anyone made the move from California to New Hampshire (Manchester: homes, buy)

[GregW]

My in-laws recently moved from the SF Bay area to northern NH and rebuilt the family farmhouse into a sort of rustic palace. I am very glad they did because we could not even, maintain the structure let alone make the improvements. After being there about a year and figuring out the local power structure was run by a bunch of self serving (selfish but not smart enough to be corrupt) good old boys they organized the people of the town and voted the GOBs out by 250 to 35. The funny part is they weren’t political in California but when you know everyone in the local government it makes a difference. My in-laws are really good folks.

[newhampshiregirl]

Originally Posted by Captjob

Hey newhampshiregirl,

Give her my number. I'll make sure she comes home. It's a nice place to visit...however...yada...yada...yada..

Great place for a firefighter job though!

Captjob

She did a little college looking while out there and loves it. We're hoping she comes home (tomorrow BTW) and realizes how much better she loves it HERE.

Did you go to school for firefighting sciences? Our daughter initially wanted to go to a tech school for fire/paramedic, but now is looking at liberal arts schools so she can play field hockey. People are also trying to convince her to get a nursing degree instead.

[Captjob]

Originally Posted by newhampshiregirl

She did a little college looking while out there and loves it. We're hoping she comes home (tomorrow BTW) and realizes how much better she loves it HERE.

Did you go to school for firefighting sciences? Our daughter initially wanted to go to a tech school for fire/paramedic, but now is looking at liberal arts schools so she can play field hockey. People are also trying to convince her to get a nursing degree instead.

I went to both traditional college (SDSU, UOP) and then the fire academy as well as paramedic school. To even be considered for a position out here you must have your fire academy and paramedic school completed before you apply. A degree in fire technology (A.A/A.S.) would also help in this competitive field. The average age of first time hires is around 25 and most candidated have a bachelors degree or higher as well as their academies' under their belt.

I would HIGHLY recommend a nursing program for your daughter. Many of my co-workers are married to nurses and others are sending their wives to nursing school because of the pay ($50 an hour per-deim) and the overwhelming demand.

Unlike the fire service, your daughter can work as a nurse anywhere and her degree will be in demand in any place she chooses. There are some good nursing programs out here; however they fill up fast and have a long waiting list. I would recommend she work in the field as an EMT/Firefighter while attending nursing school back East someplace. Once she completes her program, she can write her own ticket from there.

Captjob

[Captjob]

Originally Posted by family first

Hey Capt. What FD are you with? Thanks for the heartfelt response. My wife and I talk about moving back East often as the news just gets worse in CA. Because my bride is from Maine (Unity area), I've been exposed to New England over the years. There seems like so many positive reasons for us to go, just have to have the right opportunity job wise. Do you have any buddies back East and if so what companies do the recommend buying equipment from? Would love to get my kids hunting fishing and recreating on or near property we would buy.

I'm with you on the feelings. I am over California and all that goes with it. Irronically I was born in New England (Conneticut) and briefly moved to Maine (Whitefield) as a small child. Like many at the time and even present day, the need for work drove my family out here and I have been here ever since 1971. All my relatives have since moved back east (Mass) and I am the only Californian left.

Visiting family back there every year has only solidified our desire to get out of here. My wife would move tomorrow if we could. Unfortunatly, I have to finish off my 30 years before I get the golden handshake and the freedome to relocate. Some day.

Oh, I work for a department in North San Diego County, San Marcos to be exact. This is where the actor from 40 year old virgin just stabbed his girlfriend 20 times last Sunday on my watch. What a mess that was.


Captjob

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by Captjob

I'm with you on the feelings. I am over California and all that goes with it. Irronically I was born in New England (Conneticut) and briefly moved to Maine (Whitefield) as a small child. Like many at the time and even present day, the need for work drove my family out here and I have been here ever since 1971. All my relatives have since moved back east (Mass) and I am the only Californian left.

Visiting family back there every year has only solidified our desire to get out of here. My wife would move tomorrow if we could. Unfortunatly, I have to finish off my 30 years before I get the golden handshake and the freedome to relocate. Some day.

Oh, I work for a department in North San Diego County, San Marcos to be exact. This is where the actor from 40 year old virgin just stabbed his girlfriend 20 times last Sunday on my watch. What a mess that was.

Captjob

Wow I read about that in the paper. That must have been a mess!

[NH2008]

We're in Northern CA (Bay Area) and trying very hard to get to Nh. My family is in central/north NH and I grew up spending every vacation there. (Not originally from CA, we're reluctant transplants.)

The only thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the positives and negatives of any area are flip sides of the same coin. I can't stand the congestion of this area, but it's that population density that enables the convenience of so many restaurants and stores within close proximity. The high real estate prices are insane, but the rich, well-educated population feeds an incredible school system, excellent libraries and parks, etc. So what I've realized is that the small town that has all the benefits of a city without any of the drawbacks is a fantasy (at least for me.)

Hollis is a great little town with top-rated schools and easy access to the suburban conveniences of Nashua, but there's not exactly a bustling downtown. Amherst is absolutely lovely, a picture postcard of a town, but the high school is not quite as highly rated. Both are pretty convenient to Boston. Peterborough is an awesome little town and has a lot of cultural stuff going on, a bustling downtown and scenic beauty, but the homeowners of all the houses I toured when we were shopping had all sent their kids to private and boarding schools, which seemed like a bad sign. The Seacoast has a lot of activities for families and would be the most bustling/urban area, but it's also the most expensive and the only school system I found that was well-regarded all the way through was in York, ME, which is beautiful and just a few minutes from Portsmouth. If you can be further from Boston, you could also consider Wolfeboro which is lovely and has a busy downtown with lots of shops and restaurants and is home to Brewster Academy.

No banana belt here - you have to like winter. Winter in the Sierras is hard to beat. And you do have to like driving. But we just got back after a month visiting family in NH and I already feel so much more stressed and depressed - we are burned out on this suburban sprawl! Good luck!

[newhampshiregirl]

Originally Posted by Captjob

I went to both traditional college (SDSU, UOP) and then the fire academy as well as paramedic school. To even be considered for a position out here you must have your fire academy and paramedic school completed before you apply. A degree in fire technology (A.A/A.S.) would also help in this competitive field. The average age of first time hires is around 25 and most candidated have a bachelors degree or higher as well as their academies' under their belt.

I would HIGHLY recommend a nursing program for your daughter. Many of my co-workers are married to nurses and others are sending their wives to nursing school because of the pay ($50 an hour per-deim) and the overwhelming demand.

Unlike the fire service, your daughter can work as a nurse anywhere and her degree will be in demand in any place she chooses. There are some good nursing programs out here; however they fill up fast and have a long waiting list. I would recommend she work in the field as an EMT/Firefighter while attending nursing school back East someplace. Once she completes her program, she can write her own ticket from there.

Captjob

Thanks for your input. My daughter just returned from Cali yesterday and I mentioned your post. She agrees with you....one of the problems is that she wants to play D-1 college field hockey and most (if not all) of the schools that have good field hockey teams DON'T have nursing programs.

We still need to do some research.

[newhampshiregirl]

Originally Posted by NH2008

We're in Northern CA (Bay Area) and trying very hard to get to Nh. My family is in central/north NH and I grew up spending every vacation there. (Not originally from CA, we're reluctant transplants.)

The only thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the positives and negatives of any area are flip sides of the same coin. I can't stand the congestion of this area, but it's that population density that enables the convenience of so many restaurants and stores within close proximity. The high real estate prices are insane, but the rich, well-educated population feeds an incredible school system, excellent libraries and parks, etc. So what I've realized is that the small town that has all the benefits of a city without any of the drawbacks is a fantasy (at least for me.)

Hollis is a great little town with top-rated schools and easy access to the suburban conveniences of Nashua, but there's not exactly a bustling downtown. Amherst is absolutely lovely, a picture postcard of a town, but the high school is not quite as highly rated. Both are pretty convenient to Boston. Peterborough is an awesome little town and has a lot of cultural stuff going on, a bustling downtown and scenic beauty, but the homeowners of all the houses I toured when we were shopping had all sent their kids to private and boarding schools, which seemed like a bad sign. The Seacoast has a lot of activities for families and would be the most bustling/urban area, but it's also the most expensive and the only school system I found that was well-regarded all the way through was in York, ME, which is beautiful and just a few minutes from Portsmouth. If you can be further from Boston, you could also consider Wolfeboro which is lovely and has a busy downtown with lots of shops and restaurants and is home to Brewster Academy.

No banana belt here - you have to like winter. Winter in the Sierras is hard to beat. And you do have to like driving. But we just got back after a month visiting family in NH and I already feel so much more stressed and depressed - we are burned out on this suburban sprawl! Good luck!

I thought I heard Amherst schools were really good???

[NH2008]

Newsweek named Hollis the top school in the state last year. I think the Amherst schools are good, but the high school, Souhegan Co-op, has a controversial philosophy that some people love and some people hate. I don't really understand it, so I would encourage you to investigate the program further if that's a town you're considering. I would also urge you (or anyone) to look hard at the actual stats on any school district you're considering. Personal feedback can be invaluable, but unless you know the family and know that their child is similar to your child and their goals are similar to yours, it might be totally irrelevant. Also, I have a friend who does education research and she says there is a statistical bias towards parents giving their kids' schools positive feedback, so she takes negative feedback very seriously and positive feedback with a grain of salt. Look at SAT scores, % of grads going onto 4 year colleges, colleges attended by grads, available APs and the % of kids taking them, available extracurriculars, etc. (or look at help available for kids with special needs, vo-tech programs, or whatever you feel your child needs to get a great education.)

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by newhampshiregirl

I thought I heard Amherst schools were really good???

Amherst schools are excellent.....but the high school situation is a mess as far as I'm concerned. Check that situation out before you think of moving there. On the other hand you can't miss with Hollis.....one of the best school systems in New England