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[jlarson]

I have toyed with the idea for many years, but due to just having been laid off I am seriously considering it now. I have discussed the idea with the wife and kids and they seem open to a little adventure as well. I would like to get a little input from others on a couple of topics - jobs, and schools.

Regarding jobs, I'm a Unix/Linux geek with programming experience (mainly Perl/PHP). I've been a sysadmin for 10 years. Is there anyone else on the forum in this line of work in NH? I'd like to get an idea of what your experiences are like. Perhaps some company or location info as well, such as which areas have the best job market, what companies might be good to look at, etc.

Regarding schools, I have found some of the more highly rated schools around Amherst and Bedford. What are your impressions of these areas? Are their other areas as good? What's the traffic like? If I wanted to have a commute of no more than 30 minutes would it be feasible from these areas?

I appreciate any insight you guys can give me. Thanks

[JasonPSorens]

I know of Free Staters who work at Dyn, Oracle, Audible, and CD-Adapco. The "tech corridor" is mostly in the Manchester to Nashua area, but there are also jobs in Lebanon and Portsmouth. I'm not in this area of work, but if you connect with me on Linkedin, you might see some people I know who work at places like these.

Amherst and Bedford are typical suburban bedroom communities. Lots of people commute from there to places like Manchester and Nashua. The housing tends to be a little expensive there.

[jlarson]

Thanks Jason, I'll look into those companies. From what I've seen it does look like the Manchester or Nashua areas would be my best bet. I haven't really looked much into Lebanon and Portsmouth, so I'll check those out as well. I'll see if I can find you on LinkedIn.

Are you aware of any less expensive areas with good schools? That's the main reason I've looked at Amherst and Bedford.

[JasonPSorens]

Typically, good schools make a town's property more expensive due to the higher demand. Hanover & Lyme have the best schools in the state, and house prices and property taxes are sky-high there. There are lots of good private school options, so if you can find a cheap town with really low property taxes, you can put your savings toward private school tuition. And then once your kids graduate, you still enjoy the low property taxes. In the Upper Valley, Croydon (close to Kimball Union Academy) is like that, but that's an hour-long commute from Manchester. As far as Manchester suburbs go, places like Francestown, Lyndeborough, Deering, and Weare have low property taxes and reasonable house prices. But you pay in a longer commute (30-40 minutes from most of these places). East of Nashua there's Hudson, which has low property taxes but fairly high property values. You may be interested in this spreadsheet of NH towns: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3904587/nhtowns15.xls

[jlarson]

Thank you so much! That spreadsheet is unbelievably helpful. As for the private schools, I agree that it would probably be a better thing for me to pay for my children's education directly I hadn't considered the possibility of offsetting the cost with lower property tax.

I really appreciate the advice.

[JasonPSorens]

Sure thing!

[KDus]

I like to point out the difference in perspective; I have; in Los Angeles.
While Jason warns of a 30 to 40 minute commute, mine is 45; on a good day.
Every school, is better that where my kids are today.
My rent is $2100 for a low end house.
I will gain in every way, when I move.

As always: thank you Jason, for all your insight and knowledge.

[JasonPSorens]

It's all about perspective, isn't it?

Happy to be of service!