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My brother is a far left liberal native Californian who retired to a small hamlet right outside Portsmouth. He went from Berkeley to a conservative state and had no problems. However, he is a retired physician and I guess gains some "status" from his former profession. He also never tried to talk politics to his neighbors or behave like Nancy Pelosi. He likes the fact that people in NH leave other people alone... a HUGE advantage!
Since I study demography, New England is slow changing with regard to demographics. Many areas just don't see much in the way of in-migration- many parts of rural NH included. Rural areas of the US have been dealing with out-migration of younger educated people for many decades as pull factors often lead to better employment opportunities with advancement in urban centres. With that being said, I think NH is the state that has the least resistance to newcomers. Newcomers should be prepared to adjust or adopt the customs of the natives and not expect to have all kinds of services either. If you want lots of amenities move to a high tax town in NH. If you want self-sufficiency, privacy, and a rural atmosphere with less services move to a low tax town.
I need to know how I would fare if we moved to Concord. Ideally I would like to work for the state as I vastly prefer being a civil servant to working in the private sector (which I'm doing now and it's all about the shareholder which I can't stand.) So again, be honest. Do I have a chance in Concord? This would be our last move and we cannot risk moving some 5000 miles only to have it not work out. On paper Concord seems fabulous but then again, Bismarck looked great on paper too. Again, I need honesty. Would I make it in Concord? Would I be able to get a job with the state or is it like ND where they only hire people from ND? Any input would be gratefully appreciated.
I find NH to be open to hiring based on qualifications, not where you go to church. However, the state is in a hiring freeze with many cuts due to the budget here. The reason in you not getting a job would be because there are no jobs at the state. Concord is a friendly place to live, but not a lot of professional jobs. Check out the state employment page , Concord Hospital, Franklin Pierce Law school and look to Manchester for jobs also. Concord is good commuting distance to Manchester, so you aren't limited. Good luck!
Once again, the NH unemployment rates are misleading as many are self-employed. There never was much of an employment boom either. Having a specialized career, I was not able to find a great position in my career field in NH. Yes, NH has lots of mid level and service jobs, but those don't correlate well to the cost of living. The best option is to live in southern NH and find a high paying job in MA. Hopefully I will be able to get a good position and move back to NH. Quality of life can't be beat if you don't live a lavish lifestyle. Who can afford the property taxes of high-end houses anyway?
People who are self employed are never included in unemployment figures. I don't see how NH would have more self employed people than other states. As for living in NH and working in MA, that is a high tax proposition as you'd pay both the high MA income tax and the high NH property tax...
I can afford the property tax of a high end house in a high end town. For that I get schools that I can actually send my kids to rather than paying $15-20k per year as many of my friends and relatives in MA do... The high property tax (of course it is actually less dollars than a similar house in MA due to the different valuations) is offset by no income tax, no sales tax, and lower cost car insurance....
As for living in NH and working in MA, that is a high tax proposition as you'd pay both the high MA income tax and the high NH property tax...
Whether it is worth it really depends on how much you make. Technically, my place of employment is Boston MA (though I am only there a couple of times a week.) I pay about $6k in MA state tax annually... but I earn -- easily -- about 3 times the salary in MA what I'd get for a comparable job in NH. I'll take that tradeoff -- the extra income, far far far dwarfs the MA state taxes I pay.
I certainly don't think it will be like Bismarck. As far as NH goes, I would say the smaller the town, the stranger they'll act toward you (yet this could hold true for anywhere). I used to live in the Lakes Region during the summer and many of the residents frowned upon all of the vacationers and summer residents. Growing up in Salem, it certainly wasn't like this, yet Salem is certainly not considered a vacationer's haven.
When I first read your post I was going to say how wrong your husband is but after reading some of these post I'm not so sure lol! I apologize for some of the 'crusty' people on here.
IMO people don't care where you are from in the least, I've never seen it be an issue. In my neighborhood I think my husband is the only one born and raised in NH. The only people I see that are 'crusty' and unfriendly are the yuppies. In certain areas like the seacoast where I live there are a lot of pretentious and snobbish people and they can be click-ish. Overall I wouldn't worry about fitting in for one second. After all we are the LIVE FREE OR DIE state.
Oh, worth mentioning... I am republican and feel like liberals are the norm around here.
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