Pros and Cons of Shifting to New Hampshire (Boston, Salem: to buy, income)

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Uh...had to look that one up. This place looks nice though:


https://www.google.com/maps/place/Th...!4d-71.5139855


Also close to Laconia/Winnipesaukee/Lakes Region.



Awful?

I agree with you that that place looks beautiful. The place where we were was near the lakes, but not right on them -- I think the places right on the lakes would have been much nicer, and I wanted to try to spend a day there, but my husband was done with the area overall and just wanted to get out. We passed lots of untended land, homes in states of disrepair and lots of pick up trucks with Trump stickers and gun racks and the like. Not what we'd seek in a vacation spot.

Another time we went somewhere in the White Mountains on a foliage train ride. It was okay - better than Sanbornton, but I thought it might be nicer. It might be nicer in winter.

I have really liked Portsmouth and Hanover, though.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

One thing to consider is the culture.

I work in a well regarded liberal leaning NH town and I, a fairly "center-left" man living in very conservative right leaning MA town, find the culture to feel like an Ayn Rand dystopia. Seems as though plenty of right-leaning MA expats have crossed the border over the past decade+ and resulted in a weird blend of "Bostonian indifference" and distorted Objectivist ideology (i.e., low on empathy; high on self). I don't find it very agreeable despite coexisting quite well in my right-leaning MA town.

If you're left of center, you'll feel more comfortable in Dover/Exeter area.

I mean, there is that. But my experience is that most NH-ers don't broadcast their politics and views too loudly. If you are not in their face with yours, they won't be in your face with theirs.

Moving to NH from NYC, I was a bit taken aback by some of the politics I encountered. I was used to being around everyone more or less being of the same vein as me. So that did take a little getting used to. But like religion, most really don't ask and it's generally live and let live. Your experience on the C-D NH forum might be different, however. The posters there definitely trend to the right.

One cultural/political thing that I loved about NH was that you truly have the opportunity to see and even meet almost every presidential candidate (at least in S NH). And most peoples' minds are not made up out of the gate, but they listen carefully and weigh the options. There are plenty of Independents there who swing R or D depending on who most aligns with their stance. It's frankly very refreshing and one thing I hugely miss about the state, especially with this year's election.

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

The issue of living in NH (which strikes us as being the Alabama of New England) aside, I would urge you to be very cautious about moving further out and/or to a less desirable location in order to get a bigger, newer, nicer home. I have made this mistake twice and vowed never, ever to do it again, no matter what. You are MUCH better off living in a town you like (for whatever reason, low commute, access to the city, access to nature, political attitudes of the town, walkability, etc) in a smaller, older home that you don't like as much than you are in a town you dislike but live even in a large, beautiful house. The location ALWAYS impacts you.

Don't agree with the "Alabama of NE" part, but ...

If you do move to NH, be careful to see if you will have internet connectivity. I don't think the OP would have trouble in Salem, but some towns really do have terrible or even, non-existent service. So it is something to consider.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bizcuit

I mean, there is that. But my experience is that most NH-ers don't broadcast their politics and views too loudly. If you are not in their face with yours, they won't be in your face with theirs.

Moving to NH from NYC, I was a bit taken aback by some of the politics I encountered. I was used to being around everyone more or less being of the same vein as me. So that did take a little getting used to. But like religion, most really don't ask and it's generally live and let live. Your experience on the C-D NH forum might be different, however. The posters there definitely trend to the right.

I think you hit the nail on the head in why some might have ran into issues, while others not so much.

[baysky]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Which is why I noted that you need to find a town that you like, rather than choosing a place because the house itself is nice.

I have been to both NH and AL. Several times to each, actually. We had some extra time a couple years ago and agreed to go to a timeshare presentation in exchange for a couple days at a "resort" in NH. We were actually shocked by how awful the whole area was. I do know that there are some nice parts of NH (and there actually are some nice parts of AL, too.) I have several friends in each state.

Would you mind revealing what area of NH is so awful? I am planning to move up there and the intel would be very helpful.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by baysky

Would you mind revealing what area of NH is so awful? I am planning to move up there and the intel would be very helpful.

Sanbornton, because it has pickups with Trump stickers and some run down houses. My guess is she would hate my area as well, although some wouldn't live anywhere else.

[baysky]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Sanbornton, because it has pickups with Trump stickers and some run down houses. My guess is she would hate my area as well, although some wouldn't live anywhere else.

Oh I see , you already said it Sanbornton

[masssachoicetts]

Pros
-Lower overall tax rates
-More laidback life
-Better Housing Stock
-Better outdoor recreation
-Consistantly ranked #1-4 best state in country

Cons
-jobs may be farther away
-property taxes are very high
-Can lean republican

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Pros
-Lower overall tax rates
-More laidback life
-Better Housing Stock
-Better outdoor recreation
-Consistantly ranked #1-4 best state in country

Cons
-jobs may be farther away
-property taxes are very high
-Can lean republican

I'm not sure that the overall tax rate would be lower if you lived in NH and paid NH property taxes, but worked in MA and paid MA income tax. So if this is one of the most important aspects, I'd investigate how it applies to your individual situation.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Those in rural NH are closer to those in the rural south than they are to most of the posters on this forum with Boston. That is my point. A lack of opportunity, the presence of heavy substance abuse and related domestic violence.

The poverty rates are also skewed in NH as counties with tourism/lake tax base skew up poverty rates. Those not in those areas are living on the edge.

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

I agree, I'm simply stating that most on this forum are from eastern MA and compared to eastern MA, places like Berlin NH or west central MA are going to "feel" more like rural 'Bama or Northern GA. But yes, it's more of a rural vs. urban divide which no state really deviates from.

Maybe to you. I suspect your main understanding of the Deep South is that it's got low income and high poverty. Neglecting that it's considerably poorer than New Hampshire, poverty isn't the defining characteristic of either place. There's no need to use 'Bama as weird euphemism for poor.

Rural New Hampshire feels like New England. It feels more like New England than it feels like the Deep South. It shares some of the challenges of poverty with the Deep South, but it's of a different sort. It's got far more in common with de-industrialized parts of the Midwest. Large swaths of the Deep South never really industrialized and I'd venture to guess there's never been much sharecropping in New Hampshire.