciate so much, as we are raising our son, almost 8. Living outside of city of Philly, it takes a bit more effort to get to nature.
Which towns are on the seacoast?
Xanthippe--I loved Nature's Green Grocer and would like to check out Soul Yoga.
Can you share your experience with the ConVal school system? Did you go there? Are you a teacher?
We are actually looking at an old farmhouse on Union Street, at least a couple miles outside the village. Does anyone know about that area?
Seacoast is nothing like Peterborough and the surrounding Monadnocks. To start, the seacoast is well within the Boston commuter zone, meaning more congestion and much higher housing prices. It also lacks the density of conservation land/hiking/nature.
When you think Peterborough, consider surrounding towns too, since they're close.
For big box retail (Home Depot, Target etc) you go west to Keene - 30 minutes or less with no traffic lights until Keene proper, or east to Amherst/Nashua - again 30 minutes no lights until the end. Walmart and two large grocery stores are 20 minutes south in Ringe.
The big caution is internet access. Outside the town core, most folks don't have cable, only DSL or satellite.
Union street is an o.k. area - and the thing I would consider is how far back my house sits from the road. Union street tends to get more traffic (what little there is) than others because it is the easiest way for people who live out in West Peterborough to get to their homes and also get into town. Some use it as a back-way shortcut to 101 as it connects eventually. Also depends which side of the street you are on -- and homes on the river side tend to be a tad more desirable.
Peterborough is a unique little town and very community oriented. Other small towns that surround it all have their pros and cons - like everywhere else.
The OP should be aware that there's rarely a lot of housing on the market in Peterborough and surrounding towns, so don't expect a huge selection. Be aware too that some properties have been on and off the market for years. Don't know why. Most things go off the market around Thanksgiving and come back on around February.
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