So, you’ve visited Portsmouth, have friends here, recently got a job here or for other reasons have decided that you should move to “the Portsmouth area.” The number one mistake people make when they make the (very wise) decision to move to “the Portsmouth area” is to make the (very unwise) decision to not move to Portsmouth itself. Lured by cheaper rent or, worse, buying prices of homes in surrounding towns, you may believe that you’re going to get a discount on getting to live near Portsmouth while not paying what can be higher rent prices.
If you love Portsmouth, don’t move to:
Dover
Kittery
Update 4/3/13: With the inability for ships on the Piscataqua River to RESPECT THE SEA (it does have the 2nd/3rd/5th (depending on your source)-fastest current on the globe), you can never be sure there is even ONE bridge open at any given time.
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| Pic from @photorichierich on seacoastonline |
New Castle
Rye
Benefits of being a Portsmouth resident.
The Portsmouth Public Library
- Check out books (duh)
- Check out DVDs (they’re pretty good at keeping titles recent, and also have tons of popular TV shows on DVD. Faster than Netflix, and no buffering!)
- Check out music on CD- (Have a theme party coming up and don’t actually want to OWN all that Christmas/Hawaiian/Disco music? Problem solved!)
- Get free or hugely discounted tickets to many museums and attractions from here to Boston (Strawberry Banke, Boston MFA, Boston Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, etc.)
- Two hours of computer/internet use every day (non-members can have 15-minutes on guest logins).
- Log in to many research databases that would cost you a hefty sum to purchase individual access to.
- Check out equipment like e-readers, meters to gauge electricity usage, etc.
Resident Discounts
– $180 ($90 for seniors) instead of $360 for a year membership at Spinnaker Point Recreation Center gym/pool/indoor track** FREE PARKING at the High-Hanover Parking garage on Sundays.**
This Guy
John Bohenko has been City Manager for 16 years, and is the person who really runs the city. Mayor in Portsmouth simply means that you’re the City Councilor with the most votes, you have to talk a lot more at the meetings and cut a lot of ribbons, but you’re still just one of seven votes. Bohenko is the real leader of the city, and as evidenced by what an amazing place Portsmouth has become under his tenure, he does an amazing job. You want to live in his city.
