any info on lancaster, nh? (Hudson, Conway: how much, hotels, houses)

[dubstyle247]

hi everyone - considering relocating to lancaster, nh...any info on the area? my husband and i are in the hospitality business and would like to know how much of the economy is dedicated to tourism. we heard the winters can be pretty harsh in northern new hampshire. how does lancaster stack up against the other touristy parts of northern new hampshire? it seems that there are so many more things to do and places to stay in some of the other areas. any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by dubstyle247

hi everyone - considering relocating to lancaster, nh...any info on the area? my husband and i are in the hospitality business and would like to know how much of the economy is dedicated to tourism. we heard the winters can be pretty harsh in northern new hampshire. how does lancaster stack up against the other touristy parts of northern new hampshire? it seems that there are so many more things to do and places to stay in some of the other areas. any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Welcome to the forum dubstyle247! We live in Littleton - 20 to 30 mins from Lancaster. Here's the town site for Lancaster, which may answer some of your questions: Town of Lancaster, NH

The winters up here can be harsh. We relocated in 2006 - that winter we had very little snow, but it was COLD! We had a week or two where it never got above 0 degrees. This past winter it was warmer, but we had a boat load of snow.

I see by your location your in/on Long Island? You WILL experience "culture shock", hopefully in a nice way We relocated from the Mid-Hudson region of NYS and it did take some getting used to, but we love it up here

There are people on the forum who know quite a bit about Lancaster - hopefully they will come along later and be able to give you more info. In the meantime, this thread has info on Lancaster, as well: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-h...t-closely.html

[newhampshiregirl]

Hi Dub! I grew up in Lancaster and my parents still live there, so I visit frequently. Asta and I posted quite a bit about it in the thread that D2D mentioned.

I love Lancaster. It's a very pedestrian community with a real downtown (you know how some towns have lost their downtowns because of the big box stores on the outskirts??)...which creates a warm sense of community.

Here's my biggest advice to you...get some realistic information about salaries and cost of living. People just don't make the bucks in northern NH that they can make even in the mid- to southern parts of the state. That's not to say that one can't afford to live in Lancaster. It just means you need to have realistic expectations. I'll throw an example out there for ya. I know someone who has a semi-professional job that she's held for many years. She earns about $15/hour. On the other hand, her home cost half of what ours did, but her property taxes are higher than ours.

BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, the quality of life in a town like Lancaster is enviable. Life is truly simpler, slower, more peaceful in the north country.

Lancaster isn't so much a tourist destination as it is a tourist pass-through. Traffic through town increases substantially in summer.

Do you have more details about what you plan to do in Lancaster? That might help you get even more advice and information.

Welcome home to NH!

[vter]

As noted above, Lancaster is a small town located north of Littleton located on the Vermont border.
Tourism does come into play a lot into the local economy, but not on the scale of, say, North Conway. The North Country and the abutting Northeast Kingdom (VT) is a big area for snowmobiling. Summer sees a lot of pass-through traffic on Route 2, which is a major east/west route for northern New England.
It's very pretty, but very sleepy. So, if you want quiet and solitute, you can find it in the Lancaster area.

[dubstyle247]

sounds nice. our dream has always been to open a B&B or "inn". we've found a property that could become a wonderful B&B (a smaller one at first with potential to grow) and the property has a gorgeous "finished" barn that the current owners have used as an antique store/auction hall. so the property has great potential. we are also told it borders a land trust with access to the snowmobile corridor. our research shows us that lancaster isnt a "sugar hill" and that is just fine by us...... but what does it mean for our pockets when we are trying to get tourist business??? it seems that towns like sugar hill are maybe a bit more "stuffy" but also draw in the $$$$$. any thoughts???

[newhampshiregirl]

Hmmm...I know some people that own B&Bs in the southern White Mountains and in 3 of the cases husband and/or wife also work outside the home (my assumption is they must to make ends meet). In another case, the couple was retired, so I don't think they had to make a living per se.

Maybe it would make sense to come to NH and do a drive-by of White Mountains B&Bs and go in and ask the owner all the questions you have. People around here are friendly and probably would be up front with you about personal and financial questions (especially if you're not going to be competing against them).

[newhampshiregirl]

I forgot to ask...what street is this property on or near? Not asking because I want to scoop this property up...but I could tell you if it's in an area with good visibility! Private message me if you want.

[Asta]

Originally Posted by newhampshiregirl

Lancaster isn't so much a tourist destination as it is a tourist pass-through. Traffic through town increases substantially in summer.

I would have to agree with this. I think of Lancaster as kind of a gateway to the North Country's tourist attractions, and in my opinion that would be largely hunting, snowmobiling, and camping. Tourists that are visiting the notches or the Mt. Washington area sometimes don't venture as far north as Lancaster unless they are headed up to Canada. But there is fun stuff to do in the Lancaster area as well!

[daniellefort]

For tourism industry, check out Gorham. That's the hospitality town with restaurants, gift shops and places to stay. It's between the main routes to each side of Mt. Washington. One route goes to North Conway, the other goes toward Lancaster and the interstates. I forget the route numbers. Oh and main street in Gorham will take you to Maine as well so you'll hit the people from Maine coming through as well. Keep in mind, people from Maine like to come across the border so they don't have to pay taxes on things like shopping and auto repairs.

[Asta]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

For tourism industry, check out Gorham. That's the hospitality town with restaurants, gift shops and places to stay. It's between the main routes to each side of Mt. Washington. One route goes to North Conway, the other goes toward Lancaster and the interstates. I forget the route numbers. Oh and main street in Gorham will take you to Maine as well so you'll hit the people from Maine coming through as well. Keep in mind, people from Maine like to come across the border so they don't have to pay taxes on things like shopping and auto repairs.

Gorham is a nice little town!!! It has some cute little shops and restaurants (The Yokahama is awesome!). The road between Lancaster and Gorham is Route 2. Headed east from Lancaster, it is a very scenic ride thru Jefferson. Along the way you will pass Santa's Village, Six Gun City, Roger's Campground/Waterslide, and other fun places of interest. Headed west out of Lancaster, it will bring you to St. Johnsbury, VT, and to I91.

The road south out of Gorham is Route 16 headed toward North Conway. It will bring you down past the Mount Washington Auto Road on the east side of the mountain. AMC has a hut in Pinkham Notch right on Appalacian trail and at the foot of the ravines. Storyland is in Glen, just before you reach North Conway.

Whenever I was with friends who were sightseeing, and if we had enough time, we would "make the circle" back to Lancaster by jumping on 302W in Bartlett and going back thru Crawford Notch, Bretton Woods, and Twin Mountain. Or if we really had time and were in the sightseeing mood, we would go even further south and pick up the Kangamangus Highway in Conway, and on the way back to Lancaster we would take in the sights in Lincoln and Franconia Notch.

I agree with newhampshiregirl about tourists tending to stay overnight in Lancaster on their way to somewhere else. There are a few hotels in the area that seem pretty busy during the tourist season. Things have gotten livelier in Lancaster since I grew up there, though. Main Street used to be lined with beautiful old houses; now a lot of them have been torn down or remodeled to accommodate stores, hotels, gas stations, and restaurants. I think if you do research and are dedicated, you can make your B&B dream a reality. Good luck!