Advice needed... NH or MA? (new grad)

[MuddaMia]

Hi there

I am currently in NE Florida and will be graduating with a BSN in May. My husband and I need to move, we can't take the heat--and we have never really found a "niche" since moving here from the Pacific Northwest 4 years ago.

His company has offices in Cambridge,MA and in Manchester,NH. He could relocate to either of these. We also have four elementary age girls, so schools are a very important factor in where we go.

What I am looking for is:

Good schools

Good (okay--great?) pay

Nice home in a family orientated neighborhood

A home we can afford..(LOL--I know, I know)

Shortest commute possible still holding to the above factors

What is the area of Nashua,NH like? Is the commute to Boston horrid (even if I work midnights?) Otherwise, is the NH pay insulting?

Are there any suburbs of Boston that a family can live comfortably on? My hubbys salary is about 75k--that coupled with whatever I can make as a RN would be what to base this question on.

Any and all inputs/advice would be welcomed!!

Thanks

[spottss]

Hi, I am from the Boston area just about all of my life- I'm 44. If you are going to New England I would say try Rhode Island. The you may work there instead of driving to Boston. If you go to NH you may need to drive to MA for work. But, you don't necessarily have to go all the way into Boston. There are suburbs with fairly large medical facilities between NH and Boston. Southern NH is nice but is often considered just an extension of Boston with the heavy traffic heading back and forth during both rush hours. Expect a parking lot on highways, especially during inclement weather when people suddenly forget how to drive. Take an opposite shift to the traffic flow if anything, and it will make life much easier for you-trust me on this. Oh and another thing. You may be pining for a more conservative area to live, but theres alot to be said for diversity. NH especially can be quite stifling as it is a very "white bread" environment.

[soon2bRN06]

Hi. We moved from MA to Chester, NH about 6 months ago. My husband commutes to Cambridge. He leaves early so it only takes him about an hour. He does not mind at all, but I couldn't do that everyday. I am graduating this December. I do commute to MA still for school but cannot wait to be done with this commute! I plan on working as a nurse at a hospital up here. I have debated since we moved whether or not commuting to Mass is worth the extra money and for me, with 2 kids in school here, I don't think it is. (I think as a new grad RN they pay difference between Boston and Manchester is around $5 an hour.) It is definitely doable though and many do it.

As far as Mass vs. NH to live- I was born and raised in the Boston area, but I love living up here. What you can get up here for your money is just so incredibly much more than you can get in Mass. We could have bought in the Boston area but we would have had a tiny little house with hardly any yard. Here we have a 4 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 acres in a very nice small town. I am also very happy with the school system here. I also love that we are still close enough to go to Boston for the day to take the kids to a museum or Red Sox game. I think this is a great place to raise a family.

As far as the logistics, if you or your husband are planning on working in the Boston/Cambridge area and living in NH, I would consider looking at the So. NH towns that are located off I-93. That would be more convenient than the Nashua area which is further west. I have a friend who lives in Nashua and when I lived in Boston, I had to take 93 to 95 to route 3 to get to her house- 3 highways!

I hope this helped. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions for me.

:wink2: