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I am 40 years old, married with 2 children age 12 and 15. We have lived in few southern states but also overseas so we have experience with cold weather and snow. Getting tired of moving but looking for a good state were the people are nice, activities for our children and a neighborhood with sidewalks and lights at night. We are a typical family with normal values and views. Have a few questions hoping to get answered:
1. Always lived in a "right to work state", would like to know the difference if you are a small business owner.
2. Taxation. understand there is no state tax or sales tax but it is made up by charging high property tax. What about government fees such has registration, state inspection etc. Were we currently live there is a lot of pressure from the school to sell all kinds of things (magazines, cookies etc) and if the child doesn't sell enough or at all the parents has to pay a minimum fee, sometimes up to $50.
3. Schools. In about 3 years my oldest will attend a collage and it most likely will be a community collage since we don't have the funds to support a private collage. What is the quality of community collages in NH? What is the middle and high schools like in the Manchester areas?
4. Cost of living. Read a lot of this in other threads, give me examples of the higher cost in NH compared to southern states. Understand clothing, but heating the house probably cost as much as cooling it down for 7 months in the south, so what else would it be that are more expensive?
5. Were we currently live there is rich and poor, no support structure (i.e. middle class) therefore it is hard to find those type of jobs. What about Manchester NH?
6. Weather. when we lived in Europe the winters was overcast and muggy, even though we got snow we never saw the sun. What about Manchester NH. Seen some nice pictures but how may days is it bright and sunny?
7. We are used to cultural diversity and have lived in a "melting pot" prior to were we are now, however there is a difference between cultural differences and the general education level. Currently as I stated prior, there is a very high level of educated people that stays to themselves (old money) and then there is the poor with very low level of education(supporting old money.) We feel we don't belong in either group. How about Manchester NH?
8. I understand that the economy is slow everywhere, however, Is the general feeling that Manchester is prospering and will come out stronger in the future with more jobs,construction etc, or is it dying slowly (like some Fl cities)
9. Is NH a state more of a conservative mindset or would you say that it is innovative, looking for new ways to get ahead and welcomes new technology, ideas and improvements?
I would like some straight answers without this getting in to a political debate. I know were I stand In that matter and don't really care what political party that currently are in power as long as I feel the state are doing well. I probably have more questions in the future. Appreciate all your help.
Good morning. I was just reading your post and thought I'd chime in. In bold are my answers to your questions, from my perspective
1. Always lived in a "right to work state", would like to know the difference if you are a small business owner. I am self employed and live in/around Keene. I can speak for our region because this is a place I've resided and ran my real estate business for over 8 years. I've also been involved with Hannah Grimes Center for Entreprenuership, a non profit devoted to extending it's resources and assisting small business owners. Keene is a small city that loves and supports the growth of small business ownership. I would say you could contact them directly with this question and to discuss your small business ownership questions. 603-352-5063
2. Taxation. understand there is no state tax or sales tax but it is made up by charging high property tax. What about government fees such has registration, state inspection etc. Were we currently live there is a lot of pressure from the school to sell all kinds of things (magazines, cookies etc) and if the child doesn't sell enough or at all the parents has to pay a minimum fee, sometimes up to $50. Taxation is a favorite topic for most considering a move to NH I've found that the property taxes are high but not really any higher than in CT, where there is a state income and sales tax. Depending on salary, if you have 2 incomes and figure out how much you'd be paying if living in your state vs. the amount you'd pay here in NH, at least for my family we've discovered it to be significantly cheaper. Annually we pay a car registration tax to municipal and to the state. It's not huge. I suppose if you have several cars then it might appear more cumbersome. As for selling things in the school, it's probably everywhere. My children are in a private school and we volunteer our time instead of selling things but, I'm sure, as they are older we'll be asked to sell things as well. I'm going to take the perspective that, maybe, this will teach them entrepreneurial skills and community involvement.
3. Schools. In about 3 years my oldest will attend a collage and it most likely will be a community collage since we don't have the funds to support a private collage. What is the quality of community collages in NH? What is the middle and high schools like in the Manchester areas? Since the cost of education is so high and so many are now turning to community colleges, I've seen so many community colleges really focus on providing the best quality education they can. Don't we all see that even with a Harvard education it's difficult to find a job? I know several folks with a good career in Keene who have succeeded in qualifying based on their community college education received locally. I guess I wouldn't sweat it but not knowing you and your family and it's values and feelings around this topic, I can't answer for you.
4. Cost of living. Read a lot of this in other threads, give me examples of the higher cost in NH compared to southern states. Understand clothing, but heating the house probably cost as much as cooling it down for 7 months in the south, so what else would it be that are more expensive? I've lived in Dallas where auto insurance was so incredibly high for living in or near the big city that paying my NH auto and home owners insurance is piddly. We don't use A/C's but 2-3 weeks out of the summer. If you need it more months than you'd incur greater costs, but for us, it's cheaper than in Dallas. Clothing- we find great fashions around here but, I'm finding, there is less pressure to wear designers here than when I lived in CT and TX. Not costing me more. If cost were much of an issue for clothing ( and we do this) there are very good quality consignments around here that are actually quite "fad" to shop at.
5. Were we currently live there is rich and poor, no support structure (i.e. middle class) therefore it is hard to find those type of jobs. What about Manchester NH? I'm not in Manchester so I don't want to speak for them.
6. Weather. when we lived in Europe the winters was overcast and muggy, even though we got snow we never saw the sun. What about Manchester NH. Seen some nice pictures but how may days is it bright and sunny? I love the sun. It's like anywhere these days, mostly we get sun but when it rains it rains and when it snows, it's white all over. We get some absolutely beautiful days of sunshine here. I was on a website recently that compared sunny days across the country. I found that the sunniest place on earth is in Yuma, AZ which receives 313 (average). NY receives 234 days (ave. ) per year. I'd put NH close to the NY average.
7. We are used to cultural diversity and have lived in a "melting pot" prior to were we are now, however there is a difference between cultural differences and the general education level. Currently as I stated prior, there is a very high level of educated people that stays to themselves (old money) and then there is the poor with very low level of education(supporting old money.) We feel we don't belong in either group. How about Manchester NH? Well, right now I'm finding people of all education levels in various income brackets. The US census says that in Manchester there is 4.3% more people that the US average with a bachelor's degree or higher.
8. I understand that the economy is slow everywhere, however, Is the general feeling that Manchester is prospering and will come out stronger in the future with more jobs,construction etc, or is it dying slowly (like some Fl cities) I'll speak for Keene. My brother in law from KY was here last month and commented on how we don't look like the ghost towns he's been seeing (he travels a lot for work) across the country. I'm not sure if Manchester is similar, and Keene does have it's share of closed or near closing businesses due to economy but we are really doing well despite it all and I sense Keene is well positioned to prosper easily in time again.
9. Is NH a state more of a conservative mindset or would you say that it is innovative, looking for new ways to get ahead and welcomes new technology, ideas and improvements?I'm 33 and can say that my generation feels like a pretty innovative, forward moving generation. Our challenges involve coliding with those who are more conservative. It's a mixed batch and can be very political, depending on where you're at, where the pockets of more liberal people gravitate to. As a whole, I'm seeing innovation as becoming a cultural norm nowadays. There is something for everyone.
I would like some straight answers without this getting in to a political debate. I know were I stand In that matter and don't really care what political party that currently are in power as long as I feel the state are doing well. I probably have more questions in the future. Appreciate all your help. Hope it's been helpful. I'm not on this site frequently so I can't guarentee to read your next posts. Glad to be able to provide some of my answers this morning, anyway. Have a great day.
3. Schools. In about 3 years my oldest will attend a collage and it most likely will be a community collage since we don't have the funds to support a private collage. What is the quality of community collages in NH? What is the middle and high schools like in the Manchester areas?
Is there a major aversion to student loans? Most of my friends, and my wife, paid their own way through school (I was fortunate enough that my mother was employed at my university so I got free tuition, and I worked my butt off in high school and received scholarships to cover room and board, books, meal plan, etc.) .
Interest rates are low and payments are not much. I don't even notice the payments we make on my wife's loans. When kids are paying for school themselves they are much more likely to go to class and take it seriously. Community colleges are fine but the entire experience is different than attending a 4 year college. Lots of growing up in that time.....it's a time in my life I would not trade for anything (including a little debt).
Regarding politics, it is not so much a party thing here in NH as it is a liberty thing. If you move here please do NOT vote into office people of either party that want to turn NH into a high tax, nanny state that restricts or removes individual liberty.
Also, a lot of people hunt here in NH. If you see hunters with or without their kills please do not let it bother you. Go on about your business and don't call the cops because you "saw some guys in the woods with guns" or you saw somebody with a dead deer hanging in their yard or in the back of their truck.
And we love our guns in general up here. A lot of people carry firearms concealed for protection and some carry them openly in a holster. Open carry is legal and accepted in NH. If that bothers you then it's best you don't move here. We will not change our gun laws to make you happy.
Again, this is not so much a "political party" type thing as it is a liberty mindset type of thing. We simply do NOT wish to live in a liberty-restricting nanny state like so many other places in the country right now.
So if you come up, please respect this and help elect candidates to office that believe in individual liberty. Please do NOT vote for seat belt laws, higher taxes, bigger government and all the rest of the stuff that has ruined the quality of life in other states.
Please note also that all of this is not just for us who are already here...IT'S FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS TOO. Once you taste what it is like to live in a free state with small government you will probably never want to live in a place that restricts individual liberty again. So when I say this to you it is to help you prepare for living differently. Don't give in to the temptation to vote people into office who will ruin the quality of life that you and your family can have here in NH.
Tuck this message away somewhere and refer back to it when you move here. When the temptation to vote in the nanny staters hits you, it will serve you well to remember that only you can help protect NH's quality of life for you and your family.
Edit: One last point, on the odd chance that perhaps you do prefer a nanny state type environment (and some people do and that's fine) then I suggest checking out Massachusetts. The western half of the state is quite scenic, along the lines of New Hampshire and the eastern half insures that the state is quite oppressive and seeks to control every facet of a person's life. That sort of thing appeals to certain people so do check it out if the cranky libertarian environment that exists in New Hampshire isn't your cup of tea.
Last edited by greenmartian; 11-15-2009 at 06:34 AM..
Regarding politics, it is not so much a party thing here in NH as it is a liberty thing. If you move here please do NOT vote into office people of either party that want to turn NH into a high tax, nanny state that restricts or removes individual liberty.
Also, a lot of people hunt here in NH. If you see hunters with or without their kills please do not let it bother you. Go on about your business and don't call the cops because you "saw some guys in the woods with guns" or you saw somebody with a dead deer hanging in their yard or in the back of their truck.
And we love our guns in general up here. A lot of people carry firearms concealed for protection and some carry them openly in a holster. Open carry is legal and accepted in NH. If that bothers you then it's best you don't move here. We will not change our gun laws to make you happy.
Again, this is not so much a "political party" type thing as it is a liberty mindset type of thing. We simply do NOT wish to live in a liberty-restricting nanny state like so many other places in the country right now.
So if you come up, please respect this and help elect candidates to office that believe in individual liberty. Please do NOT vote for seat belt laws, higher taxes, bigger government and all the rest of the stuff that has ruined the quality of life in other states.
Please note also that all of this is not just for us who are already here...IT'S FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS TOO. Once you taste what it is like to live in a free state with small government you will probably never want to live in a place that restricts individual liberty again. So when I say this to you it is to help you prepare for living differently. Don't give in to the temptation to vote people into office who will ruin the quality of life that you and your family can have here in NH.
Tuck this message away somewhere and refer back to it when you move here. When the temptation to vote in the nanny staters hits you, it will serve you well to remember that only you can help protect NH's quality of life for you and your family.
Edit: One last point, on the odd chance that perhaps you do prefer a nanny state type environment (and some people do and that's fine) then I suggest checking out Massachusetts. The western half of the state is quite scenic, along the lines of New Hampshire and the eastern half insures that the state is quite oppressive and seeks to control every facet of a person's life. That sort of thing appeals to certain people so do check it out if the cranky libertarian environment that exists in New Hampshire isn't your cup of tea.
Well said. We are currently living in a " nanny state " and are leaving it for the very reasons you stated above. We are retiring there and can not wait. Live Free or Die yes indeed here we come and it can't happen soon enough.
Thank you for your input, I do really appreciate your responds.
I am currently living in a state where hunting and fishing is very popular, and although I am not a hunter I do respect others that does. But thank you again for the very honest respond. One of the main reason for me to move would be to open my own business so I do not want more or higher taxes.
yes, 5%. But it's only on dividends above a certain amount.
I checked the limit at What is the Interest and Dividends Tax? (http://www.nh.gov/revenue/faq/dra_900.htm - broken link) and found it's $2400/year, $4800 for joint filing. That means if an individual gets more than $600/quarter ($200/month!) in dividends, it's taxed. You spend years saving your wage earnings into dividend-paying investments, which includes not only stocks, but anyone using savings accounts, money-market accounts, or CDs, so that you'll have a non-wage retirement income, then the no-state-income-tax state says that dividends, a non-wage income but income nevertheless, are to be taxed? Savings-based income gets punished with taxes, but wages are sacrosanct? Incredible! No state income should mean no tax on any income whatsoever.
This wouldn't discourage me in the least from moving to NH. There are so many other wonderful reasons to live there for this to put me off. It is a shame, though.
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Response to your questions about NH
