Is there a difference in people in Boston and those in southern New Hampshire? (Andover: condo, credit)

[TootsieWootsie]

I keep hearing that Bostonians or people from Massachusetts are distant, aloof, snobby and so forth. THEN I read that the people in New Hampshire are friendly and the complete opposite.
Granted, I am in the Midwest right now so I cannot judge, which is why I need some help.
The two areas are so close, how can the attitudes of the people be so radically different? HELP! I am so confused...
I am very interested in moving to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, which is why the attitudes of the two areas (Boston and Seacoast NH) is so very important to my decision making.

[LeavingMA]

My general opinion is New Hampshire is more laid-back and relaxed place and the Boston area is more uptight and impatient. I think usually rural areas tend to be more about community and getting to know people.

[wealthtrader]

There's nothing special about Boston and NH. It's like most places; rural (are more friendly and relaxed) and urban (are more sophisticated and scurried.)

[TheWereRabbit]

Southern NH and even Soutern Maine are basically Greater Boston now. So I'd have to say there isn't much of a difference.

[Nay B]

I liived in southern NH my whole life, and I am now moving to Boston. I have been working in Boston and spend a lot of time there. the answer to your Q is yes and no. People in NH are usually more ready to help you out, and they're very polite. they're courteous drivers, for the most part, and hold the door for you. In boston, they're a little ruder, or perhaps the word is, selfish when in a rush. However, once you do start talking to someone in Boston, they're usually freindly, and those i've met, are realer than people in NH.

[HoneyRyder]

People in NH may be nicer b/c they are more "country" but there is not a huge difference

[CityGirl52]

I can't stop laughing, this post is a good one to answer and I'll tell you why. I'm living on the seacoast of NH and have lived here since 1990, originally from Boston, (born & raised). Southern NH, especially the seacoast is definitely more laid back and "quieter" than living in the City of Boston & their people, because I was one of them and boy what a culture change moving up! Oh it took a few years to get used to it. Give it time, you'll see what I mean when you first get here and then after a year and then another year! You'll know exactly what I was talking about here when you've done a few years here! I want to make sure you get an honest "city girls" "take", (especially where I'm single) on living on the seacoast as opposed to living in the city of Boston! When I first moved "up here" it took me the longest longest time to "calm down" and to quiet the heck down LOL! I'm not kidding you either, I never realized I was so loud, but I guess I was!!! When I was in a store one time on the seacoast, I used to yell over to my family members across all the aisles and hold up the blouse, skirt or sweater? AND think nothing of doing that! Finally, one day my sister said to me you know you don't have to yell across the aisles like that, it's kind of embarrassing! I said to her, oh ya, you're right I forgot I'm in New Hampshire now & you can hear me loud & clear! Oh, believe me, it took the longest longest time for me to quiet down! Now when I go back to Boston? I love to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's funny how that happens. You're going to LOVE living on the seacoast of NH. I have several sisters & brothers & the younger ones actually grew up on the seacoast. They had more years here than me! I personally think they have midwestern accents and I was only living 50 minutes away from them in Boston. You'll definitely notice the difference. Yes, it's laid back, it's definitely a quieter lifestyle and I finally am used to it believe it or not, I don't think any of my friends in Boston can believe it! Some of them think I came down a notch with how I am now! Oh well, that's life! As far as shopping is concerned? Give me TJ MAXX & Marshall's any day, and they have plenty of those! I don't like the Mall on the seacoast at all, in fact I still hate it to this very day and my opinion on it hasn't changed one iota in all these years of living here! It's FoxRun Mall in Newington. UGH, I can NOT get used to it, sorry about that, but I'm used to funkier, cooler malls with chic places like CHICO'S and they do NOT have one on the seacoast yet, it's hard to believe, they just don't get it yet with their choices of stores in that ONE Mall. Going over to Rockingham is a choice, it's got all the cool, chic stores, but it's a pain from the seacoast to go over there. I will though, just not that much. The traffic annoys me over there now & it never did before. I still bank with a credit union? I can't stand the banks here on the seacoast! A lot of resident's love the banks here in southern NH, where I can not stand any of them, they aren't what they used to be any way so I refuse to do business with any of them. Give me my credit union any day, I'll drive down to Danvers for it any time, it's no bother & talk about customer service? They do circles around the banks "up here!" I refuse to get employment in the state of NH. Where a ton of people love it here and have wonderfully good paying jobs, well, I missed the boat with that one, trust me! I'm certainly not impressed with any place that I was employed! Now these days I'm employed down in Andover, MA. and I love what I'm doing there & the people are awesome to work with. Let's see, what do I actually love about living on the seacoast? I love the fact that there's no traffic and I really love all the many many short cuts up and down all the country roads that I found since I moved "up here". My family is here, my elderly parents are living right near me. I don't think I trust the nursing homes on the seacoast. I'm sure they have some beautifully maintained ones? I haven't seen any that stand out yet and we had several family members that needed to utilize a couple of them here on the seacoast and I certainly wasn't impressed, in fact, none of us were, even my family members that have nothing but praise and good words for everything about living on the seacoast. I'm certainly not going to want to see my parents in any of these places, that's for sure! So that's probably why I'm here on earth to help my parents, then when I'm done? I'll move on, certainly NOT any where on the seacoast of NH, may be some where warm and sunny and then I can compare & who knows? May be I'll be back some day living on the seacoast of NH!

I did the commute from southern NH to Boston for work. I took the train from Newburyport down to North Station every day. It was convenient in the long run. I'd do that again if I had to, but I don't have to any more, I worked long enough! It's like I died & went to heaven NOT commuting down there any more! Now I can enjoy life at this slower pace that every one in my family THINKS I should have had through the years! It's okay, just not my cup of tea IF you know what I mean! Just okay....it's not for every one. You can never take the "city" out of a born & raised city girl, trust me! I think you're going to love living here where you're from the Midwest! I told you a few of my sisters were actually raised on the seacoast MORE than in the City of Boston? You would swear they were from the Midwest, you will pick up on it RIGHT AWAY when you meet a lot of seacoasters, believe me!


Good luck with your decision! Oh, it's a big one to make, that's for sure. It's expensive here, in fact, where I live, there's nothing under $300,000, and if there is? There's only a couple of them and they're condo's not houses, it's like that every where of course but here? It's definitely expensive and the taxes? I think they're ridiculous, but don't go by me, I don't have kids, when you have kids, that's another story. Speaking of which? My nieces and nephews all went to private schools in southern NH and boy did it pay off for them, they either graduated or will be graduating in a few years from college. They've done extremely well with their education they got on the seacoast, believe me, even there good friends that went to public schools all their lives on the seacoast? They've done exceedingly well and are all in wonderful colleges now or have graduated already.

So that's about it from this end for now. If you have any more questions, I'm sure others will fill you in as well!

I wanted you to have my facts & opinion on living on the seacoast and to also make sure you see this all with "open eyes!"

CityGirl52

[TomDot]

Originally Posted by TootsieWootsie

I keep hearing that Bostonians or people from Massachusetts are distant, aloof, snobby and so forth. THEN I read that the people in New Hampshire are friendly and the complete opposite.
Granted, I am in the Midwest right now so I cannot judge, which is why I need some help.
The two areas are so close, how can the attitudes of the people be so radically different? HELP! I am so confused...
I am very interested in moving to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, which is why the attitudes of the two areas (Boston and Seacoast NH) is so very important to my decision making.

The seacoast of N.H is honky-tonk hicksville. Lots of tattoos, lots of bikers and lots of mullets. It is also poorer and fatter.

[Graduatefilmstudent]

I recently moved to Boston from Memphis, TN, so my comment only concerns Boston. I can't give you advice on NH. Boston is beautiful, architecturally. When it comes to the people, I feel like I am on another planet. They are consistently rude and offensive, while at the same time easily offended. It seems that they are always ready to pick a fight with you or step on you to further themselves. It is becoming disgusting. There is virtually no sympathy here.
I am a southern boy. I believe in manners, the extension of kindness, and fairness. Clearly, in a place like this I must come across as a rube. Considering that you are from the mid-west, expect a culture shock, and prepare to toughen your skin.

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by TomDot

The seacoast of N.H is honky-tonk hicksville. Lots of tattoos, lots of bikers and lots of mullets. It is also poorer and fatter.

Uh... is Hampton Beach in the summertime your only experience with the NH seacoast? Because all of the other towns on the Seacoast are significantly more affluent, much moreso than many working class communities in the Boston area. Besides - most of the people at Hampton Beach in the summer aren't even from NH. Hampton is worlds apart from, say, Portsmouth or Rye.

To the OP; you will find that people are prone to make sweeping generalizations about the people in a given place based on a relatively limited set of personal experiences. Those posters who emphasize the urban/rural divide between Boston and southern NH have it right (well, southeastern NH is more suburban/exurban than rural, but still). The same difference exists to some extent in every part of the world.

There's no magical barrier between MA and NH that separates awfully rude people from the nicest people on the planet. You will find nice people and bad apples in both places. But people who live in large cities do tend to live more time-sensitive lifestyles and may have less patience in some daily activities than those who live in small towns. And Boston is a notoriously difficult and stressful city to drive in, which breeds a certain degree of aggressiveness in driving that is not necessary in NH.