I'm gonna be "that guy" that the top comment complains about.

Manchester sucks. If you want to live in NH and not just another generic city, avoid it. Portsmouth is amazing but it's dummy expensive.

I've never lived outside of NE, but I did travel for work every week for several years and lived in hotels all over the country... Manchester is a dirty asshole and people are spinning it. There are nice areas like any city, but it's just... Bad. Hard to explain.

Visit it and you'll see.

I'm 33/m. Remote IT job. Similar ages. Similar jobs. My suggestion is Concord. I hated Concord growing up but it's gotten pretty chill.

About an hour from everything. Gunstock and Pats peak do night skiing if you're a skier. Couple good breweries, great food. Some nightlife. Has the small city feel. The co-op is great. Main drag is fun. Really good ice cream place.

Out of state but in the area I'd also recommend Portland, ME or Burlington, VT.

Maybe Manchester is fine for someone from a city but if you're moving to NH to get closer to nature it's the literal worst choice you can make.