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My girlfriend and I have been exploring these forums (and Vermont's) trying to settle on a place to start our lives once we finish up school. We both grew up in Texas and are absolutely desperate to get out of this state!
We are completely infatuated with the New England landscape and the idea of small town New England life.
Could anyone help us out as to where to look in New Hampshire? We're looking for a small, quiet, slow, cozy town to start a family and lay down some roots. We'd really like something out of the way and rural, with a very connected strong sense of community.
We're both teachers so could anyone tell us what life for teachers is like up there? Could two teachers live comfortably in New Hampshire?
The first part of New England we looked at was the NEK in Vermont and we would absolutely love to live in an area like that. I hope I don't insult any of y'all but what part of New Hampshire is comparable to that? Or tops that?
We would love any help y'all are willing to give! Especially small town people that are proud of their homes and would like to brag on them a bit to us.
I think two employed teachers could live fairly well but not extravagantly most anywhere in New England except right on the coast. Teachers’ wages are roughly proportional to the local cost of living and are not extravagant but are not a vow of poverty either. New England is densely populated in the south west and around Boston but there are packets of rural almost everywhere. There are lots of towns that meet your ideals. As always I suggest getting the jobs before the move.
Pick up a copy, probably order from the website, of the DeLorme Highway map of New England. it provides a good planning overview with Maine on one side and all the rest on the other. The DeLorme Road Atlases are useful for detailed guides.
I suggest taking a vacation in the area this fall and just looking around. We are a small area, except for Maine, and you could spend a few days looking over much of the area.
VT and NH are a lot alike - but in reverse. NH's population is in the widest part of the state (bottom) - VT's population is mostly located in the widest part of the state (top).
Your criteria could describe a number of towns in NH, although if you like the NEK in Vermont then you'd probably like the adjacent Great North Woods. Only thing is, most of the towns up there are fairly economically depressed; north of Littleton and Gorham, that is.
Some other things to narrow down your search: what kind of housing price range are you looking for? How do you feel about property taxes? Is it important for you to live in a highly-rated school district? Is this more important than having low taxes? How much does the aesthetic appearance / upkeep of the town matter to you?
Here's a PDF map of the state showing towns by population density. This will help you find the more off-the-beaten-path areas, although it doesn't help you distinguish between towns that actually have a clustered town center (which sounds like what you're looking for, with the sense of community and all) versus towns that are mostly just backroads.
Aside from the Great North Woods, I would probably focus your search on the western half of the state.
My wife and I are both teachers from New England who relocated to central Texas 8 years ago. Cost of living will be an issue. Housing in NH is generally more expensive than TX. Your best bet is focusing on an area that is commutable to both Concord and Manchester. Concord is one of the higher paying districts in the state, and there are affordable nice towns in the area. Manchester doesn't pay as well, but there are typically more jobs available, due to the fact that it is a more urban district.
The politics in Vermont are blatently Socalist. You'll hate it there fairly quickly.
The lakes region of NH is full of yuppies, the seacoast has typical Mass - hole transplants, as Nashua, Manchester & Concord. Peterborough is a liberal P/C stronghold and Keene is full of FreeStaters who hold public topless or pot-smoking events.
Stick with the smaller town in the hills and you'll want to stay forever.
Lot's of small towns in NH that you would probably like. Living on two teachers salaries, you would do ok.Just want to tell you that NH is very expensive to live in. The property taxes are real high. Housing is too. Fuel bills can be real high also. Don't want to discourage you, just clueing you in. If you do move here, bring your warm snuggys..
Some other things to narrow down your search: what kind of housing price range are you looking for? How do you feel about property taxes? Is it important for you to live in a highly-rated school district? Is this more important than having low taxes? How much does the aesthetic appearance / upkeep of the town matter to you?
Well when we move up there, it will be our first house. We're intending to stay down here for a few more years and save some money (our goal is about 50 thousand). We think we'll be looking for something up to about 250. From what we saw of real estate in the NEK in Vermont, that price seems to be very doable for a humble family home. Would the same be true of the more rural regions of New Hampshire?
We figure we're going to get nailed on property taxes and its just going to be a fact of life. A great school district is not hugely important to us. You have to remember, we survived the public schools of Texas. So long as my kids aren't schooled in Texas, I'll be incredibly happy. As a teacher, I'd rather come into a school that isn't at the top of the lists and really make a difference.
I don't really know how to answer your other question. I mean, its as I said before, so long as the scenery is beautiful and the community is tight-nit and looks out for each other, we'll be happy.
Thanks for your advice! We'll start googling around the Great Woods and the western part of the state. if you (or anyone) could give us a town in there to look at, It'd be much appreciated!
I grew up in eastern Mass. I've also lived and taught in Burlington, Vt, Lynn, Ma, and the White Mt region of NH. I currently live in Round Rock, TX and am a teacher at a local middle school. I don't want to discourage you from moving to Vt, but there are definitely some issues to consider. Property taxes in NH,VT and TX (central texas) are similar. The difference being the assessed value of your home. Our 125K house down here would be closer to 225 up there. The state income tax in Vt is hefty. As far as scenery and small town feel, you can get that in NH as easily as VT. Some of the most educationally deficient people I've encountered have been in the rural areas of VT. If you're looking to escape "bad" schools in TX, you won't achieve that by moving to rural Vt (w/ the exception of St Johnsbury Academy). In fact the majority of schools in the greater Austin area are equal to, or superior to those in most New England communities. Drugs are also a major issue in the NEK. There is little for teens to do, and underage drinking and drug use is quite common. I recommend a central NH town over a rural VT town. Check out Hopkinton, Bow, Henniker......
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