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I visit and stay with my friends in Fryeburg, ME quite a bit and love the Conway, NH/Fryeburg, ME areas. I thoroughly enjoy New Hampshire. I could potentially be moving to Berlin, NH for a federal position. Any similarities between the areas I mentioned above and Berlin? Anything I should know about the area? Any help, info, and recommendations are welcomed and appreciated.
Still being in the pre-move mode, I am by no means an expert on NH or Berlin. All I can say is on one short drive through the town I learned that I have no desire to live in Berlin. The outskirts, sure why not.
Not really my thing, but the Catholic church on the main drag was nice looking though.
Berlin reminded me too much of Woonsocket, RI. Another well past its prime mill town. Only difference was Woonsocket had more successful businesses.
No, not a lot of similarities between those towns, except the weather. Berlin is a run-down mill town whose biggest remaining employers are the state and federal prisons. Berlin has one of the highest tax rates in the state. I would highly recommend renting before you buy, to make sure you like the area and the winter weather. Make sure any residence under consideration already has high speed internet access and you can get a cell signal there.
Conway feels like a thriving tourist destination, and Berlin feels like a town whose glory days were 100 years ago when mills were providing plenteous jobs. I agree with KCZ's description and would not call Berlin and Conway similar.
The nicest towns closest to Berlin are Randolph and Shelburne- the biggest disadvantage is the drive to North Conway is not as convenient in winter as you have to drive through Pinkham Notch. I would not recommend Berlin at this time, it doesn't have a solid tax base, and houses are not a good investment with the property tax rate being so steep.
You don't need to live in Berlin in order to work there. Heck, you could live in North Conway and drive to work in 45 minutes, weather allowing. And contrary to what some might say, NH does plow roads, although the state tends to plow when the snow stops.
The feds are generally pretty good about tolerating weather related delays, at least in my experience.
OP, I would not advise tackling a 45 minute drive in the winter, when it can easily morph into 60-90 minutes in bad weather, particularly if you're not used to driving in snow and on icy roads.
OP, I would not advise tackling a 45 minute drive in the winter, when it can easily morph into 60-90 minutes in bad weather, particularly if you're not used to driving in snow and on icy roads.
I don't particularly recommend it either, but I think your, and many other, cautions over-play the problem. I've been driving in northern climates for years, and have had few problems with winter driving. You need some common sense, like how to slow down (easy, just use less accelerator) and when to stay off the road. Mostly, I find icy conditions dangerous, as well as car packed snow (which is very icy) before it's plowed and salted.
Where I live, near Peterborough, the road over temple mtn on 101 becomes a problem every year, sometimes with closure due to too many accidents, but those times are highly predictable and can be avoided by waiting a few hours.
So, I'd say someone's travel situation should be highly dependent on the job. If the job situation can tolerate an occasional work from home or delayed arrival, winter commutes shouldn't be a problem. But only then. If you're pressured to show up on time, no matter what the weather, you need to be close to work.
Perhaps the OP, whose location says Austin TX, could advise how much experience he has with winter driving, because No.Con. to Berlin every day is not for winter-traveling rookies. He's also posted in other threads about potentially moving to Kansas, W.Va, Wyoming, CT.
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