Over the past several years, Bedford has been the second fastest growing town in New Hampshire (second only to Litchfield). This is both a testament to Bedford as a great place to live, and also presents a challenge in its ability to remain so.
History
Adjacent to Manchester, much of Bedford is former farmland that has evolved into graceful homesteads for those commuting to Manchester and other cities; notably, Nashua, Concord, and even Boston. With an 80/20 residential-to-business ratio, Bedford’s real estate profile doesn’t automatically evoke a booming business town.
One of the reasons Bedford has been so attractive has been its ability to provide a safe, pleasant community with good schools, a “small town” personality, convenient services and reasonable taxes — a difficult balance to achieve.
Our Commercial Neighbors
Bedford has made a concerted effort to attract businesses to Bedford, helping to provide services to our citizens, and to provide a commercial tax base to help support the town’s continued growth.
Most of Bedford’s business activity is concentrated along Old Route 3, otherwise known as South River Road, or “the performance zone.” Home to a Macy’s department store, South River Road also boasts several national chain stores including Target, Lowes, branches of most local banks and one of the most in-obtrusive Wal-Marts you will ever find. Just over the border in Manchester, you’ll find the nearest drive-through fast food (including a McDonald’s and KFC). Even while offering convenient services, Route 3 manages to avoid the look and associated traffic snarls of a standard suburban “strip.”
Route 3 also offers a host of business services — including a FedEx store, UPS store, Staples — that have helped to attract a number of professional services and high-tech firms to Bedford. Look in the Manchester phone book or Chamber of Commerce directory under “executive recruiter” or “computer consultant” and you will find a healthy share of them working in Bedford.
Bedford’s other major commercial clusters are along Route 101, which extends westward from the Manchester border into Amherst. Route 101 features many smaller services including dry cleaners, Dunkin’ Donuts, pharmacies, a local hardware store and a fine crafts gallery. Several Newcomers-affiliated establishments populate Route 101 including the Harvest supermarket and Pizza Mia.
Schools
Aside from convenience, our commercial neighbors contribute valuable tax dollars that allow Bedford to maintain its outstanding school system.
Bedford is currently home to three elementary schools - Memorial, Peter Woodbury and Riddle Brook, the McKelvie Intermediate School, as well as the newly opened Lurgio Middle School and Bedford High School.
Despite the fact that Bedford’s students regularly outperform their peers in other NH towns, education is still the hottest topic on the Bedford political agenda. At the state level, education funding has been at the top of the local news ever since the Supreme Court mandated state-wide funding for schools.
Parks, Recreation and Greenspace
Bedford offers a wide variety of recreational facilities including a public swimming pool, playgrounds, a sledding hill, several hiking trails and open-air tennis courts. The 70-acre Legacy Park has several ballfields, a skateboard park, tennis courts, cross-country ski trails, fishing and ice skating.
We are lucky to be the beneficiaries of two large and recent land acquisitions. In 1999, the Benedictine Sisters sold their property (on Wallace Road) to the town. And in the March 2001 election, the town voted overwhelmingly to acquire the old Joppa Hill Farm property, keeping an additional 312 acres (190 of which are in Bedford; the other 122 are in Amherst) from being developed. Joppa Hill Farm is now the home of The Educational Farm, a working/learning farm that offers many hands-on opportunities for adults and children.
Plans for additional park and recreational spaces are also being discussed in conjunction with Route 101 Corridor planning.
Bedford Links
Town of Bedford official home page
Factoids
Bedford’s population was estimated at 16,500 in 1999.
Fact Sheet (from the State of NH website)