Submitted by lynsss t3_1271sld in ManchesterNH
Hello all! I’m looking to purchase a home New Hampshire. Wondering if anyone is willing to give insight to buying in Manchester. My fiancé says he’s heard the crime rate is high, but I’d rather hear from locals to hear any pros and cons. We plan on looking at a house in the “North End” this weekend on a dead end street. I know this post is a bit vague but again, any insight is appreciated.
Thanks!
I learned never to listen to anyone over 50 about crime. I am 67. We all tend to exaggerate it. I talk to cops, look at published and reliable crime statistics, and chat w/ young residents to get the most reliable info.
Manchester crime is high by New Hampshire standards, but very low by national standards. The Kalivas Union, Corey Square, and Piscataquog neighborhoods are where most of the crime is, with other neighborhoods ranging from somewhat safe to extremely safe.
The North End is a quiet affluent neighborhood that is beautiful but expensive. Most houses are north of $450,000. Keep in mind that realtors will sometimes call everything north of Bridge St the North End, however, the actual neighborhood is north of Hooksett Rd and Webster St (with a small section between Beech, Salmon and Elm).
The housing market is on fire here and extremely competitive. I have been looking since January and virtually everything under $400k that isn't a complete dump goes under contract within 10 days. There were two houses that I bid on that allegedly had over 10 offers. In both cases, I lost to buyers who waived inspections and bid 10-15% over the asking price.
What is your budget if you don't mind me asking? The market is far less competitive once you get above $400,000, but still far from a buyer's market.
We are approved for up to $475 but realistically don’t wanna go over $420 because property taxes are ridiculous lol
North end is pretty good for Manchester. I own in the northwest corner of Manchester, on the other side of the river, and it is suuuper quiet there.
Straw-Smith is North End adjacent and is very nice.
People that say Manchester is rough or crime ridden mean that in a relative way or are soft AF. There are homeless, and we do have run down areas but I would have no problems walking any street in town any hour of the day.
I've lived in Manchester my whole life (except 4 years for college). I've raised my son here. Sure, it's got a higher crime rate than a rural town with a tiny population, that's the nature of crime, but if you're looking for a city with more than 100,000 people, I can't imagine a safer one. We have all the amenities, we're 45 minutes from Boston, 30 minutes from the beach, 30 minutes from the mountains. I've traveled a lot, and I still choose Manchester to live in.
All that said, the price of housing right now is crazy. If you care about making the optimal financial decision, it might not be a good time to buy. The North End is the "rich" part of town, lots of old victorian homes. It's very nice and very bougie, and it's close to downtown. Definitely a nice place to settle if the prices don't scare you off.
The crime exists, but it is not horrid. Lock your car and your house, don’t start crap with people and you’ll be fine. North end is nice, as is a dead end street!
Dead end st in north end sounds competitive. Be prepared to bid up.
The area north of Webster St. is real nice; there's lots of people that run through the neighborhood and take daily walks with their dogs. It's safe. And if you move there, Livingston Park is a great place to go for a walk. Feel free to PM if you want any more details!
I lived in the north end for nearly 5 years and the east side for 5 years before that. I moved to a new town back in September.
I actually loved living in Manchester. Especially the North End. Crime was mainly 2 am car break ins and drugs. My neighbors and I had a couple car break ins on the north end, but nothing crazy. That’s the only crime I personally experienced in my entire 10 years (with the exception of criminal landlords). I frequently walked my dog at night alone as a woman and walked downtown to the bars with friends and never felt unsafe. Get a camera, don’t do drugs, don’t make sketchy friends and don’t leave valuables in your car.
Ah, you're one of our competitors! We live in Manchester and have been trying to buy for a year. The market is really tough.
The city does have a drug and homeless problem, but so does everywhere. Total crime is very reasonable for a city this size, and I'd feel safe walking anywhere 24/7.
Some neighborhoods like Piscatacuog and Kalivas Union are kind of run down, but the North End is very nice. So are Straw/Smyth, the east side, and the southeast corner.
Good luck hunting. Hopefully you don't want the same house as us!
Drug use is rampant in the inner city. Outskirts have good neighborhoods.
Lived here most of my life, it's a quiet life, plenty of things to do and see. Grew up in the worst part of Manchester, and I turned out fine. Life anywhere is always going to be what you make of it. I wouldn't worry about where you live unless for some reason you are someone who NEEDS to live in a major city Manchester pretty much has it all within a quick drive.
Ugh.. recently My opinion crime is on the rise. I don't have statistics but I'm sure a google search would get you that info. Our Mayor Joyce Craig recently announced she has decided not to run again. I do not personally know her reason why but I would bet a small amount may be related to the crime issue. I have been a renter and a property owner for over 20 years here in Manchester, NH. Have lived in West Manch, North Manch. Favorite was in the north end near our VA Center. I do like the city there are many positive things about it as well. Hopefully you will get some more opinions that help you to make your decision. Best to you.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.neighborhoodscout.com/nh/manchester/crime.amp
Manchester has a decently high crime rate. Ranked only 13/100 for the crime index which means 87% of cities are safer. This link will help break it down by neighborhood though, not like the whole city is bad
Just avoid streets named after trees and colors and you should be fine.
A lot of people seem to be downplaying crime but I can think of at least three murders off the top of my head. Schools aren't doing too hot, with funding + drug epidemic.
North end feels a little safer, but they're still a number of car thefts and break-ins. Lot of people getting their catalytic converters cut out of their car while it sat in the drive way.
You could avoid Manchester, but the drug problem is still there, and prices go way up. WMUR ran an article a month back, regarding NHs tight housing supply; there's less than 1000 houses for sale, for the entire state of NH. Outside of Manchester your looking at higher prices and even higher Taxes.
IDK, try Maine or VT.
Don’t know what you consider high crime. Manchester is a shithole for a NH city, but if you’re comparing it to Massachusetts it’s very nice. It’s just going to all become Mass 2.0 though if they all keep moving here.
Fuck off, were full. How about that
Valid
Wear_Overall t1_jec7py2 wrote
The "crime" problem in Manchester is wildly over-hyped. And in the North End on a dead-end street crime will be virtually nonexistent. I'm with u/ZX2Slow - I feel safe walking alone anywhere in Manchester 24/7.