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Good Evening,
My wife and our three children (all under ten yrs old) are heading out to NH for a road trip in about ten days with friends (and their three children). We live in upstate NY and are getting tired of paying over $10k in school/property taxes, especially considering we are a single income household.
The primary purpose of this road trip is to explore NH as a relocation option for both families.
We were considering Belknap County (Laconia, Alton, Meredith) and Carroll County. I would very much appreciate if you could provide advice on additional towns to explore, especially in Carroll County.
I respect the knowledge that locals have and don't assume to know all of the answers, based upon online research.
These factors are important to both families:
Lower taxes
More freedom
Availability of land to build on
Employment (I am self-employed and my friend is an architect--he may need to work in southern NH)
Family values
Rural beauty
Skiing/boarding
Freedom of education (strong homeschooling presence in area)
Good athletic programs in local school district
Y'all can come and peep in the summah, but ya better come back in the wintah too.
Different thing all together. Most folks get put off by the cold climate....
Conway area is really nice, but stay away from the strip on the weekends.......just sayin....
Y'all can come and peep in the summah, but ya better come back in the wintah too.
Different thing all together. Most folks get put off by the cold climate....
Uh, they said they are from upstate NY. I'm pretty sure they know all about snow and cold.
You really don't provide enough information.
Self-employed as an IT/computer person or carpenter?
There are zero jobs for an architect. Maybe a draftsman type job.
Home schooling but public school sports?
All public school systems have some sort of after school programs.
Real estate taxes vary from town to town.
Many towns spend much monies on newer fire stations, police stations, etc. and have large bond issues to pay off.
NH and cities and towns spend a great deal on fire and police. There is the state SWAT team and most if not all have local/regional SWAT teams. Someone has to pay for all of this equipment with training and manpower. The state police have planes, helicopters, and now two drones.
Best to read up on builiding codes in any city or town you prefer. Most cities and towns if not all now have zoning boards and planning boards. Many, many rules now apply.
Read up on the Carl Drega affair. Read beyond the headlines. Read up on what drove this NH person to go completely nuts. Read what led up to this incident. Not just the incident. Read up on what he was pulled over for - the last time.
Good Evening,
My wife and our three children (all under ten yrs old) are heading out to NH for a road trip in about ten days with friends (and their three children). We live in upstate NY and are getting tired of paying over $10k in school/property taxes, especially considering we are a single income household.
The primary purpose of this road trip is to explore NH as a relocation option for both families.
We were considering Belknap County (Laconia, Alton, Meredith) and Carroll County. I would very much appreciate if you could provide advice on additional towns to explore, especially in Carroll County.
I respect the knowledge that locals have and don't assume to know all of the answers, based upon online research.
These factors are important to both families:
Lower taxes
More freedom
Availability of land to build on
Employment (I am self-employed and my friend is an architect--he may need to work in southern NH)
Family values
Rural beauty
Skiing/boarding
Freedom of education (strong homeschooling presence in area)
Good athletic programs in local school district
Thank you very much for your time.
Rural Belknap and Carroll counties tend to have a higher number of self-employed people as well as a large percentage of retirees from New England and elsewhere, mainly concentrated in the core of the Lakes Region- towns that tend to have the lowest tax rates. The area has a tourism dominated economy with a good number of seasonal type of jobs, and few good paying jobs. That is why most families and younger people have left the area over a longer course of time to the larger population centers of southern NH and elsewhere that tend to offer a more diverse range of employment opportunities.
Taxes: low property taxes compared to upstate NY, but higher property assessment values. The Lakes Region towns can feature average looking cape or colonial houses, but they might be assessed at well over $300K.
This is a good site to keep nearby: http://www.revenue.nh.gov/munc_prop/...RateReport.pdf
Freedom: Yes, that area tends to be live and let live. Houses tend to be on larger amounts of acreage with the exception of town centers. Locals don't like outsiders coming in and posting property and not allowing hunting as that goes against the way things are done in rural areas there with regard to locals accessing land for outdoor recreation.
Family Values: No different than anywhere else that is more rural and conventional so I'm not sure what you're trying to imply. Fewer opportunities for younger people to stay around in terms of job opportunities after High School- so many leave the region for College and don't return until retirement.
Rural Beauty: Yes, this is one of the reasons why the Lakes Region is one of my favorite parts of the state. Most people who live there share the conservation ethic and many large acreage tracts of land are conserved with a multitude of trails as well as public access. The Lakes Region Conservation Trust is a big player in the area with a large rural land owning of properties that have maintained trails, often kept up by Boy Scouts and other local organizations at the town level.
Skiing/Boarding: Yes, plenty of those activities with much of the skiing being further north in Carroll County: Some good local spots are: Attitash, Wildcat, Gunstock, Black Mountain, and King Pine.
Freedom of education (strong homeschooling presence in area): Don't know enough to comment really. NH is one of the oldest states in the country in terms of its demographics so there isn't a lot of questions regarding homeschooling or its prevalence in certain areas of the state.
Good athletic programs in local school district: Look for well funded school districts that tend to have lake frontage within their town boundaries. High assessment properties with lake frontage mean outside $$$ are flowing into the town, supporting local school districts and keeping property tax rates low for everyone else that is not close to the lake frontage itself.
You really don't provide enough information.
Self-employed as an IT/computer person or carpenter?
There are zero jobs for an architect. Maybe a draftsman type job.
Home schooling but public school sports?
All public school systems have some sort of after school programs.
Real estate taxes vary from town to town.
Many towns spend much monies on newer fire stations, police stations, etc. and have large bond issues to pay off.
NH and cities and towns spend a great deal on fire and police. There is the state SWAT team and most if not all have local/regional SWAT teams. Someone has to pay for all of this equipment with training and manpower. The state police have planes, helicopters, and now two drones.
Best to read up on builiding codes in any city or town you prefer. Most cities and towns if not all now have zoning boards and planning boards. Many, many rules now apply.
Read up on the Carl Drega affair. Read beyond the headlines. Read up on what drove this NH person to go completely nuts. Read what led up to this incident. Not just the incident. Read up on what he was pulled over for - the last time.
Welcome to New Hampsire. Live Free or Die.
Thanks for your note. I am a consultant and can work from anywhere and my friend is an architect and has done a lot of large construction management work. Our friends recognize that they may have to live in southern NH because of the job market in the northern region.
Do you have any advice for specific towns in Belknap, Carroll, or Grafton counties based upon our criteria?
Thanks again.
Just get an atlas or map.
Drive around to each town.
Some towns are so small in population that there is no downtown. Or if so, one or two buildings.
Sandwich is quite nice. The movie On Golden Pond was filmed in the area. The opening scene of the Bob Newhart Show - the one where he was an in keeper (in Vermont) was filmed in Sandwich or Center Sandwich as some locals call it. Sandwich attracts book writers for some reason. So lots of diversity in opinions. There is also North Sandwich and Whiteface - all part of Sandwich.
Many of these rural towns can be quite beautiful in the warm months. Fields, forests, and mountains.
Shopping on the other hand may take a good trip from these rural towns. If you like to live out in the boonies.
If transportation times are an issue then stick near the major state roads and highways - such as Interstate Route 93 - state roads such as route 104, route 3, route 25, and route 16.
Note that the back roads that may look nice in warm weather may be hell holes in winter. If given a choice choose a paved road for residence. Lots of people love living on dirt roads. Granted. But every Spring there is mud season.
If you choose an area on a hill you will need AWD/4WD. And if steep enough - stud tires. Yes, some folks get by with front wheel drive. Most carry a shovel and sand in trunk in winter. And don't forget "frost heaves" in winter. A perfectly flat road in warm weather can turn quite bumpy in winter.
Cell phone service is sporadic in some areas with zero reception.
Cable TV (and broadband) is not available in all areas.
The telephone company - Fairpoint - is expanding in many areas for DSL - or whatever it is called today. But not all areas. That leaves only satellite internet for some or dial-up.
The Lakes Region has some of the lowest property taxes in the state. Each town has a different feel so you'll need to drive around for yourself to see what appeals to you. I would check out Holderness. It's a nice looking town with low property taxes and a well rated school. Bridgewater and Hebron both have low taxes as well and are pretty areas but I don't know much about them.
The Lakes Region has some of the lowest property taxes in the state. Each town has a different feel so you'll need to drive around for yourself to see what appeals to you. I would check out Holderness. It's a nice looking town with low property taxes and a well rated school. Bridgewater and Hebron both have low taxes as well and are pretty areas but I don't know much about them.
Yes, if seeking rural - then Groton has great advantages. Low property taxes. The newly installed wind turbines pay for most of the town's annual budget.
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