Need Help Convincing My Wife to Move to New Hampshire (Concord: appointed, for sale)
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Help!!! We're less than two years from leaving Orlando, FL (thank God!!), and I need all of you to help me convince my wife to move to New Hampshire. The biggest hurdle: the weather. It's no secret that your winters are cold and brutal. I have lived in Florida for over thirty years since moving from the Northeast, but I'm ready to go back. My wife was born and raised here, so, although she's used to the weather down here, she absolutely hates the heat and the hurricane season. She's all with me when it comes to leaving Florida, but where to go is the issue. We currently have land in Virginia that's up for sale. Initially, we planned to move there, but over the years, my heart and mind tells me New Hampshire would be the better place to raise our family (we have two young girls). I've been to NH a few times and reallly loved the place. Both of us want to move to an area to experience the four seasons, and, while Virginia offers that, it doesn't have the winters you all have (namely, the incredible amount of snow). Plus, Virginia seems to have too many poor areas and their taxes (overall) are too high. I've tried to explain to my wife that there are other reasons to move to NH (quality of life, natural beauty, low crime, quality education, etc.) but, it's always back to the cold, cold, cold. I plan to work after I retire from my job here, so she probably won't have to (unless she wants to). Without me sounding redundant and talking in circles, my question to all of you is: Is life in New Hampshire worth the months of cold and snow? Are there any of you living there now that were in my exact same position years ago and regret moving to New Hampshire? Is your spouse, initially opposed to moving to the cold, happy they made the move? Obviously, I realize that all of us are different and what applies to one may not apply to the other, but, I'm counting on your experiences to help guide us through this decision making process. Thanks for your input.
You'll definitely find mixed opinions about the cold here. Some people hate winter, some love it.
Personally, I find the snow to be very beautiful and it's definitely my favorite part of winter. I have spent winter in an area with a somewhat warmer climate (like Virginia), but I actually felt that it was drearier and more depressing than winter in New Hampshire. You see, the days are short most places in the Northern Hemisphere during winter, and the lack of sunlight is a big factor in seasonal depression. However, all the snow on the ground in NH reflects quite a bit of light during the winter months which, I believe, makes it better than those places where winter is simply "grey."
You might also want to remind your wife of all the unique winter activities in NH - skiing, sledding, ice skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, etc. My friends who are skiers or snowmobilers can't wait for winter to arrive and are always disappointed when it's over.
As for the cold itself, well... maybe it's because I just got back from a trip to Canada, but I can tell you that the cold in NH is not nearly as bad as some places. The key is simply to be properly dressed. It's much easier to adjust your body temperature in the cold than in the heat - just dress warmly! Frankly, the only time the cold really bothers me is when there's a bad wind chill, but the wind chills here are generally much less severe than those in the Upper Midwest, for example.
That said, there are still plenty of people who just don't like the cold or the hassle of shovelling snow during the winter (a snowblower is a great investment ). I think the only way for your wife to make a decision is to experience the winter weather herself. Of course, she might want to visit in summer too, so she doesn't think NH is always that cold.
I am one of those people who left NH and was relieved to leave behind the snow and cold. I didn't own a snowblower and seemed to be a clutz (well it's really because I was in a rush to get everywhere! - bad planner I guess).
However, I've now lived in NC for over 7 years and wish I was back in NH even with the cold and snow! Quality of life is so much better and yes much less "grey". We get too hot in the summer and we really only have spring and fall (winter is cold, but never long - 3 weeks or so of "bitter cold for NC").
As Verseau so eloquently stated, you can dress to get warm - it's never all that cold, and if it is, then you stay inside or in the warm car! The snow only gets "enough already" usually towards the end of the winter - but then you know the glorious spring is close and you wash away the winter blues!
Take a browse through the picture thread, Verseau and Grouseking both posted some beautiful pictures of the snow - so maybe your wife can see that it can be breathtaking. Yes there are many winter activities outside, and there's also a good thing about spending some family time at night or on cold days enjoying time together - never mind the nights with hot cocoa, a roaring fire and your alone time as well. If she don't want to move then maybe I can join you, and she can stay here with hubby LOL. (Kidding, cuz even my hubby says he'd move to NH too - and he HATES cold and snow! but sees the beauty now - so someday we will be moving back).
it does not really get cold here until December, and by March it's over 40 most days. She's being silly. There are at least 4 or 5 days in Dec, Jan, & Feb where it's at least 40 or 50 degrees. Fear of cold and snow is way overblown IMO.
beautiful days of the other seasons have much more meaning to those us that have ground our teeth down to nubs from the teeth chattering cold. Some maintenance of the soul is necessary in the long winters here by confining long walks to the mall, or X-country skiiing, or booking one of those $99.00 flights to Miami sometime during the winter. Winter is much like being stabbed in the eye with a dull butter knife. It feels so good when they pull it out!
There's so much to the other seasons here. A walk in the woods in summer will cause you to wonder why the beaver knawed all the trees down 3' off the ground. The answer is that was the 'ground' this past winter.Once the lakes become liquid again, the cooling effect of a swim, or hell ride on an inner tubing expedition on a hot summer day will be quite welcome and not available to those living in gentler terrain.
As Arlow Guthrie says, "You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in".
Last edited by Yankeehombre; 01-11-2009 at 06:09 AM..
Help!!! We're less than two years from leaving Orlando, FL (thank God!!), and I need all of you to help me convince my wife to move to New Hampshire. The biggest hurdle: the weather. It's no secret that your winters are cold and brutal. I have lived in Florida for over thirty years since moving from the Northeast, but I'm ready to go back. My wife was born and raised here, so, although she's used to the weather down here, she absolutely hates the heat and the hurricane season. She's all with me when it comes to leaving Florida, but where to go is the issue. We currently have land in Virginia that's up for sale. Initially, we planned to move there, but over the years, my heart and mind tells me New Hampshire would be the better place to raise our family (we have two young girls). I've been to NH a few times and reallly loved the place. Both of us want to move to an area to experience the four seasons, and, while Virginia offers that, it doesn't have the winters you all have (namely, the incredible amount of snow). Plus, Virginia seems to have too many poor areas and their taxes (overall) are too high. I've tried to explain to my wife that there are other reasons to move to NH (quality of life, natural beauty, low crime, quality education, etc.) but, it's always back to the cold, cold, cold. I plan to work after I retire from my job here, so she probably won't have to (unless she wants to). Without me sounding redundant and talking in circles, my question to all of you is: Is life in New Hampshire worth the months of cold and snow? Are there any of you living there now that were in my exact same position years ago and regret moving to New Hampshire? Is your spouse, initially opposed to moving to the cold, happy they made the move? Obviously, I realize that all of us are different and what applies to one may not apply to the other, but, I'm counting on your experiences to help guide us through this decision making process. Thanks for your input.
The cold weather in New England is moderate compared with the brutal wind/cold found in most areas of the Upper Midwest during the winter. I just checked the average high temperature in December for Concord, and it was a moderate 36F. In Madison it was nearly 26F for the average high.
Overall, I find that NH has a very high quality of life compared to nearly any state. NH ranks high in safety, livability, stable economics, outdoor recreation, and sensible politics.
The mildest climate in the state is found in the Seacoast region, but the southern Merrimack Valley in NH is not that frigid in my honest opinion.
Average high in Minot, ND is 18 in January. Being from the seacoast and having just spent 3 years in Central VT (134" of snow last year I believe), I said "no big deal" when I got stationed here. But I can't stand it here and can't wait to leave. Not really because of the winter, though, although I'm tired of the extremes.
I've come to realize that for me, there needs to be something about the area that I live in that makes putting up with the winter worthwhile. In NH, that's trees, proximity to the ocean (Seapoint Beach in Kittery Point, ME is my favorite place on earth), the Yankee outlook on life, fish and chips at the Weathervane, family, and the general beauty of the area. It makes a few months of winter easily bearable if there's so much to look forward to the rest of the year. And in the seacoast at least, winter is not all that bad. You can still go out and comfortably do outdoor winter activities like sledding, snowmobiling, etc.
Here in ND, there's nothing that really ignites my passion like in New England. The landscape is flat, there's not a lot of trees, and other than great hunting/fishing, not a lot I'm interested in. Also, when it's consistently below zero like it has been here lately, it's hard to take your kids out and play outside safely. That makes the winter nearly unbearable, because there's not much to look forward to. I guess I'm just ready to come home. That's why I'm on this message board, and why I'm ready to buy my land to build my retirement home on. It gives me something to look forward to - something to make these winters worthwhile.
So, when you look at all NH has to offer year round, a few months of winter is a small price to pay for all of the quality of life, beauty, low crime, etc.
And as a previous poster said, it's good to have a snowblower. I'll add an attached garage to that. Not having to shovel your way out to the car, brush/scrape ice, and wait for it to heat up changes your outlook on winter a little bit. I'll never live in NH without an attached garage.
Of course it's worth it! We're not all mad, you know.
Show her this video, maybe it will help NH Naturally .
Yes, it gets cold. yes, they make and sell clothing to help you stay warm. No, no one is housebound for more than a day unless they want to be. NH does a very good job of keeping the roads clear, you can hire people to keep your driveway clear (or do it yourself). She may at first complain about the layers and feel like the Michelin Lady - be understanding; get fancier (more expensive) materials that don't add so many inches, don't tease her when her fingers and nose get cold, she's so not used to it. But it can be fun - it's all in the attitude.
Make sure to come up and visit a while in both summer AND winter. It's a long way to move and a very different climate to move from - only to find out she really really can't stand it. You'll have to figure out how how to compromise so that neither of you end up hating where you live.
Average high in Minot, ND is 18 in January. Being from the seacoast and having just spent 3 years in Central VT (134" of snow last year I believe), I said "no big deal" when I got stationed here. But I can't stand it here and can't wait to leave. Not really because of the winter, though, although I'm tired of the extremes.
I've come to realize that for me, there needs to be something about the area that I live in that makes putting up with the winter worthwhile. In NH, that's trees, proximity to the ocean (Seapoint Beach in Kittery Point, ME is my favorite place on earth), the Yankee outlook on life, fish and chips at the Weathervane, family, and the general beauty of the area. It makes a few months of winter easily bearable if there's so much to look forward to the rest of the year. And in the seacoast at least, winter is not all that bad. You can still go out and comfortably do outdoor winter activities like sledding, snowmobiling, etc.
Here in ND, there's nothing that really ignites my passion like in New England. The landscape is flat, there's not a lot of trees, and other than great hunting/fishing, not a lot I'm interested in. Also, when it's consistently below zero like it has been here lately, it's hard to take your kids out and play outside safely. That makes the winter nearly unbearable, because there's not much to look forward to. I guess I'm just ready to come home. That's why I'm on this message board, and why I'm ready to buy my land to build my retirement home on. It gives me something to look forward to - something to make these winters worthwhile.
So, when you look at all NH has to offer year round, a few months of winter is a small price to pay for all of the quality of life, beauty, low crime, etc.
And as a previous poster said, it's good to have a snowblower. I'll add an attached garage to that. Not having to shovel your way out to the car, brush/scrape ice, and wait for it to heat up changes your outlook on winter a little bit. I'll never live in NH without an attached garage.
Lol, good point on the garage I tell everyone that moves up here to get some kind of garage fo the cars
To answer your question. Yes, life in N.H. is definatly well worth whatever wou have to put up in the winter months.Try to get involved in some wintertime activities. If your successful at that, you'd have a hard time ever moving back to Florida.
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The key is simply to be properly dressed. It's much easier to adjust your body temperature in the cold than in the heat - just dress warmly! Frankly, the only time the cold really bothers me is when there's a bad wind chill, but the wind chills here are generally much less severe than those in the Upper Midwest, for example.
). I think the only way for your wife to make a decision is to experience the winter weather herself. Of course, she might want to visit in summer too, so she doesn't think NH is always that cold.
To truly appreciate a beautiful day
