nhresident

(March 2017)
I've lived in the capital region for my entire life, spending the past 4 years exclusively in Concord. I'm really quite sad to witness the transformation it's been undergoing. An aesthetically beautiful city -- the "bad" neighborhoods still have their charm (besides maybe Manchester Street). Unfortunately, the heroin epidemic has moved from Manchester & Rochester to Concord over the past few years, and it's hit us hard. In addition, the state prison being in Concord means that those who get released and inevitably get caught back up in drugs tend to stay in Concord, leading into my next point:
Concord has a HUGE homelessness problem. There are organizations attempting to curbs this (Families in Transition is a great one), but the local government & police force see them as more of a pest than anything.

Schools: I spent a year in a Concord School District elementary school and graduated from Concord High School. I can't vouch for the elementary schools besides the fact that 2 (maybe 3?) have been built within the last 5 years, and they're gorgeous. As for the high school: it's really what you make of it. You can easily slip by and graduate with no problem, but there are plenty of opportunities to extend your learning. AP courses are offered, and the Concord Regional Technical Center (vocational school) is hosted in CHS. There is a comprehensive ELL program as well as comprehensive Special Education services. There are also 3 private high schools in Concord: Concord Christian Academy, St. Paul's School, and Bishop Brady High School.

The public transportation consists of Concord Area Transit buses; I've never used them nor do I know anyone who has. There is no rail system in NH. Concord Coach offers buses to Boston daily. A car is NECESSARY to live in Concord.

As for nightlife & dining, I've heard it can get boring quickly. I'm a creature of habit and have no problem eating at the same restaurant every week, but there are only a couple dozen restaurants across the entire city, including fast food. You won't find much in diversity there, besides the thai place Siam Orchid and the Indian restaurant off Pleasant Street. (The best Chinese place, hands down, is Dragon Star on South Main Street.)

The weather can be crazy! The snowbanks quickly pile up, and the city isn't so good about clearing the sidewalks beyond Main Street, at least for a few days. We tend to get hit by every major system in the northeast.

The city has a disproportionately large refugee/immigrant population for NH, many from Nepal, Bhutan, and the Middle East. They mostly live on Loudon Road ("The Heights").

Other key notes: shopping is easy, provided you have a car. Local businesses on Main Street, box stores on Loudon Rd. Main Street was just renovated this year! It's gorgeous. Don't drive down it if you can avoid it or don't have a lot of patience. Concord as zip code is actually pretty large; there's hiking trails and actual farms within the 3 zip codes. Plenty of parks and pools. As for unsafe neighborhoods? More like streets, really. Thorndike/Perley Street are known for drug dealers living there, but I've never had any issue walking down the sidewalk, day or night. Don't live in the complexes on The Heights unless you like the smell of curry. In a city of 40k, everyone seems to know everyone.