Submitted by chosen566 t3_z83q5s in newhampshire
I’ll be in NH early January; looking to explore Portsmouth Manchester Concord and Nashua for a a potential move in the spring…anyplace I should def check out? I have a remote tech job and want to be more in nature with less taxes and somewhat close to Boston. Early 30s m single.
If you are coming from the NYC metro area, have a $2,000 rent budget, and want to be relatively close to Boston, Manchester/Concord are your main options (possibly Nashua if you can find a deal). This subreddit has a very strong bias against Manchester because it's unsafe by NH standards, but it has most of what you need, is centrally located, and is affordable. There are various apartments in Merrimack, Bedford, and Hooksett if you don't want to be in Manchester proper. Concord is smaller but still has most of what you need and a nice downtown. If you're not used to less urban living, live in one of the smaller cities/larger towns for a year and then decide if you want to move somewhere more rural would be my $0.02. Welcome to NH and best of luck with your search!
Make sure you check https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/ and zoom all the way to house level to see what kind of service is available.
I've been in IT for 30+ years and have WFH quite a bit, and lived all over New England, slow internet will suuuucccckkkkkk.
That map is useless.
Did you zoom all the way in to house level? Everywhere I checked listed companies and speeds.
And yes, it's not a great site, half the time I'd zoom in it wouldn't load properly.
It's not accurate at the house or street level, especially in the rural towns.
I’m in Dover NH, about 15 mins west of Portsmouth. It’s a pretty cool town, I’m also in my early 30s with a decent downtown and while still a bit pricey, a much lower price point than Portsmouth
Dover is where it's at. Great downtown, close to everything, more affordable than portsmouth
Can confirm. I spent a lot of time in Dover when I was teenager because I went to STA for a couple years and all my friends lived up there. Nice little town. La Festa is some of the best pizza on earth. Rochanistan and Somersworth are a little too close for comfort, though. Those towns are like scenes out of Mad Max.
If Mad Max was a former mill town in New England where nothing happens, you are correct.
If you want to pay less in taxes, then you need to move somewhere else. The lack of sales tax is MORE than made up for in property taxes.
And car registration
Recently compared tax rates with relatives in CT and they aren’t that different. Depends on town and how much income tax you’re avoiding.
I’ll be renting
You'll be paying the landlords property tax via your rent.
It really isn't. People in this sub act like NH is the only state with property taxes. It's highly town dependent. If you make over around 75k, then most towns in NH will be a better deal for you tax wise than most MA towns given equal property values at each.
This is, of course, a highly specific calculation for each individual/family. The reputation NH gets is driven mostly by the property value poor towns in the Southwest of the state that have crazy high rates (and proportionally lower values).
Nashua is probably the friendliest small city on earth. If you’re looking to find a good community, settle there or in the nearby towns like Hudson or Amherst.
Portsmouth is a shit show. It costs a million bucks to live there and they're constantly tearing the town down to put up more faceless luxury property that nobody lives in. It's so bad that it's starting to creep out into the surrounding towns. It's also full of fucking obnoxious yuppies and there's no parking in the downtown area even with the new garage. Avoid at all costs.
Exeter is nice, however. The surrounding towns are, as well, and significantly cheaper to live in. Epping/Brentwood/Kingston are all suitably rural while no more than 30 minutes away from anything else you might want to see or do. They're also connected to I-95 so getting down to Boston is a breeze. You'll spend more time in traffic on the Tobin or Storrow than you will driving to the city.
I agree with you on Portsmouth. I recently moved to the area from MA. Staying in a winter rental until the market improves, hopefully.
Newington/Dover is fairly nice and starting to get built up.
But overall anything on the coast is going to be pricier.
We recently moved here from the Midwest. We started in Nashua. Unfortunately Nashua people seem more busy and not as friendly as the rest of NH. We looked most seriously at Concord and Portsmouth. We ended in Concord for a few reasons: Concord is pretty central to most places you want to go. 45 -60 minutes to the lakes, the mountains, the ocean, to Boston. There is a bus that takes you straight to the airport in Concord.
The downtown area is very active. There is a farmers market, special events, decent food and coffee. And boutique shops like an artist space, some specialty stores, bakeries, coffeeshops and the cutest candy shop. There is actually a ton of things to do in the little downtown area. Every person we have met so far is down to earth and kind. I know the Chamber of commerce is looking to add some more events in the evening to draw in more people. And it's more affordable than the seacoast.
I wish you luck in your move! But try visiting Concord!
Yes it’s on my list
Burlin'
Folks are being mad negative about Manchester and Nashua but they're not... bad... just expensive for what you get. Def not as glam as Portsmouth/seacoast region, and also not rural.
in those areas you're looking at a solid $1.8k-$2k for a no frills but not... nasty...apartment. Deals can be found but more for folks in the "know" my cousin pays $1,200 a month for a two bed in Manchester but also can smell his neighbors smoking crack at all hours of the day lol with no private parking. (you ALWAYS need a car in NH) . My ex boyfriend paid $1500 (no utilities included) though for a small one bed that was in a decent safe area though. There are okay restaurants and bars in that area but its not exactly hopping.
Im also a remote worker, a bit younger than you and trying to get the hell out after the holidays. I live slightly outside of Manchester and the lack of young people and activities is killing me. Dating is a nightmare (saw you mentioned it) for me personally, but I'm also a woman of color so diversity is important to me which you are not getting in NH.
​
Edit: though if you want to see for yourself.... for a recommendation for something fun to do in Manchester I would go see a show at the SNHU arena OR the opera house, whichever is more interesting to you and then a restaurant on Elm St (the one "good"/trendy st in Manchester) for dinner or drinks afterwards. All in walking distance. Outside of those couple of streets the rest of it is either chain shopping or residential.
We settled in Keene and while there’s outdoorsy stuff all around it’s pretty deep from Boston.
What kinda stuff is important to you? Need a dating scene? Need for more than a handful restaurants? Music scene?
I came from Portland, Or. and it was a bit of a change. We almost settled in Concord but houses were more $ than we wanted to pay.
Coworkers talked down a bit about Manchester and Nashua but i don’t have enough experience to speak on those towns. 🤷♂️
Dating is important and skiing
I feel you.
If I was single and had to choose somewhere in NH I’d prob be in Manchester, Dover or Nashua
You may choose a town close to skiing with a small dating pool, or a larger dating pool further from skiing.
Also work in tech and in my 30s, though I have a young family. Checkout Henniker, Goffstown, and Keene.
I love that your post is being downvoted. Also 30’s moved here w a remote tech job for no taxes.
No regrets, now have a family, and most homeowners with families I know can only afford it with a remote tech job or being a business owner or getting lucky and having bought 20 years ago.
I agree w most of the posts about cities. Comes down to what you want say to day.
ocean w young people, Portsmouth
Ocean w old people but constant flow of young renters, rye
Lots of restaurants, but some moderate crime in some areas, Manchester
Concord is pretty dull
Affordable family living and heroin, Rochester
You get the jist
If you're remote check out the Upper Valley area. (Sunapee, Lebanon). Beautiful scenery, close to lakes, skiing and good healthcare. You're about 1.5 hours from Boston, Burlington.
My family moved here two years ago and couldn't be happier.
People will say stay away from Rochester and Somersworth, but to be honest you could find some good deals on rentals compared to the other areas.
They aren’t as pretty as Dover or Portsmouth but those towns were also not nice places at one point in time and now they’re some of the most desirable places in NH. People have a hard time seeing the potential in places like that and tend to avoid them but IMO they’re not as bad as some towns in the NH/ME area and they’ll probably be the next towns to get a facelift and become the next Portsmouth/Dover area.
They have some good amenities, are close by to Portsmouth, Dover and Kittery, about an hour and a half to the white mountains, have good access to the highway, good internet options and they have some decent restaurants
I would recommend Dover. Decent downtown and safe. You will get more for your money versus Portsmouth but still a quick Uber from taking advantage of it. Decent dating pool by NH standards, highway access to the Eastern NH ski mountains and Boston. Listen to others here and do not move to Manchester.
The best places on your list are probably Nashua or Manchester, as they are both central-ish in the state, a stone’s throw away from Boston, have relatively nice downtowns with nice businesses and up and coming cultural institutions for Nashua, and for Manchester’s downtown, it’s the closer you’ll get to a “city” if you don’t always want to go down to Boston.
Nashua and Portsmouth are great cities. Lots to do, good schools, low crime in Nashua and very low crime in Portsmouth. Both have areas that are a bit of a nature setting, though if you're looking for backwoods I'd look elsewhere. Portsmouth has the ocean, so it has a leg up over Nashua as far as that goes.
Concord is decent, if a bit dull. However, it's in very close proximity to backwoods and nature-type outdoor activities.
Manchester has some nice areas, but to be honest I think it's too expensive for what it is.
I'd also check out Exeter (next to Portsmouth) and Hollis, Amherst, or Milford (next to Nashua).
If you’re looking for a dating scene, then it’s gonna matter a lot what KIND of dating scene you’re looking for. Are you a sports guy, a dinner and drinks guy, a hookups guy, a bar guy, a club guy?
Contextually, lived in NH most of my life, met my so via a dating app. They lived an hour drive away, which by NH standards is pretty close. I can’t speak for in person social events but I will caution you that if you don’t live in one of the few real urban areas, you’re not going to find a ton of normie nightlife by city standards.
If you’re a nerd or introvert I can probably give you more specific advice though lol. There’s a lot to do here when it comes to nature and such, and we actually have a pretty strong nerd presence, but it’s all about what you’re personally looking for.
We recently bought a home in Marlborough (next door to Keene). Love everything about it so far
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.
Hello, I suggest you put your price range if you're buying and if not, how much you can afford in rent to help narrow it down.
Renting up to 2k
That’s going to severely limit you. Manchester and Nashua you might be able to find in that range, but it’s not going to be pretty
Doesn’t look to bad on zillow
That's not gonna happen here unless it's a studio in Manchester or Rochester
Plenty of listings around 1700 on Zillow
Dover is up and coming and an easy jaunt from Portsmouth and manchester. Tons of great skiing around a 2 hour drive (I have the Epic pass... Sunapee, Wildcat and Attitash are the ones I'm going to ski a lot at this winter). There are a lot of apartment buildings in Dover, no idea about occupancy or rates (I drive Uber sometimes, and am suprised when I find a new apartment complex in the area.. had no idea).Until recently, I was single and dating (have a GF now), and its' not too hard to date in the seacoast area if you expand searches to Manchester and into MA. I am 50 though, so maybe my dating pool is slightly different. I'm a fisherman and hiker/camper and I love the seacoast as all my fun hobbies can be had reasonably close. But you pay a premium to live in this area.
Around the seacoast... personally, I'd avoid Somersworth and Rochester. You'll .ikely find cheaper rent there, but these are economically disadvantaged areas with the associated crime. Crime is all relative... it is NH afterall.
I rent in Dover and it's definitely not up and coming anymore, it's full on gentrified. I'd say Somersworth/Rochester are up and coming and a wise place to buy a house in right now, but I just can't do it, man.
Come for a visit and see as much of the state as you can. Go where you feel is the best fit for you. The best fit is different for everyone, so enjoy the adventure. Just remember, our lifestyle here is much different than that of NYC and MA, so if you want to fit in don’t force any of that lifestyle on the locals. NH is a wonderful place to live and I like that where I live seems to be very laid back and common sense led. I have raised my 2 girls here and I can’t imagine having raised them anywhere else.
Portsmouth is great if you can swing the $. Concord is a good bit further afield.
Manchester would be a definite last resort for most folks.
Maybe just me but I prefer Manchester to Concord. Manchester has some rougher areas that needed be avoided (even though they are pretty tame by national standards), but Concord always seemed pretty bland to me.
[deleted]
Avoid Manchester is my only advice.
Any reason?
Give Manchester a chance is my advice. It will likely have the most rental options under $2k, it is under an hour from the ocean, Boston, and lakes/mountains, and it has some of the best food in the state due in large part to its diverse population. If you’re single and looking to date there’s also lots of clubs, events, social sports, bars etc. There is also poverty, homelessness, and crime, just like any other comparably sized city. Don’t go looking for trouble, lock your car doors, and you should be fine.
I lived there for 12 years (I'm mid 30s, female) and had to leave as soon as I could afford to. I moved there in 2010 because it had a new build in my budget but I hated living there as the city council (and mayor) is a joke, wasted property tax dollars, and it was just getting overcrowded and crime-ridden. If you want to be AROUND Manchester for the nightlife aspect there are so many towns surrounding it that are so much better imo.
I see
I just shot you a DM :)
It's generally known to be one of the less safe areas to live in. I'm in the Derry/Londonderry area and it's pretty calm, I hear Concord is also pretty nice.
Schools are awful, Manchester has a lot of bad areas and the good areas are very small. Portsmouth, Hampton, Londonderry/Salem are nice south east even a little north towns like Gilford, Tilton/Laconia are great areas too
You may want to check out Connecticut instead, just sayin.
[removed]
There’s plenty of spots along the Seacoast but it depends what you’re looking for I.e finishes, beds, baths etc. I just rented out a 2 bed 1 bathroom Hampton for 1900.
Damn, is that a common rate for Hampton these days?
Depends. It’s gone up a lott but you can still get stuff near main beach for cheaper but they are usually tiny tiny spots.
[deleted]
Couldn't have said it better myself it's just nasty
Orphan comment.
I highly recommend Bedford if you can afford it. Adjacent to Manchester, so you can get the city experience, but also far enough away to be removed from any issues. Often voted the best place to live in NH. We just moved to Bedford from California and love it.
Though if you are renting, it can be tough to get into Bedford.
I sent you a dm!
Consider going further west if you like nature more. Check out Amherst area and further west. Nice and quiet and little crime. There are like 8 trails a couple miles from me. Perfect hiking.
Anywhere in the white mountains is beautiful. "Near boston" not so much. Jaffrey nh is nice mt monadnock area in southern nh.
Stay the hell away from Manchester and Nashua they are shitty places to live and with everything going up in this economy you'll get a shitty place to live for a price that you can rent a house for
Why so negative?
Can't speak for Manchester but Nashua isn't a shitty place to live. Not a lot of nature though. Close to nature if you don't mind driving to it.
Take the advice.
You know the Lion King scene where Simba asks about “that shadowy place”? That’s Manchester, you must never go there chosen566
Go to MA. Much better there.
It's much better for you if you want higher taxes. The OP is different from you.
Fsp.org/calendar
I suggest you stay in Ma.
I’m in New Jersey
Few if any of the people with the "fuck off, we're full" attitude mean it on a personal level. It's just that you fit the demographic of a fully remote worker making a big metro area salary that moves in and prices out people who HAVE to live here for whatever reason.
I'm not originally from the state, but I moved to NH for a specific job. Remote workers from New York, Connecticut, California, and New Jersey are competing with people like me for houses and apartments. I've been trying to buy a house for the past two years, and I'm consistently getting outbid by $20-30k on top of offering $15-20k over asking price...by people paying cash. This isn't unique to the housing market. People in your demographic are making it so that people who've lived here their entire lives or have other durable ties to the region can't afford to stay.
Doesn't necessarily excuse any vitriol you might get, but it explains it.
Please stay there
No I’m from there, bored as shit I want more outdoors
BionicGimpster t1_iyacam5 wrote
Whenever someone posts about moving to NH, a percentage of dipshits who've never lived anywhere else crap all over Manchester and bitch about how expensive Portsmouth is - without your ever taking about your budget of where you're moving from. Manchester is a great little city - there is crime, but nothing compared to most cities and most of the city is very safe. If you are single and looking - Portsmouth and Dover are the best places to look as there are more young singles living there, and more of a night life
If you like the outdoors, skiing hiking hunting etc - check out Littleton - a hidden gem Imo. Concord is very central to everything and downtown is improving. Rental vacancies statewide are about 1%.