In-Verse t1_j8n6tym wrote on February 15, 2023 at 3:29 PM

Maybe Lowell? Lowell is a former mill city like Haverhill. I currently live here without a car and love how walkable it is by the river and canals with urban pathways (see northern canal walkway). There's also great food, from 5$ breakfasts to an array of different Asian options. There's lots of great community organizations to get involved in (Lowell makes, Litter Krewe, LTC community programming, CMAA, Mill City Grows, etc.). That said, Lowell does have a reputation. Your comfort level may not align with it.

I love all the other cities on your list! I would also add Salem. It has a cute downtown, great museums (PEM!), and ocean access. You can also get easily to Boston with the commuter rail. One of the downsides/upsides is that Salem becomes witch city in October. There's a lot of people and traffic.

aimforthehead90 OP t1_j8nxkhk wrote on February 15, 2023 at 6:24 PM

I haven't looked into Lowell yet, it looks great though! I'll look more into that and Salem, although we're looking to stay away from excessive crowds, I'm not sure how bad Salem is in that regard. Thanks!

ednamillion99 t1_j8o4z4j wrote on February 15, 2023 at 7:12 PM

Google ‘Salem Halloween crowds’. It’s…bad. All month long. And getting worse.

geographresh t1_j8p8kw5 wrote on February 15, 2023 at 11:30 PM

You'll be pressed to find a new-ish single-family in Salem for $600k, unfortunately.

Haverhill sounds like it would meet a lot of your specifications. It does not give the same quaint vibes as coastal Maine/NH though, be forewarned.

If you can push your budget closer to $700k you might open up some options closer to Boston like Norwood, Beverly, or Hudson which would have better transit than Maine/NH, too.

jjgould165 t1_j8q4vaf wrote on February 16, 2023 at 3:32 AM

You also need to inquire about flood insurance and how much it would be if you are thinking about moving to a coastal place like Salem.

I would also suggest coming in the winter (not this one cause it hasn't arrived yet) but you need to know what it is like to be near the ocean in the winter and how dark it gets here before you move