Why New Hampshire?
Cheaper house prices drew many Massachusetts residents to Nashua, willing to commute the 40 miles to Boston in exchange for a big house and a big yard for the price of a couple of parking spots in a Beacon Hill garage.

The flow of Bay Staters migrating to Nashua has increased in recent years due to the escalating housing costs in Massachusetts. In addition, the recent expansion of Route 3 North has made the commute to Boston not only tolerable, but almost enjoyable. That, coupled with the planned expansion of the Lowell Commuter Rail into Nashua makes Southern New Hampshire a desireable alternative to Massachusetts in many ways. Of course, the lack of a state sales tax or income tax has long been a draw to New Hampshire.

Nashua's biggest market is local first-time buyers, who can still buy a single-family home for under $250,000.

In subdivisions such as Tanglelwood and Castelton Estates, as well as in older residential developments like Harris Preserve, houses routinely start at over $500,000. Concord Street, a tree-lined boulevard of magnificent Victorian mansions, makes up a relatively pricey area known as the North End.

In 1986 and 1997, Money Magazine named Nashua as the best place to live in America. City officials love to tout such honorariums, as they do the ranking the FBI bestowed on Nashua in 1991, as the second-safest city in the nation.

Downtown Nashua is already becoming a trendy retreat. Several upscale restaurants do booming business on the red brick Main Street, including Michael Timothy's, Surf, Villa Banca and Martha's Exchange. Sidewalk cafes abound in the warmer months. Even a martini bar/ tapas restaurant recently opened called Manhattan on Pearl.