Where near Concord NH is nice and cheap?
June 28, 2010 8:37 PM Subscribe
Where can we live around Concord, NH?
Hi! There's a possibility that my husband and I may be moving to the Concord, New Hampshire area, and I'm interested in knowing what areas of town (I know it's a small city but I'm assuming it has some areas) and neighboring towns might make sense for us. We'd be looking to rent at first, in an area that was reasonably nice (but pretty inexpensive because we'd be looking to get some money in the bank), and one that wasn't more than a 30-minute drive from downtown Concord. Can anyone please tell me about some of the towns around there? I am entirely clueless. Thank you so much.
Hi! There's a possibility that my husband and I may be moving to the Concord, New Hampshire area, and I'm interested in knowing what areas of town (I know it's a small city but I'm assuming it has some areas) and neighboring towns might make sense for us. We'd be looking to rent at first, in an area that was reasonably nice (but pretty inexpensive because we'd be looking to get some money in the bank), and one that wasn't more than a 30-minute drive from downtown Concord. Can anyone please tell me about some of the towns around there? I am entirely clueless. Thank you so much.
When we lived in Concord, we were very happy with our apartment complex -- it was called South Concord Meadows and was sort of at the far SW end of town, but was still very convenient to downtown and to Routes 89 & 93. It was a quiet complex with nice walking trails, an indoor pool, and was pretty cheap, rent-wise.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:44 AM on June 29, 2010
posted by Rock Steady at 4:44 AM on June 29, 2010
I grew up in one of the small towns around Concord. If you want to live in a place with the quintessential small-town atmosphere, and rural-to-semi-rural environs, that can be easily done around Concord.
MeFi mail me if you are interested in knowing more about some of those.
posted by chiefthe at 5:32 AM on June 29, 2010
MeFi mail me if you are interested in knowing more about some of those.
posted by chiefthe at 5:32 AM on June 29, 2010
30 minutes from downtown Concord gives you a pretty good area to work with. You could probably go as far north as Laconia or as far south as like Manchester/Derry. With that range you can probably have your pick from urban, suburban, or rural living.
I'm from Southern NH, so I can't comment much on living in Concord. My SO is from Chichester, which is about 10-15 minutes east of Concord. It's very rural - most of their shopping and other activities need to be done in Concord. Again, depending what you're looking for, this could be good or bad.
If you're looking to save on rent, you might be able to find a decent deal in a neighboring town. We have friends in Pittsfield who rent out part of a house. I think their rent is a bit cheaper than Concord proper, but the Concord area has cheap rent to begin with. It gets a little more expensive as you move south.
It's too bad this was posted anonymously - maybe you could PM a mod to add some details of what you're looking for? Otherwise, MeMail works too.
posted by Tu13es at 5:33 AM on June 29, 2010
I'm from Southern NH, so I can't comment much on living in Concord. My SO is from Chichester, which is about 10-15 minutes east of Concord. It's very rural - most of their shopping and other activities need to be done in Concord. Again, depending what you're looking for, this could be good or bad.
If you're looking to save on rent, you might be able to find a decent deal in a neighboring town. We have friends in Pittsfield who rent out part of a house. I think their rent is a bit cheaper than Concord proper, but the Concord area has cheap rent to begin with. It gets a little more expensive as you move south.
It's too bad this was posted anonymously - maybe you could PM a mod to add some details of what you're looking for? Otherwise, MeMail works too.
posted by Tu13es at 5:33 AM on June 29, 2010
If you're looking for an apartment, I honestly think that looking within the city itself is the best idea. Most of the surrounding area is small towns that don't have a lot of apartments. Many don't have large complexes.
I would look for something near downtown Concord, if I were you. Concord has a pretty cute downtown with restaurants, shops, and an independent movie theater. There's also a farmers' market. I have friends who live right downtown and love it.
posted by NHlove at 5:40 AM on June 29, 2010
I would look for something near downtown Concord, if I were you. Concord has a pretty cute downtown with restaurants, shops, and an independent movie theater. There's also a farmers' market. I have friends who live right downtown and love it.
posted by NHlove at 5:40 AM on June 29, 2010
Portsmouth is only about a 45-minute drive away from Concord, and is a fun little coastal city - imagine if San Francisco were really, really tiny. And in New England. And, well, a lot less cool. But the place still has a neat art scene, and is (along with Concord, Keene, and parts of southern NH) one of the few bastions of real liberalism in NH. I liked it, as a kid.
I grew up in Merrimack, which is also only a 45-minute drive from Concord. It's fairly bland suburbia/exurbia, but it's right next to Nashua and very close to Manchester, and only an hour or so out of Boston. It's also likely cheaper than Concord, though apartment housing is going to be a bit more rare - you may find it simpler to just rent a small house.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 7:37 AM on June 29, 2010
I grew up in Merrimack, which is also only a 45-minute drive from Concord. It's fairly bland suburbia/exurbia, but it's right next to Nashua and very close to Manchester, and only an hour or so out of Boston. It's also likely cheaper than Concord, though apartment housing is going to be a bit more rare - you may find it simpler to just rent a small house.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 7:37 AM on June 29, 2010
I grew up in a little town called Northfield, just up 93 from Concord. It was chosen by my parents for its proximity to the highway but totally rural vibe. Housing should be dirt cheap here, and if you are interested in rural living, it could be a fun experiment. I grew up on 20 acres of land on a dirt road with a huge garden, etc.
This lifestyle would be a huge adjustment if you aren't used to rural living, and it's not for me. I live in San Francisco now. But my dad is still in a small town like this, and he's happy as a clam with all the outdoor activities at his fingertips and room for gardening, etc. There are a ton of tiny towns around Concord like this. What do you want in a living environment besides cheap and nice?
If you are renting and you're not sure what you like, I think it makes the most sense to get something in Concord, get a feel for the place, and then move out of town if you want more space/lower costs.
posted by paddingtonb at 4:44 PM on June 29, 2010
This lifestyle would be a huge adjustment if you aren't used to rural living, and it's not for me. I live in San Francisco now. But my dad is still in a small town like this, and he's happy as a clam with all the outdoor activities at his fingertips and room for gardening, etc. There are a ton of tiny towns around Concord like this. What do you want in a living environment besides cheap and nice?
If you are renting and you're not sure what you like, I think it makes the most sense to get something in Concord, get a feel for the place, and then move out of town if you want more space/lower costs.
posted by paddingtonb at 4:44 PM on June 29, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Are you looking to rent an apartment or a house? If an apartment, do you want to live in an apartment complex or in one of the many large homes that have been converted into 2-4 units?
Downtown (running along Main St. and a few blocks North from Washington St. to West St. basically) will have a number of conversion apartments and house rentals.
The South End (South of West St. and Clinton St.) will have the same. The South End seems to be pretty quiet and is mostly young families or retirees.
The West End (a few blocks on either side of Pleasant St. running West of the Downtown area) is more expensive and is unlikely to have many rentals available, but the neighborhoods are nice. I think most of the rentals there are likely to be East of Liberty St.
The Heights (across the Merrimack River off Loudon Rd to the East) will have a number of apartment buildings available. This section of town has more of the chain stores (McDonald's, Wal-Mart, etc.) and is also more diverse than much of the rest of Concord due to the large number of resettled refugees from Bhutan, Iraq, and several African nations.
Penacook is part of Concord, but has a different zip code, library, and high school than the rest of town. It is North, up State St (which becomes Fisherville Rd.) I don't know too much about that area of town except to say that the city has been doing roadwork on Fisherville Rd. for several years now.
What people call East Concord is actually northern Concord off exits 16 and 17 of I-93. I think you'd be hard pressed to find rentals there - it seems to be more akin to a suburb.
Ask more questions and I'll come up with more specific information. Are you concerned about proximity to shopping? Schools? Events? Hiking?
posted by Quizicalcoatl at 9:12 PM on June 28, 2010