Thoughts about living in Manchester (Nashua, Derry: wood floors, apartment, homes) - New Hampshire (NH) - City-Data Forum

mrdaniel · 12-09-2009, 08:39 PM

Hello folks,

I am headed out to Manchester soon for a job interview and wanted some thoughts about the town. It´s been asked before, but I thought specific background about me and such might help, too.

Soo.. I know Manchester gets a bad rap in New England... and the parts of New England that charm me and my wife the most, that we would most like to live in, are the mid-sized towns that still feel small, but have stuff going on - like Burlington and Portland. We like those places because they are small but culturally lively, have a progressive feel, seem to have a strong sense of community, are very outdoor-accessible, and have a ´foodie´culture. Now, I know that Manchester isn´t small. What I am wondering is, can we find those same things, and some of that New England feel, at least a little bit in Manchester, perhaps in certain pockets, or neighborhoods, or is it really just another city that doesn´t really feel like New England at all? Its worth mentioning that we live out West currently, and though we love the outdoor aspect, the new, sprawling cities without any charm are quite unappealing. I often wonder whether Manchester is just big for New England, but ultimately still feels like New England, or whether it might be anywhere. And I wonder about the admittedly nebulous ´sense of community´- what do folks think?

Lastly - I will have about a day to explore. What are some neighborhoods, etc, that I should check out, to have a sense of where we could live? If in the city, we would like to be in a more urban, rather than suburban, area. Diverse (ethnically and economically) is fine. And, are there any small towns just outside of Manchester that people often live in and commute to, that I should visit? For me a 15 min commute would be absolute max, and I don´t have the budget to live in an expensive ex-urb, but perhaps something small just outside of town.

Thanks!!!

yinduffy · 12-09-2009, 08:56 PM

There is a visitors center off Exit 6 on Rte 3 in Nashua and one each in the Northbound and Southbound lanes of 93 North of the Hooksett Toll Plaza. At these facilities you can pick up tons of up-to-date literature about the area and activities.
Manchester has good parts and not-so-good parts just like any town or city. I liked living there from 1994-2000.
A casual drive around looking at the homes will remind you that it was a mill town and the homes definately have a New England flair to them.

JukieF · 12-12-2009, 04:42 PM

We moved to Manchester from Colorado in July. We live right in the heart of south Manchester, not far from the mall. I really like Manchester. Even the older parts of town that some people might consider the "bad" parts of town have a lot of charm, IMHO. Having lived in the west most of my life, I like the looks of the old homes and the narrow streets and the fact that so many neighborhoods still have little neighborhood grocery stores.

Down by the river are the old mill buildings that have been remodeled into office space. I'm doing volunteer work for an organization that's in one of them. I love being inside that building, with its old worn wood floors and all the history of the mills.

If you want to live outside of Manchester, some of the nearby bedroom communities are quite lovely. Lots of roads that feel like they're in the heart of the country whereas they're actually subdivisions. :-) We opted out of those areas because my husband wanted a short commute to his job. Where we ended up he's three miles from work; it takes him about six or seven minutes to get there. We're close to every convenience you could ever want.

Having come from a landlocked state, I really enjoy the easy access to the seacoast. (And I've fallen in love with Portsmouth and Exeter, both a relatively easy drive from Manchester.) I like being so close to Boston and to Maine. My BIL lives on Long Island, and even that is just a four-hour drive.

We're enjoying Manchester a lot. If you'd like to ask me anything, send me a PM. I can give you our impressions as newcomers from the west.

Peony321 · 12-13-2009, 04:48 PM

Dont live on any of the tree streets.

lreznick · 12-13-2009, 07:02 PM

I guess there's no hope for elaboration on that.

buck naked · 12-14-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peony321

Dont live on any of the tree streets.

he probably means Pine St. and Chestnut St. areas...they are where the police station and fire stations are located, and home to the theatre district. However, the "combat zone" is in that area as well. It's the inner city around Central high school and home to a large immigrant population.

The Mall of NH is also on a 'tree street', (South Willow), but other than traffic to the various malls and shopping complexes, it has no problems to speak of.

Some people just like to complain.

JukieF · 12-14-2009, 06:05 PM

I live about a mile from Willow and love being so close to all the shopping. It's very convenient. We're also close to Elliot Hospital and lots of doctors offices and access to 93 and 293 is close and easy.

One thing to keep in mind about Manchester is the closeness of the airport (it's at the edge of town) and the airport noise it produces. We live about three miles from the airport and we hear planes going overhead all the time. But it's not really very loud. Most of the time I don't hear it at all. You can look at a map of the city and look at the layout of the runways to get an idea of where the noise is the worst.

buck naked · 12-14-2009, 06:35 PM

no telling where the noise can be heard until you actually visit the area. DD lives at the Hooksett/Manchester town line in the extreme opposite direction of the airport. She still has planes passing directly overhead of her apartment, loud enough to vibrate the glasses on the shelves.

When all the windows and the balcony door are closed, the sound is not noticeable.

When I lived in Derry, my home was in the flight path of one of the runways. I got the noise and I was 18 miles away!

JukieF · 12-15-2009, 11:44 AM

Wow! I live on Huse Road, very close to the airport. I've never had noise anything close to that!

mrdaniel · 12-17-2009, 05:21 PM

Hello folks, and thanks for all your insights. I had a chance to visit Manchester today and was pleased to see that it did not look grimy or gritty to my eyes and I thought the neighborhoods were quite charming and quite consistent with a New England feel. On my way out of town, the GPS sent me on a side road to get me to the hwy (101), and I was surprised with how quickly the landscape turned to rural New England. However, my visit also raised a few questions, and, I realize that my short visit means my observations are pretty uneducated. I'd love it if folks commented on my thoughts and corrected or elaborated on my brief inpressions......

- first, I drove around quite a bit and really noticed very few neigbhorhood businesses, other than grocery stores - things like corner coffeshops, neighborhood pubs, bookstores, etc - little businesses that give an area character and some street life. Other than Elm St, I didn't really see any of these kinds of businesses very much at all - and Manchester seemed pretty sleepy for a city its size.
- Likewise, it didn't seem like there were a lot of events - arts, music - happening in town from a quick glance at the public bulletin boards - again, seemed pretty uneventful for a place its size.
- Didn't see a single bus all day - is there a decent and usable public transit system?
- I visited the University and it seemed pretty apart from the rest of the city, and I didn't see any special events advertised that reached out to the larger community. Does the community draw on the university much?

Thanks for any and all of your thoughts! Daniel