Low taxes it seems... good sized city...
Your thoughts?
After touring NH for 3 weeks last year, Rochester is one of the very few towns I wouldn't live in. Can't put my finger on it. It was just unappealing to me.
The town budget is enormous. If taxes are low then something else is a BIG contributor.
Just thoughts.
Cathleen
Some Neighborhoods a little slummy.
Lots of traffic!
Hard to navigate. We always get lost there. :)
You need a NH Atlas! $15.00 postpaid. $5.00 goes to LSF.
Rochester is going through the same process of development that Portsmouth went through. Portsmouth in the 1950's and 60's was a dive. They used gov grants, economic development funds, etc., started developing Strawberry Banke. Portsmouth is now highly gentrified, and costs for housing are out of sight. Rochester is using the same development ideas, and is just starting to become gentrified. Rochester 15 years ago was the pits. 15 years from now it will be like Portsmouth.
Not exactly. It doesn't have the water views and the Old City Ambiance that Portsmouth has.
Say what you want about many of the people who live in it (sorry Candy) and the cost of living there Portsmouth is a beautiful city.
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on October 09, 2005, 09:40 AM NHFT
You need a NH Atlas!? $15.00 postpaid. $5.00 goes to LSF.
They are damn good Atlases too!
From a happy customer.
Quote from: FTL_Ian on October 09, 2005, 01:21 AM NHFT
Low taxes it seems... good sized city...
Your thoughts?
I drove through Rochester and shopped there. I liked it. It reminds me of a southern town. It had an old rundown section of town and newer sections. The taxes and housing, overall, are very low by NH city standards. It had a main drag with Wal-mart, Home Depot, and other big box stores.
If it becomes like Portsmouth, your house will go way up in value. Rochester has some poverty and crime, but nothing like most non-suburban towns of similar size in the South. If there is one thing that many towns in AR, TN, AL, and FL have in common, it is very high poverty and crime. This is not true in any of the towns in NH (well, some towns like Berlin have high proverty but it doesn't have high crime.)
I think the city budget is large because its one of the most populated places in NH. The job situation is not good (unless you like retail), and the near-by base will eventually close and that will hurt the local economy for several years. However, you could live in Rochester and commute all over the place.
Ian,
I am looking at Rochester/Farmington/Milton, Raymond, Tilton/Frankin/North Field, Hillsboro, Hill, and Grafton. Why? Because these towns have the lowest combined housing prices/property taxes in their section of NH. I'll get a job and then try to move to one of these towns if it is near my job.
If I end up buying a mobile home, I'll likely stay in a town with higher average housing costs. Either way, I'll be in NH several years after you.
Dude, take it from me, Rochester ain't bad. I'd live there if I weren't stuck on the other side of the state. Poor UNH students can't be wrong. It's close to the ocean, the lakes, and the mountains if you're into that. It's cheap and almost coastal. Plus if you're into the realestate market, BUY A PLACE IN ROCHESTER in the next few years because property values are increasing.
It's about 30 minutes from Portsmouth and Hampton, which are major social centers to the state. The Portsmouth-Rochester NECTA is about 290,000 people. It's a very economically diverse region, so you'll be able to find a job in Rochester, Portsmouth, Dover, or Durham for example.
It has all the typical shopping places, and Newington is the seacoast shopping mecca. It's only 20 minutes away.
I've lived here my whole life for the most part, it isn't a bad town but there are definitely some neighborhoods that you don't want to move into, however there are some excellent ones as well. Housing is probably the biggest upside to living in Rochester, you can still get it relativity cheap compared to other places and you would still be close to Dover and Portsmouth.
What is Main St. like in Rochester? Busy? I see a claim that it gets 18,000 vehicles per day. Is there a downtown life?
What I remember from staying there for a couple-3 months - 5:00PM was gridlock from North Main to South Main - not fun. Not sure how long it lasted.
Rochester was apparently at one time on the Free Town Project's short list. The yahoo group appears to be defunct. Is there still a Free Town contingent moving here?
What notable porcs are in Rochester?
Traffic was relentless on weekends too!
If you move to Rochester, you will be a pioneer. :)
Meaning there's no one there yet? :o
Quote from: FTL_Ian on October 30, 2005, 07:26 PM NHFT
Meaning there's no one there yet?? ? :o
Ian, there is a lady who lives in Gonic, which is actually a district of Rochester. She's not a porc, but a local freedom fighter. Suzanne. Anyone remember her username here?
She doesn't hang out here anymore, but she is active with the seacoast porcs.
Rodinia
There once was a lady who lived in Gonic...
Quote from: katdillon on October 30, 2005, 07:31 PM NHFT
There once was a lady who lived in Gonic...
Who gave her friends Freedom Tonic. ;)
She attended Dave's meeting........
but couldn't stop the bleating
LOL!
Bravo! ;D That's teamwork. 8)
Yeah that might be the best 5 posts in a row on this site.
Quote from: FTL_Ian on October 30, 2005, 07:07 PM NHFT
Rochester was apparently at one time on the Free Town Project's short list. The yahoo group appears to be defunct. Is there still a Free Town contingent moving here?
You don't know what you are talking about.
http://www.freestateproject.org/about/essay_archive/freetown.php
Quote
Eventually the potential Free Towns resolved down to a few promising survivors: Dalton (pop. 854), Ellsworth (pop. 86), Grafton (pop. 971), Groton (pop. 341), Lempster (pop 1,036), and Orford (pop. 1,039).
Quote
What notable porcs are in Rochester?
George Reich, AKA Libertarian40 (http://forum.freestateproject.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=9126cd1ab2bf8ff0a441ddcb26ccd1a9&action=profile;u=466). He was on the Free_Town_Project Yahoo! Group, and pushed Rochester, but it was never on the FTP short list. Rochester wasn't even on the long list.
Dick Green is a lifelong resident of Rochester.
(http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/images/Green2005.jpg)
Is Dick Green the commie guy who thinks like Hankster?
Yeah, it seems a bit too large to be considered a town. What made me ask about that was that on the "101 reasons to move to the Seacoast" that was the #1 reason.
Hey look at that, Libertarian40 hasn't said a word in like 9 months, but:
Last Active: October 27, 2005, 10:05:41 PM
Quote from: FTL_Ian on October 31, 2005, 03:29 PM NHFT
Yeah, it seems a bit too large to be considered a town.? What made me ask about that was that on the "101 reasons to move to the Seacoast" that was the #1 reason.
I think it is the 3rd largest city in the state. Called the Lilac City.
Quote from: Dreepa on October 31, 2005, 03:29 PM NHFT
Is Dick Green the commie guy who thinks like Hankster?
Well, he thought Benson was a douche, but so did most voters.
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on October 31, 2005, 03:35 PM NHFT
Quote from: FTL_Ian on October 31, 2005, 03:29 PM NHFT
Yeah, it seems a bit too large to be considered a town. What made me ask about that was that on the "101 reasons to move to the Seacoast" that was the #1 reason.
I think it is the 3rd largest city in the state. Called the Lilac City.
It's actually 5th, I believe.
Seems FTL has done his homework.
Here are the cities with pop above 10K:
Laconia 16,941
Keene 23,015
Berlin 10,594
Hanover 11,086
Lebanon 13,470
Amherst 11,499
Bedford 20,475
Goffstown 17,784
Hudson 24,373
Manchester 109,761
Merrimack 26,540
Milford 14,643
Pelham 12,348
Nashua 88,297
Concord 42,175
Hooksett 12,918
Derry 34,710
Exeter 14,539
Hampton 15,376
Londonderry 24,408
Portsmouth 21,053
Raymond 10,384
Salem 29,768
Windham 12,368
Dover 28,688
Durham 13,280
Rochester 30,244
Claremont 13,175
Just noticed this thread. I've lived in Rochester since 1998. Gonic, actually, but it's the same town. (I don't know the lady you're talking about). My house has more than doubled in value since I bought it, and prices still seem to be climbing. Comments on what I've read so far:
- Downtown: They're supposedly developing a river walk to help get people and businesses downtown. I think the bigger issue is that there's basically no parking.
- Jobs: Navy base is not an issue, IMHO. Lots of people commute south and west from Rochester.The big box stores are knocking at the door, if you like that kind of thing.
- Traffic: There's one stretch that's a pain to navigate, but it's not really that bad.
- Slums: Yes, there are a few streets with high crime. Seems to be concentrated in one area, and crime (esp. drug activity) seems more common in that area over the last couple of years.
- Local politicians you'd know: Dick Green (mentioned earlier), Sandy Keans, Cliff Newton (got some Liberty Award last year).
- Taxes: We pay about 3600/year. We have pretty good municipal services.
Overall, we're happy there. Pretty close to the things we like to do (ski, camp, fish, shop, watch hockey, mountain bike, etc.). Boston's easily accessible, as are the White Mountains and the ocean.
I thought it was 4th largest? Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and then Rochester. But to answer your question about a ?downtown life?, Rochester?s downtown life consists of Dover and Portsmouth, which is really all that bad because they aren?t very far away.
As far as traffic is concerned Rochester is kind of screwy because a river splits the town in half and there is only one bridge. They?ve been considering building another bridge for as long as I can remember but they never do it because of the cost. But traffic over all isn?t very problematic; it just takes longer to get from one part of town to another.
Quote from: ken on November 10, 2005, 08:01 AM NHFT
I thought it was 4th largest? Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and then Rochester.
Derry has more people.
Hrmm, I guess you are right, I know Rochester used to be 4th I'm not sure when it became 5th.
There are a few spots that are tough traffic-wise during commuting hours and on summer weekends, but there are still ways to get around that. Once the big boxes go in near exit 13, that's likely to change. Right now, the traffic in most areas of the city is nowhere near Concord's, Derry's, or even Dover's.
Quote from: Mark on November 10, 2005, 11:04 AM NHFT
There are a few spots that are tough traffic-wise during commuting hours and on summer weekends, but there are still ways to get around that. Once the big boxes go in near exit 13, that's likely to change. Right now, the traffic in most areas of the city is nowhere near Concord's, Derry's, or even Dover's.
What big box stores are you thinking of? When I was in Rochester, I saw a Wal-mart and Home Depot.
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 10, 2005, 11:07 AM NHFT
Quote from: Mark on November 10, 2005, 11:04 AM NHFT
There are a few spots that are tough traffic-wise during commuting hours and on summer weekends, but there are still ways to get around that. Once the big boxes go in near exit 13, that's likely to change. Right now, the traffic in most areas of the city is nowhere near Concord's, Derry's, or even Dover's.
What big box stores are you thinking of? When I was in Rochester, I saw a Wal-mart and Home Depot.
There's a monstrous dirt-moving project in progress on Rt. 202, just off of exit 13 (about 2 miles from Home Depot, but more on the Fairgrounds side of town). Word is it'll be a Kohl's and a national chain restaurant for now.
Quote from: Mark on November 10, 2005, 12:15 PM NHFT
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 10, 2005, 11:07 AM NHFT
Quote from: Mark on November 10, 2005, 11:04 AM NHFT
There are a few spots that are tough traffic-wise during commuting hours and on summer weekends, but there are still ways to get around that. Once the big boxes go in near exit 13, that's likely to change. Right now, the traffic in most areas of the city is nowhere near Concord's, Derry's, or even Dover's.
What big box stores are you thinking of?? When I was in Rochester, I saw a Wal-mart and Home Depot.
There's a monstrous dirt-moving project in progress on Rt. 202, just off of exit 13 (about 2 miles from Home Depot, but more on the Fairgrounds side of town). Word is it'll be a Kohl's and a national chain restaurant for now.
Kohl's are really nice. We just starting getting them where I live. Yet another reason to move to Rochester :)
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 10, 2005, 12:35 PM NHFT
Kohl's are really nice.? We just starting getting them where I live.? Yet another reason to move to Rochester? :)
Yeah I am going to move to a town because of a store... ::)
I believe that part of all that construction is Pizza Hut moving down the street to make room for the new on ramp for rt16 and also that a new dunkin donuts is going in.
Don't worry Ian .... they are putting in a new Dunkin Donuts. ;D
Quote from: russellkanning on November 11, 2005, 07:55 AM NHFT
Don't worry Ian .... they are putting in a new Dunkin Donuts. ;D
Now that is one store that I wish my town had. The nearest DD is about 13 miles away!!!!!!
I didn't think that was possible.
You should have mentioned that to the realtor. The closest one is in Concord. We have 3 of them I think.
Quote from: russellkanning on November 11, 2005, 08:12 AM NHFT
You should have mentioned that to the realtor. The closest one is in Concord. We have 3 of them I think.
Yeah 11 miles to Concord or 13 miles to Warner.
There is a building for sale in my town... ??? ???
There's a severe dunkin donuts shortage in NH.
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? ?It has lots of DD but no http://www.krispykreme.com/ . ?Is it outlawed or something? ?Heck, all of northern New England is without KK. ?What the heck? ?When I move to NH, will I have to go to Costco to get some KK?
Walmart donut holes are good and cheap.
Quote from: katdillon on November 11, 2005, 01:27 PM NHFT
There's a severe dunkin donuts shortage in NH.
http://www.dunkindonuts.com/ say's that there are 103 DD within 50 miles of Concord.
Thinking the only Costco in NH is in Nashua.
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:32 PM NHFT
Quote from: katdillon on November 11, 2005, 01:27 PM NHFT
There's a severe dunkin donuts shortage in NH.
http://www.dunkindonuts.com/ say's that there are 103 DD within 50 miles of Concord.
See! A shortage for sure!
(Actually I don't like donuts or coffee, so....)
Quote from: katdillon on November 11, 2005, 01:33 PM NHFT
Thinking the only Costco in NH is in Nashua.
Good point Dave ;D
Hey! I haven't hugged any chicks lately.
Even Keene has a shortage:
Duncan Donut
(603) 357-0263 364 Winchester St
Keene, NH Map
Dunkin Donuts
(603) 352-2251 191 West St
Keene, NH Map
Dunkin Donuts
(603) 352-8793 47 Monadnock Hwy
Keene, NH Map
Dunkin Donuts
(603) 352-7353 30 Production Ave
Keene, NH Map
Dunkin Donuts
(603) 352-1111 410 West St
Keene, NH Map
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:32 PM NHFT
Quote from: katdillon on November 11, 2005, 01:27 PM NHFT
There's a severe dunkin donuts shortage in NH.
http://www.dunkindonuts.com/ say's that there are 103 DD within 50 miles of Concord.
Right... just not to the west of Concord.
Nearest Costco is Nashua .. I guess I will let my membership expire.
Nearest Trader Joes is in MA right over the border.
Mods, can we split the donuttery into its own thread?
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? ?It has lots of DD but no http://www.krispykreme.com/ . ?Is it outlawed or something? ?Heck, all of northern New England is without KK. ?What the heck? ?When I move to NH, will I have to go to Costco to get some KK?
Thanks for bringing this up. People just don't know a good donut these days! The New England area is taken by one man and he is taking his time adding them. The closest to Concord is in Saugus, MA.
===================================
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN A KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT CORPORATION FRANCHISE.
Our current Area Developers have requested the rights to develop the majority of the smaller markets. The markets that they do not develop may be made available in the future. Until then, there are no franchise opportunities available in the United States.
Please be advised that all inquiries must be directed to our franchise department in the Krispy Kreme corporate office in Winston-Salem, NC. We do not grant franchise rights or explore joint venture agreements without meeting potential franchisees in person. For additional information or to inquire about available markets, please call 1-800-4KRISPY.
===================================
I believe Krispy Kreeme over did it and almost tanked.
Instead of Dunkin Donuts, how about talking about a coffee shop? >:D
I kinda liked http://www.cariboucoffee.com/
I avoid Kohl's - hate to be supporting that damn Democratic senator from Wisconsin. (I also avoid Target to not support that damn Democratic senator from Minnesota)
Of course, what New Hampshire is really missing is Taco Johns!
http://www.tacojohns.com/ (http://www.tacojohns.com/)
Unfortunately they won't allow franchises in NH. :'(
So, any restaurant recommendations for the Deerfield area?
Quote from: rhelwig on November 11, 2005, 09:39 PM NHFT
Of course, what New Hampshire is really missing is Taco Johns!
You bad, bad man. Taco John's is from Wyoming!
Mmm Taco John's.
We didn't have taco johns in SoCal either ...... boy Ian better rescue his thread unless he wanted the store/restaurant report of Rochester. ;D
There is a nice coffee shop in Rochester on Main St. just south of Fosters Daily Democrat. ?It was usually pretty quiet ther whenever I went there and I hope it is still in business.
Another interesting place is 'Froggys' also on Main St. just north of the bridge.
Do they serve frog legs there?
Only went there for breakfast
You can't have frog legs for breakfast?
No, pretty much has to be eggs or something I can float butter and syrup on
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? It has lots of DD but no http://www.krispykreme.com/ . Is it outlawed or something? Heck, all of northern New England is without KK. What the heck? When I move to NH, will I have to go to Costco to get some KK?
There's a small chain of drive-up coffee shacks called Aroma Joe's that sells Krispy Kremes. They're mostly in the Seacoast area. The coffee is great.
Not sure what you mean by DD shortage. I think I pass 3-4 on my 35 mile trip to work, and it seems like they're popping up in every gas station now. Maybe the Keene area is missing out. You do have Bagel Works, though (I think it's just called "The Works" there).
Quote from: ken on November 11, 2005, 07:21 AM NHFT
I believe that part of all that construction is Pizza Hut moving down the street to make room for the new on ramp for rt16 and also that a new dunkin donuts is going in.
I think the DD/Pizza Hut deal is more toward downtown.
Quote from: Mark on November 14, 2005, 12:44 PM NHFT
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH?? It has lots of DD but no http://www.krispykreme.com/ .? Is it outlawed or something?? Heck, all of northern New England is without KK.? What the heck?? When I move to NH, will I have to go to Costco to get some KK?
There's a small chain of drive-up coffee shacks called Aroma Joe's that sells Krispy Kremes. They're mostly in the Seacoast area. The coffee is great.
Not sure what you mean by DD shortage. I think I pass 3-4 on my 35 mile trip to work, and it seems like they're popping up in every gas station now. Maybe the Keene area is missing out. You do have Bagel Works, though (I think it's just called "The Works" there).
I think Kat pointed out there qre 5 DD's in Keene. You could almost spit from one to the other.
Fortunatly, there is, also, a Starbucks!
What does Domestic Discipline have to do with donuts? ;D
or Darling Daughters?
Dungeons and Dragons?
Quote from: Mark on November 14, 2005, 12:44 PM NHFT
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? It has lots of DD ...
Not sure what you mean by DD shortage. I think I pass 3-4 on my 35 mile trip to work, and it seems like they're popping up in every gas station now. Maybe the Keene area is missing out. You do have Bagel Works, though (I think it's just called "The Works" there).
You know you are from New England when ...... you don't get the Dunkin' Donuts jokes. ;D
Well Ian ..... are you getting a feel for the local flavor in Rochester?
Quote from: russellkanning on November 14, 2005, 04:44 PM NHFT
Well Ian ..... are you getting a feel for the local flavor in Rochester?
It's been a few pages since that has been mentioned!
Quote from: russellkanning on November 14, 2005, 04:43 PM NHFT
Quote from: Mark on November 14, 2005, 12:44 PM NHFT
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? It has lots of DD ...
Not sure what you mean by DD shortage. I think I pass 3-4 on my 35 mile trip to work, and it seems like they're popping up in every gas station now. Maybe the Keene area is missing out. You do have Bagel Works, though (I think it's just called "The Works" there).
You know you are from New England when ...... you don't get the Dunkin' Donuts jokes. ;D
Gotcha. Sorry... :-[
Back to Rochester for a second -- I don't know if the original poster has kids or not, but the youth sports programs are great. A local landowner gave a huge chunk of property for athletic use years ago, and it now contains a football field, 8 or 9 baseball fields, two or three softball fields, and a bunch of soccer fields. We've been happy with the schools so far, but only one of ours is enrolled (we keep the other one working in the basement :P), and he's only in first grade.
Last I remember the tax rate was in the high 20's per $1K. Assessments just went way up for most people. From the looks of things the housing market probably peaked last year, so you might not be facing the buying competition that people have been experiencing over the last several years. A few years ago, my friend across the street put a sign on his lawn and sold it within a week with no realtor, for more than his asking price. Houses in my neighborhood are taking from a few weeks to a few months to sell now.
I'd call the city council relatively liberal, but not really consistently so. I guess that doesn't make much sense, but basically there are a couple that are steady fiscal conservatives and the rest may either tighten or loosen the purse strings depending on whether it's one of their pet issues. There were a few changes in last week's elections, but I don't know enough about the new people (not in my voting ward) to say much about them.
Find the comments on Rochester most interesting.? Aside from Lloyd, and Pat M, do not believe
any of you have more that passed though.
Rochester is like many small cities in NH, an old mill town, and the largest city in the Seacoast Region.
Run down a bit, perhaps, but it also affords real opportunites if you are looking for real estate, or business
opportunities, dare I say looking to make a buck.
Rochester sets in what I call our Seacoast strip....Heading north from Portsmouth, 10 minutes, Dover, another
10 Rochester, followed up 10 later with Farmington.? Heading north from Portsmouth the property gets more
reasonable as you move north, but so does opportunity increase.
Rochester is a workingman's town, many of the folks actually work in the shipyards in Portsmouth.? Rochester is
convient, Concord 45 minutes, Manchester 50, Boston, straight shot about an hour, depending on were.
Believe someone also mentioned Suzanne?? Personally I have found no one in NH more dedicated to freedom, and
feel real fortunate to call her friend.?
Dave
Quote from: davemincin on November 15, 2005, 08:59 AM NHFT
Find the comments on Rochester most interesting. Aside from Lloyd, and Pat M, do not believe
any of you have more that passed though.
I've lived there since May of 1996. I'm passing through very slowly.
;D
You should attend one of Dave's meetings.
I lived there from when I was 12 until my mid 20s, and since then have lived in the surrounding area like Dover, Newmarket and now Somersworth. Rochester isn't bad, it doesn't have the uncaring aura like a big city would. The only downside seems to be the city counsil is split between the liberal "more taxes good" people who want to eventually be a suburb of Massachussetts in spirit if not in fact, and the conservative "no more taxes, unless its for projects me or my associates have a stake in" crowd, which talks a good game about slowing the growth of local government but somehow never seems to bite the bullet and do it.
Much of the run down areas are holdovers from when a good sized majority of the people were either from Quebec here working the shoe factories and mills, or descended from them and tended to build small houses of lower quality that were brightly colored but extremely close together. Descendents still comprise a large fraction of the community and their politics seems to be conservative/catholic oriented for the most part. Most problems in the little crime there are drug/alcohol incited random acts of passion and stupidity. The police blotters they publish once a week tell it all, sometimes in an amusing fashion.
The Rochester Chamber of Commerce is a bit clickie, but they seem to try to improve things as best they can. Years ago they had a big push on to expand the night time attractions in the downtown in hopes of getting people to come and spend a little there instead of the malls or out of town. Unfortunately the then mostly conservative catholics on the council decided that large night time businesses like clubs and big restaurants would "attract the wrong element and cause trouble" i.e. young people having fun at night frightened them lol.
I think by attrition the council is getting younger though, so there is hope.
As far as taxes, they periodically re-evaluate property values for tax purposes to pretend your rates go down when you actually pay either the same or a little more after the smoke clears. The valuations of course usually seem to be above when any reasonable person would buy any given property for, so there may be some sloppiness requiring correction at city hall there.
The local area paper, the Foster's Daily Democrat is hardly democratic for the most part, but has a virtual lock on the flow of information. They own the free weekly paper too (they didn't used to) so there isn't much else in print but what they decide on. People who hold views outside the editor's seem to not get much favorable press, and nobody has the energy and/or resources to publish another one to compete with them. The town cable monopoly is now called Metrocast, and every 5-7 years or whenever it gets renewed the public is officially but quietly notified, then if too many of them show up at the council sessions where the contract is being discussed, they jam it into a closed session to finalize it. Not very open government on some issues it seems.
Lots of room for activated, informed and stubborn Libertarians to jump in and make a difference. I'm in the local chapter of the Jaycees there (Junior Chamber) and try to get some volunteer community service projects done, so there are some people here that are willing to donate time and energy. If it wasn't for us for example, there would be no fireworks every year at the fairgrounds (privately organized and paid for by admissions to the event by us), they wouldn't even put sparklers on the mayor's lawn they are so cheap about stuff like that, but boy if they have a pet project like rennovating the old Opera House next door to the fire station, they find a way to lend city resources.
Just my 4 cents (went on twice as long as I should I suppose).
Thanks, Barbarian, and welcome to the forum!
If you like Massachusetts, you'll like Rochester.
It's not much like the rest of NH.
Quote from: TN-FSP on November 11, 2005, 01:28 PM NHFT
Quote from: Scott Roth on November 11, 2005, 01:17 PM NHFT
They're everywhere! :D
What's with NH? ?It has lots of DD but no http://www.krispykreme.com/ . ?Is it outlawed or something? ?Heck, all of northern New England is without KK. ?What the heck? ?When I move to NH, will I have to go to Costco to get some KK?
AAAAHHHHHHHHH Nooooooo! Krispy Kreme stores in New England are closing!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Ian .... update on Rochester ..... it is cold there right now ....... down to 15 at night. ;)
*Does not compute!* :o
Try it, you'll like it!
i was raised in rochester and spent my early adulthood there [approx. 78-95].
i love to make fun of my town,,, it has a real 'bubba' subculture to it, which i say with affection.
it's trying to dress itself up with the ridiculous amount of tacky 'mcmansions' going up in once fertile farmlands, and needless 'shopping' areas.........but, in my opinion, rochester is becoming like alot of other cramped, undescriptive towns in southern NH. It's too bad,, i grew up biking, hiking, canoeing, skiing, climbing and scouting for animals in every nook-and-cranny of rochester,,,,,,,,,good luck FINDING any nooks or crannies left. >:(
yes, i'm sour about this. like others, i'm sure,, it's disheartening to see your hometown being carved up.
if you don't have the disposition of wanting to 'see or be seen',, you'll like the town. cfp
I'm hoping to resurrect this thread about Rochester a little, because I'm moving there (or the very immediate area) just next month, and need to get a jump on housing.
I've heard some comments about there being some rough parts. Where exactly is that, what street names and areas?
I visited and liked Dover last year, and understand Rochester is different and becoming more McCity from what people describe, though living here in a suburb of San Francisco sucks BIG TIME, so I imagine it can't be this bad.
If anyone is feeling generous with their insight and is either living in Rochester now or very familiar with it please leave me a message.
I had a place I rented from some nice friends of the FSP. It was on River St. The river views were great. The neighborhood was probably one of the poorer parts of town, but, I never had any problems. Easy walk to downtown.
I have relatives there and the daughter of a friend works in town. None of us can recommend the city, especially if you're going to send kids to the public school.
Quote from: Henry on June 08, 2007, 06:32 PM NHFT
I visited and liked Dover last year, and understand Rochester is different and becoming more McCity from what people describe, though living here in a suburb of San Francisco sucks BIG TIME, so I imagine it can't be this bad.
The worst place in NH is better than a suburb of SF.
I moved from the Bay area in August 05... I love it here!
Quote from: Dreepa on June 13, 2007, 01:59 PM NHFT
Quote from: Henry on June 08, 2007, 06:32 PM NHFT
I visited and liked Dover last year, and understand Rochester is different and becoming more McCity from what people describe, though living here in a suburb of San Francisco sucks BIG TIME, so I imagine it can't be this bad.
The worst place in NH is better than a suburb of SF.
I moved from the Bay area in August 05... I love it here!
I just landed here in Farmington! I was looking at Rochester but found a house we like here so jumped on it before leaving San Francisco. Our van broke down twice on the way here (Debit card wouldn't work with the mechanic from the highway either because since I'm using it so far from "home" it thought it was a suspicious transaction. How's that for economic freedom?), and after months or preparing and getting things in order to leave California - God am I glad to be here! All I hear is classic rock in the restaurants, cars, stores - freakin' sweet. Now it's scrambling to make this house liveable (been neglected for 60 years or so) and meeting other free staters in the area. It's seems pretty nice here. It's a calm working class neighborhood and is pretty close to everything. Anyone else in Farmington?
Welcome Henry!
I don't know if anyone is in farmington but there are people ....'over there'.
Quote from: Dreepa on June 13, 2007, 01:59 PM NHFT
The worst place in NH is better than a suburb of SF.
with ya bro
Quote from: Henry on July 11, 2007, 09:30 PM NHFTGod am I glad to be here! All I hear is classic rock in the restaurants, cars, stores - freakin' sweet.
I like that about NE ... more classic rock ... hardly any hiphop and country :)
There are about 7 classic rock stations that I heard while going up and down the radio dial. And one lonely "mix" station.
Quote from: malevil on June 13, 2007, 10:35 AM NHFT
I have relatives there and the daughter of a friend works in town. None of us can recommend the city, especially if you're going to send kids to the public school.
There are several public schools here. Some are better than others.
Sounds like the guy who asked already found a place, but to answer the question specifically for anyone else: Lafayette St. and the surrounding neighborhoods are about the worst you'll find here. Cops have stats because of their "proactive policing" efforts, but ask the realtor how close you are to the fairgrounds. If it's real close, run the other way. It's not hard to spot the problem areas on your own, though -- our shitholes look like your shitholes, I'd guess.
I've noticed a couple of "Don't Tread on Me" flags in Gonic, which is the end of town where I live (Gonic is a village of Rochester -- has its own zip code but shares city government).
CFP-- several people are trying to preserve some of those nooks and crannies in town. They're derided as socialists by people friendly to the FSP.
As for the investment advice offered above, be careful -- we had a boom like everyone else (by dumb luck and fortunate reproductive timing I bought at the right time before the boom), but sales have slowed considerably here just like everywhere else. I don't agree that we're Portsmouth in a few years. Maybe Plaistow or Dover, with the big box shopping centers locating on all major routes. I definitely see the character of the town changing, as the econ. development people pat themselves on the back for bringing in hundreds of glamorous and high-paying retail jobs.
I'm living just to the south of Rochester, in Somersworth. I have considered moving to Rochester or Farmington. Many parts of those towns are pretty nice. Unfortunately I am up to my eyeballs in debt and need to pay off a significant portion of it before I can seriously consider moving.
^ I grew up in Somersworth. Went to school with the teacher who wants to run for mayor.
http://www.masiello.com <if you're looking for a house, go there and call martha koumides.