New Hampshire's largest city with a bustling downtown and growing cityscape
Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city, sits on the banks of the Merrimack River. This centrally located metropolis is home to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, as well as the Currier Museum of Art, the Palace Theater and the Mall of New Hampshire. “Manchester is the Queen City. It’s the largest city in New Hampshire even though it’s not the capital and is gaining a younger demographic for its great downtown and new upscale apartments,” says Kevin Cooper, a Realtor and co-founder of the Coop Group Home Team with his wife, Danielle. “There’s a lot to do here, but you’re also still within an hour of Boston, the mountains and 45 minutes to the beach. It’s a great central location.” Old mill buildings along the river are being transformed into condos, entertainment venues, offices for tech companies, museums and restaurants.
The city’s population consists of long-time permanent residents and students who attend one of its university campuses, particularly Southern New Hampshire University, which also has a popular online option. Manchester’s top employers include Elliot Hospital and Catholic Medical Center, as well as GE Aviation and Easterseals New Hampshire. Like other urban New England communities fueled by industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, Manchester now has an eye toward science and technology. The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute, or ARMI, is working to create regenerative organs like lungs, livers and corneas. In 2022, the city received $44 million in federal funding from the Biden administration to support the growth of bio-fabrication jobs. It’s also easy to get around in Manchester. Interstate 93 runs north-south between Boston and the White Mountain National Forest, and State Route 101 provides easy access to the New Hampshire coast and the seaside city of Portsmouth.
For a wide variety of shopping options, The Mall of New Hampshire is the place to shop.
The Bookery in Downtown Manchester is a cozy bookstore with a curated selection of books.
The Manchester City Library, established in 1850, offers a wide selection of books for all.
The Downtown Manchester skyline lights up the Merrimack River at night.
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20th-century industrial mill condos and New England homes
Converted brick warehouses line the Merrimack River’s industrial waterfront, providing housing for renters. People live in colonials with farmer’s porches and Queen Anne-style Victorian homes underneath shady trees in the North End. Planned communities in the Northwest neighborhood include a selection of carriage houses and cottages. In Somerville, Cape Cods and wood-shingled colonials sit next to each other on quarter-acre lots. Downtown neighborhoods like Kalivas Union and Hallsville have early 1900s single-family homes and triple-deckers typically held as owner-occupied investment properties.
New Hampshire may not have sales tax or state income tax, but its property taxes are some of the highest in the United States. Urban neighborhoods closer to downtown include Kalivas-Union and Corey Square, as well as Piscataquog and Notre Dame across the river. These have the lowest average home values, which range in value between $300,000 and $400,000, and include several styles of workers’ cottages and New England manors that are now multi-family housing. More suburban areas with classic split-levels and larger yards include Goffes Falls and Lower South Willow, as well as Wellington and Straw-Smyth. These areas have higher average home values that can be valued between $450,000 and $500,000.
You can find beautiful & stylish condos in Downtown Manchester, perfect for city living.
Colonial homes in Bakersville showcase timeless architecture with classic charm.
In Hallsville you can find multi-family homes for rent.
A colonial style multifamily home in Kalivas-Union has a small side yard.
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Downtown shops and restaurants in "ManchVegas" and the Mall of New Hampshire
Downtown has a booming food and culture scene with dozens of small businesses and restaurants. “One of my favorites is KC's Rib Shack. My wife and I love them so much we had them cater our wedding,” Cooper says. He also recommends the Crown Tavern, Hooked and Hanover Chop House “if you’re looking for one of the best steaks in America.” The city once earned the nickname “ManchVegas” because of illegal gambling at local businesses in the 1980s and 1990s. Manchester now wears the nickname as bragging rights for its late-night scene, which is one of the most active in the state. “I love living here. It’s just an exciting city to live in. Things are always changing, people are engaged – especially within the arts community – and we have such great restaurants with more opening every day,” says Amy Marie Regan, a long-time Manchester local and curator of the See Saw Art Gallery at the Mosaic Arts Collective. A few of her favorites include pop-up restaurant DeadProof Pizza Co and cocktail bar Industry East. “The Stash Box on Elm Street is more of a traditional sit-down experience, and the team is so awesome there,” Regan says. Major chain grocery stores and fast-food restaurants surround the Mall of New Hampshire on the city’s south side.
Downtown Manchester offers wide tree-lined sidewalks alongside boutiques & restaurants.
The Crown Tavern, near Corey Square, offers New American cuisine with a buzzing atmosphere.
Folks window shop as they stroll the street of Downtown Manchester, near Corey Square.
The Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester is the premier shopping spot.
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Top-notch entertainment, sports games and concerts in downtown Manchester
Manchester is a destination for New Hampshire residents and out-of-towner's who like to head to the city for sports events and concerts. Cruising Downtown is Manchester’s car show, which shuts down Elm Street and showcases cars from nearly every decade. “It’s my favorite event. They have hundreds of cars like the '69 Chevelle and everything in between,” Cooper says. SNHU Arena hosts major headliners and the Manchester Monarchs ice hockey team. The Palace Theatre on Elm Street features live performances from tribute bands, plus youth theater productions of Broadway shows. The minor league New Hampshire Fisher Cats play their home games in Manchester at Delta Dental Stadium along the Merrimack River.
The SNHU Arena in Manchester is the premier venue for concerts and hockey tournaments.
Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester is home to exciting baseball games & community events.
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Winter sports at nearby ski resorts and city parks and riverwalks
When the weather is warm, residents can walk along the banks of the Merrimack River, bike the Piscataquog trail, or spend a day at one of many parks around town. Derryfield Park is a 76-acre green space with walking trails, a cross-country course, a playground and fields. It’s also the home of football, baseball and softball leagues. Bass Island Park is a place where kayakers can launch their craft, and dog owners can take advantage of the 10,000-square-foot fenced-in dog park.
New Hampshire residents love their winter sports, and Manchester is no different. After all, according to the National Weather Service, the city gets roughly 50 inches of snow per year. In January 2024, temperatures in Manchester reached a high of 52 degrees and a low of 8 degrees. Manchester kids learn to ski for the first time at McIntyre Ski Area, a small, family-friendly ski resort where Realtor Cody Barna says he worked as a ski instructor while growing up. “It’s great if you’re just learning to ski or snowboard,” says Barna. “There’s also a restaurant if you don’t ski or snowboard. I know people who go there to eat and get a drink.” Just over an hour north of Manchester is the White Mountain National Forest. The White Mountains are full of popular ski destinations, including Waterville Valley Resort and Loon Mountain Resort.
The Piscataquog Trail in Manchester is highly utilized by cyclists and pedestrians.
At Mcintyre Ski Hill in Manchester, folks can enjoy skiing and tubing in the winter.
Derryfield Park is the closest major park for Manchester residents to walk their pets.
Benches allow visitors to enjoy nature at Bass Island Park in Manchester.
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Manchester School District public schools and nearby private schools
Manchester School District is graded an overall C on Niche and is home to over a dozen public schools, all of which score a C. Students interested in career and technical education programs, like cosmetology and culinary arts, can attend Manchester School of Technology. The Derryfield School, rated A by Niche, is a private college preparatory school for sixth through 12th grade. St. Catherine of Siena School provides a Catholic education for students in prekindergarten through sixth grade.
Welcome to Manchester School of Technology (High School).
The Derryfield School is a private, coeducational day school in Manchester for grades 6-12.
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Commutes south to Nashua and Boston and north to Concord
Manchester is the hub of southern New Hampshire. Interstate 93 cuts through the city, giving residents easy access to Boston and Concord. Driving to Boston takes about an hour, and the ride to Concord is about 20 minutes. The Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is right in the city, while Boston Logan International Airport is about an hour away by car for international flights. The Manchester Transit Authority operates several bus routes throughout the area. New Hampshire’s Atlantic coast and the lively city of Portsmouth are about 45 minutes away. Locals head to the seacoast to catch the Amtrak Downeaster in Exeter, Durham or Dover. The Amtrak runs north to Brunswick, Maine, and south to Boston’s North Station.
Recovering challenges and city crime
Manchester has survived a lot. It endured the end of industry, specifically the bankruptcy of textile behemoth Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. In the 2000s came the opioid epidemic, which has continued to cause struggles throughout the city, as well as the state of New Hampshire. Suspected opioid overdoses jumped by 22% in Manchester between 2021 and 2022, according to a report from the WMUR television station. “Manchester is at that point where it’s either going to grow or adapt in some ways because of the type of industry,” says Daniel Peters, archivist with the Manchester Historic Association. “It’s called the ‘city that won’t die’ because it reinvents itself. It comes with its own problems, but it adapts in an environment that it wasn’t always meant for.” According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent crime and property crime in Manchester are higher than the national median.
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