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I and my partner are thinking of moving to New Hampshire, partly for employement reasons. And I wanted to know about some of the cultural differances to expect.
We live in Birmingham ( almost center of state) and have grown really tired of this state. I read some of the other threads and seen some of the negative comments and they don't really seem that bad to me. I thought it was a bit funny someone said it was the whitest state in the country, well this might be the opposite of that. It might be nice to move to a region that has fewer minorities than the city I live in. I treat everyone equally but it gets old hearing about someone shooting someone in their backyard everyday. For reference Birmingham metro has a population of about 230,000 80% african american. There are 42 murders as of Aug 30th. And that is down from previous years.
The winter driving might be a problem but I read some of your post and agree that testing driving might help. Here if it snows at all the schools shutdown and people go psycho. We have four seasons though, but they usually happen in each day, thus the addage if you don't like the weather wait five minutes and it will change. But what about commuting to some where like boston from Concord.
I am interested in some general information about the area. My partner is disabled and has some difficulty getting around so snowshoeing might not be an option. what other actives can some one do during the winter to stay sane?
Sorry if this is a bit vague but if figured a open ended question might get more diverse responses.
Thanks
I would recommend some of the smaller towns like Loudon, Epsom, Dunbarton, and Weare. They are all closer to the cities of Concord and Manchester that have a more diverse array of employment offerings. Merrimack County is located in the interior northeast region so it feels more traditional New England-like and appalachian than coastal. If you are familiar with the landscape of eastern TN that has lots of white pine trees, nh is similar in that regard. Snowfall averages 70 inches per winter. However, roads are plowed very well and quickly after storms. It sounds like you might not want to live too far out in a rural area so those towns might be a better fit. In terms of winter activities you might like snowmobiling on the local trails.
Well NH is severely lacking in diversity...some enjoy that, others don't. I will leave it at that.
Crime is extremely low, and even urban areas aren't really urban. Outside of Nashua and Manchester not much really qualifies as a real city. People are mostly open minded and are happy to let you live your life as you choose as long as you afford them the same. People are a little more guarded until they get to know you though. Some see that as rude but that is not the intent.
Having never lived in Alabama it's hard to really compare the two....but from my experience with the south, NH is far and away a different mindset, culture, and quality of life......for the better.
As far as winter activities for your partner....snowmobiling might be a good choice depending on the disability. Obviously it's a little pricey to get into though. Ice fishing could work too. Some people just enjoy curling up next to the fire place with a blanket and good book too.
Well NH is severely lacking in diversity...some enjoy that, others don't. I will leave it at that.
Crime is extremely low, and even urban areas aren't really urban. Outside of Nashua and Manchester not much really qualifies as a real city. People are mostly open minded and are happy to let you live your life as you choose as long as you afford them the same. People are a little more guarded until they get to know you though. Some see that as rude but that is not the intent.
Having never lived in Alabama it's hard to really compare the two....but from my experience with the south, NH is far and away a different mindset, culture, and quality of life......for the better.
As far as winter activities for your partner....snowmobiling might be a good choice depending on the disability. Obviously it's a little pricey to get into though. Ice fishing could work too. Some people just enjoy curling up next to the fire place with a blanket and good book too.
if you mean a port-ER or a stout I'm right there with you
I'll take either, but I'll need a good Stilton to go with the port.
As for diversity... I'll have you know we have both English AND Irish heritage here. North of Concord and your French surnames will become quite common (must be why 93 has signs with miles AND kilometers). Also consider that practically the only feature you can guarantee is common to every town in NH is a pizza takeout joint, and you've got a veritable melting pot.
When I lived in NH I belonged to a gym with an indoor pool and swam in the winter...
I wouldn't let the winter driving scare me off- the roads are really well maintained, winter driving here in NM is far worse ( with far less snow). New Englanders aren't particularly outgoing, but they're not unfriendly either. NH is a great state!
thanks for the input, I didn't really think there was that much Irish heritage up there. I and my partner have some Irish blood and it would be nice to have a little bit of that influence around.
I have another question, what about air conditioning, I have seen housed for sale but most don't list air conditioning.
We never had AC in NH. Had a window unit in the bedroom. During the summer months there will be times you wish you did, it can get very hot and muggy, but nights, at least in the mountains, tend to cool down, and summer, unfortunately, is short. I live in Santa Fe at the moment and have not used my central AC in 2 summers- the most comfortable weather here you could ever imagine .
I kinda thought that might be the case Sanford, but heat is a bad thing when you have asthma. I guess we could install a good window unit. Its kinda hard the think about living with out air conditioning when you come from Alabama, as one comedian say southerns only look lazy the truth is its to dang hot to do anything.
Someone in my office just mentioned bears, is that a concern in the rural areas? I hadn't really seen any of the other post talk about it so I wasn't that concerned about it.
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