New Hampshire Lake Towns (Portsmouth, Hanover: house, restaurants, shops)

[niceguy19125]

I'm considering a move to NH and was hoping to get some suggestions based upon the following criteria. I'll leave out inflammatory descriptives in hopes that the thread can stay on topic.

-Looking for a lake town (lake winnipesaukee or lake sunapee preferably)
-A town with a somewhat "upscale" downtown area geared toward tourists
-A place with at least a shred of gay owned/gay friendly businesses, I'm not looking for a Provincetown, but an area that has some concentration
-A town where someone who didn't grow up there could not only move there and feel welcome, but also feel supported were they to open a respectable (and needed) small business

Thanks for any and all feedback!

[Brave Stranger]

Try Meredith, but I honestly don't know of a town in NH that has a sort of "gay business district". But.....the good news is that NH people, in general, mind their own business, and could care less about you sexuality. I do know that there are towns in Maine & Vermont that have more of what you are looking for. Good luck in whatever your choice is

[niceguy19125]

Originally Posted by Brave Stranger

Try Meredith, but I honestly don't know of a town in NH that has a sort of "gay business district". But.....the good news is that NH people, in general, mind their own business, and could care less about you sexuality. I do know that there are towns in Maine & Vermont that have more of what you are looking for. Good luck in whatever your choice is

Thanks for the reply! I'm not looking for a gay business district, just a town where you might see a rainbow flag or two. I'm not an out and proud type, just not looking to be in a place where I'll feel alone or sticking out like a sore thumb.

[niceguy19125]

Meredith does seem nice. From a tourism perspective, who would you say shows up in Meredith on vacation? Families, couples, a mix of both? I guess I would be looking for a town where you might have less families and more couples as my business is more a gourmet food type business which isn't as
"whole family oriented"..

[Brave Stranger]

Meredith has done an amazing job with its downtown. You will get all kinds of folks in Meredith. You will get a great mix of people. It's very, very busy in the summer.

[dognh]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

Thanks for the reply! I'm not looking for a gay business district, just a town where you might see a rainbow flag or two. I'm not an out and proud type, just not looking to be in a place where I'll feel alone or sticking out like a sore thumb.

You may see rainbow flags in Peterborough, Portsmouth, Hanover, but none or those (except Portsmouth) is really a tourist town. And Portsmouth is on the seacoast not in the Lakes or WMs

[NH2008]

Wolfeboro. It's more upscale than North Conway. Lots of very wealthy summer people - Mitt Romney has a house there and Sarkozy rented a house there one summer. They also benefit from Brewster Academy which brings in affluent visitors. Some good restaurants too.

[GraniteStater]

I would say Meredith or Wolfeboro will be your best bets. Both get tons of tourist traffic during the summer and fall.

[niceguy19125]

Thanks for the info. I'll do research and check out Meredith, Wolfeboro and North Conway. Any feedback on Bretton Woods or Littleton?

[SanfordR]

Littleton is a "market town." Draws people from surrounding areas including VT as it borders it. It's pretty busy and thriving, not really touristy. Has some nice shops. Bretton Woods is beautiful, pretty remote and has little population or services.