Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just a quick update, we ended up in Tucson, AZ. Its where the employment came through. It isn't out of the question that we will end up in Berlin in a few years. It wasn't in the cards right now I guess. In this economy, we are just thankful for good work. It is hot as an iron here in the summer, but the other eight months of the year are nice, so I guess it could have been worse as far as locations go.
Well reading this was.....entertaining. We may be moving (transfering) to the area due to the opening of the new FCI Berlin. I have visited East Burke Vt every year, for the last 5 years to MT bike and love it so I figured this isn't to far away it must be nice also. If I dont want to drive more than 45 min to work (At the new prison) what are my options? It sounds like the taxes are a B***h.
So, tell me about these new businesses. I might be interested in joining in. I own a small, pet-related business that mostly sells products online, but I wouldn 't be adverse to having a storefront if price was right & I could make a living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kdpaine
I moved my business up here 5 years ago, and relocated myself 2 years ago from Durham. Where else can you buy a 9 bedroom house for under $50,000? and the 3 bedroom victorian that I live in has and amazing view of Mt Washington, an attached garage, and a gorgeous living room and fireplace -- all for under $30K. It's walking distance to the schools. Every day I walk to work and pinch myself because I'm lucky enough to live in a place where the sky is clear, the mighty Androscoggin keeps me company, and the people are wonderful. I've found the work force to be hard working and dedicated and loyal unlike the prima-donnas I had to deal with on the Seacoast. The political environment is a bit odd --- a bunch of nutcases run the city and the county, but in general, it's a delightful place to live. It is definitely a slower pace of life, and there's a lot more religion in daily life than you see elsewhere. The prison is NOT the only industry. There are a number of small entrepreneurs who have moved up to take advantage of the low labor and housing costs, and wifi is readily available. The biggest problem is that there is an old mill-town mentality that keeps people waiting for another big manufacturing plant to come back in and save people. Not going to happen, but there's plenty of stuff happening. Check out the activities of WREN, the Womens Rural Entrepreneurial Network..
While Berlin has had a bad reputation, things are turning around, although painfully slow.
Berlin's population was around 25,000 at one time and is now down to just over 10,000. As you can imagine, there is a glut of apartment buildings and housing. The prices for these houses reflects the glut, and low demand. Admittedly, there are a fair amount of housing where the saying "you get what you pay for" stands true. Although if you purchase a two bedroom for 30,000, I would dare say you'd have some money for renovations.
Yes, the tax rate in Berlin is high, but, the property values are low. If you calculate the median value of a 2 bedroom house in Berlin which is $45,000 and multiply by the city tax rate of $31.70 per thousand your tax bill is $1426.50. The median value of a two bedroom house in Manchester, NH is $123,000 with a tax rate of $21.96 your tax bill is $2701. The tax bill is obviously cheaper, but your house in Manchester would likely give you a better return on your dollar. Although, according to Trulia.com where I obtained this info., last year the median value of a house in Berlin was $33,000.
The paper mill in Cascade is installing a new tissue machine; they've hired back all those laid off when it closed (those that wanted to come back) and have recently started the process of hiring 14 additional workers. The bio mass plant being built on the Berlin mill site will employ 40 full time workers with an estimated 500 forestry based jobs that will supply the biomass plant with wood. The current construction on site is currently employing 250. The federal prison has hired 15 people locally and has brought in 122 people and their families from other facilities. Houses are selling at a rate I don't think I've ever seen in my time here in Berlin. Subsequently, housing prices are starting to rise.
The city is currently negotiating with a developer to build a hotel in downtown Berlin, and that will hopefully spur more development. There is currently a developer renovating a building on main street for retail. The city has demolished 30 dilapidated properties and the state will tear down several more in the next year as it creates a new truck route through the city that will bypass the neighborhoods that truck traffic has rattled for years. There have been 22 apartment buildings completely rehabbed in the city by a developer. The Jericho ATV park is adding a campground to its park and more and more visitors from all over are enjoying the trails at the park and through the city.
Finally, let me touch on one more thing. The riff raff moving into Berlin aren't here because of the state prison. They are here because of the cheap rent. If you get $1500 in assistance per month and you can rent a 2 bedroom apartment in Berlin for $500 as opposed to the same apartment in Manchester, NH for $1000. Where are you going to move? These people are lazy, not dumb. If my kid went to jail and ended up at the Concord, NH facility, I wouldn't move to Concord, I'd just drive down to visit him every week. I'm not sure, but I think the inmates are only allowed one visit a week anyway.
Berlin is not perfect, there isn't anyplace that is, not even heaven (too many born again christians!). Hopefully the city is on its way back, but time will tell. Give it a try, we need good people here to make it better.
Contrary to popular belief families don't usually follow federal inmates since its likely that the inmate will only be in a particular location for a year or two at the most. Also inmates are housed as close as possible to their home of record if space is available. Oh, and federal inmates are sent back to wherever they're from when released, we don't just let them out the front door and tell them to find a place to crash.
I've about had it with the Berlin Bashing by you idiots.
First off, the river was NEVER orange from pollution and the river itself is cleaning up nicely from the sulfur deposits that were left behind from the mills. As for none of the mills being here any longer and all of them having been torn down, where the heck did you get your information from? There is still the Cascades Mill and the main mill building and one stack is left downtown on the Burgess Street Mill as it was once called.
As for crime and criminals, come on!!!! You make it sound like we have a rampant crime here and you could not be further than the truth. Yeah we do have crime here, but we have had one murder in this town, due to idiots doing a home invasion and it was one of the home invaders who got killed and the other shot, but as far as hardcore crime? The worst are the speeders and drunk drivers, very little in the way of what you would call hardcore crime. If we are so damn crime ridden like some of you suggested, then why do I walk around with a $3,000.00 camera outfit, taking nature and wildlife photos all hours of the day and night without fear? I have walked the downtown area at 1 and 2 in the morning without fear at all.
Yeah you idiots have NEVER lived here and you do not have one iota of a clue as to what this town is really about. There are alot of damn fine people living here, damn good businesses that are in fact thriving and we are cleaning up the problems we do have up here. So before you open your mouth to show how stupid you are, shut your trap and listen to people who really live here and know what is going on.
WOW! This is a real Berlin girl here. I have lived here all my life, my family has been here for more then 100yrs!!!!!! Yes, when I was little and the tub was filled for bath time it was a brownish orange. Every week we drove to a farm in Milan to get drinking water. Still do. The mill dust a half an inch thick on the porch or cars in the morning.It takes more then a few years to get rid of all that. It was just in the last ten yrs or so that they took the last sewer pipes from dumping in the river near Brown school. You think they are doing a good job cleaning up the river? I dare you to go down to the edge and take a big drink or eat a fish from there. Where are you getting your facts from on crime? I have lost a few high school friends to murder in this town and too many drug overdoses. Or how about 2 brothers, one grew up to be a cop the other a successful drug dealer. How often do you think he is busted? About downtown at night, well I fear the river rats more. But I don't have anything anyone wants and I keep to myself. So many city folks moving up bringing the city with them. Have you ever been up to Success loop to see the moose,you can see one just about every time. I have been going since I was little. My kids love it !! Oh wait, they destroyed the entire area to build a prison. Because we really needed that so much more, and there was no other place it could have been put. Oh and lets not forget the dump and the trucks from all over New England all day and into the night dumping in our back yard. The smell is worse then the mill !!!!!!! What do we the locals get out of this? Nothing !Did we get a say.No! What about the ski jump. Something we had to be proud of. The winter fest. Folks came from all over. Now it's gone, left to rot. I see shops that have been there since my childhood are gone. It is so hard to get a job. How is this town thriving? You don't seem to know Berlin very well at all. I love this land and town it is my home. I am raising my kids here and I tell them how it was. How people cared for their neighbors and helped each other out. They are too afraid now. Most don't even know who their neighbors are. It is really sad to see what this town has become, worse when you know what it was. You should talk to the average Berlin local, you could see Berlin at it's core. More then happy to show you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
wow,
