What area in New Hampshire is best for raising a family?

Question

Hello everyone, Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

Asking on behalf of a colleague. He's considering relocating to NH with his young family. What area(s) would you recommend for him to look into?

They are coming from Spain (wife + daughter) and he is American.

Thank you all.Best,

Alice

Izaiah Barba · Answer

Hey Alice, I was raised in Rye, NH, and couldn't recommend this area more to bring a young family. I am biased, but growing up in the Seacoast NH area was a phenomenal experience for me. It is definitely a little pricy but well worth it. A few other towns I would recommend moving to are Rye, Portsmouth, Hampton, Exeter, Dover, and Stratham.

I hope this helps!

River Sava · Answer

Hi Alice- Manchester, Salem, Portsmouth, Exeter, and Dover would be nice places to look into!

Sasha Fukuda · Answer

I'm not sure there's a right answer to this without more information about what you're looking for. Personally, I'm partial to little cities/ big towns like Keene, NH over places that are super rural or so big you can get lost in them. Manchester and Nashua would probably be too big for my tastes.

Cayley Lord · Answer

I would recommend Salem NH! It is right on the border of Massachusetts towns that have a high population of spanish-speaking people (Methuen, Haverhill, Lawrence) and parts of Salem still have the quiet New Hampshire vibe (if you aren't right on route 28). The schools are highly rated in the state (I dont know off the top of my head).

Salem is really up-and-coming with the newly built "Tuscan Village" with tons of new apartment buildings, restaurants, and stores being added next to the already-built Rockingham Mall. There are events for families all the time at the Tuscan Village and it is definitely worth taking a tour if you're in NH!

Dan Thomas · Answer

@Alice Huang

Bow and Hopkington are both two small towns with great school systems that are 15 mins to downtown Concord, our state capital.  Goffstown is also nice on the outskirts of Manchester. There are a ton of great towns in NH depending on what they are looking for.

Patrick McCann · Answer

I see the suggestions for Nashua and Manchester and agree with that there would likely be more Spanish speaking people but I’d say they’re at the lower end of great places in New Hampshire to raise a family. There is much better towns nearby just outside those cities though. Like others have said what is important to them? Do they like the ocean? Where do they plan to work? Do they like an area with a lot of datura ge and stores or do they prefer a more rural town?

Jaylan Archer · Answer

I agree with Mitch above! It is so hard to tell someone where they should consider without knowing much about them.

Family, friends, jobs, recreational activities all need to be considered before recommending any specific areas. If they do want to be around more Spanish speaking individuals, the cities in NH might offer that but definitely not the rural areas or further north. Nashua, Manchester, Concord could be considered. If they want more of a rural feel but still close to amenities NH is a great place to live. Especially considering the no income tax (you just make up for it in property taxes)

We do have some great growing cities, amazing schools (public and private), the white mountains, skiing and beaches so I would say NH typically has more of a draw for those looking for recreational activities.

Mitch Hartford · Answer

Depends on what he and his family find important. I think he will find more Spanish speaking people in the cities and closer to the Massachusetts border. There are a lot of Spanish speakers close to Lowell and Lawrence Massachusetts. If that’s important, maybe Nashua. If quality of public schools are important he could easily google that. Again, what’s important to him? Everything has a tradeoff.