Moving from UK to New Hampshire (Manchester, Concord: car insurance, houses, buying)

[DareToDream]

<<<The only thing that concerned me is driving in the snow and ice But believe me that will not put me off. St Valentine day snow???? I take it that was a bad day>>>

hehehehe - THAT was the day we closed on our house and moved! We had a 24' rental truck, my car, hubby's car and a friend with his pick up truck - we went back and forth from the place we had rented to here three or four times - all vehicles made it up and down the hills with no problem....soooo, while it was not perfect weather in which to move, we had no problems

[joppa]

Hi windchimes, reading your replys and your other postings you sound like you have done what both my wife and I are wanting to do. Thats relocate at fifty.

North NH sounds wonderful, but we would both love to still find jobs. What kind of work is up there in the north? We both don't want much, just something to pay medical insurance, run a car etc, etc. Also keep the dogs happy :-)

I have read its seasonal and don't expect to earn anything in the winter? But I would agree with you on the people in NH, I worked there some years ago and couldn't have found a more friendly bunch of folks.

[DareToDream]

Hi Joppa - You're right, hubby and I are both over 50 - I turned 54 last month, he will be 58 next month, so we're not youngin's by calendar standards, but we are young at heart!

I'm a medical transcriptionist and I work from home, so I just kinda brought my job with me when we moved. Hubby worked for IBM for 25+ years....he is now a woodworker and builds furniture - big cut in pay, but he's happy and that's what matters....

I just pulled out our local paper for the help wanted section, there are administrative assitant openings, drivers, cooks, service technicians/installers for appliances, housekeepers, front desk people, waitstaff, office assistants, roofers, cable installers, RNs, LPNS, accountants, a teaching position, purchasing assistant, network administrator, sales help all posting ads (this was last week's paper, don't have this week's yet)....so, there are a variety of jobs out there, not only the seasonal ones. One of our young friends up here has a friend who is the concierge at one of the hotels and works year round, so it's not like people only work in the summer or only in the winter <g>.

I'm not positive, but I think most places pay part of the medical - the balance of the premium is taken out of your pay....I don't think too many places pay full health care premiums any more, but I could be wrong.

We're very happy with the move we made and the location we picked. It's definitely not for everyone, but for us it "fit."

[joppa]

Thank you windchime for your re-assurance, you sound right up our street <g> Best of luck to you and hubby for the future and at least we know where to come if we need furniture.

[daveyj27]

joppa,

I've just moved to NH from London (i've been visiting here since late-1999 though, as my wife in an NH native).

The positives:

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that it is a truly beautiful place. The scenery has stopped me in my tracks before, and left me cursing to myself for not having a camera to hand!!!
The locals are fantastic for the most part, obviously you'll come across the occasional moron but that will happen anywhere in the World. As a rule of thumb, people here are warm, polite, intelligent, and respectful.
I feel welcomed, respected, and liked, and you'll feel that your "Britishness" is appreciated more here than it is back in the UK (sadly it seems that to be "British" in Britain in these days of EU-assimilation is a negative thing....but that's a point for another thread).
Getting your NH drivers license is incredibly easy, the written test is common sense and the practical test was a simple leisurely drive. Cars here are FAR cheaper than they are back in the UK (it seems to me that the numerical figure is the same, it just has a $ in front of it opposed to a £), consequently you'll get a lot more for your money.
The general cost of living is far lower here than what I was used to in Britain (of course though, I am from London which we all know is hugely expensive).
The houses here are generally lovely, and again FAR cheaper than what we're used to in Britain.

The negatives:

Finding work is proving to be a bit of a struggle so far, i've applied for around 30+ positions and have only had call backs from headhunters (who seem to be placing ads for positions that don't actually exist, they are really just a way for the recruiter to harvest resumes and contact details), and companies that want to train me to be an insurance cold call salesman (I politely decline those offers). I have only had one genuine interview so far, for an entry-level data entry job, but sadly it didn't pan out for me. Not to worry though, i'm a persistant bugger and I shall keep on trying.

Public transport. Just forget it, it's non-existent, so you're going to need cars to be able to get around.

The mosquitos. My God, I seem to be very popular to our little flying friends!! I was visiting with family at Rye Beach on Friday night, and was sitting outside until around 3.30am (I can't be sure of the exact time as I was more than a little in the bag). We had large citronella flaming lamps all around us, and I was wearing full-length jeans and a tshirt...at no point did my shirt come off. Now, I got out of bed on Saturday morning feeling a little itchy, and then I caught sight of myself in a mirror. To say "i've got a few bites" is an understatement, I have around 20 LARGE red lumps on my back, sides and belly. I also seem to be having a reaction to the bites, because the lumps are swelling still (most are approaching 3 inches in diameter) and the itching is remarkably bad. Cortizone cream didn't help in the slightest, but Benadryl spray seems to take the edge off. So, my advise is to be very cautious about being outside during the biting periods, oh, and keep some Benadryl spray handy.

There are obviously other good and bad points, but the good far outweighs the bad. I'd encourage anyone to come here, it's a lovely place to be.

[DareToDream]

Daveyj27 - Not to make light of your "attractiveness to mosquitos" <g> - those suckers can itch like crazy! We're in northern New Hampshire and last weekend we went to an outdoor party at a friend's house - they not only had the citronella torches up and running (at least I *think* they were citronella), but they also had a "burn pit" - Coming from New York State, and the area where I lived, I was not familiar with them, other than as a campfire type thing. I found out that most people have them - when entertaining outside, they light what amounts to a bonfire type of thing....Between that and the torches, we were mosquito-free. You might also want to try some of Avon's "Skin So Soft" for the mosquitos - don't know if that works on the New Hampshire skeeters, but it worked on the New York ones!

[daveyj27]

Originally Posted by windchimes03561

You might also want to try some of Avon's "Skin So Soft" for the mosquitos - don't know if that works on the New Hampshire skeeters, but it worked on the New York ones!

Is the Avon product a repellent, or a post-bite treatment?

These NH skeets are nuts. In fact, i'm not 100% certain that I wasn't the victim of a mass vampire attack.

[countrylv22]

HELLO DAVEYJ27!

WELCOME TO THE USA!

WELCOME TO NH!!

Thank you for a great post!

I wanted to point out, that you wrote a very well thought out, helpful post for those people wanting to relocate to NH! VERY HELPFUL!!

I wish that more people would write about their arrivals & experiences once they are settled, that is helpful to others!

I hope that you & your family continue to enjoy yourselves in NH!

I also hope that you are able to find a job SOON! GOOD LUCK!

Take good care,

THANK YOU!

COUNTRYLV22

Originally Posted by daveyj27

joppa,

I've just moved to NH from London (i've been visiting here since late-1999 though, as my wife in an NH native).

The positives:

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that it is a truly beautiful place. The scenery has stopped me in my tracks before, and left me cursing to myself for not having a camera to hand!!!
The locals are fantastic for the most part, obviously you'll come across the occasional moron but that will happen anywhere in the World. As a rule of thumb, people here are warm, polite, intelligent, and respectful.
I feel welcomed, respected, and liked, and you'll feel that your "Britishness" is appreciated more here than it is back in the UK (sadly it seems that to be "British" in Britain in these days of EU-assimilation is a negative thing....but that's a point for another thread).
Getting your NH drivers license is incredibly easy, the written test is common sense and the practical test was a simple leisurely drive. Cars here are FAR cheaper than they are back in the UK (it seems to me that the numerical figure is the same, it just has a $ in front of it opposed to a £), consequently you'll get a lot more for your money.
The general cost of living is far lower here than what I was used to in Britain (of course though, I am from London which we all know is hugely expensive).
The houses here are generally lovely, and again FAR cheaper than what we're used to in Britain.

The negatives:

Finding work is proving to be a bit of a struggle so far, i've applied for around 30+ positions and have only had call backs from headhunters (who seem to be placing ads for positions that don't actually exist, they are really just a way for the recruiter to harvest resumes and contact details), and companies that want to train me to be an insurance cold call salesman (I politely decline those offers). I have only had one genuine interview so far, for an entry-level data entry job, but sadly it didn't pan out for me. Not to worry though, i'm a persistant bugger and I shall keep on trying.

Public transport. Just forget it, it's non-existent, so you're going to need cars to be able to get around.

The mosquitos. My God, I seem to be very popular to our little flying friends!! I was visiting with family at Rye Beach on Friday night, and was sitting outside until around 3.30am (I can't be sure of the exact time as I was more than a little in the bag). We had large citronella flaming lamps all around us, and I was wearing full-length jeans and a tshirt...at no point did my shirt come off. Now, I got out of bed on Saturday morning feeling a little itchy, and then I caught sight of myself in a mirror. To say "i've got a few bites" is an understatement, I have around 20 LARGE red lumps on my back, sides and belly. I also seem to be having a reaction to the bites, because the lumps are swelling still (most are approaching 3 inches in diameter) and the itching is remarkably bad. Cortizone cream didn't help in the slightest, but Benadryl spray seems to take the edge off. So, my advise is to be very cautious about being outside during the biting periods, oh, and keep some Benadryl spray handy.

There are obviously other good and bad points, but the good far outweighs the bad. I'd encourage anyone to come here, it's a lovely place to be.

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by daveyj27

Is the Avon product a repellent, or a post-bite treatment?

These NH skeets are nuts. In fact, i'm not 100% certain that I wasn't the victim of a mass vampire attack.

You would use it as a repellent. Post-bite - try putting some oatmeal on the bites to get them to stop itching - it sometimes works with poison ivy, so it might help with the bites? maybe?

Your last sentenced conjured up a vision of itty-bitty draculas in capes flying around.....and no, I'm not on drugs or drunk, I'm just plain crazy naturally

[daveyj27]

COUNTRYLV22,

Thank you very much indeed.

It's important to report the positive stuff, too often it's only the negative that gets mentioned and that of course leads to a skewed and inaccurate portrayal.

No place on Earth is perfect, but some places are closer to being so than others. NH is a great place to be, and i'm perfectly comfortable and at home here.


Now, I just need somebody who wants a big fun-lovin' and easy-going Brit around the office to pick me out of the crowd.