Family friendly, small towns in NH??

[PeacefulVibes22]

Thank you for your responses, all. I have searched through some of the threads but nothing yet has stood out to me, as some of the posters are not looking for the same things necessarily. I should have added we are looking at the counties closest to MA. Originally from there but currently living outside of D.C., I am very familiar with the winters. I grew up in a small town in MA, with about 12,000 people, but I didn't realize that NH's "small towns" are even smaller. Sorry to offend, we are in the beginning phases of planning. One can do a lot of research online, but it's always best to speak to people who live there to get a better sense. Thanks again.

[KCZ]

I would look in the towns around Concord and Peterborough. The seacoast area and Exeter are nice but it would be difficult to find something in your price range there.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by PeacefulVibes22

Is this a unicorn wish list?

Seeking Utopia in New Hampshire.

Maybe someone can provide a list of towns in New Hampshre that have everything.

Great:
Fire Department.
Great Police Department.
Great schools.
Super Recreation Department.
Many parks.
Great hospital.
Near shopping.
Great restaurants.
Short drive to highways.
And of course, Low Taxes.
Plus lots of homes for sale at reasonable prices.

[KCZ]

You forgot...
High speed internet and 4 bars of cell signal.
Municipal water and sewer.
No wild animals or farm smells.
Lots of sidewalks, streetlights, and traffic lights.
One hour proximity to major airport.
One hour proximity to major city for cultural opportunities.

[cowbell76]

Originally Posted by KCZ

I would look in the towns around Concord and Peterborough. The seacoast area and Exeter are nice but it would be difficult to find something in your price range there.

Both Concord and Peterborough areas are solid options, and both are places I’ve owned houses. Concord itself is great (a little towards the liberal side, though) but it is extraordinarily difficult to find a house there right now, or even in the surrounding towns. People are putting in numerous offers and losing out. It has a really nice central location.

I started writing a post yesterday recommending Peterborough, too, but frankly we’ve been so overrun by transplants that I hesitate to recommend it. As is the case pretty much everywhere else, locals can no longer afford to buy. What is now $300,000-$400,000 was sub-$200,000 to maybe $300,000 a few years ago. There are houses selling for $250,000 which are literally “gut jobs,” already partially-gutted, have no heating system, etc.. Also it is important to look at the sold prices because a lot of houses are going for above asking. (That is important everywhere right now.)

Peterborough itself actually has pretty much everything on that list, except it in no, way, shape, or form could be called moderate/semi-conservative. There are moderates and conservatives, but they have to keep their opinions to themselves. There are very loud and in-your-face progressives and there continue to be BLM protests or whatever you want to call them pretty much every week. About 2/3 of voters vote for the Democratic candidate. People went insane in 2016 and tried to vote Peterborough (in nowheresville, 6,500 people) into being a sanctuary town, etc.. They are very fond of voting affirmatively for inconsequential “declarations” on national political issues, stating a progressive stance.

Also, although there are houses in the $300,000-$400,000 range, inventory is very low. It does seem like buying is slowing a bit right now, though. Taxes are some of the highest in the state. The new rate has not come out yet, and if it ends up looking low compared to a lot of towns, it will be because they just did a revaluation with huge increases in assessed values. Right now a house assessed for exactly $300,000 would have a property tax bill of $9,252, so you should expect around the same, possibly more, possibly slightly less, after the new rate comes out.

Some of the towns around it are more conservative, but it is Peterborough itself which has the amenities and active Parks & Rec dept, most of the festivals, etc.. It has a hospital and is a reasonable drive to bigger hospitals. Peterborough is roughly 15-20 miles from the Mass border, depending on your route, and less as the crow flies. But that is to Central MA, Winchendon/Townsend/Leominster/Fitchburg area. Despite its rural/slightly remote location, it is actually very suburban. There is a surprisingly large number of suburban-style subdivisions with small lots. There was a building frenzy in the 1970s and 1980s, and they actually ended up placing a moratorium on building back in the ‘80s due to the rapid expansion.

Parts of town have Comcast high-speed internet. Consolidated Communications (currently offering DSL) is now running fiber to the “unserved/underserved” parts of town and expects the first hook-ups to be in December.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by unit731

Seeking Utopia in New Hampshire.

Maybe someone can provide a list of towns in New Hampshre that have everything.

Great:
Fire Department.
Great Police Department.
Great schools.
Super Recreation Department.
Many parks.
Great hospital.
Near shopping.
Great restaurants.
Short drive to highways.
And of course, Low Taxes.
Plus lots of homes for sale at reasonable prices.

Originally Posted by KCZ

You forgot...
High speed internet and 4 bars of cell signal.
Municipal water and sewer.
No wild animals or farm smells.
Lots of sidewalks, streetlights, and traffic lights.
One hour proximity to major airport.
One hour proximity to major city for cultural opportunities.

Thanks for the update and addition of critical requirements to move to New Hampshire.
Should help those that post the same question over and over.

All questions are certainly welcome though.

[cowbell76]

Originally Posted by unit731

Thanks for the update and addition of critical requirements to move to New Hampshire.
Should help those that post the same question over and over.

All questions are certainly welcome though.

It is….eye-opening? entertaining…? …scary?… to read some of the posts which pop up on my town’s Facebook page. We actually do have more amenities than many towns, but it is so interesting to see how many people move here and seem to have no clue that they didn’t land in a typical Boston suburb or something.

There was a serious post by someone outraged to learn there was no Taco Bell in town and wondering why.

The other thing I find interesting is the sheer number of people - young people - moving here looking for every possible service. Immediately remodeling their house, need someone to mow their lawn all summer because they don’t own a mower, need landscaping, need a house cleaner, shocked they can’t find a preschool spot, need plowing, etc.. MANY people asking what the best internet provider is. (Answer: you have ONE option unless you want to go the satellite route.) Some people ask very very basic maintenance questions one would expect a home owner to know. I mean there is nothing wrong with any of that, but is an indication of a big demographic shift. Sometimes I have to remember it is a minority of residents posting there, and probably skews towards newcomers, because it’s begun to actually make me feel a bit negative about the town.