Need advice on towns to live 1 hr from Logan
 

Hello fellow forum helpers~

My son and his gf are planning on moving back east from CA next year.

The request list for the new town is safe schools, a town center, restaurants, not cookie cutter developments, can be an older home, and within an hour of Logan airport for occasional work related travel. I think the budget is flexible 700-800K.

Since I don't know a thing about which towns to give him to look at, can anyone give me a few towns to explore- he's tired of the homelessness, crime, and weather issues of his current place- thank you so much in advance!

Head for the hills by driving up Route 93 and then west, exit stage-left to Hillsborough, NH ..... www.town.hillsborough.nh.us

Wikipedia has an encyclopedic listing on Hillsborough with a map showing its location inside New Hampshire:

87-miles and 1-hour 27-minutes from Hillsborough Town Hall to Boston City Hall Plaza via Route 93.

Hillsborough or Hillsboro is north of Manchester, south of Concord, and very much west from both geocentric NH cities ....... H-I-L-L-S-B-O-R-O-U-G-H ....... has a population of about 6000 ...... is not too big and not too small ..... and close enough to everything. 87-miles up the road from Logan Airport..... Hillsborough NH is the place to be!

Bedford is lovely and supposedly has top notch schools. Real estate is probably pretty steep, but it’s an hour from Logan. Close to Manchester airport also.

The reality is that most anywhere an hour from Boston is going to be low crime, decent schools, etc. Going north, though, I would look to Londonderry, Windham, Bedford/Amherst, etc. Some of the smaller towns, like Mont Vernon, are nice but have low populations and, therefore, school systems and extracurriculars that may be financially weaker.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Bedford!
 

We moved our primary home here from MA 2 yrs ago. Have never looked back! Our kids were out of high school when we moved here, so we don't have personal experience on the school system, but everything that we have heard from neighbors and have read indicate the school system here is top notch. It is literally an hour door to door to downtown Boston, whether it is for traveling to/from Logan, going to Boston sports events, etc

There is plenty of "civilization", (2 Hannafords, one of which is more upscale than the typical Hannaford; 1 Market Basket; numerous restaurants and shopping; and great doctors, dentists, and lawyers, many of whom are in the "Top Doctors/Dentists/Lawyers" lists from New Hampshire Magazine.

There are certainly some very pricey homes in the town, ($1-5MM), but there are also many more homes in the "affordable" range of say, $500-800K. Highly recommend the town and feel free to PM me if you or your son have specific questions like realtor recommendation, etc.

An hour? Google lists it as 108 miles.

55 miles +/-.

Carlisle, MA. It meets all your criteria, though your town center will be Concord (which might be too tight at $800K)

Error
 

I googled Bedford NH to Logan and got: 58 min (55.6 mi) via I-93 S

Generally, you get more house/land for the money west of the Merrimack River.
Drive to Boston is just over an hour depending on time of day and exact departure point. I used to go from Merrimack to Boston for routine early meetings. If I left at 5:00 am it took 1.25 hours. If I left at 5:15 am, it took 1.75 hours. Boston Express (bus) is excellent from Nashua Tyngsboro, Salem and Manchester to Logan and South Station.

There are more direct/non-stop flights out of Logan than MHT, but I think more hassles and more weather delays. I'd check your most common destinations and see what the connections are from MHT

Not sure what the OP wants for "town center". Lots of towns with clustered churches, Town Hall, Fire, PD, USPS. Not many with clustered retail. Milford has nice town center, but you're stretching that hour to Logan. Derry has some retail. You can park in downtown Nashua or Manchester and walk to 1/2 dozen good restaurants.

I've lived in Merrimack for decades and think it is great. I'm prejudiced for NH. Otherwise, I'd say look at Westford, MA. My daughter's family (kids 13 and 11) have been there for many years and absolutely everything is top notch. Except it's in MA so it takes too long to get to the lake.

You need to define an hour. An hour to Boston at off hours is very different than an hour from 6am to 10 am or 4pm to 7pm.

That's a great point- he said no farther than an hour to Logan or North End for Italian food, he won't be commuting into the city, so I'm guessing 1 hour-ish to the airport and/or out to a great dinner. I'm also hoping that there's nice towns with a town center north of Boston so he's closer to me up here than south of Boston.

Town center for him would be more like Wolfeboro than a cluster of town hall,PD, etc- I appreciate the Westford comment, and I'l pass it on- he was raised in a great suburb of NYC, Westfield, NJ- Main St USA designated, could ride his bike everywhere as a kid, walk to all of the schools, over 50 restaurants then, more now with condo builds. I raised my kids to never live in a river town because of flooding issues, and so I'm hopeful he can find a happy town and visit me up here as well.

From Meredith to Boston?
Or does MeredithMan live in Bedford?

Bedford is within range, but not Meredith.

History
 

As a kid I grew up in a Boston north sunburn. A few minutes walk to the depot and 50 cents on the train to north station. With that familiarity and history, I never go there. I don't care how close Boston is.

Being the are moving from California, they should check out Mass towns....
NH is full at the moment.

We tried that ploy here in Oregon: it didn't work.

I get your point
 

That's funny right there.

Exeter NH 1hr from Logan nice town center 1-1/4 hr from tuftonboro

Both...
 

Our primary home is in Bedford; our lake place is in Meredith. May - Oct we're pretty much 100% in Meredith; rest of the year, 50/50. When I said "an hour to Boston", I was referring to the Bedford/Boston route.

Topsfield. Ipswich. Rowley. Middleton. Georgetown. MA.
Trains go from Newburyport to Boston every day.

New Hampshire decided to have no trains go anywhere.

Some love the city life, others not so much.

I grew up and lived in Lynnfield for 56 years. Great small town and 20 minutes to Logan and Boston, although I rarely went into the city. The school system is excellent, should that be something they would need later on. The town has become very expensive but they should be able to find something in Lynnfield or a surrounding area town within their budget.

Reading, North Reading and Wakefield are all close to Logan and an easy commute. There are advantages to living in New Hampshire but the disadvantage for them is the longer commute to Logan. During rush hour it is a time consuming trip. In my opinion the Route 95 corridor (Topsfield, Middleton, Georgetown Etc.) is a much easier trip during rush hour(s) and still relatively close to Logan.

Wow, what nasty replies on this thread. Very unfortunate.

If he is open to something a little longer than an hour, and his business travel isn't too frequent, he could check out the stops for Concord Coach Lines from NH to Logan. Longer trip, but nice and easy - he could nap, read, movie, email etc.

Hooksett
 

While working in Nashua, I did a lot of research and found Hooksett NH, as a great 'commuter' town to live in. Commuting back an forth to Nashua, frequent trips to Boston and surrounding is great!
Being in Merrimack County has a number of advantages such as lower property tax, lower insurance premiums on property and vehicles. Hooksett has great schools and small-town atmosphere. I-93 runs through the middle and not far from 101. So you have access North-South as well as East-West.
Worth your while to check out!

Dover, NH. We are right off route 16, close to 95 south. I can be at Logan in an hour. Great little city and it is booming. Brand new high school and some excellent catholic schools that my kids attend. Safe area, although unless you are in the 3 big cities in NH its pretty much all safe.

Houses are going fast though. We are moving to the lakes region soon and listing our home in the spring.

You really cant go wrong anywhere in the NH seacoast. My family is from the Hampton area and I grew up in Stratham/Exeter.

Spent 35 years in Westford. Raised three kids and owned and operated a small business in town. We would not change a thing. Expensive now, Littleton next town over is more affordable


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Tax rate
 

One thing to consider, especially with a "budget" of $700-800k is town tax rates. For instance, Alton 13.95, Bedford, 20.02, Dover 24.85, Hampton 15.93.
Perhaps think the area (approximate) rte 93>101>95>state line. Small towns often are k-8 with HS's region (Sanborn Regional in Kingston for example).
Relatively cheap bus service to Logan, no parking woes / exorbitant fees.
Many things to consider with a move like this.

Dave

Alton has a great tax rate, but doesn't fit the distance to Logan. Personally, I am looking to move to Alton from Dover. We spend so much time in the lakes region it just makes sense, plus its 35-40 minutes to Dover where we both work and the kids attend school (private). The problem is there is nothing on the market these days.

I have lived in Wakefield all my life... a considerable number, and I think Wakefield might be ideal for his family. All the schools are state of the art, we have a Common with a bandstand, summer concerts, a lake to walk around, kayak and canoe rentals , a Farmer's market, a bus line and a train station direct to Boston. In addition to all that fun, we have classy restaurants, access to major highways, and are 20 minutes from Logan. The tax rate is very affordable.and we have award winning sports teams and marching bands. Please tell him to consider Massachusetts, and vacation in NH, as it appears NH doesn't want us as residents but have no problem taking our money in the summer or fall or winter.

I agree
 

I agree on the Alton distance thing. Not sure how often the "occasional trip out Logan" would be. I wouldn't want them to concentrate on being an hour from Logan, especially if they can get a lot more bang for their buck by being a little further than an hour away. Of course, depending on where they lived in CA and all their area had to offer for services (thinking Uber/Lyft, FoodHub, etc), getting into a small town may not be a good idea.

As if they don't enough to think about, just wanted to put another idea or two out there.

Good luck with your move closer to the Lake. We love Alton.

Dave

Thank you all for your suggestions so far. There's so much for them to consider, and they will need to make more definite plans for sure.

My son is 33 and living in a rental in a suburb of LA. He will be working remotely from home at his current job and if/when the pandemic subsides, he traveled throughout the US every 6 weeks or so for work related events.

The Logan airport issue may not be a huge deal in the end, but visiting me from LA and driving a rental car up takes an easy 90 minutes, so he wanted to avoid a big drive, a 2hr wait in the airport, and then a flight if he visits family out of state or travels for the job.

He's a big restaurant lover as well as a good cook, so he was hoping to have a 'town center' with restaurants similar to what he was raised in- not strip mall living, more cozy town feeling living. No kids yet, but I assume on the horizon, and so good schools would be important.

The housing prices are through the roof everywhere, and he may be staying with us while he house hunts because buying sight unseen wouldn't be a wise option.

It took a few years to find our home up here, and I was driving 600 miles per weekend often, so he's aware of how difficult finding the 'one' can be...

Keep the town suggestions coming if you have other ideas, I'm thinking he'll land in northern MA or southern NH- he doesn't need a 'tourist' town, since he sees that when he visits here.

Thank you~

More?
 

You say no kids yet and don't mention a wife or where she might work/commute.
Nowadays, most people change jobs every 5 years or so instead of internal promotion for life, and the average mortgage is paid off in 7 years or less when the house is sold for a re-location or move-up. You're looking for a temporary location not a lifetime.

My son, same age, was in similar circumstances, single, new career. Bought a three family and lived in one, essentially rent free for awhile. Paid off his debt, saved some money. Then he made (with his fiancee) offers on houses where they thought it was a good idea for commuting etc. 20 miles away. Then she changed jobs and they bought a house a mile from where they already lived.

1. Good schools are for people with 5-6 year old kids. A long time away.
2. Where does he travel to? There can be good connections from Manchester and TF Green (Providence)
3. Somerville and Arlington are great upcoming communities

If he's going to travel a lot, a condo, not a house, might be a better idea. Quick resale in 5 years should be a consideration.

He may want to check out Reading, MA. https://www.readingma.gov/public-ser...nd-parking-map

Anywhere in NH Seacoast area is great! Not that Bedford isn't nice, but I just think there is a lot more to do on this side of 93. Portsmouth and Seacoast area are full of great restaurants and plenty of things to do year-round. Alton is 1 hour (Gilford, Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro 90 mins), Portland, ME is 45 mins, Boston is 1 hour, Manchester is 30ish. Lot's of other great spots are all within 1 hour. Best part is we probably end up at the beach 3-4 times a week to walk the dog, go for a run, random drive or whatnot when we aren't up at the lake. Can't count how many times we are on the beach in the morning and up to the lake for lunch on the boat :-)

Towns to consider in the 'Seacoast' are Portsmouth, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Stratham, Exeter, Greenland and Hampton Falls. Depending on what size and style house they want, acreage, proximity to the ocean, etc. etc. etc. will surely dictate price. You can get reasonable places in the $400k - $600K range and others well in the Millions. Rye and North Hampton floor will be much higher from a pricing perspective. Exeter has got one of the best school systems in the state in which some of those towns tie into, where Rye and Greenland feed into Portsmouth.

Before the pandemic, I'd fly anywhere form 80-100 flights a year and could be to Logan in an hour give or take 5 mins ANYTIME of moring / day. Have it down to a science and I'm sure they will too :-)

I’m a big proponent of MA’s north shore. I have lived there for most of my life. Great school systems, restaurants, etc. One consideration may be, where will he work. If he lives in MA he will pay state income tax regardless if he works in the state or not. No income tax in NH but if he works in MA and lives in NH he will be hit with MA income & NH property tax.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

My son's job will remain remote from LA regardless of where he moves, which is very helpful.

Seems he is working remote... No need to pay Mass income tax in NH if you are remote working for a firm in LA. Also, NH has no sales tax which means over the course of your lifetime, anything you buy online or in a store in Mass is subject to 6.25% sales tax which adds up very fast. On top of it he will have no state capital gains tax on personal investments and no state estate tax that robs his beneficiaries of even more hard earned money. The property tax issue is mostly a non-issue depending on where you live since Mass may have a lower mil rate, but higher home values and costs to purchase a home. On top of it you have to deal with incessant traffic the closer you get to Boston. if you are on the seacoast in NH, you usually don't hit traffic until you hit 128 or RT 1 in Peabody, so its just a matter of minutes further on 95 to get to Logan in the rare time he must. Of course, as mentioned before, if higher taxes and more traffic and less freedom matter, please move to Mass.

Especially if you’re going to vote that way. Enjoy Mass.
I have a friend in NJ who actually used garbage pickup as an argument for his absurd taxes:

I can pay someone $25/wk to pick up garbage.
He gets to pay 8% state income tax and 7% sales tax, as well as a more expensive, smaller house with a higher property tax bill.

Enjoy your “free” garbage pickup.
He is paying at least $25k per year to the state in income tax alone. Mass is just like this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Massachusetts income tax rate on wages, dividends, and capital gains is 5%. If your friend is paying $25,000 per year in a state that is "just like this' they are doing OK.

That tax amount would come from an income of $500,000 annually.

I believe the OP's son works for an outfit in LA. If that's correct, his state (CA) income tax may be deducted there from his paycheck, never to be seen again. I expect more and more remote workers will be battling this situation as we move forward.

“Doing OK” is absolutely irrelevant. Why say that?
It’s still state robbery when other states don’t do it, and it’s worse when you earn more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Remote workers are only taxed by the state in which they live, unless they sleep more than 50% of the time in the state of they employer.
If the state they live in has no income tax, they pay no state income tax to either state.

The only point of contention(for which NH recently sued Mass), is living in NH and driving to Mass daily for in office work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Disagree. First hand experience here. A resident here in NH but drawing a paycheck from a MA company requires you to pay MA tax. The law suit you mentioned was settled for MA, I believe, this past summer.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Because in NH to earn $500K is a pretty serious career.

Still irrelevant.
If anything, it matters more to live in an income tax free state when you earn more.

“You’re doing well enough” does not justify paying more taxes just because they can.

“Serious career” is just more noise.
We were simply talking about pros and cons of living in NH vs Mass…

Fortunately, my employer is in a state (not Mass) that can’t charge me their state income tax here in NH.
If I moved to Mass, I would pay the Mass rate to the state of mass.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But if you earned less in NH, then working in MA and paying the taxes makes more sense. That is why so many residents of NH work in MA.

The guy next to me drives from Belmont to Logan five days a week.

I don’t, nor do most truly “remote” workers.
I could move to a shanty in Bangladesh and make the same..
This makes NH a huge draw (for reasons other than the fact that is already naturally amazing)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It would depend on what office you are paid from.

They were just pointing out that fact.

Just hope no one in Bangladesh gets your skill set and is willing to work for less.

If he loves restaurants settle in somewhere between Newburport MA and Portsmouth NH and your still not far from Boston.