New Hampshire Living (Manchester, Concord, Lebanon: section 8, homes, job market)

[MtnFlyer]

Originally Posted by Brave Stranger

To be blunt.......there are people out here who just can't get passed paying high property taxes, and no matter how many darn times you show them that the total tax burden is very low.....they don't care ! They get fixiated on this isuue, and all rational thought goes out the window.

I haven't figured it out either. I hear so much about property taxes in NH, yet the amounts are still less per $1000 then I have paid anywhere else, not to mention the no sales tax bonus.

Everything else aside, I suppose you have to decide what is important. New Mexico could have the lowest taxes in the country and even pay me $10K/year to live there and it still wouldn't be enough incentive for me to live there. Some things cost more simply because they're worth it.

(No offense intended to anyone from NM. It's just not for me.)

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by MtnFlyer

I haven't figured it out either. I hear so much about property taxes in NH, yet the amounts are still less per $1000 then I have paid anywhere else, not to mention the no sales tax bonus.

Everything else aside, I suppose you have to decide what is important. New Mexico could have the lowest taxes in the country and even pay me $10K/year to live there and it still wouldn't be enough incentive for me to live there. Some things cost more simply because they're worth it.

(No offense intended to anyone from NM. It's just not for me.)

The property tax thing has become a myth. Myths are difficult to battle.

[ladibelle]

NH is an exspensive , over taxed cold miserable place to live. The people are unfreindly , there are few jobs and they do not pay well. Housing is exspensive and hard to find. Small business do not last because they are highly taxed and regulated. The roads are poorly maintained and unlit at night. They are down right trecherous in the winter. There are few public restrooms if you travel with children. The schools are old and delapatated and spend all of their money on heating oil and special education. My daughter doesn't even have books, they photocopy a text book. There are few family places to go unless you go in the summer and are willing to drive long distances. The old people are racist. They don't like change . They have almost no religion or faith. christians are poo pooed. lots of liberals here. you think you will ski and snow mobile here ...haa that's for the rich only. the natives cant afford to ski or buy snowmobiles. if you can afford to ski you better have disability insurance in case you mess up your leg or your knee. There is no sunshine and it gets depressing in the winter. The fall is pretty but it's clogged with tourists and you cant get to work, the massachusetts snobs come here for that and rde their bikes in the middle of the road . dangerous. children are abused here and the laws dont protect them welll enough. the abusers go free. there is pollution here now. the air is getting harder the breathe. many people get injured on the ice and they break their hips. the old people all go to florida for the winter.

[chiak]

Wow Ladibelle- in what part of NH do you live? Do you feel the whole state is this way? I have never been there myself - it is interesting to read what people living in a place experience!

[lmfp2006]

I think the Lakes Region area is a great area, there are a lot of nice downtown areas between Meredith and Laconia. It is only a half hour from Concord and 15 minutes from Tilton so you don't travel far to get to some nicer areas. Also, in the Lakes Region there is a lot more recreational stuff to do, with the lakes of course being there.

[chiak]

Pardon my ignorance, but is Franklin considered in the Lakes Region? What towns are the boundaries of the "lakes region"? I see of course Laconia would be the biggest town there, correct?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by chiak

Pardon my ignorance, but is Franklin considered in the Lakes Region? What towns are the boundaries of the "lakes region"? I see of course Laconia would be the biggest town there, correct?

Franklin is an interesting town. It was a mill town in the past. It has a property tax cap currently. It is still trying to reinvent the Downtown area. It is situated along the Merrimack River, so technically it is not in the Lakes Region. Most of Belknap County is considered to be the core of the Lakes Region.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ladibelle

NH is an exspensive , over taxed cold miserable place to live. The people are unfreindly , there are few jobs and they do not pay well. Housing is exspensive and hard to find. Small business do not last because they are highly taxed and regulated. The roads are poorly maintained and unlit at night. They are down right trecherous in the winter. There are few public restrooms if you travel with children. The schools are old and delapatated and spend all of their money on heating oil and special education. My daughter doesn't even have books, they photocopy a text book. There are few family places to go unless you go in the summer and are willing to drive long distances. The old people are racist. They don't like change . They have almost no religion or faith. christians are poo pooed. lots of liberals here. you think you will ski and snow mobile here ...haa that's for the rich only. the natives cant afford to ski or buy snowmobiles. if you can afford to ski you better have disability insurance in case you mess up your leg or your knee. There is no sunshine and it gets depressing in the winter. The fall is pretty but it's clogged with tourists and you cant get to work, the massachusetts snobs come here for that and rde their bikes in the middle of the road . dangerous. children are abused here and the laws dont protect them welll enough. the abusers go free. there is pollution here now. the air is getting harder the breathe. many people get injured on the ice and they break their hips. the old people all go to florida for the winter.

What part of NH are you referring to?
I think the COL issue does indeed force out many younger residents as well as lower income folks. However, many come back to NH to retire, especially the Lakes Region.
Yes, I agree some portions of southern NH do have some air quality problems.
The big issue right now is whether or not to add a mercury scrubber to the Bow Power Plant at an enormous cost. The other option is to close the coal plant in favor of a much cleaner natural gas plant at half the cost.

[WannaComeHome]

The people are unfreindly ,

I find you tend to get what you put out.

The roads are poorly maintained and unlit at night.

poorly maintained compared to..... what? Mass? the roads are mainly small roads, and New England has a road problem called seasonal frost heaves -not a thing you can do about it other than fix it when the ground is finished it's annual dance. And NH does. Unlit at night? course! this is a rural state, what were you expecting? streetlights all over the state causing light pollution every single night? that's why the car companies invented headlights.

There are few family places to go unless you go in the summer and are willing to drive long distances.

sounds more like a personal issue to me.

They have almost no religion or faith

since most New Englanders (at least oldtimers) view religion as something personal, why on earth would you expect them to share their views with someone who apparently doesn't fit in with them? Just because you don't see it in your face, doesn't mean it isn't there. And one doesn't need to attend church to be devout.

the natives cant afford to ski or buy snowmobiles

Funny, we were just driving around some pretty small towns that are NOT 'destination' towns, and had to stop a couple of times for snowmobilers. huh, not natives? you think people are driving their snowmobiles up from away just to use NH snow?

many people get injured on the ice and they break their hips

many people fall and break bones crossing the street! My mom went on a cruise ship and fell and broke her arm. Holy Cow! no one should go on cruise ships, you might break a bone.

the old people all go to florida for the winter.

apparently not all.....

you know, if you dislike so much about the state, why don't you move somewhere else that's more to your liking?

[GregW]

ladibelle - Sometimeslike in early january I completely agree but I get over it when the sun comes back about Groundhog Day.

mtnflyer - I'll take the 10k and move to NM tomorrow. They have been having warm sunny weather most of the winter.