In Search of Rain, Thunderstorms, and Greenery North of the Equator! (Portsmouth: appointed, real estate)

[prncsnyc]

We are desperate to leave Los Angeles, though we are pretty much at a loss as to where to move to. So far from what I have gathered, NH is on our list along with WA, OR, ME, PA, and MA.

First off, employment is not an issue for us right now. My boyfriend has landed a very lucrative work-from-home position making $50K a year. He can work from anywhere that offers high speed internet. I also work from home. We have no children, but would like to. I am 33 and he is 35.

What we are looking for: The perfect weather! Seriously...weather is our one and only factor!

Rain, Thunderstorms, and green surroundings without living in the south. (Nothing against The South...just too hot and humid.) Seriously, we get giddy when it looks like rain and thunder are on the way so there can never be too much of it.

We just completed a tour of the Carolinas, WVA, VA, and FL. Although FL had amazing storms, neither of us could deal with the heat & humidity. I grew up in Buffalo and thought that was bad...Buffalo has nothing on Williamsburg, VA and Orlando, FL!

We would love snow in the winter. If we can't have it out our back window, we'll take an hour or two to drive to it. We don't ski, but we like to have it outside our window and to go sledding with.

Brown landscapes and high temperatures are not for us. I love anything in the 70's and below. I can deal with low 80's but really hate when things get high 80's and above. That is a major reason why we hate Los Angeles along with the ugliness of "LA".

We don't really get into the nightlife scene. We enjoy going to the movies and out to eat once in a while, but a metropolis is not a requirement. We are not "club/bar" people. We are total homebodies and just enjoy being at home with rain and thunderstorms going on outside our windows...We don't ski or surf but we like to see snow and water. We would love to go for walks or go on picnics and ride bikes if the scenery were nice enough and the temperatures were moderate enough. We are in the minority here in LA where people love to do outdoor activities in 90 degree weather.

From what I understand, this is a pretty tall order. Do any of the towns/cities in New Hampshire have anything close to this? Any help would be appreciated.

[Jennymcb]

NH seacoast is nice. This summer we have had way too much rain for my liking, but it's been above average. We are in Central NH where the snow lasts a lot longer than the seacoast.
Good luck!

[Verseau]

As someone who lived in LA for a few years, I feel your pain. Fortunately, you can find all the greenery you'd ever want in NH (or ME for that matter) -- NH is the second most heavily forested state in the nation (85% forest), just after Maine (90% forest). And there's very little chance you wouldn't be able to see snow from your window in the winter -- aside from a few areas of extreme southern NH, the white stuff usually stays on the ground all season long.

The rain is pretty consistent year-round -- about 3-4 inches per month. We do get thunderstorms during the summer months, but they are usually not nearly as frequent or intense as the storms down South or in the Midwest. But I guess that's a necessary trade-off for the cooler and less humid weather.

That said, summer daytime highs usually average in the upper 70s and low 80s, with overnight lows in the 50s and low 60s. We do get plenty of extremely pleasant summer days with temps in the low 70s, but temps in the high 80s and even 90s are also possible. However, these heat waves tend to be few and far between. I don't own an AC (don't know anyone who does, actually) and I do fine without one -- there are maybe 10 days or so in the entire summer when I wish I had one, but then I can always go for a jump in the lake.

In fact, this summer has been exceptionally cool -- we've barely topped 80 on just a couple of days. So far in July, in my town we've only had one day with a high temp over 80, versus five days with high temps of 65 degrees or less! (Only 59 degrees on July 7th!) Most days have been in the 70s. This isn't exactly normal, but our summers are milder than most places in the country, at any rate. If you're really concerned about the heat, I suggest living close to the seacoast, which has the most temperate climate in the state.

New Hampshire is a nature lover's paradise. I'm never at a loss for things to do in the great outdoors. And frankly, you can be happy homebodies pretty much anywhere in the state. Unless you have more specific requests as to your ideal town, you should probably come for a visit and drive around yourself.

[Eyal_Shahar]

You mentioned "...I don't own an AC...".
Aren't you using the same A/C or Heat Pump for both heating and cooling?

[prncsnyc]

Thank you Jenny and Verseau. NH really sounds lovely! New England is really surpassing the PNW at this point from wha I am finding out....

[Sunday1]

Not a fan of thunderstorms such as those here in Chicago -- they frequently precede tornado watches and warnings. Nothing fun about those, so I'm looking forward to Maine where they're not "rock and roll" but more subtle. I was born and raised in the Seattle area and lived in Alaska for a few years. Chicago in some of the years I've been here has had more rain than Seattle. The difference is in how many days it rains IMO. Seattle is grey and drizzles nonstop for what seems like 9 months of the year and on some days it hasn't rained at all but you think it has!! I think the NH seacoast area is beautiful. I noticed you also posted in the Maine forum. We're moving to the Portland area just because the real estate worked out better -- but either/or (Portsmouth) would have been fine. As for Alaska (you mentioned having lived there for awhile in the other forum) I don't think southern Maine or the NH Seacoast are anything like Alaska and IMO/experience that's a good thing. YMMV, but if you want something more like Alaska in weather, economics, and people -- then I think NORTHERN Maine would be the place to go. From our trips to Maine and research they're two different states (southern vs. northern) -- even more different than say, Prudhoe Bay and Anchorage. Have fun exploring your options!

[sayulita]

I'll speak for the Pacific Northwest. Rain - yes, plenty. Thunderstorms - not so much. Greenery - all over the place. If you live east of the Cascades you'll get more thunderstorms but less rain and greenery. I too get giddy over thunderstorms and really would love more of them, but alas, it's not to be here in Western Oregon. Nonetheless, I love it here. Ninety minutes west - you're at the Pacific ocean. Ninety minutes east - you're skiing in the mountains. Good luck in your search.

[prncsnyc]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

Not a fan of thunderstorms such as those here in Chicago -- they frequently precede tornado watches and warnings. Nothing fun about those, so I'm looking forward to Maine where they're not "rock and roll" but more subtle. I was born and raised in the Seattle area and lived in Alaska for a few years. Chicago in some of the years I've been here has had more rain than Seattle. The difference is in how many days it rains IMO. Seattle is grey and drizzles nonstop for what seems like 9 months of the year and on some days it hasn't rained at all but you think it has!! I think the NH seacoast area is beautiful. I noticed you also posted in the Maine forum. We're moving to the Portland area just because the real estate worked out better -- but either/or (Portsmouth) would have been fine. As for Alaska (you mentioned having lived there for awhile in the other forum) I don't think southern Maine or the NH Seacoast are anything like Alaska and IMO/experience that's a good thing. YMMV, but if you want something more like Alaska in weather, economics, and people -- then I think NORTHERN Maine would be the place to go. From our trips to Maine and research they're two different states (southern vs. northern) -- even more different than say, Prudhoe Bay and Anchorage. Have fun exploring your options!

Thank you for the replies! I was pretty disappointed when I learned that rainy days doesn't equate to inches so we ruled out Seattle a while ago when I heard about the drizzle. We want RAIN. lol Never lived in Alaska but Buffalo NY is pretty cold LOL

[GregW]

Lakes Region of New Hampshire has everything you desire plus you can go ice skating or ice boating for miles in the winter.

[Katlakat]

Prnsync,

My husband and his mum and I all live in a rental in Belmont, NH. Those two are professional homebodies, next to my parents who I'd swear have a PhD in it!

My husband and I are in our early 30's. I'm a bit of a social butterfly, I crave my large family sometimes, but it is really breathtaking up here. We live in the lakes region of NH. The worst snow season to hit this place in years introduced itself to us only two months after we moved up here from Texas and Illinois.

As we were freaking out driving in the ice and snow, getting our snow legs, so to speak.....all of the snow bunnies came out to enjoy it. They were pulling up on snowmobiles to Dunkin Donuts drive through! They were parked with sleds attached to the back (probably illegal) all across the main strip of 140/106 to have hot chocolate under the awnings at the local coffee shops. It is a whole new world up here, one I am so glad I got to enjoy coming back to my home state of NH.

It sounds like you have just the right attitude and open mind to experience what this place really has to offer. Being a local in a busy tourist location is fun, of course has its drawbacks, but certainly entertaining.

Order the free travel NH pamplets from the internet and take a look at the pictures of all 4 seasons up here. A true gem in America that won't go wasted to the right kind of people. Come on up and take a vacation up here in any season.

If you want rain, come right now!

We live litterally on a mountain top that overlooks Belmont, Laconia and Tilton. We get to see all of the town's fireworks from our roof. We put blankets down, light up citronella lamps, feel the cool mountain breeze, and dive when the bats come out at dusk to eat those pesky mosquitos.

We litterally watched a rain cloud form above our yard and saw a wall of rain moving fast up our mountain/hill. We had 4 seconds to secure all our windows and doors before the rains washed out our yard and roads. We won't talk about thunder....up here in the heavens you ARE the thunder! People I'm sure were looking at the black cloud above our house and driving a bit faster home. Its amazing living up here. I'd swear the temperature is colder up here than my friend's house in Northfield. She always brings a jacket when she comes over my house!