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Hello New Hampshire,
I am moving to New Hampshire in April. I live in Southern Calif..
Here is my situation. When I was 13 yrs. old my dad moved our little family to Calif.. from Massachusetts. As we drove in to Calf. I asked my mom"where are the trees?' I am now 54. Mom died 2 years ago. Dad is not well. I have 2 adult children and i am single. The past years in Calif. have been a struggle.
My adult children know my dream has always been to live back in New England. So I am selling my condo and I have been trying to figure out what state in New England I should land in. This is my dream coming true.
Yes, I know it will be cold, but I am so sick of being hot. I am over Calif..
I just want to blend in with all of you, I hope you will like me, but if you don't
I will have the trees, the birds, the lakes and oceans, the blue sky and I will grow a garden, read lots of wonderful books during the snowdays, and I will try to ski, and sled, and i will be making a snowman.
I know it is going to very difficult for me to stop smiling when I finally get there.
I planning on arriving in Portsmouth. I have decided to rent a room first, until I can become acclamated to the area, I have 2 companions who I adore and take care of (2 persian kittys). I would like to live near a community college so I can visit the library, take classes and be involved in swimming, or tennis. Where might this college be? Should I rent a room, are people opposed to pets? What is the weather going to be like in April?
I am a very clean, responsible and honest person. If anyone from Calif.
who has to NH....would like to hear how you like your new home in NH.
Is there any suggestions of a storage place to put my things for a few months? Thank you for your advice and I promise to be a good citizen of NH>>>
Glad to hear you're finding your way back home to New England. I went to college in Southern California and, frankly, I'm happy that I don't have to go back there.
Portsmouth is an absolutely wonderful town. There is a lot to keep you occupied. I believe the nearest community college is Great Bay CC, which has a campus in Portsmouth. I don't think you should have much trouble finding a pet-friendly landlord.
The weather in April is extremely unpredictable. If you arrive at the beginning of the month, I would expect temperatures between the 30s and 50s; but snow and below-freezing temperatures are not out of the picture yet! By the end of the month, you should see temperatures in the 60s and maybe even low 70s. We've actually had a few late April days where it went above 80!
The weather in April perhaps best validates that old saying: If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a minute.
Here is my situation. When I was 13 yrs. old my dad moved our little family to Calif.. from Massachusetts. As we drove in to Calf. I asked my mom"where are the trees?' I am now 54. Mom died 2 years ago. Dad is not well. I have 2 adult children and i am single.
Wow. That is SO close to my story.
When I was 14, my dad was transferred from the Boston office of the IRS to the Washington, DC office, and I've lived in MD/DC/VA ever since. I am now 56, married, with two adult children. Both parents died several years ago.
My wife and I retired almost a year ago, and for at least two years prior to that, I've been researching my move back to New England, trying to settle on a state, but knowing that New England is "home", the way this region has never and can never be. We've vacationed in New England (primarily Maine, due to my childhood experiences going to Maine every summer) and I really, really want to get back there, especially with my two sisters & families in NE - in VT and MA.
Our move has been postponed indefinitely. We would have no problem finding a place to buy - we get listings from an agent in NH and another in MA (and I check various real estate companies in ME), and there are many places we could easily afford. But in the current housing market, we'd have trouble selling the house we have now ... assessed value has dropped (and will no doubt drop again next month), and there's a certain amount of money we would have to be able to get from the sale of this house to make the move.
I can live with the delay - we're very comfortable in our house, and it's amazing how nice Northern Virginia is when you don't have to commute five days a week! But I feel New England pulling me very strongly.
Have a safe trip, and all the best in finding your new home.
deerstar, that's great! NH is beautiful. April can be an interesting month: you're finally getting into spring which means a)mud and b)bouncing weather: you can still get snow up into May on occasion, some days warm, some days storm. some days both in the same day. and mud. Did I say it gets muddy?
Portsmouth is a lovely area. And renting with cats is much easier than renting with a dog (even a small dog). Verseau told you about the local Community College, or you can check out Durham where UNH is which would certainly give you a big library and probably swimming.
Dear Verseau,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I am new to the forum and still learning the different keys to post, respond, and what each one does and means. I see 3 icons in the left bottom corner "quote" , ", and a letter with a feather on it, I attempting to try them and see what they do, so I can learn how to communicate with all of you more effectively. So please excuse what mistakes I make here at the beginning.....
I have so many questions. I appreciate each and every person who will take the time to assist me.
I would love to hear about you and where you live in NH. I am hesitant in asking too many questions, because I understand this is a forum, and there is a certain privacy I am sure we all must keep in mind when posting. I am so excited about coming back to New England.
I have so much going on here to finish living in Calif...I have so many lists, I am selling my condo, we have 3 offers presently. I have reserved a Penske truck for April 1st... and next week a moving company is coming to give me a quote...I am trying very hard to make the right choices. I told a friend of mind, this must be what the pioneers felt like heading west in the wagons, not exactly knowing their destination. I told her I know I won't be scalped by Indians, but I could run into a serial killer or a bad motorcycle gang.....hahaha Because in my excitement there is a little fear of the unknown.
We are not in NH YET!!! but hope to be in the coming years. I just wanted to say CONGRATS on fulfilling your dreams. I hope you are very happy in NH and I am SOOOOOOOOOO JEALOUS. I hope to be fulfilling my dream of moving back to NE in the year 2012-YIPPEEE!!!!!
Dear Wanna Come Home,
Thank you so much for your post. It makes me feel not alone, especially "the strong pull for new england." This strong pull has stayed with me through my life, so I know what you feel.
I was born in Georgia, mom was from there, Dad from Massachusetts. We moved to Mass. when I was in the 3rd grade, but every summer mom, sis and I took the train to Georgia and lived on the farm with all my southern family for the summer, then home to Mass we would go at the end of summer. So in making my decision which area I would seek out, I had to really sit back in my soul and think it through, because each region has jewels of awe and wonderment and setbacks or some environmental sacrafices too. New England won. Georgia lost my residency because of the heat.
Being here in Calif. where I live there is no seasons, and it is hot most of the time. When there is going to be rain or cooler weather, I get so excited, but there is never enough of it for me. When I was little going to Georgia, it rained and thundered and lighting almost every day, but now Georgia is unfortunately in a drought, and the humidity is rarely broken up by summer rains. Knowing this made me go for New England. I can't tell you how excited I am about knowing I will actually get to wear sweaters for at least 3-4 months without having to have shorts nearby!!!!! I am waiting until I get to New England to buy my first real winter coat, because the stores in California do not sell "real winter coats." ( unless it is a specialty store)....I do expect to freeze my little tan bottom off in New England the first year, because I know my blood is thinner from living in warm weather for so many years.
I will be pulling for you to someday make it up to New England to live, I hope I continue to use the forum when I land in New England. What would be fun, is finding other people who have made the move and having a place here for updates and commaradarie as we begin our new beginning in "the dream of a lifetime." As for all the natives of New Hampshire reading about me and people like us desiring to relocate to their state, wondering if we will be a positive or possibly a negative impact in their state, I will venture out and say this, I am moving to New England with an already deep appreciation. I hope I will find how I can become a plus in whatever community I live in.
sincerely deerstar
I'd suggest you look at Hanover or nearby towns. That way you can be close to Dartmouth's excellent medical system - it's a teaching hospital and they have many innovative senior living communities - something to think about as you age.
I'm calling NH home, myself. I'm from CT, originally. When I moved up here for school at Keene State College in 94, I fell in love. I'd never been to NH. Now I've sold my parents a home in Keene and they are planning on relocating up here. It's contagious. People come here for years to vacation in our state, ending up moving here when life allows such a move. I've sold homes to several from CT, NY, MA who are coming here to enjoy a more relaxed, outdoorsy life.
I hope you make whatever decision is right for you.
Last edited by CaseyB; 02-22-2009 at 06:52 PM..
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I went to college in Southern California and, frankly, I'm happy that I don't have to go back there. 
. I hope to be fulfilling my dream of moving back to NE in the year 2012-YIPPEEE!!!!!
moving to nh
