Warren is the White Mountain town with a rocket
When trekking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, hikers might notice a Cold War-era Redstone rocket gleaming from a small-town center in the Baker River Valley. That town is Warren. "When you talk about Warren, you've got to talk about the rocket," says Realtor Ben Wilson with Re/Max in the Mountains, who's lived in the White Mountains since the late 1990s. "I don't know if anyone really knows why they have it, but that's the kind of town Warren is." The rocket is the same model as the one that thrust Alan Shepherd — the first NASA astronaut and a New Hampshire native — into space. It has no immediate connection to Warren, but the community embraces it as the town's ironic landmark. The fact that town has a rocket is also strange considering its location — it feels very removed from the closest towns. "You're only 30 minutes from somewhere more modern like Plymouth, but you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere," Wilson says. With almost 20 miles of forest between Warren and larger towns on either side, residents can live the quiet mountain life, relatively untouched by tourism.
Mountain cabins and early-1900s farmhouses
Warren is still fairly rural, without the ski resorts or seasonal subdivisions that can be found elsewhere in the region. "It's the sleepy side of the White Mountains," Wilson says. "I think that's what people like about it." Singular cabins, mountain homesteads and New England-style country homes sit along the wooded, rural roads. Early-1900s buildings in Glencliff north of the town center, cozy log homes and small ranch-style homes range from $135,000 to $350,000. Larger early-1900s country homes, updated mountain homes on the Baker River and spacious farmhouses with acreage and expansive views can cost $370,000 to $600,000.
Off-roading is big in the western White Mountains
The White Mountains are best known for skiing, but Warren has no slopes — just lots of off-roading trails. "There's no four-wheeling in White Mountain National Forest, but a significant amount of Warren is outside of it," Wilson says. "It's a hot spot for UTVs, ATVs, all that off-roading." Warren isn't a tourist town, but the off-roading opportunities do attract enthusiasts. Mountain Mud Run Terrain Park provides ample space for ATVs and kitted-out Jeeps to climb rock faces and kick some dirt around. Four-wheelers are also permitted on the Warren Recreation Trail, a public 4-mile multiuse trail. The trail's smooth dirt surface also allows for hiking and mountain biking in the summer and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter. Many hikers pass through the Warren area while trekking the Appalachian Trail, as it passes through Glencliff.
Warren Village School is the town's only public option
Warren Village School is the only public school in town and offers kindergarten through eighth grade. The school earns a B grade from Niche. The closest public high school is Plymouth Regional High in Plymouth, less than 20 miles southeast. It also receives a B. Plymouth High offers classes in everything from robotics to Advanced Placement music theory.
American fare in town and groceries a few miles away
Warren's town center has a few spots to grab a bite. Calamity Jane's is the local diner, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Around the corner, Ore Mill Bar & Grille has burgers and cold beverages with taxidermy decorating the walls. The closest larger stores, like Walmart and Market Basket, are in Plymouth. Plymouth is also home to the nearest medical center, Speare Memorial Hospital.
Interstates 91 and 93 lead to larger New England cities
Warren is between Interstate 91 to the west and Interstate 93 to the east. Drivers can take I-91 less than 40 miles southwest to Lebanon, New Hampshire. I-93 leads about 60 miles southeast to Concord, New Hampshire's state capital. It also runs through Manchester, the largest city in the state, 80 miles southeast. Residents can typically find the most flights out of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Manchester's south end. After going through those New Hampshire cities, I-93 travels to Boston, the nearest major city, about 130 miles southeast of Warren.
