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Thinking Southern New Hampshire because I do like winter sports, but my kids are not sure if they could handle the cold. I like the thought of a village type town where everyone knows everyone. I could get a larger piece of property and the job outlook looks OK. Schools seem good and I like that Boston is not far away for culture. We have friends who keep telling us how great their move has been since they left NJ and went to VT. We just like NH better than VT.
Second choice is the opposite and the kids favorite. St Augustine, Fl., I would get to experience life inside a planned community which sound good since I have 4 kids and this may give them an opportunity to experience a child hood like I had, where kids actually play outside and ride bikes up and down the street. I think in a newer community there would be have younger families than where I live now. MAYBE? The weather would be nicer and a totally different life style than I am used to but may be a good change, salaries would be lower but would COL.
Third would be to move over the border of NJ into PA, I like the hills and views in the Lehigh Valley and maybe upper Bucks and we would be able to keep my husbands job for awhile till we can find another. We would also be closer to family and it would not be such a BIG move, just like moving a few counties over. Its just that PA and Allentown get such a bad rap and doesn't help us feel good about the area. We have driven around many times and know this area better than the others and we never really seen much that would turn us away. A drive thru Plainfield or Newark it way scarier.
We love NJ and would stay but its not the type of lifestyle I want anymore. It's a different state then what I grew up in. I want to relax and smell the roses every now and then. Something not done often in NJ. HELP us to make a good choice for our family. Lots of pros/cons on all my list. Thanks for reading.
Wow, I already am confused! Upstate NY sounds cold and I hear a lot about the lake effects? Maybe making it colder than Southern NH. Also I am not sure if the economy is good but I will look at them and thank you.
The only area that I have extensive personal experience with is southern NH, so I can at least offer my two cents on that.
How old are your kids? I've never known kids to complain about cold weather, but I suppose most of them are either brought up with it or not. Yes, the winters are colder and snowier than NJ, but there are a lot more opportunities to keep active during the season -- skating, skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling... I think it would be crucial to gauge your kids' openness to these winter sports. They might end up loving the winters in NH.
The job outlook is definitely better in NH (at least southern NH) than VT and the overall tax burden is much lower, although bear in mind that some towns have very high property taxes (it varies dramatically from town to town). Southern NH has some tremendously good school districts, although these are often in the "larger" towns (i.e. over 9,000 people). The first town that came to mind for your criteria was Hollis, which has a small town character, excellent schools, and is easily accessible to both Boston and the rural Monadnock Region. It is also along the southern border of the state and has a milder climate than many other areas of NH.
You definitely won't find many "planned communities" or cookie cutter suburbs in NH, but we tend to like it that way. Kids still do play outside here, in large part because there's so much to do outside. But I think it would really depend on your kids' interests. If they're not too excited by the prospect of playing out in the snow then they might be bored to tears!
It's an environmentally cleaner, more family friendly environment. The schools will be better there overall than PA or especially FL. New Hampshire is ranked second of the 50 states in terms of public school test scores and performances.
Also Pennsylvania has changed much like New Jersey has. Moving a few counties over won't change much of anything.
I'm from Central Florida and I can tell you your quality of life there will not anyway resemble how it was when you visited. Vacation and real life differ quite a bit. Planned communities in Florida do not replicate what you experienced as a child. People drive everywhere and you don't see kids frolicking in the street. As a result it's a very difficult place to meet people. I would rarely see neighbors in the similar subdivision I lived in while in Central Florida.
Living in an established neighborhood in a small town in New Hampshire will provide that environment you're looking for. Places where people actually walk to services and don't rely on a car 100% of the time are proven to be friendlier. You actually have frequent interactions with your neighbors. It's a nice quality of life.
Check out Nashua, NH. It has a population around 85,000 so there's enough to do, but small enough to feel neighborhood-like. Its close enough to Boston (45 miles), so that going for cultural events won't seem like a trek. Also, there is commuter bus service with multiple trips from Nashua to Boston, (Boston Express — Connecting Nashua, Manchester, Londonderry and Salem to Boston and Logan Airport) which is a great perk.
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