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I'm from NYC and have lived up here for 6 years. I don't find the winters to be terrible at all. Actually this year we had very little snow, and it was a bit boring. There wasn't any good xc skiing or snow shoeing near me. The snow fall in the areas you are considering are not nearly as bad as the western and northern part of the state so you should be fine. As for snow plowing, we live in rural NH, west of Concord and there are no issues with services for plowing, road clean up etc. Also, even though NH is not big social services, the communities support the elderly and the children with different types of programs. I live in a small rural town and they offer rides for the elderly to doctor appts, grocery shopping, etc. They also have bus trips to Manchester, coast, sporting events, etc. I agree with the other posters about living near a city center, Exeter is a cute town if you can live there I think your parents would enjoy it very much. Good Luck!
Used to live just outside of Philly and we're now in S. NH, this is based upon my experience... I can honestly say that the winters in Philly (and NJ for that matter) are worse than the winters here. Yes, we do get more snow and it does stay colder longer, but unless you're by the NH coast, the humidity is much lower than Philly, which means that the snow we do get is much lighter (and therefore MUCH easier to shovel). In terms of temperature, the low humidity does make it feel much warmer than Philly. There's nothing that cuts straight through you than humid air...
Thanks again for the feedback. I'm also glad to hear that the summers aren't so hot & humid as they are in Philly. Some summer days I open the door & I feel as though I've stepped back to Viet Nam during the rainy season.
On another note, what's allergy season like? This spring in Philly has been unbearable with the early warm temperatures. It's probably manageable if I were to take medications, but I'm still nursing & don't want to risk it.
one last thing on the winters: I think the big difference is that while the actual temps may get a lot lower more often in NH than in Philly, NH doesn't have near the wind that the mid-Atlantic has! dry or humid, the wind will cut right through you. without, layering clothes (well, wearing proper winter clothes) makes things just fine.
as to allergies... well, do remember that NH is extremely forested. If you have a lot of tree allergies, you still will (unfortunately). but it's so much prettier that it makes it a little more bearable
This past winter was the absolute worst because we had next to no snow throughout the core of the winter season. If its winter I expect snow along with the added bonus of brightening up all surfaces with the lower winter sun angle. Without the snow cover, the short daylight hours made things feel very drab and brown. So, those coming from further south will notice the significant changes in daylight between winter and summer over the colder temperatures.
If you're happy where you are then the cold doesn't matter. I moved from Houston to outside Littletin NH. I used to freeze if the a/c was below 70 but shoveled snow in shorts, tshirt and coat at 20 below. There was even a day that wind chill was 70 below and all adults went out to snow tube....it was at the same time 35 in Houston when I called family.. So, 100 degrees difference. I wasn't cold a single second because I was happy with where I lived! If your parents get tired of the cold have them walk laps in the basement or let them go to the local track/mall to walk. It's really about family anyway, not the weather ;-) Worst case scenario? It's so cold you have to spend more time indoors as a family doing silly things like playing board games and sipping soup. Or else everybody gets out and PLAYS in the snow. Sounds good in my book and you don't have that big of adjustment..............
After surviving a war, spending 3 years in a Communist "re-education camp", escaping a country by boat (19 days stranded at sea), 3 years in refugee camps, and starting from scratch in the U.S.A. to become respected & contributing citizens, I doubt my parents will be "whining and crying" about much. As for my husband and I, we are very adaptable so there is no issue there.
Thank you all for you helpful advice & links. We will most likely reside close/in to town in order to benefit from the snow cleaning as well as any senior citizens activities. We are visiting NH in 3 weeks for vacation as well as for job interviews.
Hey there
I've lived through many a central/north Jersey winter and I've been in NH for 3 winters. Its not really that much colder than NYC (assuming NYC and Philly haved same winters) and last year we got hardly any snow (NYC/DC got more). The closer to the shore the more moderate the winter.
You will love the summers and IMO it makes the slightly colder winter more tolerable. At least on the coast we don't have the hot muggy sweltering summers that you can get in DC or Philly. Though the ocean water won't warm up as say in the Jersey Shore..
Are you moving to NH for your work? Do you already have a job in NH? You will love it IMO especially the Spring, Summer and Fall. Winter is just a little inconvenience.
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