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.
I'm fast approaching retirement from the tech industry, currently live and work in Austin, TX. Spent formative younger years in Michigan and Chicago, so I'm used to cold weather and actually prefer cold winters over beastly hot blast-furnace summers in Texas. I enjoy skiing, snowmobiling, etc. I'm seriously consider a post-retirement move to one of the New England states.
New Hampshire is almost always in the top 3 or 5 states listed as great places to retire because of no state income tax, no taxing of retirement benefits, etc....I've visited NH before and was awe-struck at the beautiful countryside.
Checking Zillow and other real estate sites, I had no trouble finding homes in my price range. I fear, though, that because I adore the beauty of the state, I'm probably romanticizing how life there as a retiree would be...so wondering if any current or former NH residents might offer the low-down on life in the Granite State? And in particular - if you retired to NH, what did you experience that you didn't expect or plan for?
Choose Fredericksburg, Texas. LINK
Nice beautiful quiet town with many amenities.
Some, many, few . . . in NH at retirement age wish for warm weather in the cold bitter biting winters.
Average high temperature at or above 90 degrees from mid-June through mid-September. Average highs 95 through the worst of summer, plus humidity. No thanks, I'll take the NH winters to have the NH summers, which I still find almost too warm....
I think you get a much better quality of life in NH. That is minus the winters. A lot less riff raff in the population due to less population. Its not an inexpensive area, so many areas have a higher educated populace. People generally take care of their property. Scenic areas from Moutains to the ocean. To the small towns and villages Visit Boston when you need the big city. Its not far away. Snowbird in the winter when retired, or take extended trips.
From what I have seen of sunbelt states, and the masses pouring in. There is a hell of a lot to be said for living and retiring in NH. It hasn't been completely overwhelmed by people yet. Probablly won't be as long as there are New England winters.
If you can afford housing, heat, prop tax in NH. Remember there is no income or sales tax in NH. Then I would follow your dreams and give it a try. You only live once.
I'm just following this thread, as NH is "on the radar" so to speak as a retirement possibility. Neither myself nor my wife has any roots in the East, but it would be an interesting adventure and a chance to experience some new territory.
You make some good points, Jimrob. Also, New England in general seems like one of the few places in the U.S. where a person can buy some acreage and not be in a locale that is firmly at the longer wavelengths of the political spectrum, if you catch my drift. I'm fine with a balance of viewpoints, and actually prefer that as long as people are capable of civilized and intelligent discourse.
New Hampshires motto is Live Free Or Die. I don't think peoples political views are in your face there. I grew up in Mass, and in all honesty. Political views seem to come up more, and impact people more in the sunbelt regions. I find the Northeast is alot more Live and Let Live.
Are you tiring of Metro Phoenix? I see Gilbert on your heading.
Are you tiring of Metro Phoenix? I see Gilbert on your heading.
We're in the Phoenix area because of my employer. Kind of a long story, but basically I landed a really great job in 2004. Otherwise I wouldn't have chosen to live here. Not that it's terrible, but I can't imagine spending the summers in Phoenix after we are retired. (Doing a reverse snowbird, or whatever it's called, is a possibility I suppose.)
I am a long, long way from retirement age. NH has a low overall tax burden compared with many other states, and relative to most places in the country you're going to wind up paying less in overall taxes. That said, it's not all good news and someone who doesn't look into the numbers for their specific situation may be caught off guard.
Some specific things that come to mind:
- Property tax bills, while variable from town to town, are among the most expensive in the country on average.
- Auto registration can be very expensive if you have new/newer cars.
- Heating can get expensive, labor-intensive (wood), or both. Natural gas isn't available in most places beyond the Boston metro/commuting range. Lots of housing is also older and may require more upkeep work than new/nearly-new build.
Also, New England in general seems like one of the few places in the U.S. where a person can buy some acreage and not be in a locale that is firmly at the longer wavelengths of the political spectrum, if you catch my drift.
I am about 1 year away from retirement and will move to NH. I live in Mass and visit NH every couple of weeks, son lives there. We started wanting to live in Tilton and now are looking further north. If you look up tax rates you will see that many of the towns near the lakes have lower rates because they are subsidized by million dollar water front homes. Southern NH is just Mass light to me at least so no thanks ;-) .
We are now looking at the Plymouth area. Close to mountains and lakes, nice downtown and the best Chinese restaurant anywhere. It is a college town so was thinking of renting for a year and rents are high.
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.
