Don't want to start a fight but some of those towns have school systems that are much better than others on the list. Not a bad list for a reserve guy to start with. Either side of NH listed above also has some other good school systems but with a more rural feel (and a bit of a longer drive off the Interstate). I would also look at property tax rate as they can vary greatly from town to town...though you will get what you pay for most of the time. I believe the city of Portsmouth has a lower tax rate than most with a good school system but the flipside is property is more $$ compared to the surrounding areas. Other concerns might be if a town has full time police and fire, not all of them do...it will affect response time as well as home insurance rates.