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irr1449 t1_izf3nor wrote

I live very close to Berlin and we do a lot of our shopping at the Walmart there. I’ve lived all over NH and when they say Berlin is “poor” they really mean it. Sections of the city are literally crumbling. What’s a 50k house when it needs more than that in repairs? Predictably the schools struggle because of the way we tie funding to property values. There is quite a bit of “blight” that just makes it not a hugely “desirable”place to live. I wouldn’t buy there with hopes of making some great real estate investment.

Having said all that, it can still be a great place to live because it is so affordable. Certain areas and the outskirts of town are not bad. It’s close to a lot of hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, and the ATV park. Shopping (mostly Walmart, but it’s a nice Walmart) is accessible. I just don’t see it gentrifying like other areas of NH have over the last 30 years. It has a very large low income population that have no where else to go because of Berlin’s remoteness.

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AMC4x4 t1_izhr82p wrote

It's odd how some areas of the state just seem lost in time for decades while others progress. My dad and I went through some of the places we lived 40 years ago in the whole Unity/Goshen/Acworth area and it just seemed like it really hasn't changed in 40 years. Lots of really poor areas that will likely never see any kind of investment re: real estate. Same kind of low income population with nowhere to go, but local businesses in Claremont, Newport and maybe Charlestown are likely close enough to commute.

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AlfoBootidir t1_izh6nfx wrote

Lord the streets are so fucking bad that’s why there’s 5 thriving mechanic businesses lmao

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