Seniors Head Up To Northern New England

Grab your coffee and let’s visit Manchester, New Hampshire this morning. Manchester, the largest city in northern New England, has a population of 110,000. The state capital, Concordf, pales in comparison with 37,000 inhabitants. Senior travelers, do you know the smallest state capital in the country? It’s Montpelier, Vermont with a tiny sum of 7,700.  Interesting huh? #2 is Pierre, South Dakota (14,000).

Manchester was first named by the merchant and inventor Samuel Blodget, after whom the Samuel Blodget Park in Manchester North is named. Blodget’s vision was to create a great industrial center similar to that of Manchester in England, which was the world’s first industrialized city.

Manchester boasts a wide array of fun and exciting amenities focused on recreational pastimes. The city hosts several dedicated sports teams at modern arenas. The Monarchs hockey team, Fisher Cats baseball team and the Phantoms soccer team are a few of the many local teams entertaining fans throughout the area all season long.

Senior Visitors Enjoy Manchester

Today the Manchester-Nashua metropolitan area is home to nearly one-third of the population of New Hampshire. Manchester often appears favorably in lists ranking the affordability and livability of American cities.

Back in 2009, CNN Money rated Manchester 13th in a list of the 100 best cities to live and launch a business. Kiplinger found it to be the second most tax-friendly city. Forbes ranked the Manchester region first on its list of “America’s 100 Cheapest Places to Live. So it has lots going for it.

TripAdvisor notes that senior visitors will discover a bustling urban center in a quiet town that combines history, industry and business and 41 things to take in, including beautiful Lake Massabesic.

Museums, Homes and Clydesdale Horses Draw Seniors

Being a guide at Taliesin West, this senior would have to visit the Zimmerman House, a Usonian house designed in 1950 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Dr. Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman. The Amoskeag Millyard is home to The Millyard Museum, which tracks the history of Manchester back 11,000 years.

The Currier Museum of Art focuses on paintings by famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Georgia O’Keeffe. After visiting those, then drive several miles down the road to Merrimack and visit the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, where you can taste seasonal beers and get a first-hand look the famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses.

Historically, the Pennacook Indians called the Manchester area Namoskeag, meaning “good fishing place”—a reference to the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River.  Seniors, drive to Manchester and enjoy the city and surrounding communities.  -jeb