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Hey; My wife and I came to New Hampshire last year (from NY) and expored many parts of the southern part of the state...we liked it a lot especially the Hampton Beach area, and Portsmouth. What I am looking for is some help finding a good neighborhood,with decent schools and hospital(s) that will welcome us as being a part of the whole group...we are easy going decent people that work hard to make a living, and keep our streets clean, we like to keep to ourselves but also want to add to be part of the community we live in, and want to live among people and not always looked upon as outsiders like so many Bostonians/NYC folks.....WE appreciate your time and input and THANKS in advance.
My husband and I moved to NH from New York (not NYC, but NYS) almost a year ago. I don't know about the people in the areas of NH you are looking in, but I can tell you the people in the Littleton and surrounding areas have been very good to us and have accepted us with no problems and have made us feel very much "at home" in our area. With the "mindset" you seem to have, I can't imagine any NH-ites making you feel like an outsider. Do keep in mind, though, that until people see you are "for real" they may be reserved. Once they realize that you are who/what you present yourself as, you should have no problems in the "acceptance" area. I just wanted to give you some words of encouragement, even though I don't know about the area you're looking at
I have been living in NH for most of my adolescence and entire adult life. The cities of Portsmouth and Hampton are beautiful tourist spots, but once you really explore the backroads and see the whole towns, there are a lot of problems. Take a look at the Fosters Daily Democrat and read through; the seacoast region, because of the high prices, are attracting fewer Massachusetts/foreign immigrants (which are actually really one in the same) than some other areas like Dover, Manchester and Nashua. But if you want to get to the heart of the state and what the state is about, the smaller towns are the way to go. Laconia, Conway and even Concord have great city-atmospheres packaged in a neat small town settings, affording you the downtown ammenities but also affording you space and clean air, which the far southern regions of the state have lost. I live in Barrington, myself (or did up until last week, when I moved to Somersworth) and the changes I've seen in the last decade depress me and anyone who loves the small town feel. There is enough traffic at the intersection (the only one in town, but still...) that you actually have to wait several cycles before getting through. The taxes have skyrocketed and the school district is still in the hands of Dover--which ought to be avoided at all costs (Newmarket?, Barrington, Dover and Nottingham I believe). Coe-Brown Northwood Academy is a great school, which does have many options to students. Barrington, Nottingham and some other towns have the option to go here, but the towns have been less likely to send their kids there. Northwood and Strafford both send all their kids there-- both are great small towns and close enough to Portsmouth without having the crime (the worst case I've heard of is hit and runs on mailboxes!). Enough chatter, hmm? In any case my thumbs up is Northwood, my thumbs downs are Hampton, Nashua, Manchester and any town that feeds to the Dover school system.
Thanks to both of you for your advice!!!!!
Windchime: Im glad NH has worked for you and your husband,hopefuly we will have the same luck if and when we choose to make the move...also your not the first person whom has highly reccommended the Littleton area,my wife and I have yet to explore the "White Mountain" region and the more northern parts of the state..cant wait i hear it is gorgeous up there!!!!
Hickgirl: You also brought up some vital points: for instance Ive seen some of the prices of the homes in Hampton, and did experience some of the traffic of the beach area(even though it should be expected on a warm August afternoon). It still looks beautiful to me (im sure it was even more pretty before all thechanges you described) but i know its a over popular" part being so close to Boston and believe me if I wanted crowds and overly expensive real estate I can stay in New York!!!! Also wnted to ask you more about Conway, it sparked interest to me before (even though Ive never been up there). The way you described Conway and the other towns as: small town souroundings with city convenience is pretty much what we ar looking for.....One thing I heard that North Conway wa a better choice than Conway is it true and why ? Also info on Laconia and Rochester wuld be appreciated!!!!
Hello, I am a 40 year native of Nh, having recently moved to SW Virginia.Lived in Laconia area all those years. Sadly, I cannot recommend the Laconia area. It has become so overpriced, with a huge growth in population coming from Massachusettes. Natives call them M*******s (sorry!) Housing prices are sky high, similar ,I am sure, to Ny.The roads are quite congested ie Rt 3, not built to withstand so much traffic. Check out northern Nh,areas north of Meredith. The lakes are gorgeous in Nh.Northern Nh is absolutely beautiful, but bring a job,you wont find many. Best Wishes IKUOUT
Yes, the north end of Manchester is lovely. Did you know that Manchester is the only city in the US that has a main street ending in a dead end?
We've lived in Merrimack all our lives, and think it is a very good community, with that small town feel yet still close to shopping, excellent medical facilities, and other services. We're kind of tucked away on a lake on the Amherst town line, so it feels very much like country. You can check out my neighborhood at http://www.4seasonsnh.com. We don't need to drive an hour to feel like we're on vacation all year round! We feel lucky to be 15-20 minutes from a Super Target, Walmart, Lowe's and Home Depot, not to mention good hospitals and Market Basket!!!
Did you know that Manchester is the only city in the US that has a main street ending in a dead end?
Actually, both ends of Elm St. are dead ends. The north dead end is a better one though.
North Manchester has separate elementary schools (Webster, Smyth Rd), and they are fine, but the middle and high schools are shared with the inner city.
@Northeastcouple: for small town feel with city convenience Exeter is hard to beat. It's 15 minutes to the beach too.
Please don't move to southern NH until I can retire and get out of Londonderry and the POSH schools and brutal taxes. In the last 20+ years the place has gone from about right to too damn crowded. At least for my taste.
Oh, A house on a couple of acres will run you about 1/2 million and be taxed about 7,500 a year anywhere south and east of Manchester. Ain't worth it. 'Nuf said.
housing prices and taxes -- all true, but still, there's no place quite like NH.
There's something very special about it (and it's not the winters!) Brrrr....
but spring, summer, falll can't be beat.
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To Northeastcouple
Someone who likes Manchester!
