If you're not happy with Portland I can't imagine Manchester would seem any better to you.

Honestly, I'd say if you want to stay in NE and aren't happy with Portland but want to find someone you're gonna need to go to Mass.

Portland is where I tell people your age with your problem to go.

Manchester isn't a bad choice for NH but its just... a much shittier Portland.

Think of Manchester as Portland without most of the positives. It's run down and depressing and is not heading in a good direction.

Any of the surrounding towns would be much better options.

"Old retirees, surly and unhealthy locals, and inconsiderate tourists" also describes a lot of New Hampshire unfortunately. Manchester is probably good for your age range though. As far as your politics go, nobody cares unless you make it your personality or when it comes to dating.

Manchester is fine. It has its good and bad areas. I haven't lived in big cities elsewhere but I've worked in the worst areas of Manchester and assume they're not as bad as the worst areas in places like NYC, LA and Chicago.

Lots of young professionals in Manchester and the population is only growing as more apartments pop up all over the city. The nightlife is great for a city of its size. There are fancy cocktail bars, country bars, irish pubs, dive bars. I would spend a night or two out bar-hopping on Elm St. before you decide to move here to get a taste for it. I’m personally in my mid 20s but a lot of the people I meet out on the town (besides college students) are in their late 20s or early 30s, so right around your age. Seems to be a healthy mix of liberals and conservatives but it’s hard to gauge how people lean politically, especially in a purple state such as NH. Politics aside, I’ve found people here are generally down to earth, much more so than in a place like Portsmouth for example. Huge diversity of restaurant/food options, depends what kind of cuisine you’re into. Google maps is your friend. Access to the outdoors is awesome, there are various cool parks and trails right in and outside of the city. Monadnock region is 45 minutes to the west, Atlantic Ocean is 45 minutes to the east and the Whites are just an hour north. Tourists are a non-factor. Manchester is a great place to live, but there’s nothing to really draw many tourists here at least at this time. Now for the negatives: homeless population is growing, crime is increasing, and parts of the city are rundown and depressing. Stay away from these parts and it’s not really something you ever have to worry about. Manchester is absolutely not a decaying shithole as most members of this sub would have you believe, and I think you should give it a chance.

I'd say it depends on how you plan to meet women. If your are going to meet in person in bars and clubs - Portsmouth and Manchester are your only chances in NH. I think of the two - Portsmouth might be a better choice. If you're looking for online dating - Concord is central enough to get to most parts of the state within an hour.

I like both Portland and Manchester, but if I were single, I'd go south to a Boston suburb instead. The pro for these areas though is that it takes pride to live and work in these old mill/wharf cities, and with it, the people tend to be more fun and funny. The music and comedy scenes are both great too.

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I'm from Maine and now reside around Manchester. Stay put. You'll hate it here.

Hi there.

I'm in Manchester and can give some recommendations based on your interests. Elm street is the place to be: there's a comedy club and a traditional theatre, a ton of pubs, taphouse, and even a few game rooms.

My wife and I love the night life, and we've met people through people and even introduced people.

But we're nerds -- we do Boards & Brews, trivia nights at pubs, event nights -- depends on what you're looking for.

27M in Manchester here, I've been to Portland a few times and love it but yeah maybe only as a tourist. The way you describe it unfortunately sounds so much like Manchester unfortunately. I just moved here from Nashua. I am very social, enjoy culture and people with the same intentions. I got involved in a lot of local activities and networks. I mean I wouldn't move here for your intentions. NH is OLD and trying to find young outdoorsy energetic people is devastatingly difficult. Manchester doesn't have much culture but if you pry into the woodwork you'll find some people. It's just going to be maybe ever slightly easier than your current location. I mean so far I love the city, but it's one strip of shops and stuff downtown that's about it.

I'd go bigger and try out a big city. 30's the age to do it. I know for New England, Portland, Manchester, etc, are cities, but anywhere else on the east coast they'd be considered tiny cities or big towns.

That said, from what I've seen of Manchester, it looks much better than most places in NH to be single at 30.

It has nice spots and plenty of bars and restaurants, but as a city, it's definitely on the sad run down side.

Nah

Manchester will have what you're looking for in terms of size and opportunities to meet people, but as others have said, a lot of it will be similar to what you've found in Portland, minus access to the ocean.

I would suggest checking out Portsmouth and the surrounding area. Dover and Newmarket are worth a look, easy access to Portsmouth and the ocean but cheaper and with a younger vibe due to proximity to UNH.

I suggest you also consider MA. I may be biased, but I think most of us can agree that your best chance at a social life would be down here. As well as Providence.

i think you should go.

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I've lived in NH for many decades, and most of it here in Manchester. The only thing, and I do mean ONLY thing Manchester has going for it is geographic location. You're an hour from Boston, an hour from the beautiful Connecticut River Valley and Vermont beyond, an hour from the Seacoast and about an hour from the White Mts. Now, what's right here? I could say a lot of unkind things but will instead say the guys who say it's Portland without the Ocean are probably close enough to the truth. The housing situation is atrocious, the various political engines that gain and lose power whether Democratic (Usually DINO "centrists") or Repugnican (No description needed at this point, I should hope) seem to be in some sort of competition to see who can mismanage the city most completely for their own benefit... I'm hoping to be out of the state by the end of January because I just can't afford to live here any more, and I have a whole lot of company. If you're already settled in a good situation then just stay where you are. You're welcome to come visit as much as you like. If you can spend more than 50 hours in this city and still think you want to live here (and no I don't mean 50 hours in bars drinking or chasing hookers, crack, Meth and Fentanyl like so many of our tourists) then by all means, come on down and Welcome to The Land Of A Thousand Dances!

I totally understand the urge to get out of a tourist destination as a resident. I came to NH to escape that vibe myself, but I'm planning to do the opposite of you, haha! I am 34 and newly single and just don't feel like there are a lot of opportunities to meet like minded people and date here in NH, but I see shows and social events all the time in Portland that I would be interested in. My problem with NH is partly that it is more conservative, and I'm super liberal/leftist. Not just politically but I feel people stick to their own here and start families earlier. If you're looking to start a family you'd probably have better luck here, especially as a not-crazy conservative yourself.

I think most people would consider Manchester to be pretty boring. It's a bit run down as well. But you can go to Concord, down to Lowell, into Boston, or into the mountains. There's not much to do but if you're ok with just hitting a sports bar on a Friday night and doing online dating you would be fine. There are NH hiking groups as well. I honestly really like living in NH but the dating/friend group thing is really my reason to get out.

There’s a saying down there… “Manchester, where dreams go to die”. Not far from the truth in my experience.

Although I met my wife in Manchester 10 years ago so I suppose I can’t speak ill of Manchester re: dating. I was in my late 20’s back then for perspective.

The ol’ mill-city-type demographics have changed slightly since I was a kid, and more young people are making their way to the city due to more companies setting up shop there. The attractive jobs are still mostly in Boston though, so it’s by no means a Mecca for young professionals.

The bar scene has exploded. Elm St. between Bridge and Merrimack on a warm summer night is filled with people, which is a relatively new sight within the last 5 years or so. The restaurant scene, not so much. Campo was solid but has since shuttered. You can’t really compare the restaurant scene to Portland, it’s just much better up here. The SNHU arena is a joke and I’ve never seen a big name play there twice (just the big touring acts like circuses and the occasional Bud Light sponsored country band). There use to be a strong local music scene 10ish years ago, but we moved many years ago so I’m not sure anymore. Shaskeen was always a place to see cool local bands and is still around. Penuche’s on Hanover is long gone and with it a slew of great memories from that chapter of my life (RIP).

The city has done a decent job of beautifying Elm St. from Bridge to Merrimack, and the Granite St bridge gateway off of 293. However leave this area in any direction and the city can get pretty rough. I grew up on the West Side, and maybe it’s because I was born there, but I could never see us going back for any reason. The opioid problem is enormous and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

We live in Portland now and love it. Plenty of green spaces, great restaurant scene, minutes from multiple beaches and we absolutely love mid-coast Maine. I’d say stick it out or move to Allston/Brighton if your looking for young people/nightlife/quality of life. For what it’s worth - we’ve lived in Portland, Boston and Manchester and we’ve been happiest here in Maine. My mother, siblings and some friends still live there so we visit semi-often, but that’s usually enough for us.

Don’t come to Manchester lol

From Manchester. I can confirm that it’s…a shittier Portland without a beach. There are still tourists but I cannot fathom why or what they’re looking for. Living outside of Manchester is just fine, but you’re an hour from the outdoor activities you like. Manchester itself has a huge breadth of culture, but a serious socioeconomic divide and opioid problem (so much so that the BBC did a documentary about it as the heroin capital of the USA). It could be great, but it’s got a long way to go to get there. There’s a steady nightlife and a few clubs. My favorite spot to eat just closed their doors, so that’s another negative to add 😂 I think you’re looking for Boston, TBH.

I mean, it's fine. You actually might do better in Concord. Crowd feels even a little younger to me...of course I'm getting old so that might just be me. Not sure which is better in terms of housing though.

Manchester is trash! You might have better luck meeting someone online. Manchester is filled with druggies and drunks.

No. Manchester is a decaying place.