[arctichomesteader]

VT property taxes used to vary wildly by town as well but then the courts stepped in on education funding and it resulted in the statewide property tax and the high taxes we have now. NH is probably headed the same way after a court ruling last year: https://www.nhpr.org/post/superior-c...ional#stream/0

[bolehboleh]

Personally, NH is my least favorite of the three states, but it puts you centrally located between VT and ME.

Maybe look somewhere north of Concord, NH? How about Littleton?

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

VT property taxes used to vary wildly by town as well but then the courts stepped in on education funding and it resulted in the statewide property tax and the high taxes we have now. NH is probably headed the same way after a court ruling last year: https://www.nhpr.org/post/superior-c...ional#stream/0

Years ago, I was considering changing ski areas. Sugarloaf/Carrabassett Valley, Maine had a tax rate that looked like my pre-Act 60 Vermont ski resort town tax rate. Google says their mill rate now is $6.45 per thousand which is similar to what I used to pay.


I certainly understand politically why Vermont chose their approach to a state school tax. Vermont is 17% vacation homes and those people don't vote. A big chunk of commercial real estate is owned by out-of-state corporations who don't vote. Residents get a means-tested tax break that converts the school tax into a 2% income tax. You do get kind of screwed if your town isn't assessing at 100% valuation but it keeps property taxes low for the average homeowner in most towns.


Massachusetts has Proposition 2 1/2 and has been funding the poor school districts with state money since the late-1970s when that ballot initiative passed. New Hampshire doesn't have to pick the Vermont solution and it's unlikely that a state with "Live Free or Die" on their license plate would enact a means tested state school property tax.

[NYLIER]

Nice to read that others here agree that taxes are out of control in VT!

Emily, I own a 50+ acre farm and I suggest the first question you ask the sellers is "What kind of soil do you have?" If it's clay, that would be a deal breaker for me. It is very hard on animals. If you want to grow vegetables, you must have raised gardens and bring in topsoil.

On a positive note, our hay is nicer.

[Marguerite2015]

Hello,

I lived in Vermont for about 6 years (and visit there regularly), Massachusetts for about 10, and Maine, where I presently reside for the past 20 yrs.

Property taxes in both Vermont and more Republican NH are both equally high, so go figure. Both states' property taxes are unfortunately out of control. For example, for an ordinary 3 bedroom 2 bath house in southern Maine (such as Saco/Biddeford where I live), your taxes will run you around $3k a year. This is with 1/3 of an acre. Almost anywhere in Vt or NH, the exact same house will run you $6 - $7k in property taxes. We're talking DOUBLE the taxes you would pay in either Maine or Massachusetts, for the exact same property.

You did not mention politics, but Vermont's can tend to be more liberal, though it varies, which contrary to the liberal bashing in this thread, I can tell you is part of why Vermont is such a wonderful state Being from Alabama, if you are a hardcore Trump voter and/or more conservative, you may not find as many like yourselves as you presumably do in Alabama.

Hence if I were you, I would go with Maine. Portland is liberal, as is Burlington Vermont, and most larger towns in New England (Portsmouth, NH, etc), but if politics isn't a giant concern you will be just fine. New England folks are respectful of differences and mind their own business for the most part. Plus Portland is a wonderful city, is only 45 minutes from Portsmouth, and 2 hours from Boston + there is all that coastline. And again, the taxes vs NH and VT are much cheaper. Win-win. Best of luck to you in your search.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Decent farmland is more available and affordable in Maine. Maine's taxes are not as high (away from expensive coastal areas). While I have a small homestead going in northeastern VT, if I were to go back in time 5 years to when I bought it, I'd have probably gone to Maine for land instead. As alluded to by the last poster, VT's politics have become very extreme. Maine is a bit more balanced in that way too.

In my opinion, the interior of Maine is not similar to New Hampshire or Vermont whatsoever.

The biggest difference between Maine and New Hampshire/Vermont is that most people who live in Maine were born and raised in the state. That is one of the reasons why people in Maine are more religious and politically conservative, at least relative to the other two states. Unfortunately, the populations of New Hampshire and Vermont have been overwhelmed by transplants for at least a generation now, if not longer, which has radically changed the respective identities of those two states, including their local and state politics.

Another big difference between Maine and the other northern New England states is that most of Maine falls outside of the "Yankee settlement area." In other words, most communities in Maine, save the touristy and wealthy coastal towns that dot the state's coastline, do not exude all that much New England charm because they were never initially settled and developed by Yankees from Connecticut and Massachusetts. The hallmarks of traditional New England are largely absent in non-coastal Maine, and many areas of the state feature dirt roads and badly neglected private properties.

Finally, Maine is significantly more rural and, in turn, more disconnected from mainstream America than New Hampshire and Vermont. In contrast, much of rural New Hampshire and Vermont are quite bucolic, mostly due to the infusion of wealth from nearby areas (e.g., Boston, Hartford, Montreal, New York, etc.). I do not get the impression that New Hampshire and Vermont are poorly managed states or suffer from high poverty, unless those states are just better at hiding it than Maine.

[phoebesmom]

Be aware that if you work as a public school teacher in Maine, you will not receive social security benefits, or they will be radically cut because of WEP.

It would also make you unable to take your husband's social security when he retires--so a stay at home mom who does not work outside of the home can collect half of his benefit when he retires and she is of age, but the mom who has worked as a teacher cannot collect his benefit.

It's a nightmare, so check it out when thinking of where you want to teach.

[ctr88]

My vote would be for INDLAND (maybe even FAR inland) Maine due to lower property taxes, lower housing prices, and more balanced politics. Unfortunately VT has moved too far towards one side of the boat politically, and is getting more and more so. There is not much "political diversity" left in the state. You are either on the left or far left. It is a "one party" state and getting more and more so. NH property taxes are just astronomical. And I would not go to the southeast part of NH as it is more like "northern Massachusetts" and too urban and crowded. VT is a very pretty state though and has a unique rural charm I think out of the three. I personally wouldn't want to touch Portland ME, would want to be far away from that.

[ctr88]

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

I do not get the impression that New Hampshire and Vermont are poorly managed states or suffer from high poverty, unless those states are just better at hiding it than Maine.

NH and VT have plenty of run down post industrial small towns like everywhere. NH - Franklin, Claremont, Canaan, Rochester, Laconia, Berlin, Manchester, etc... Many VT towns have sections and large swaths of town that are full or run down falling apart tenament tpe houses (Windsor, Springfield, Barre, Rutland, St J, Richford, Barton, Island Pond, Canaan, Bennington, Brattleboro, Roxbury to name a few). But Maine may have more and be a bit worse.

Median incomes:
NH-$74,057
VT-$60,076
ME-$55,425

% of persons in poverty:
NH-7.6%
VT-11%
ME-11.6%

So NH is far wealthier and has lower poverty rates than both. And VT and ME are pretty similar on both incomes and poverty rates.

[Reflexion]

Bertfrombackeast description seems on the money. I've lived in NH, now Maine and was raised in Mass. We live near Bangor and I'm eager to leave Maine. Unless you've been further north than Kennebunk and Portland, you really can't get a true feel for the state. Inland Maine has Trump signs every where and if you're a Trumper, it may be the place for you. Lots of farms, large and small, but incredible poverty. Doesn't seem possible that people can live in some of places they live in. In NH, taxes are crazy. We lived in Canterbury, just north of Concord (state capitol). Lovely town, educated people who care about their health therefore grow their own food etc. We kept moving further north and finally realized it just wasn't for us due to taxes and increasing population. For what you want, I'd suggest looking at western NH. Bennington has a ski area and that part of NH is rural with the city of Keene. Important to consider your politics regardless of where you consider a move.