Plaistow balances New England accessibility with rural affordability
Plaistow is a small town carved into the forests and streams on the southern edge of New Hampshire. “People moving to Plaistow come over the border from Massachusetts. They sell their little, tiny houses in Medford or Malden and come buy a 3,000-square-foot house in a good community,” says Tessa Parziale Rigattieri, principal broker at the Tessa Parziale Real Estate team who’s served the local market for 19 years and lived in Plaistow her entire life. “So many people grow up here then raise their kids here, they just don’t leave.” Families find more space at a lower price point in Plaistow, an increasingly tricky ask for buyers looking around New England urban centers. In this relatively rural region, an hourlong trip down state routes and major interstates might end in the mountains, at the Atlantic Ocean or in downtown Boston.
A mix of housing styles shaded by Plaistow’s tree canopy
Forests frame properties throughout Plaistow, including historic acreages that have long settled on back roads and the more densely plotted suburban blocks and cul-de-sacs around the town center. Small prewar homes and midcentury Cape Cods and ranch-style homes can sell in the $400,000s, while expansive newer construction on small acreages can go for more than $1.1 million. Plaistow’s median single-family home price is around $590,000, still higher than the national average of around $400,000. Townhouses sell for $270,000 to $450,000 in communities developed around town. Condos can go for $215,000 to $725,000, depending on the size, age and luxury levels of both complexes and individual units. While there’s some access to public water in Plaistow, many homeowners maintain private wells and septic systems.
Attending Timberlane Regional School District
Pollard Elementary School earns a B-minus from Niche, as does Timberlane Regional Middle School. B-minus-rated Timberlane Regional High School offers early college and dual enrollment programs, providing students with opportunities to earn credit from Southern New Hampshire University and Northern Essex Community College.
Shopping and dining on state Route 125
A commercial district lines state Route 125 from Haverhill to Plaistow, but there tends to be more activity on the New Hampshire side. “People cross the border from Haverhill because New Hampshire has no sales tax. On the weekends, there’s always traffic where the big-box stores are,” Rigattieri says. Strip malls are anchored by big names like Market Basket, Walmart and Home Depot. Smaller specialty stores take up in-between storefronts, as do restaurants like the Earl Bird Cafe, a classic diner, and PPC Kitchen and Bar, which offers sports bar atmosphere and a pub menu with eclectic global influences. Churches like the First Baptist Church of Plaistow hold services throughout the town.
Plaistow parks and regional recreation
The Plaistow Athletic Recreation Complex is an expansive collection of athletic fields, playgrounds and trails in the town’s forests, though most visitors just call it the P.A.R.C. Hikers head to many nearby trailheads, including ones that snake through Plaistow Town Forest. Anglers and marksmen can join the Plaistow Fish & Game Club to access shooting ranges and enjoy social events like kids’ fishing derbies in a small, stocked pond. Through freezing New Hampshire winters, browsing at the Plaistow Public Library or doing some laps in the Plaistow Community YMCA’s pool are more weatherproof ways to pass the time. The town is also set in the center of a region of New England rich with recreation areas of all types. “People don’t come to Plaistow saying, ‘Oh, I want to live in a coastal community, I want to live in the mountains,’ but it takes 25 minutes to get to the ocean. You can be skiing in the White Mountains in two hours,” Rigattieri says.
Taking State Route 125 through New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Plaistow is not served by fixed route public transportation, so residents need a car to get around. State Route 125 connects Plaistow to major Rockingham County hubs like Exeter Hospital, roughly 15 miles away. Haverhill, and its industrial park employers, are just across the border in Massachusetts. Boston commuters take Interstates 495 and 93 on the roughly 40-mile drive to the city or hop on the T at Haverhill’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail station. Boston Logan International Airport is about 40 miles away.
Old Home Day and other Plaistow community events
Old Home Day is one of Plaistow’s best-loved annual traditions, bringing neighbors together for countless contests, road racing sponsored by the local Lions Club, a parade through town and plenty of live music and other entertainment. No matter what family-friendly activities residents get into throughout the day, everybody meets at Timberlane Regional High School to end the evening with a fireworks display. The town gets together for other seasonal events throughout the year, from Christmastime visits from Santa riding a firetruck to the free, weekly summer concerts on the Town Green.
Higher flood risk near Little River and other waterways
Though Plaistow is lacking in lakes and ponds, several waterways like Little River meander through town. Buyers can consult maps to understand their potential flood risk after unusually heavy rain and determine their need for flood insurance.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
