Best place to live in NH without a car

Submitted by kellyatta t3_11i121h in newhampshire

Hi everyone, I'm looking to apply to some jobs around NH. I've been to Portsmouth and I absolutely loved it but it's a little pricey so if it doesn't work out I'm wondering other options that may be good to live in. Some options I've seen with job listings are Exeter, Lebanon, Concord, Manchester, and Dover. But feel free to mention any others that would be nice!

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Icy-Neck-2422 t1_jaw3tuz wrote

Maybe Nashua or Manchester...if the limited bus service can get you where you need to be (or bike.) I'd recommend visiting before committing to either - not everyone is a fan of Nashua and many people are skeeved out by Manchester.

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procrastinatorsuprem t1_jaw43kz wrote

Exeter is almost as pricy as Portsmouth and has less access to public transportation. The grocery stores are not necessarily centrally located.

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RelationshipBig2798 t1_jaw731r wrote

Anywhere nh seacoast is a great place to live. All command a premium. The berwicks in maine are also great.

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Tiredoftheact t1_jawd2m5 wrote

Lebanon has a great public transit system. If you could find something around the green, you can walk to the gym, post office, a few restaurants and a bar as well as the rail trail. It’s an adorable little town and the UV is a beautiful place overall.

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so_it_goes90 t1_jawdjqx wrote

I live in Dover right now. It’s doable without a car, but it’ll suck in the snow

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k75ct t1_jawg1zt wrote

Not sure where you are now but NH is generally not good without a vehicle. Even if you lived in some of the towns mentioned, you'd be stuck in that town because there are no trains and limited bus travel available. Nashua does have local bus service and you can get to the bus station to get into Boston.

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A_Man_Who_Writes t1_jawgpdd wrote

Realistically you can live anywhere without a car. It’s simply about living within walking/biking/bussing distance to everywhere you need to be on a weekly basis. That could be work, grocery store, doctors’ offices, and not much else. I’ve lived without a car in several different areas that are definitely not conducive to living without one. But I made it work by walking, biking, catching the buses where I could, and doing as many things online that I could without having to go to physical places. If you can manage to work-from-home then that will make it exponentially easier. Especially if you’re a homebody/introvert.

So, in conclusion, if you can strategically find an apartment/home that’s relatively close to everything you need, and maybe a few bus stops, then it’s totally doable. It just takes some grit. You’ll get wet and cold and tired from walking/biking around, but if you’d rather not have a car, then it’s not that bad. You only have yourself to depend on and worry about.

OR you can move to one of the few cities in New England that are very pedestrian-friendly, but you’ll need to shell out most of your earnings to rent.

Anyway, any sizable city I’m sure you could get away with it. As some others have said, the cities in MA are better for this, but you can do it in NH. Concord and Manchester are the two obvious choices as they’re relatively dense. Maybe Nashua as well.

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what_do_you_meme69 t1_jawiel7 wrote

The clear #1 answer is Portsmouth.

A distant second would be Manchester, but that is assuming your job is around Elm street and the mill yard. There’s a lot of apartments/condos in that area with walkability/ bikability to stores, restaurants, grocery. I actually know a few folks who live on elm and walk to the mills for work.

Nashua 3rd but the area to work/live is even smaller.

I have no input on the bus system as I have never used it.

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Danvers1 t1_jawis13 wrote

Replying to A_Man_Who_Writes (#2,159,370)

There are some small towns in New Hampshire which have a downtown which is fairly dense, with a lot of things within easy walking or biking distance. I do not know about other parts of New Hampshire, but I my part of NH, such towns as Peterborough and Hillsborough, also Keene.

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bostonkittycat t1_jawisd4 wrote

Nashua, Amherst, or Milford I think since they all have downtowns walkable with stores you need. Avoid the country. I can't even get an Uber to pick me up. When my car breaks down I have to walk 4 miles to an Avis. lol. nice and quiet though.

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cringequeenxd t1_jawjbi0 wrote

if you’re lucky enough to find somewhere right close by to main street concord there are plenty of jobs and it’s easily walkable, taxi cabs and bus routes are available too if you needed to get to or wanted to live in other parts of concord as well

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Appropriate-Ad-9691 t1_jawnsbs wrote

Keene has a decent transit bus. They also have a walkable downtown and most of the town is accessable by the rail trail.

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MommaGuy t1_jawowwy wrote

Be aware that not all public transportation will go to all parts of whatever city/town you live in. You may have to walk a bit just to get to a stop.

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bum_bum_88 t1_jawp2es wrote

Winters without a car in NH can be really rough! I would recommend getting a car and that will open up your location options as well

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CoachDotty t1_jawr1ya wrote

Manchester, downtown elm st, underneath the bridge

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Substantial-Boss-768 t1_jawu9de wrote

Downtown Dover is actually so cute and has so much going on! Depending on what you do for work, they might also have a lot of walkable or bus-able options

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11_Wolfie_11 t1_jawv8gr wrote

Dover. You can (and probably would prefer to do so, the traffic sucks a lot of the time) walk literally anywhere in town, once you know your way around. I loved it.

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foodguy5000 t1_jawvx5b wrote

Replying to YBMExile (#2,159,530)

Yeah, anything near downtown Concord, even up towards the high school or over to White Park would be plenty walkable. I lived in downtown Concord for a few years and really enjoyed it.

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gardenfey t1_jawxeo8 wrote

Any college town would be good. I'm thinking Durham or Plymouth.

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Intru t1_jawxu1x wrote

It's more than possible to live carless or car-light in NH, people are just too attached to their cars to notice or are not willing to look around for a lot of their neighbors, especially those on the lower social economic spectrum, live pretty carless or car-light lifestyles mostly not by choice and mostly we make it harder for them to do so because "public transit will bring Massholes" or "I don't need it so why do it" mentalities.

Out of experience I know for a fact that is possible, I lived in the southwest corner and between Brat in VT and Keene are both livable without cars. I also had a carpenter friend in Brattleboro that between the bus and ebike with trailer would go to most of his jobs on both side of the border.

Portsmouth, Exeter, Newmarket, and the Tri City (Rochester, Somersworth, and Dover) area on the Seacoast, where i live now, has enough public transit and services in their town center that you can make it without a car as well. They will also have the greenway finished up in the next few years and at least Portsmouth is going to be paving and plowing its section of it with some commitment from Hampton it would be possible to bike from Hampton center to urban Portsmouth on the trail alone.

Lebanon-Hanover-White River is another area where its more comfortable to do so.

Then you have your big obvious ones, Manchester, Concord, and Nashua.

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GhostOfNate t1_jax3sa5 wrote

If you live near one of the Logan express stations, you could work in Boston and take the bus to the city.

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warship_me t1_jax4tkj wrote

Anywhere if you can walk to work/have a remote job and if you’re within a walking distance to grocery stores. I’ve lived in rural VT and ME without a car in my youth, it’s doable depending on your situation.

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tjcloutier3 t1_jaxa3a0 wrote

Don’t move here without a car. Even an old beater will do. You need a car though.

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Rare_Message_7204 t1_jaxbgay wrote

NH has terrible to non-existent public transport. Nashua, Manchester, or maybe Keene. Otherwise your SOL...

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yum-yum-mom t1_jaxbotv wrote

I don’t think NH is a great place to live without a car. With a car, it’s great!

Even in MA, you’ll need to be in s reasonable proximity to Boston to have good public transport.

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danmac1152 t1_jaxfd8i wrote

Gonna have to be a city. You’re not getting around otherwise

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lotionformyelbows t1_jaxk59z wrote

I bought a house in Keene and I pretty much just ride my scooter if i don’t want to walk. I can walk to bars, restaurants, doctors, grocery store, etc. I don’t need a car unless I want to go skiing.

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ReauxChambeaux t1_jaxkzgh wrote

I need a car to get my mail so i won’t be of much help

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charlybell t1_jaxvy0m wrote

Probably Manchester. Portsmouth and Exeter have no public transport. Maybe enough Uber options to make Portsmouth doable

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dannychan25 t1_jay5jgp wrote

Definitely don’t move to a rural area, even in NH (obviously).

I live in New Boston which is only 17 miles from Manchester, 21 miles from Nashua and 26 miles from Concord. It’s almost impossible to live here without a car. Even then, the nearest gas station is 20 mins away and the nearest grocery store is 25 mins away.

If something looks truly affordable in this area, research it first because not all towns have accessibility and transportation amenities (at all).

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Ok-Glass7272 t1_jay91h1 wrote

Go to Portland, ME. Good local transportation and a Downeaster stop. Lots of jobs, pubs, arts, action, recreation opportunities, etc.

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Ski-Rat t1_jaya79q wrote

Anywhere around UNH Durham, wildcat transit buses and amtrack will get you where you want to go without a car.

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Azr431 t1_jaybuy2 wrote

Dover, Durham and Exeter have Amtrak that could get you to Boston or north to Portland. They have smaller downtowns, particularly Exeter.

Manchester core has quite a bit happening and the airport. Concord has an ok downtown but you won’t be able to go anywhere else really without a car.

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coral15 t1_jaycqit wrote

How about you can’t live in NH without a car?

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bald2718281828 t1_jayehy9 wrote

any town will work, seek a residence on the second floor above an enterprise-rent-a-car place.

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buddaycousin t1_jayeu2g wrote

You can live in Concord without a car. There are apartment complexes on "the heights" with free bus service downtown. From the bus station, you can catch a bus to Boston. A lot of shopping is within walking distance.

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maxhinator123 t1_jayfkj5 wrote

Manchester is meh alright, I still have my car and use it some days. I bet Portsmouth is the best bet in NH. Side note that Montreal not far from here is consistently rated the most bikable city in north America!

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Hotdogwiz t1_jayhovf wrote

Hoboken or Jersey City are great places to live without a car. Not anywhere in NH. My wife and I shared a car for 10 years in Portsmouth with two kids and I wouldnt recommend it to anyone without any car at all. The bus wasn't useful ever. You will rely on Uber for anything but convenience groceries. You will never be able to go to the beach.

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PegShop t1_jayk0z6 wrote

My son lives in Dover and loves it. He has a car, but if you live near downtown there is plenty for you, and you can Uber on a pinch.

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benevolentmaster111 t1_jaysxt5 wrote

Replying to GreatGrandaddyPurp (#2,162,593)

I am sure OP doesn't have a car by choice either. I bet he or she has a fairly good idea that life is hard without a vehicle. I've not had a car for years on end before, and I knew I would be:"stuck in the town" I lived in.

I mean, you don't have to explain what it's like to be poor to a poor person.

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bonanzapineapple t1_jaz0kbo wrote

Replying to Intru (#2,160,175)

This is very similar to the comment I was about to write. In many of the larger towns in NH, the streets were laid out before cars were widespread, so they're pretty walkable. Also would be helpful to have a bike, which in the winter would probably need studded fat tires to be very viable.

I second Lebanon-Hanover-WRJ as another option, tho housing costs there are very expensive compared to most of NH

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NoellaChel t1_jaz20u3 wrote

You really need a car in NH everything is a distance and there is not really much public transportation

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mummifiedsu17 t1_jb08ipp wrote

People saying MA and Boston are mental! They are so much pricier than portsmouth and not much better transport links. The taxes in MA are crippling which is why people move to NH

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Nanotude t1_jb0oz0i wrote

I lived and worked in Manchester for a number of years. I walked to/from work, but still had a car for shopping and visiting friends and family. Groceries might be difficult without one but probably not impossible. But in NH, there are few or no options for public transit so unless you plan to never leave a 5 or 10 mile radius around your home, you'll need a car at some point. If you're in Manchester, I guess you could easily rent a car at the airport when you need it?

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fins4ever t1_jb211cr wrote

I mean Manchester is somewhat walkable, and it does at least have a bus system

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