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My husband may be getting a job offer soon in Meredith, NH and we plan on relocating and finding jobs in that area regardless. We currently live in SWFL and have 2 kids ages 2.5 and 3mos. I've heard Meredith is a little pricey to live. We're trying to decide on what neighboring towns would be good for raising a family (school system, things to do, etc..). We have friends in Rumney, and they also mentioned Campton to us. Also, im a Medical assistant and would be looking for a job once we get the kids settled in a daycare. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks
My husband may be getting a job offer soon in Meredith, NH and we plan on relocating and finding jobs in that area regardless. We currently live in SWFL and have 2 kids ages 2.5 and 3mos. I've heard Meredith is a little pricey to live. We're trying to decide on what neighboring towns would be good for raising a family (school system, things to do, etc..). We have friends in Rumney, and they also mentioned Campton to us. Also, im a Medical assistant and would be looking for a job once we get the kids settled in a daycare. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Have you been to NH before? Particularly in the winter? Are you familiar with the specifics of it. Most of NE is pricey to live. Sticker shock is an understatement coming from SWFL (I currently live in Naples myself formerly Keene, NH). Taxes will be triple or even quadruple on land compared to here.The better the schools the higher the taxes (usually).
Concord will be your closest actual city for real employment or anything of actual entertainment, mind you their population is smaller than all of Collier county by over 300,000 people, its small by comparison of what you're going to be used to. That'll be where most of your amenities are that you're used to like SWFL. You will be downsizing considerably from what you are used living here. I didn't think it would bother me as much as it did but it drove me crazy as it went on lol. It was a pain in the rear to have to drive an hour to the nearest mall (if we could get over the mountains to get there, which we couldn't some months) for certain things that small towns won't offer and I lived in one of the "major" cities. I guess it depends really on what your budget is as far as what you deem pricey.. Compared to SWFL some places in NH are down right dirt cheap.. $275,000 for a starter sf home? Yes please.. $8,000 for taxes? No thanks.. So its all sort of how you look at it in a way.
Things as a fellow Floridian I would make sure you look for the following:
- A/C . Not standard and can be hard to find in most homes up there. IMO very much needed. Their summers can be just as hot and humid and miserable as ours and you don't want to weather that with no A/C.
- Look into registration costs of cars. Triple the costs of SWFL. Ask ahead of time what you are looking at. We can register our cars here brand new under $100. Up there we paid I want to say over $400 plus city and state taxes on it.
-Also make sure your car is up to snuff. You have to pay to have it inspected and have I THINK 30 days to fix what is wrong.
- Before renting/buying a place get a history of heating costs. Ours was $400 a month for our 1 bedroom apt.. Electricity is a separate bill from heating up there unlike here. Our electricity was sometimes as much as our heating in the deep winter months. Just some things to consider that I didn't realize when I moved there.
Last edited by Sweetbottoms; 11-06-2016 at 09:52 AM..
Thank you for the info! I'm born and raised Naples, but my husband is from outside of Boston and has been to NH before..it's his childhood friend who lives there. I plan on visiting, but I haven't yet...I've seen the population statistics for that area, the towns are small! There seem to be pros and cons just like in Naples, however I was hoping for more pros .
Thank you for the info! I'm born and raised Naples, but my husband is from outside of Boston and has been to NH before..it's his childhood friend who lives there. I plan on visiting, but I haven't yet...I've seen the population statistics for that area, the towns are small! There seem to be pros and cons just like in Naples, however I was hoping for more pros .
Winter is going to be a hard reality shock for you then. I was also raised in Naples and prior to my move in 07 I hadn't even seen snow. I was so excited to see it I about tattooed snowflakes on my rear. It seemed like endless snow and after the charm wore off ( about 2 months) I started to dread every single storm that wouldn't stop. Snow so high it was above our cars by Christmas. We would have to wake up 2 hours early to bundle up and shovel out our car and axe the ice dams off our drive way every morning, sometimes going outside multiple times a day to shovel. Snow is cold, heavy and wet. By the time your done you're frozen to the bone and tired/sore. Invest in a blower if you can. Needless to say by Christmas day (6 months after we had moved there) we made the decision to leave.
I suggest you visit if you can in Jan/Feb to get a feel of the cold. Its absolutely bitter and downright painful. Especially for people like us who have lived where "cold" is 65. Be prepared to have it be so cold it hurts to breath ! Buy lots and of layering warm clothes and good sturdy boots. Get your car winterized with all season tires and a really good ice scraper. Winter is very long up there and realize they deal with things we don't. Like getting dark REALLY early. Some days 3:30 in the afternoon is as dark as 10 at night. We don't see that kind of phenomon here even with daylight savings and although it sounds minor it can really be a difficult adjustment if you aren't used to it. Do your homework for sure about what I mentioned above. The towns will be VERY tiny compared to here. Some of the towns smaller than Naples Park, I'm talking the entire town. 1 stop light and you're through the town, no kidding.
Winter is going to be a hard reality shock for you then. I was also raised in Naples and prior to my move in 07 I hadn't even seen snow. I was so excited to see it I about tattooed snowflakes on my rear. It seemed like endless snow and after the charm wore off ( about 2 months) I started to dread every single storm that wouldn't stop. Snow so high it was above our cars by Christmas. We would have to wake up 2 hours early to bundle up and shovel out our car and axe the ice dams off our drive way every morning, sometimes going outside multiple times a day to shovel. Snow is cold, heavy and wet. By the time your done you're frozen to the bone and tired/sore. Invest in a blower if you can. Needless to say by Christmas day (6 months after we had moved there) we made the decision to leave.
I suggest you visit if you can in Jan/Feb to get a feel of the cold. Its absolutely bitter and downright painful. Especially for people like us who have lived where "cold" is 65. Be prepared to have it be so cold it hurts to breath ! Buy lots and of layering warm clothes and good sturdy boots. Get your car winterized with all season tires and a really good ice scraper. Winter is very long up there and realize they deal with things we don't. Like getting dark REALLY early. Some days 3:30 in the afternoon is as dark as 10 at night. We don't see that kind of phenomon here even with daylight savings and although it sounds minor it can really be a difficult adjustment if you aren't used to it. Do your homework for sure about what I mentioned above. The towns will be VERY tiny compared to here. Some of the towns smaller than Naples Park, I'm talking the entire town. 1 stop light and you're through the town, no kidding.
I did live in Alaska for 6 months once..I'm guessing it's about the same. Any positives?
Sweetbottoms, where'd you live? Berlin NH? Dark at 3:30? Please.
Yes, our climate is not for everyone, especially those that don't like to go outside, since you can't do that in Florida in the summer.
Your comment on AC is ridiculous. Many newer houses have AC, but most people find you don't need it, certainly not central AC. Bedroom unit or a fan works fine. Heating costs depend on the house, its size and condition, but I've never heard of someone paying $4,800 for the season. Maybe $400 in the coldest month. So you do a budget plan.
Meredith is a lovely area, close to three major recreation regions - lake Winnipesaukee, the coast and the White Mtns.
Housing costs will vary from town to town, as will taxes, but remember no 6% sales tax. That'll make up for the higher property tax.
Winter? Most people celebrate it. Skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing. Proper clothing makes it comfortable. Not as if we can't get scarves here for windy days, for example.
We also have 4 seasons, each of which is delightful in its own ways. Just see a fir tree covered with fresh fallen snow and tell me winter is ugly. And no hurricanes - we save those for Massachusetts, and no tornadoes.
Did I say Boston is 1-2 hours away, depending on how far north you are? Did I mention Montreal and Quebec city are easy weekend trips? Maybe Sweetbottoms prefers Alabama or Georgia for getaways.
I did live in Alaska for 6 months once..I'm guessing it's about the same. Any positives?
Oh that's good at least so u may have an idea... Ummm it's pretty, lots of history, close promximity to Boston and NYC. I'm not the right person to ask obviously because we decided to leave 6 months after living there. Others may chime in on why they like it there.
Sweetbottoms, where'd you live? Berlin NH? Dark at 3:30? Please.
Yes, our climate is not for everyone, especially those that don't like to go outside, since you can't do that in Florida in the summer.
Your comment on AC is ridiculous. Many newer houses have AC, but most people find you don't need it, certainly not central AC. Bedroom unit or a fan works fine. Heating costs depend on the house, its size and condition, but I've never heard of someone paying $4,800 for the season. Maybe $400 in the coldest month. So you do a budget plan.
Meredith is a lovely area, close to three major recreation regions - lake Winnipesaukee, the coast and the White Mtns.
Housing costs will vary from town to town, as will taxes, but remember no 6% sales tax. That'll make up for the higher property tax.
Winter? Most people celebrate it. Skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing. Proper clothing makes it comfortable. Not as if we can't get scarves here for windy days, for example.
We also have 4 seasons, each of which is delightful in its own ways. Just see a fir tree covered with fresh fallen snow and tell me winter is ugly. And no hurricanes - we save those for Massachusetts, and no tornadoes.
Did I say Boston is 1-2 hours away, depending on how far north you are? Did I mention Montreal and Quebec city are easy weekend trips? Maybe Sweetbottoms prefers Alabama or Georgia for getaways.
Bigbear- thank you! My husband says the same things about winter in NH. I would definitely be excited to have a real Fall. Any cities around Meredith you would recommend that have affordable houses but also not be an hour drive from shopping, decent restaurants, etc..?
Oh that's good at least so u may have an idea... Ummm it's pretty, lots of history, close promximity to Boston and NYC. I'm not the right person to ask obviously because we decided to leave 6 months after living there. Others may chime in on why they like it there.
Sweetbottoms, where'd you live? Berlin NH? Dark at 3:30? Please.
Yes, our climate is not for everyone, especially those that don't like to go outside, since you can't do that in Florida in the summer.
Your comment on AC is ridiculous. Many newer houses have AC, but most people find you don't need it, certainly not central AC. Bedroom unit or a fan works fine. Heating costs depend on the house, its size and condition, but I've never heard of someone paying $4,800 for the season. Maybe $400 in the coldest month. So you do a budget plan.
Meredith is a lovely area, close to three major recreation regions - lake Winnipesaukee, the coast and the White Mtns.
Housing costs will vary from town to town, as will taxes, but remember no 6% sales tax. That'll make up for the higher property tax.
Winter? Most people celebrate it. Skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing. Proper clothing makes it comfortable. Not as if we can't get scarves here for windy days, for example.
We also have 4 seasons, each of which is delightful in its own ways. Just see a fir tree covered with fresh fallen snow and tell me winter is ugly. And no hurricanes - we save those for Massachusetts, and no tornadoes.
Did I say Boston is 1-2 hours away, depending on how far north you are? Did I mention Montreal and Quebec city are easy weekend trips? Maybe Sweetbottoms prefers Alabama or Georgia for getaways.
I have stated my experience repeatedly on here and even WHILE living there I complained of high cost of heating, electricity. NH has some of the highest Kilowatt charges in the country. in the 07 and 08 year we had some of the highest gas prices we've seen. I believe it was $5.00 a gallon that winter or very close to it and we had gas heat.
I disagree with your a/c statement, we needed it badly in Keene. The heat settled in the valley like no other and was very humid and hazy. I remember the first week we moved there laying on the kitchen floor tiles trying to get cool. I never stated NO homes have it.. I said MOST homes don't because unless you buy new odds are the house is old and it's not standard.
Also coming from a state with sales tax of 6% I can tell you .06 cents on a dollar saved doesn't balance out to an $8000+ a year property tax. No way no how. Added to the inspection, registration, tolls when visiting Mass, separate wordrobe costs etc. we also have no income tax so there's no difference there either.
Oh yah and I remember now why I left.. because according to some who live there it is the be all to end all. No faults in anything and god forbid you pick something out.. "you're not from around here with your big city ideas and ways". There's no way someone experienced high heating, not from around here attitude from locals etc? Especially a year before the bubble popped? Really?
. I prefer neither of those states btw however I don't think NH is as perfect as some preach. Being I've lived where she currently does AND where shes moving to I do believe I can give her a comparison of each place. Just because it hasn't happen to you with costs / experiences doesn't mean it hasn't to others. There have been others here who had the same experience as I .
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! Buy lots and of layering warm clothes and good sturdy boots. Get your car winterized with all season tires and a really good ice scraper. Winter is very long up there and realize they deal with things we don't. Like getting dark REALLY early. Some days 3:30 in the afternoon is as dark as 10 at night. We don't see that kind of phenomon here even with daylight savings and although it sounds minor it can really be a difficult adjustment if you aren't used to it. Do your homework for sure about what I mentioned above. The towns will be VERY tiny compared to here. Some of the towns smaller than Naples Park, I'm talking the entire town. 1 stop light and you're through the town, no kidding.
