New to Town

[elijahstrust]

Hello,

Our family will be moving to Merrimack (I believe it's actually considered East Merrimack) by the end of this month. I am wondering if anyone would be willing to tell me anything I should know...i.e. the transfer station, electric/oil companies, newspapers available (online and print), and anything else you think an newbie would need to know, etc., etc. I'm also looking for groups that my children could get involved in, i.e. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H, sports, etc. They are almost 8 and 10 (times 2 each ).

Thank you so much

Dawn

[Debra Huffman]

Hi Dawn, and welcome to Merrimack! There's so much to learn when you move to a new town, and lots of us are willing to give you a hand.

The first place to start might be the Town web site (www.merrimacknh.gov) but you've probably already found that. I think you'll find the transfer station info there, and miscellaneous other stuff.

There are two major newspapers in the area - the Manchester Union Leader (which perhaps has a slightly conservative focus) and the Nashua Telegraph (which perhaps has a slightly liberal focus). There is also a very good weekly paper, the Merrimack Journal, which is delivered free on Thursdays.

As for kids activities, there are too many to list! Do they like sports? There's the Merrimack Youth Association (MYA), which runs sports programs all year long. There are several boy scout and girl scout troops in the area, plus there are 4H groups in the general area, but I'm not sure if the Merrimack branch is still active. All the churches have youth groups. (We don't have a synagogue in town as far as I know, but I'm sure there are some in Nashua and Manchester.)

There are lots of hiking/biking opportunities. The schools have lots of science-type activities, like Destination Imagination and that sort of thing. (It's been too long since my kids were 8 and 10, so I'm out of touch with all the schools offer now.) Then there are more unusual activities, like the Watanic Bowmen club if they'd like to get into bow-and-arrow target shooting.

You should probably contact the Welcome Wagon (actually they have a new name but I've forgotten it - this info should be on the Town's web site but I don't think it is right now). They have a packet of info for new residents.

Since hiking is my thing, if you'd like a tour of the Horse Hill Nature Preserve just let me know!

Welcome, and let us know if we can do anything to help.

[andysinnh]

Welcome, Dawn! Not sure about the "East Merrimack" designation - I've lived here for a long time and never understood how some of the mapquest and other things come up with an "East Merrimack"... Given that, I live in "West Merrimack", I suppose....

Anyway, Deb has outlined a bunch of good info. In terms of the "Welcome Wagon", they're now Merrimack Friends and Families, and their web site is http://merrimackfriendsfamilies.org/ , so that's another good source of info.

andy

[Scott Kepnes]

Dawn,
In addition to other info people have posted, I'll be happy to chat via email or phone about different activities my kids have been involved with, other things for kids locally and services we've used around town. You can PM me here on this forum or email me from my website.
Welcome to Merrimack!
Scott

[elijahstrust]

Thank you everyone I will check out the resources you mentioned and make some notes . As the move draws closer, I'm sure I'll be contacting you for more details. I homeschool my children, but it's always nice to know what's going on in the schools and two of my children have special needs so of course that always plays a part in anything we do.

My boys love baseball (played one season of t-ball) and "shooting" hoops in the driveway ...the girls took one clinic on field hockey and loved it (they have been watching their older sister play forever and I believe they've caught the bug). The girls have also played soccer (but not for a few years now) and have expressed some interest in learning to play softball.

What are the options for phone and internet service in town? Currently we have Verizon..I haven't even checked with them to see if they are available there...

We are all looking forward to the move (well not the packing and unpacking part though )

Thank you again

Dawn

[andysinnh]

If you have Verizon now, you must be coming from Mass or somewhere else. From a landline phone perspective, it's FairPoint in this area (all of NH/VT/ME actually). You can go DSL and phone from FairPoint, but I for one don't have it in my area, and the speeds for internet are a whole lot slower. We use Comcast for internet, voice and TV (it's the cable provider in Merrimack) - but others may have different recommendations. Cell Phone service is good to spotty depending on where you are - lots of dead spots as you head west towards 101 (where we live).

Interesting that you home-school your kids - many in town do so. But overall the merrimack schools have a decent reputation - and given the amount that taxes pay towards the school program in town, you might want to see whether it could augment or replace what you offer. We've had 2 come out of the Merrimack schools to college with great results, and are sending a third through the system right now. If any of your children have special needs or the need for an IEP, Merrimack has an excellent reputation within the area.

andy

[mmoy]

Fairpoint DSL is only available in a limited area in Merrimack. I think that you have to be within two miles of the pbx to get 3.0 mb service. We've had 3.0 mb service for a long time and it is good enough for our family though not ideal. Fairpoint has been talking about upgrading DSL speeds to 7 and 15 mb - I will believe it when I see it.

We homeschooled in Merrimack for 15 years and just finished with our last child. You might consider joining the NHHR-L mailing list as it covers homeschooling issues statewide. There are associated lists for religious homeschooling, homeschooling teens and NH homeschool politics. The politics board has been extremely active for the last two years as a few state legislators tried to crank up regulations.

The Merrimack YMCA is located in the southern part of town and they have a pool, tennis courts, an indoor track, a basketball court, squash and racquetball courts, private school classes for younger children, all sorts of lessons and the usual cardio, aerobics and weight rooms for adults.

[RandD]

Hello,

Someone already mentioned www.merrimackfriendsfamilies.org. I'm a member of this organization and it's awesome! Lot's of great women/families and activities. There will be two membership information meetings in August if you're interested. We'll also be having an ice cream social for all the families in the early fall.

There is also the Greater Nashua Parents of Twins and More: http://www.greaternashuapotm.org/ Our twins are only 5.5 months old so I have not been involved in this organization yet but I plan on joining this fall.

[mort]

For field hockey options, http://www.nhsportsplex.com/, is right up Daniel Webster Highway in Bedford, NH. My son does their soccer and summer camp programs and really enjoys it.

Welcome to Merrimack!
Mort-
(Fellow East Merrimack resident )

[elijahstrust]

I want to thank everyone for your welcomes and information. We are officially moved in (well most of our stuff anyway) and this move had one mishap after another...I'm not letting it get me down though....I'm enjoying the peace and tranquility and actually looking forward to getting things unpacked and organized.

First: reserved truck, showed up to pick up and NO trucks available...finally found one Saturday morning (but it was too short so we needed to make more than one trip)
Second: We can't get our refrigerator into the house...it's too wide ....so trying to figure out what to do next on that.
Third: My husband had to be taken to the ER by ambulance this afternoon (on our second trip to get our stuff out of old home) and he now has a dislocated knee and wretched his back.
Fourth: our piano is on the moving truck but may not have survived getting there...hoping it isn't as bad as my daughter says it is...

Things can only get better from here

Dawn

[Brian McCarthy]

It sure seems that way!

As for the rental company ... I have heard similar stories - but I have been told that its usually the specific store and not the specific chain that is the issue.

As for the fridge not fitting in.... did you take the doors off of it? Front doors are usually 36" and the widest in a house. Of course, often times renovations take place inside the house that makes it impossible to get it around once inside the door.

Brian

[lynn]

Brian is right
take the doors of the house AND the fridge
you may just squeeze it in