The Nashua region offers a variety of places live to satisfy the style of life and the economic reality of anyone in the housing market. The Nashua region remains one of the most affordable areas in the country, when housing prices are compared to income. Prices in nearby Massachusetts are 20 percent to 30 percent higher. The Nashua region certainly makes living easier and more affordable areas, both because of housing afford ability and quality of life.

More than any other community in the region, Nashua offers diversity of housing choices for rental or purchase, ranging from historic properties to new condominiums and subdivisions. The elegant North End has been Nashua's most affluent area for more than a century. Well kept Victorian homes built around the turn of the century line the edge of Concord Street near Greeley Park.

Regardless of the type of home you are looking to purchase, Nashua will have what you are looking for. In 1999, the average cost of a home in Nashua was $155,000, below that of many other southern New Hampshire communities in the Salem, Manchester and Seacoast regions. Nashua offers unique housing opportunities as well. The textile mills lining the Nashua River have been renovated into apartments, popular for their proximity to downtown's Main Street. Spit Brook Road in South Nashua is home to many condominium and apartment developments with pools, tennis courts and playgrounds which are conveniently located close to Route 3. Apartments in Nashua range from a studio for $500 per month up to multiple bedroom apartments in the city's renovated mills for $1,300 per month. Rental costs continue to lag behind national averages when measured against per capita income.

If you prefer to live in a more rural setting, the towns surrounding Nashua offer a great range of housing options. To the west and northwest of Nashua lie the towns of Amherst and Hollis. Both only 10 miles from downtown, they offer magnificent village greens and rolling countryside. Amherst is one of only two towns in the country listed in its entirety as a historic district, and Hollis offers residents access to its signature apple orchards only a stone's throw from the village green.

Beyond Hollis and Amherst, you will find the communities of Milford and Wilton. Both towns trace their roots to the industrial era when they served as centers of the textile industry in the region. Today, they have revitalized their downtowns and offer, on a smaller a. scale, many of the amenities of their much larger neighbor to the east. As you move beyond Milford and Wilton, you reach Brookline in the south and Mont Vernon and Lyndeboro to the north. All three towns retain a strong rural character while being less than 30 miles from Nashua. Country lanes and old farms are common while the newer construction is generally on larger building lots to retain the town's rural character.

The town of Merrimack is directly north of Nashua along the Merrimack river. This community of 25,000 is bisected by the Everett Turnpike and features housing options from apartments to single family homes. Rental and housing costs tend to be slightly lower than Nashua because Merrimack is farther from the region's major employment centers.

To the east and across the Merrimack River lie Hudson and Litchfield. Hudson, like Merrimack and Nashua, offers great diversity in housing options. Hudson lies between Interstate 93 to the east and the Everett Turnpike to the west, making it an ideal location for people commuting into Metro Boston for work. Like Merrimack,the rental market is somewhat less expensive, but the housing market is slightly more expensive than Nashua. Litchfield is unlike any other town in the region. it is just across the river from Nashua and just south of Manchester, and has seen a seven-fold increase in its population since 1960. Still, Litchfield has maintained its rural character with a strong and vibrant agricultural tradition. The main road through town is still dotted by roadside fruit and vegetable stands, and farmers can be seen working their fields.

As you can see 11 prosperous and uniquely beautiful communities make up the Greater Nashua area. All situated in the central southernmost portion of the state, these communities boast a growing population, a rock-solid economic base bolstered by booming high technology, service and retail businesses, and a superior quality of life. Remarkable for their natural beauty, Nashua and the surrounding communities have always appealed to those who "Want it all"!