The best town to start a family

[Valerie C]

You're getting lots of good info for them iamhadley, but I want to jump in quick--they might want to strongly consider renting a place for a full year before buying. New Hampshire is going to seem like paradise to them for awhile, but the snow and cold can really get to some people. In the event that they just aren't cut out for New England living, it would be a shame for them to lose $$ (things like closing costs, home inspections, etc take years to recoup...)

Originally Posted by iamhadley

Thanx. My son in law has a internet business so a job isn't a factor. They would like a town with some amenities but close enough to a larger city where there would be a walmart ect. They would love a town where there is a lake or a river running theough town. A place with lots of charm....They are not used to the cold but are willing to jump in feet first. They have narrowed it down from Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. They are conservative and they hear that New Hampshire is a bit safer and friendlier. Their plans are to plant deep roots and really dive into their community. Hope this helps

[BF66389]

I second that...we rented starting in August and ending in June (although we put the offer down in April). There is something to be said for going through a full fall-winter-spring. While the winter wasn't hard on us- the very late spring was a bit of a challenged.

[buck naked]

this year, spring was awful and lasted until July - it's not always that bad


in 1976, we had temps in the 80's by the last week of March and the warmth continued right into summer - there is an old saying that we go right from Winter to Summer

this past year (actually the past 3 years) have not been normal

[seamusnh]

We rented for the first year we were in NH. It is a good idea especially considering that real estate prices are not likely to go up while you are renting... There are a lot of townhouses for rent in the Nashua area. Simple living while you determine where to buy and conduct the search. I am in so NH and like the 1 hour proximity to Boston (Red Sox games, museums, airport, the North End....). NH is a great place to raise a family...

[iamhadley]

Thanv everybody! great info....We have friends that live in Columbia N.H. They would like my daughter to move there, but there does not seem to be a whole lot to do there. I believe that is north. Does anyone have any insight?

[GotBackHome]

well... yeah. It's north, nearly up to Pittsburg by then! It's very rural up in North Country. Beautiful, but... not a lot of jobs, not a lot of people (compared to south or Lakes), and therefore not a lot of shopping or things to do aside from all the outdoorsy activities you could want. If you're into skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting.... all that sort of thing, it will be heaven; but otherwise.. learn to like them?

[cbraxton]

Searching New Hampshire for a great place to live that works for your daughter and her family? Here are some useful sources of information. First of all, despite being a small state, a lot of the location choices are by town and county and that may mean nothing to you. The very best place for town information is the state’s community profile link because every town has a consistent three page format. NH Community Profiles (http://www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi/communpro.htm - broken link) From that profile you can get the map, the town’s website (often almost impossible to find otherwise) and the school district information (often with a link).
The Lakes Region is popular for those who do not mind a bit longer commute to Concord or Manchester or have a job in Laconia, Meredith or Plymouth, etc. There are a lot of attractions right there and the mountains (skiing, hiking, etc.) are 15-45 minutes away depending on destination. Most towns are very accessible to services and there is a lot of outdoor recreation right in that area.
While you are searching, pay attention to property tax rates as they vary widely. The community profile data tends to be obsolete so use the link below. In the Lakes Region, Moultonborough is the lowest ($6.99 per thousand of property value at 100% value) and Ashland is one the highest (over $24 per thousand). Other towns under $10 are Bridgewater, Hebron and Center Harbor. Towns like Meredith and some others in the Lakes Region are about $11. Why does this matter? In a word, affordability. Take a look at this example, a $250,000 home (about average for the Lakes Region) in a town with a $20 tax rate will cost you $5,000 per year in taxes. The same home in a town with a rate of $13 will cost you $3,250 per year. That is $1,750 per year less or about $145 per month. Since a mortgage costs you about $6.50 per month per $1,000 borrowed, that means you could afford about $22,000 more house in the lower tax town than in the higher one and have the same monthly payment.
In the Lakes Region the prices of homes and land in towns with the very lowest taxes are somewhat higher because of this; in the very high tax towns (Ashland, Plymouth), the prices are lower. So be sure to keep that in mind in your search.
You should also know that some towns have a precinct tax on top of the town rate. This may take more local knowledge if a precinct tax only applies to parts of the town. For example, Hebron and Bridgewater have precinct taxes of about $0.15 per thousand that apply to the entire town to cover the cost of a shared elementary school. Gunstock Acres in Gilford has a precinct tax of $0.25 per thousand for the water system and other services. For a list of tax rates by town and precinct go to 2007 (http://www.revenue.nh.gov/munc_prop/2007.htm - broken link)
Another thing to keep in mind is that most of the homes in many of these towns will be on private sewer systems (septic systems). New Hampshire has had regulations about systems since about 1970 and the size of a septic system is rated by the number of bedrooms according to the regulations. Therefore, if you want a three or four bedroom home you might keep in mind that there are some perfectly good homes that will be listed as two or three bedrooms, but may still meet your needs. I know of 10-14 room, two bedroom homes around the lakes. Once you have a candidate property in mind, further research can tell you about the system in place. You can go to Subsurface Applicant Query
to query the site and some towns have excellent records.
By the way, for quaint villages Hebron (near Plymouth) has very low taxes. Also nearby is Alexandria where the taxes are a bit higher, but the village green is quaint. Gilford has a nice village plus easy access to services. That is a start.


Best of luck in your search. Chuck