2023 Best Suburbs to Live in the Manchester Area

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.9 out of 5  145 reviews

Current Resident: Bedford is known for its good public school system, and therefore many families move to the town. There is however, a diverse age-range of residents from young families to retirees. The location is excellent for commuting to Manchester, Merrimack and other nearby locations for work and pleasure. It is also an hour drive away from the coastline and the New Hampshire Lakes Region. One downfall of Bedford is its connectedness and walkability. There is minimal sidewalks, and is divided by highway 101. I also felt that the town lacks a "center" for community activities. The high school acts as an activity "hub" but this mainly caters to families of students. It may also just take some seeking out these community activities. If you are looking for racial diversity, I would not recommend this town. Bedford also is aptly known to be a well-off town, with residents with higher incomes, and this is definitely reflected in some residents lifestyles.... Read 145 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Population 23,157

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 4.22 out of 5  27 reviews

Current Resident: Absolutely love this town. Rural country atmosphere but 15 minutes from any major shopping or entertainment. 1 hour to Boston, 1 hour to the Ocean, 1 hour to the Mountains, everything is an easy drive. Great community, great schools. People are very friendly. If you like the outdoors, it's a great place to be. Lots of hiking, kayaking, biking trails. Few cute little restaurants. Town beach, sculpture park, great little library. What you need to get by in town with major shopping close by. You do need a car to live here, however. VERY Safe town, little to no crime. Mostly people speeding on the roads. Great place to raise a family.... Read 27 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 5,591

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 4.33 out of 5  45 reviews

Current Resident: Feels very friendly, the village is always full of smiling cheerful people and beautiful landscape. I love it here!... Read 45 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 11,712

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.88 out of 5  25 reviews

Current Resident: Hollis is a great town. It's a rural town that safe, quiet, and friendly people. There are multiple farms in town that make for great apple and pumpkin festivals. If you want to get into a city, Nashua is only a 15 minute drive, Manchester is a 30 minute drive and you can get into Boston under an hour!... Read 25 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Population 8,324

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 3.86 out of 5  36 reviews

Current Resident: Lived in Bow for a year and am so happy we got in here. We have a young child and I feel good about where we will be raising our family. It’s nice to be in a small town community with a quick 15 min (less than 10 for us) drive to both Concord and Hooksett both ways. Library is great for kids with so many activities and the park is so quiet and a great spot for older and little kids. Haven’t experienced schools yet but I have made friends with older children who love them. We are also possibly getting a new microbrewery/ restaurant in town and I’d love to see more of those types of places pop up!... Read 36 reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• Population 8,227

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 4 out of 5  9 reviews

Current Resident: A small colonial town steeped in history and community. Set upon a hill just north of Amherst NH and Milford NH, this town has a tremendous sense of community. While being slightly removed from the commercial hustle and bustle, this town is one of S. NH's best kept secret's. Some would say that you are paying more to get less, but those who live here like it that way. Some of the notable community events include, Spring Gala, Lampson Farm Day, trick-or-treating on Main Street, and the Christmas tree lighting in December. Mont Vernon is serviced by a volunteer call fire department, volunteer selectmen, planning board, zoning board and paid police dept. Students attend the close knit elementary school in town up through grade 6. For grades 7 and 8, they then go to the Amherst middle school. Students at the high school level attend Souhegan High School.... Read 9 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 2,580

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 4 out of 5  5 reviews

Current Resident: Canterbury is very community-oriented, small town vibes but is close to cities to run errands. It has beautiful landscapes, great area to raise kids.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B minus

• Population 2,280

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 3.89 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: Dunbarton has to be one of the best towns ever. The small population and quiet life are very pleasing. I love being in a town where everyone connects with each other and work together as a team. I also love the small shops that exist in this town.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 3,006

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 4.17 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: Hopkinton is a great town to live in and grow up in. For a kid, it really encourages you to enjoy the simple life and spend time outdoors. I love walking, running, and biking the neighborhoods. There are no bad parts of town as far as I know. Getting involved in sports is common, great library, and great hiking trails. Right off the highway to ski mountains and Vermont. Not too far from Manchester, Portsmouth, and Boston. It is nice living right near Concord.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A minus

• Population 5,941

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.76 out of 5  86 reviews

Current Resident: I love the proximity to bigger cities such as Nashua and Manchester. I do however believe the school systems are underfunded as well as multiple public works. There is a noticeable lack of sidewalks and public transportation which limits accessability. Most people are friendly, and there is a great number of parks!... Read 86 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B

• Population 26,762

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.53 out of 5  15 reviews

Current Resident: Hooksett is a great are to live. Close enough to downtown Manchester and the capital Concord yet far enough to have privacy. Hooksett has many small business owners and it is very friendly and save.... Read 15 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• Population 5,906

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.94 out of 5  82 reviews

Current Resident: I absolutely love living in the prestigious suburb of Goffstown! The school systems are fantastic for all grades and offer a wide array of extracurriculars. The community resources are kept up with (e.g., local library, Goffstown Rail Trail, etc.) and I have always felt safe here. The town has everything I need such as Hannaford, Big Lots, and I LOVE supporting local businesses such as Apotheca!... Read 82 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A minus

• Population 18,274

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.62 out of 5  53 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived my entire life in the small town of New Boston, and can confidently say it is a lovely place with a strong community. Some of my fondest childhood memories were founded within this town and its school, and I am forever grateful for such a positive upbringing. Though the population is increasing, New Boston still maintains a very small town aesthetic, where everybody is aware of their neighbors. Some of New Boston's strongest attractions/assets include Molly's Tavern, Dodge's Farm Stand, and the New Boston Rail Trail. I highly recommend the town to those attracted to rural, New England living.... Read 53 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 6,040

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

• •
  Rating 4.04 out of 5  28 reviews

Current Resident: I loved how everyone in the town was super friendly. There were some cute areas to hang out around the lake. The neighborhood I live in, everyone was so welcoming when we first moved in. Some things i would like to see change are some of the roads and maybe adding some little shops for people to have more things to do.... Read 28 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 5,852

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 3.78 out of 5  189 reviews

Former Resident: Concord is great and very safe. Great place for families and those interested in the outdoors. Not a lot of night life, and most places close early, but that's not always a bad thing! The public schools are plentiful and it is a great system, but there are also a number of private schools available. Close to the White Mountains and about an hour outside of Boston, so if you are looking to go to a game or experience a higher volume of night life it's not far away. Alternatively, Manchester NH is only about 20 minutes away and also offers more nightlife, but it not as safe as concord.... Read 189 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 43,552

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.7 out of 5  47 reviews

Current Resident: Growing up in Litchfield was great, it’s perfect for families. Once you turn 16 and can drive, you’re only 15-20 minutes of other towns which is great.... Read 47 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B

• Population 8,467

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.94 out of 5  36 reviews

Current Resident: Friendly community, great schools and education, caring neighbors, and recreational areas for the park. Hooksett is a magnificent place to raise a family and to grow up as a kid! It's close driving distance to Boston, the beach, and more places such as The White Mountains. It's quiet but active in terms of community support, with groups on Facebook for Hooksett residents. It would be better if there was more diversity and more night/life, but I feel this isn't the place for people to discover new restaurants, go to parties, etc. It's mostly a nice little town that is good to grow up in.... Read 36 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B+

• Population 14,772

• Town in New Hampshire

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  Rating 3.91 out of 5  34 reviews

Current Resident: Small Town vibes, nice friendly welcoming people, beautiful places to walk, hike, bike, swim, ect. Ski area, local amazing eateries, epic Autumn views with astounding colors. Covered bridges, stone arch bridges, New England College, cozy bed and breakfast, hometown hotel and Inn. Relatively close to just about anywhere, 30 minutes or so gets you somewhere else amazing. Back roads can take you on amazing nature trips discovering little known hidden gems in our forest, waterfalls, walkways, marshlands, natural beauty isn't far.... Read 34 reviews

• grade B+

• grade B minus

• Population 5,671

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 2.67 out of 5  3 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 4,609

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.72 out of 5  25 reviews

Current Resident: Beautiful town, very community based, very friendly residents who care about one another generally. Chester Academy seems like a good school. My daughter was enrolled at another middle school locally until we moved here Jan. 2021 and was immediately behind in some classes. There is some businesses here but charming localized small businesses which we love to see.... Read 25 reviews

• grade B

• grade C minus

• Population 5,198

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

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  Rating 3.8 out of 5  44 reviews

Current Resident: I love my small town! We are connected trough not only schools but town wide activities and services. From Recreational outings, athletics and groups to volunteering for the local food pantry and free dinners. We have yearly town wide events as well. Milford is widely know for it's Annual Pumpkinfest. Something that's i've been attending since I was a teen and have been attending with my family as we've grown. We are a very supportive and inclusive community. I have worked on our towns LGBTQ FaceBook page. And this year I am helping coordinate our PRIDE Festival. We may be small but we are mighty!... Read 44 reviews

• grade B

• grade B minus

• Population 16,041

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

• grade B

• grade B minus

• Population 1,643

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  18 reviews

Niche User: There is very little to no crime in this area and hardly anything really goes on. The only safety concerns in the entire town are the occasional speeding cars and a fire once every couple months. The police are visible around the town on a daily basis and therefore I have no real concerns about my safety or that of my neighbors.... Read 18 reviews

• grade B

• grade A minus

• Population 4,849

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  8 reviews

Current Resident: Candia is beautiful and peaceful town with breath taking views. Also, they a great local family restaurant called "Town Cabin" and a rustic dinner called "Stubbys". This family friendly town is a great place to raise children.... Read 8 reviews

• grade B

• grade B

• Population 4,022

• Suburb of Manchester, NH

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  16 reviews

Current Resident: Sandown is a growing community. Lots of new construction. Near I-93. Wonderful caring neighbors. A great coffee shop. And wonderful pizza. It also has a very good library. And a few lakes. It really is a nice small town.... Read 16 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B minus

• Population 6,498