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I've been reading these forums for awhile now and have read some helpful information.
We will be moving to New Hampshire some time later this year. I have a few questions. If they have already been answered can you please direct me to where?
Thanks in advance.
We currently live in San Diego. I understand the weather there has been rather harsh this winter with power outages.
Do people typically have a generator for back up during times like these?
How long is the power out for usually?
We are empty nesters with both kids in college now so we are looking for an area that is nearby some cultural events, near a college would be ideal as well.
And of course, like everyone else, we would like a walkable town.
We aren't ready to retire yet so we will need jobs.
My husband is an accountant and I am an admin asst with heavy accounting skills.
Any other info you care to share would be greatly appreciated.
Hi CV,
more and more people have gotten generators for the winter - especially after last year's ice storm! so, yes, it's become a relatively common thing. The power may go out for a few hours, or (depending on the problem) a few days. Some people are lucky and don't lose any at all (my parents never lost any, and yes they are in Southern NH). Wood stoves & pellet stoves are great for heating, but they do often need electricity also.
cvlp, what a perfect time to ask these questions, when there are over 100,000 households across the state still without power, mine being one of them... During Ice storm 2009 we were without electricity for 9 days, and it could be a week or more before power is restored to my neighborhood this time. However, I've been in touch with dozens of people who never lost power other than a blip or two on Thursday night, others who had power by the Friday morning, more got it back on Saturday. So as you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to your question.
IMO, this winter has been positively mild, at least in southern New Hampshire. Folks in MD or NY might not agree with that one Actually until last week's storm, our snowfall totals and significant events were WAY under the last few years. But last week's storm put us back on the map.. with more activity expected this coming week (snow expected Monday, maybe more on Wednesday or Thursday...)
If you asked about generators 5 years ago, the answer would probably be different, but today, many people have generators. In fact, it becomes big plus for a home when you can say "hard wired for generator". Wood stoves are also common, and the big benefit is that unlike pellet stoves, they are able to run without electricity. Fireplaces are pretty but unfortunately don't provide much of a heat source.
I would say that by comparison, the 'mildest' weather will be closest to the coast, and if walkable towns are high on your wish list, consider Portsmouth or Dover. Either will provide an easy drive to the lakes region, the White Mountains, Boston or Maine. Portsmouth in particular would likely provide some of the culture you seek. In addition, there are local theater companies throughout the state, and for fine dining, museums, and musicals, etc. head to Boston.
While New Hampshire has plenty of small towns, most aren't what you would consider 'walkable'. In fact, the majority of roads in the state have a variety of interesting combination of elevation changes and curves of varying sharpness. There are very few 'as the crow flies' roads except for the interstate highways and major state routes, and even those can seem meandering by comparison to the western states...
I'm pretty much done with California. I am originally from the Boston area and want to go back to the area.
I get tired of one season, mostly.
And New England is prettier.
When I walk around here, I do not feel any connection.
When I have been in New England, it feels like home.
I experienced the same feeling of disconnect when we moved the family to the St. Louis area. The area was nice enough, certainly a much lower cost of living, and the people were great. We weren't there when the Sox won the World Series, but everybody noted/commented how nice the Missouri ppl were to an out-of-state winning team. The whole time we lived there, we were counting the days till we could move back home where we belong...
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Actually until last week's storm, our snowfall totals and significant events were WAY under the last few years. But last week's storm put us back on the map.. with more activity expected this coming week (snow expected Monday, maybe more on Wednesday or Thursday...)
