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I currently live in Asheville, NC and my wife has a job offer in the Lebanon area. I've been doing plenty of research but can't find information on everything. Some people say the northern part of New Hampshire is very cheap compared to the Mass border. I've compared rent costs and Lebanon is much cheaper than Asheville based on sq ft and home quality/location. My current location has risen to the second most expensive city in the state pop. 50,000 or greater over the last decade. A bunch of gated communities and forest destruction which we would like to escape. The average income here is insanely low with most jobs for people without a masters or doctorate (my wife just completed her masters thank goodness) averaging $32,772. The town now caters to Biltmore Forest (gated community in South Asheville) which has a median income for a family at $152,654. I know NH is a high property tax area but the only property we will have is our car. I read that car registration is $200 which is pretty insane (ours is around $60). So here is my laundry list of questions.
Vehicle Inspection/Registration Cost
Pet Registration (we have this here but local government doesn't enforce)
Heating Options and Cost (we keep it in the lower 60's)
Hidden Taxes
Friendliness of Locals (we have mid-atlantic accents and have been made fun of in a variety of locations across the nation. Some places are cool others aren't)
Just Your Basic Relocation Stuff. Also Can't Seem To Find Any National Banks In The Area. Our Checking Is With First Citizens and Savings With Wachovia/Wells Fargo. I Can't Find Anything For Either Bank Anywhere In The Entire State. Thanks For Any Answers. I've Lived Here All My Life And Can't Stand What Is Becoming Of It Anymore.
Car registration is not $200. It varies by type of vehicle, age of vehicle and the town you live in. There is a state and a town portion. Not sure if you have new cars but if you do most likely it will be more than 200. The best thing to so is call the town clerk's office-most will give you the cost over the phone.
Lebanon is not going to be "very cheap" compared to the border. Cheaper yes but not as "cheap" as real northern NH like Coos county.
Heating options-propane, oil, electric-all depends on the town and what the house you are buying has.
Pet registration? What kind? I have cats and there is no fee that I know of. I would ask the town clerk.
There is no Wachovia or First Citizens. Not sure about Wells Fargo. Do you need a national bank? I only ask because there are a lot of good credit unions and older local banks that in my opinion are much better than national banks.
Friendliness of locals-depends. Some parts of the state are better than others. I don't consider people here to be overly friendly.
Have you considered the snow and cold weather? This is something to consider as many people move here under the illusion that "snow looks pretty" only to leave after a winter or two. Winters are long and as much as I love winter by APril looking and trecking through brown dirty snow is not appealing to me. The cold does not bother me but the lack of Spring and the long winters do and I am someone who loves to snow shoe and cross country ski but year after year I find I like winter less-especially long stretches of days with no sun.
One last thing about what you wrote: "I've Lived Here All My Life And Can't Stand What Is Becoming Of It Anymore" I mention this and I ask you, respectfully to keep that in mind when you move here. I have lived here since 1999 and sadly, I cannot stand some of the changes that have taken place here since then. Too many people have moved here and brought the mindset from where they moved from. The complain about their old home but move here and want a Walmart in every town, vote in politicians who have made changes in this state that have not beneficial etc. They complain about NH culture and tradition such as hunting and gun rights. Be prepared to see hunters walking down the road with their guns and hanging deer in their yard .
It is good that you are doing research-I don't think you can do enough. I think most people do not research enough-they are lured by "cheap housing" or a good paying job. Not saying that is you, but that has happened a lot here in NH. I would strongly suggest visiting during the winter if you can and do as much as you can to make sure you are making the right choice.
FYI-I don't live in Lebanon but in the Lakes region of NH. Hopefully you will get some responses from people who can chime in on the Lebanon specific information.
Pet Registration: If you have a dog there is a fee - whatever it is it is so small it isn't worth worrying about. However the animal has to be current on rabies. Dog License
Heating: We used about 500 gal of fuel oil last year to heat a well insulated 2500 sq ft home BUT we heat a lot with a wood stove. On the flip side there might be a handful of days where you say "gee it would be nice if we had air conditioning."
Friendliness of locals: Once you get used to it you'll see that New Englanders are friendly - in our own way. We aren't big on chit chat or saying "have a nice day" but it shows in other ways. I remember the time my exhaust started dragging on the road. A good samaritan showed up and tied it to the underside of my car with a bicycle chain he had in his truck. And hey I've pulled trucks out of snowdrifts with my 4WD Sierra. Hubby is a Virginia boy and wouldn't go back there for the world. You can hear it the split second he opens his mouth. What can I say, you might get asked where you're from, but as long as you're not a Yankees fan you should be ok.
Leabanon area is heavily influenced by Dartmouth college and the associated medical center. They have brought much money into the area. Like Asheville, NC the area is a mix of people of all types from academics to loggers. I suggest coming up an looking around.
Re: friendliness of locals, I find most people in New Hampshire to be pretty "live and let live." Yeah, we're probably not as outgoing with strangers, but I'd be pretty surprised if anyone openly made fun of the way you talked. While you don't hear the traditional NH accent in the Upper Valley that much anymore, if you go to other parts of the state you'll probably get a kick out of our accents too.
In my experience, they will not make fun of his accent - if he has a southern accent. People will like it and maybe smile or giggle but like it (a 'good' giggle, not a 'oh listen to the hick' giggle). If he's got the basic mid-atlantic accent, like I kinda do, they won't really notice it at all since it sounds like most tv. My sisters have the NH accent, I never did.
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