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So my wife and I are thinking of making the move from Southern CA to NH within in the next 2 years. We're in our early 30s, no kids (schools aren't a factor), we both work in the medical field so a hospital within 15-20min max would be ideal. We're tired of the tract-home living where your neighbors house is 20 feet from yours so we'd prefer rural living with a few acres. Having a mall/movie theater/restaurants within reasonable driving distance would also be nice. We also like shopping at Walmart believe it or not, lol. Looking for suggestions on a town that fits our criteria and doesn't have outrageous property taxes. We love the outdoors. Fishing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding. Love it..
Any input would help us greatly. We are also liberal minded and love the idea of Live Free or Die. Not to mention it looks so beautiful up there!
My family and I just did the opposite - we moved to Southern CA from NH.
If you have never been to NH, I would suggest planning a visit so you can drive around the state and check it out. There is a lot of beauty!
I am sure people are going to chime in, but I will say it first... winters are long long long. You would need to prepare yourself for 6+ months of cold weather, with a few of them being down right frigid. Heating bills are high, especially if you are from S. CA where heating bills hardly exist.
Also, property taxes are high in NH. Sure, some towns are less than others, but with no sales or income tax, they definitley gouge the homeowners.
Like any move, make sure you have a job lined up before you take the plunge.
Rainbow is right about winter. It is also dark here at 4:20 pm in December. This cannot be taken lightly, esp. for people who are coming from sunny places and used to outdoor recreation all year long. Property taxes are high across the state, but your overall tax burden will be less than CA. (I have 4 siblings that left MI to move to San Diego county to escape the long winters. It's interesting to see others contemplate the opposite.) Yes, visit in winter if you can. Good luck in your search!
We definitely plan on visiting and touring many parts of the state before moving. I understand the winters are pretty brutal compared to the CA winters, so hopefully we can handle it. Heating a home in the winter in NH can get pretty costly I imagine. I've been researching the whole oil heat vs wood burning vs pellet stove thing. It's going to be very different from CA, but in part that's what we want.. Different. I was born and raised for a good part of my childhood in northern NJ. Still have lots of family there and I've been back to visit many times. The humidity and cold don't bother me too much. I really do miss the fall foliage, thunderstorms, greenery and such. As far as the taxes go we pay about $4000 per year on our current home + about 10% sales tax in LA county + 8-9% state income tax so we're kinda thinking it's gonna be a wash. On top of that our gas is about $4 per gallon and we have to drive 60-100 miles one way to get to lakes or beaches to go fishing and whatnot. It's crazy. And the auto insurance isn't cheap either..
I don't know, we just want a polar opposite change from what we have now and upon researching the beautiful state of NH it's on the top of our list at the moment. You bring up some good points..
Thank you for your input
You would need to prepare yourself for 6+ months of cold weather, with a few of them being down right frigid.
What 6+ months are you talking about? IMO the only cold months are December, January, February, and maybe half of March. The shoulder months are just "crisp".
Of course, I grew up in New England and have spent lots of time in ND, so maybe I'm not the best judge of what's really cold.
I, too, grew up and lived in New Hampshire all my life until a couple months ago. The heat went on (usually) in mid-October and went off in March/April, and that is if things were unusually mild. I know many people that had a similar schedule for their heat as I did. I'm not saying EVERYONE has their heat on that many months, but we did.
For someone coming from living in Southern California, I imagine at least the first couple years of winter will seem long and hard in terms of the cold.
It going to be very different for us, but we might enjoy the change so much that it won't be miserable
Gotta stock up on the winter clothes and lots of blankets to bundle up at night.
We currently live in what they call the "high desert" so we experience temps in the teens at night during the winter. Our summertime highs are consistently right around 100F during the entire summer. 2 years ago it was 100F in mid October in downtown LA believe it or not!
We're done with this disgusting heat. Our electricity bills are like $350-400/month in the summer from running the dang A/C so much.. Or else we'd literally die x(
I have personally spent a week in Grand Forks, ND in the dead of winter (-30F @ night) that was freeze your face off cold. I know it doesn't get that cold in NH though. What would you guys say is the lowest lows during the winter and the highest highs during the summer in say the lakes region?
Last edited by Dross99_si; 08-07-2014 at 10:12 PM..
A lot of folks will be leaving CA in the coming months due to many factors but especially the drought situation, which will only get worse as I understand it. I would suggest putting your property on the market now before strict water rationing takes effect and while you can still get a pretty good price. Selling your house 2 years from now will be more difficult.
So my wife and I are thinking of making the move from Southern CA to NH within in the next 2 years. We're in our early 30s, no kids (schools aren't a factor), we both work in the medical field so a hospital within 15-20min max would be ideal. We're tired of the tract-home living where your neighbors house is 20 feet from yours so we'd prefer rural living with a few acres. Having a mall/movie theater/restaurants within reasonable driving distance would also be nice. We also like shopping at Walmart believe it or not, lol.
This should be pretty easy to achieve. You can absolutely find large properties within a reasonable distance of even our large cities and hospitals. The hardest thing about doing this for hospitals in Manchester, NH is really going to be the 'last mile' of the commute because the traffic lights in that city are pretty brutal but it is doable. You could also consider one of the hospitals in Nashua. There is a pretty straight shot across a bridge from a town called Hudson where large/homestead type properties can still be found. The biggest problem you will have will be property taxes. They do vary quite a bit from town to town which is good so with a little digging I'm sure you'll be able to find something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dross99_si
Looking for suggestions on a town that fits our criteria and doesn't have outrageous property taxes. We love the outdoors. Fishing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding. Love it..
Any input would help us greatly. We are also liberal minded and love the idea of Live Free or Die. Not to mention it looks so beautiful up there!
Note that for any of those activities you listed including ability to go to moves, restaurants and walmart, your biggest problem is going to be that you'll have a lot to chose from. I highly recommend a visit to the state first. Deciding when to visit is an interesting question. Obviously late april through late Nov will generally work best for being able to see everything 'alive' which tends to be helpful in picking out a property. There is an argument that says you should visit in the winter to see how you really feel about it. If you really want to get a sense of what we mean by Live Free or Die, then visit for a period that includes March 5-8 2015 in the greater manchester area. It will be will be winter (no guarantee of snow that late...however the nice thing is that if we do get snow that time in march, you'll have a good chance of seeing a heavy blast of it) and there is a liberty festival going on .
If you plan to come at a different time of year, poke me on here and I'll do what I can to connect you with any meet ups, hiking events, etc.
It going to be very different for us, but we might enjoy the change so much that it won't be miserable
Gotta stock up on the winter clothes and lots of blankets to bundle up at night.
We currently live in what they call the "high desert" so we experience temps in the teens at night during the winter. Our summertime highs are consistently right around 100F during the entire summer. 2 years ago it was 100F in mid October in downtown LA believe it or not!
We're done with this disgusting heat. Our electricity bills are like $350-400/month in the summer from running the dang A/C so much.. Or else we'd literally die x(
I have personally spent a week in Grand Forks, ND in the dead of winter (-30F @ night) that was freeze your face off cold. I know it doesn't get that cold in NH though. What would you guys say is the lowest lows during the winter and the highest highs during the summer in say the lakes region?
hate to break it to you but you WILL be spending almost double that to heat your house in the winter months, and the heat Will be on from October to April especially if your used to SoCal temps. You will want to consider a house with alternative Heat source such as a wood stove, pellet stove or geo-thermal. if possible get a house with natural gas at the street. they are rare but DO exist.
be prepared for a polor opposite of everything. culture, landscape, weather. I travel to Socal/LA area often for work. I enjoy it because it is SO completely different then NH. but I still prefer NH because it is home to me and I Enjoy winter! if you don't enjoy the winter season you will be miserable here most of the year. definitely become passionate about a winter activity.
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Thanks
