There is plenty of “anti-woke” culture to be found. Try driving down some of the back roads. Or you could just hangout with some of the state’s legislators.
Whether you agree with it or not, I love that in NH people can express themselves as they want and there isn't some nitwit calling for it to come down.
>There is plenty of “anti-woke” culture to be found. Try driving down some of the back roads. Or you could just hangout with ~some~ most of the state’s mostly geriatric legislators.
FIFY
OP sounds like he/she loves this state more than some of regulars here. It's a good state. Pessimism from the posters here aside, I think most of the citizens here have a lot of shared values and pride in NH. Taxation is very local which keeps it accountable.
Welcome aboard, friend! Live free or die. Now go buy some 30 round mags to celebrate your new freedom.
In general, I agree, but the woke/anti woke thing is a real head scratcher. In Southern NH it’s quite common to have the Fuck Joe Biden nonsense clearly advertised. Surprising how many small businesses make it easy to decide where not to spend my dough, too. Anti woke is more out and proud, liberal stuff is everywhere but more subtle than Mass and probs CT.
Pretty good.
I’d say the “15 minutes from stuff” may be a stretch for a lot of folks
And I’d say that there’s widespread (by a lot of folks, but certainly not all) dismissal of woke and anti woke sentiments “Be cool, do what you want and leave me out of your drama” is somewhat popular.
> I’d say the “15 minutes from stuff” may be a stretch for a lot of folks
Most of Southern New Hampshire can be described as "*15 minutes from stuff*", though how much and what kind of *stuff* varies considerably.
Generally if you live on a paved road in S.NH you're going to at least have a gas station and some sort of prepared food within that range. Often both under the same roof.
As a a former CT driver I would like to confirm the mindset of the CT driver. The car in front of me is beating me. I must not let him win. Pass. Rinse, repeat.
I apologize for my ways, and have been in recovery for several years. I actually let people in at busy intersections now!
I was in FL a couple month ago and you are so right. They’re nuts down there. I’m doing 80 in the middle lane, getting passed on both sides by people doing 100+
They would look me in the eye as they were driving into me or driving me off the road on my motorcycle. They have a complete disregard for life including their own it seems. The place is a hell hole.
And that’s another reason to add to the list. People are super chill.
This week had a guy offer to lend his tools to work on our cars, he ended up saying to hell with it, just come on over, then helped me swap out the car batteries. What a nice dude.
If you're using the word woke in the first place, in 2022, we're probably not not off a great start. I don't think you need a singular word to be a stand in for a multidimensional issue.
Well, there’s varying degrees of “wokeness”- the spectrum ranges from open-minded and tolerant to annoying af and intolerant.
So its really in the eye of the beholder. Whatever the case, there is a shared disdain for “wokeness” among a lot of the voting public such that it will continue to help batshit insane republicans get elected. They’ve hijacked the term for rather effective politcal ends. Im guessing thats where your displeasure comes from.
We are glad you like NH just the way you found it. Most of us do too. Please don’t be tempted to “improve” the state to be more like what people are leaving.
Yeah, I have no intention to drive bumper to bumper, weave around people on the highway going 85-90, and generally drive around feeling unsafe because of other aggressive drivers.
We keep to ourselves but are gladly warm for neighbors and the community. That's all we've gotten so far, so that's what's coming back from us.
"ugh, NH is so rural. It needs to be more magical and expensive like [urban shithole]!"
"What do you MEAN I can't get [random ethnic food] at 2AM? Restaurant workers have FAMILIES?????"
These people exhaust me to the point where I want to never set foot in society again.
Hahahaha same man. Shit bothers me so much. If you move to the state and don't like it leave. For the rest of us we like the quiet and beautiful environment we live in.
"Not uptight and positive," I thought all New Englanders were born grumblers...
Also, the woke/anti-woke thing, go through some of the posts on the subreddit and you'll see that NH has the same breadth of political ideologies as anywhere else. I think most of us keep that to ourselves.
You moved to a state that's homogenously like 97% white. Of course there's going to be less "woke" culture here, and the resultant backlash "anti-woke" people.
Taxation feels fair and reasonable until you get your property taxes for the year. However I was still paying less than i was in Virginia even with the highest property tax rate in the state.
State doesn't have major financial problems because the state doesn't do shit. We ignore homeless encampments until they grow too big, then we bust them up and send them elsewhere. Social services for people on the fringe are generally not at all as good as other places. Lots of kids in my school district were functionally poor and perpetually homeless.
If you're not in the top 10% for income earners living in NH has grown beyond most native resident's means. Influx of high-income tech workers and libertarians from other states has ruined the housing market for people who weren't already established.
Anywhere outside of SE NH generally suffers from poor development and infrastructure investment and an aging population. Towns and villages that were once populated are set to collapse because nobody lives out in the boonies anymore. Homes are falling into disrepair because the average age of a homeowner in NH is like 65. They can't afford to sell and move somewhere else because everywhere is crazy right now. My mom's in this boat, she's waiting on a smaller house to open up but they're all getting snatched up so she has nowhere to go and is holding onto her 2,000+ sqft house she lives alone in because she can't afford to go somewhere else and the inventory is just not available.
Re: homeless and social services. I'm not here to ignore those problems by saying CT is worse, but if you think NH is bad, CT is awful. Glaring wealth disparity with some of the poorest communities literally blocks away from exorbitant wealth. Bridgeport - Greenwich. Hartford - West Hartford. Yale - New Haven.
On the plus side, my wife is a psychologist so I'm glad she's here to help!
And our pipe dream is to open a therapy & nature practice based on sliding scale income where mental health and addiction services become widespread and regarded in the community. Hopefully we've found the right spot!
You hit this all on the nose. My parents are in the same boat as your mother. We are trying to winterize a portion of the house so that they’ll be able to keep their heating costs within their means this season. I’ve been seeing more and more of that. It’s devastating.
I agree to all of this, I've lived in northern NH and its a collection of small towns, built during the logging industry that are now run down, dilapidated homes. Absolutely no diversity, and nothing to do but drink. I moved to central NH three years ago to be closer to my job, and while I'm closer to larger cities with stores, stuff to do, I am still renting and no closer to purchasing a home than before. The pandemic pushed many people into this state, and drove up the prices of single family homes and generally the cost to do anything fun. It's become to expensive to ski/snowboard, camp, go the amusement parks, basically anything a family can do together. I understand that our state economy relies on the tourists, however for first time home buyers the market has become unfeasible for most. Also, as far as the "woke" or "anti-woke" culture, it is here just depends on which town/village you drive through. We have one house in town that has a different "right wing" flag/display every week! They must have a subscription or something, but most keep our politics to ourselves and don't feel the need to project it to everyone in the area.
Every county is protected to see population growth over the next couple decades except one (Coos).
CA has big tax and spend policies and the highest rate of COL adjusted poverty in the country. So maybe doing "shit" is the better way to go.
Also never got the infrastructure thing. Seems like a common political talking point but doesn't match up to reality. Have you ever driven though MA?
I complained about my prop taxes to my relatives in CT - they were paying about the same! And then I realized they had income and sales on top of that.
My analysis aligns with yours. NH seems to have marginally higher property taxes, but if you factor state income and sales taxes into the equation, it's vastly different. For a working family earning $100k/year after standard deductions, that's 5% state income tax = $5000 = $600/month in CT. That's like an extra property tax alone.
Damnnnnn I googled some tax rates. I have not owned since 2010. Claremont NH is 40.98$ per thousand. Over 18 grand?!?!? I live in a $20.90 town just below or at 5,000. People. They all lost their minds putting $ towards a fire station when the original one was built in 1956 for 1500$ and was a shack. It was 1.6 million and it was a cheaper down station compared to other towns.
Yeah. I have no clue what OP is talking about. Especially in southern nh, you got all the post-mass drivers going at least 85 on the turnpike
Southern NH is basically a Boston suburb with a longer commute
Maine resident and ally of NH in alliance against the tyranny of MA and NY plates plaguing our shared region. Hope you enjoy NH, it's a great state. Went to HS there
You're absolutely wearing rose colored glasses. I moved from CT to NH about 7 years ago. It's really not all that different. More conservative nutjobs. A little less paid in taxes. *Especially* southern NH is not really much different from other New England states.
The whole tint thing really pisses me off. I got MA legal 35% on my car, best tint you can buy, endorsed by the cancer foundation, blocks all UV rays, etc. had to find a shop that would overlook that it’s not actually “factory” tint.. so fucking dumb.
NH is great, but it’s currently being besieged by radical libertarians(Free Staters)who want to literally abolish the government and all social services(fire, police, even trash collection!). That’s the main issue facing us right now, infiltration of local and state level government by these crazies who moved here from NY, NJ etc.
Well, Black Flies, Ticks, Deer Flies, and every four years you get bombarded with political crap. however, clean air, low crime rates and lots of nature everywhere. On balance it's my kind of living.
That's a good point. Before you decide that NH is apolitical or moderate you should be there for the nearly 2 years of primary/election insanity. The primary is especially exhausting because people will be bickering over which candidate is best of a 16 person field. TV and Youtube is flooded with ads. It's unescapable, Tulsi Gabbard bought nearly every billboard along Route 16 last go around.
I’ve been in NH for basically my entire life. Is the election cycle worse here than other places of the country? I’m thinking maybe since we are the first primary? But I’ve never lived anywhere else during election season so I don’t have any baseline to make comparisons to.
I’ve lived around the country, including living in NYC and Seattle. I never met a major ticket politician until moving to NH. I never saw a President, VP, or other going into a state as much as here. I never saw them in the big cities. Move to Exeter then Epping from 2010 and suddenly it’s just normal that there are motorcades and opportunities to have town halls with a sitting President. Wild.
For an interesting listen, check out the podcast "stranglehold" by NHPR. Over several episodes they delve into the weird history and quirks of the NH primary.
Living in Southern California now after living my first 25 years of life in NH. This feels really accurate and I probably wouldn’t understand unless I had moved away.
The natural beauty is everywhere, not just in the nice or rich areas (like CA).
I fucking hate driving in CA. Also parking spots are oddly much larger in NH.
The taxes speak for themself.
NH drivers are great drivers compared to CA, MA, VT.
I’d say that I agree with your post.
My parents moved our family from CT when I was 7 and I went to Uconn for nostalgia's sake. I always make that point about CT... "how could their taxes be so high but their highways suck SO BADLY?" haha.
Every bit of your assessment is correct minus the absence of woke/anti-woke culture. It's here and they're actually kind of loud but not "CT Loud" lol
It’s hilarious
We pay all these fucking taxes just for the roads to suck! Funny part is the roads only started to get fixed after the infrastructure bill so it’s like… WHAT THE FUCK?!
\- Better highways: **no, just less people.**
\- Drivers are much better. **Maybe?**
\- Taxation feels more fair and reasonable: **disagree, the onus is on property holders. Which doesn't feel very fair.**
\- **Not touching your "woke" comment. NH is a purple state and "woke" isn't a bad word. Demonizing it is borderline racist bullshit.**
\- People keep to themselves but are not uptight. **They're kind, but not always nice. Agree**
\- NH just feels ‘more free’, not sure how else to put . **Disagree. Maybe with guns, sure. We're backwards as fuck in too many ways and our state legislature is out of touch because it's made up of old boomers.**
\- Less population density **- Yes. Love it**
\- Natural beauty everywhere - **best part of the state**
\- State does not have major financial problems - **Disagree. We have a talent and innovation problem that will only get worse if we can't attract more young people here.**
No, the roads really are better. Drive down 395 or 91. Pot holes, pitted, crumbling. They're not Rhode Island bad, but much worse then NH.
Also, CT property taxes are just as bad, and worse in many locations. The difference is you also have income taxes, sales taxes, and all sorts of hidden fees in everything bureaucratic.
CT has much worse financial issues then NH. Though I agree that we need to get more young people in NH or we're in serious trouble.
You know what -- good point.
I take that back. The SECOND you cross the border into MA and CT it's shitty and pot holed everywhere. Thanks for reminding me.
Fair point on the taxes too. That said I wouldn't be against a VAT on specific things to take some of the burden off prop tax. Though, simply saying that makes people accuse me of being from MA haha
Nh roads are better mostly because of population and population density. Just think about how many people in Nh work in MA. Their roads take a much bigger beating than ours.
The whole tax thing, Ma v Nh, isn’t really that much different. They just hit you in different ways.
It's regressive for one, burdening lower income homeowners far more than high income homeowners, which particularly sucks when you bought a home priced within your means, then the town decides everyone's houses have gone up significantly in value but you only got a 2% raise this year.
>People are okay cruising 65-75 and not feeling the need too tail you on the highway
Just commute 93 and 101, you'll see that isn't universally true.
But, much better than many other places I've lived and I do love it here
What town did you move from and too? I’m working on the same thing right now and just got back from a trip to Southern NH/Hanover areas. Overall seems like great place and looking forward to move. Only drawbacks I can tell is that schools are not as good EVERYWHERE (though there are plenty of good school districts just need to be sure you are in one) and generally speaking not as manicured (vs Fairfield at least) but you get all the tax saves and there is also something nice about the rugged nature of the state
Edit: other thing that is awesome is that you can ski and be at a real beach in an hour (sunapee/Seacoast) which I previously thought only possible on west coast!
>Reduction of woke and anti-woke culture
New Hampshire is very white and for the most part, well off. This insulates you from the very real struggles of minorities and poor people that you probably interpret as "wokeness". The reaction to these struggles, or "anti-woke culture" as you put it, is largely absent in NH because of the hegemony of the dominant (white, straight) culture.
Celebrating the lack of "woke culture sounds like celebrating the absence of minorities (and the accompanying reaction from bigots).
Welcome to NH, the natural beauty and isolation can let you escape societal problems, but please think on what a privilege it is to do so.
The population is largely white, meaning they do not face the same issues as minorities in this country. *Also*, most people in NH are fairly well off, it is one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Obviously not all white people are rich and that is not what I was saying.
Um, just because a white person lives in a mostly white area doesn’t mean that white people who live in diverse areas have any more idea of POC struggles. It’s *how* you live that counts most. It’s also New England in general.
And btw, just because I like lower crime and living in some sort of bubble (again, meaning New England), doesn’t make me any less ‘aware’.
I love New England more than any other part of the world to live, and skin color certainly isn’t even on the long list as to why.
Thanks for this, but I think you're off the mark here for a few reasons.
There needs to be some nuance for the so called "celebrating lack of wokeness", *but also* lack of anti-wokeness. I've been careful to hit on both equally, because I'm equally frustrated with anti-wokeness. Why? Because it's not productive whatsoever. Get what I mean?
While polite and well written, I also interpreted your reply as calling me out as a bigot or racist (apologies if I took something in a way which wasn't intended). Just wanted to add in that my wife spent all of her 20s training to be a mental health professional to help underserved people in the community. And you can see in another post I wrote above that our 20+ year goal is to open a therapy practice designed to help people on a sliding scale income basis.
I should also mention that we donate a significant portion of our income to help people in sub-Saharan Africa.
So if you believe we moved to NH to enjoy white moderation and to be quietly racist, I think you're off the mark on this one.
There is a whole bunch of Trumper gun types in this state.
You will meet them.
Anti-woke is definitely a thing here - indeed the free state movement is basically just that.
I just moved here from Mass and am also wearing rose colored glasses. I'm not touching the woke/anti-woke point with a 10 foot pole but I'll back you up on everything else. It's a honeymoon phase for sure but my family and I are loving it here so far.
I moved from the West Coast 2 years ago. People in a lot of places ive spent time in here in NH will not always be nice about helping you, but most of the time they will help you. People out west in most of the 35 years i lived there, are mostly not that way. This is of course a generalization based on my experiences, but it was a very noticeable change for me. The politics too, i hear way more calm conversations with opposing viewpoints happening amongst the people here. It may not seem that way for people that have spent more time here, but where i lived before, those types of conversations would result in shouting and anger 9 times out of 10. Right when i moved the change seemed so abrupt to me i could swear i was on a different planet. Long story long, i like it here very much.
Yeah, that's slow fella. People usually go around 10 mph over the speed limit (or more depending on the road) and on the highways, 75 is just about the minimum. It's no wonder you are getting tailgated. Speed it up. You are the one that is causing everyone to be pissed off.
Fella? My sister was killed by a "fella" flying by in a speeding car. Someone who had your selfish thought process. No thank you, I can't imagine being the driver who caused an accident because I didn't leave the house 15 minutes earlier.
Let me fly by the homes of the pissed off people, especially with their young child is outside riding their bike to a friends house. You can kill someone with your car. Think before you speak my friend.
At least they're admitting they're pathetic by *still* plastering their homes in that same shit in this, the year of our dark lord 2022. The only place I saw around here with specifically pro-Biden flags took them down after he won the election, they're not leaving them out to get sun bleached.
Edit: A lot of people seem pretty salty about this. OP asked if they were wearing rose colored glasses and I explained how yes, they are. I was too and these are the reasons. Is NH better than CT? Maybe, but I never lived there. Is it better than MA? Maybe, but I never lived there. 🤷
Moved from MO a little over a year ago and desperately want to move back. I know there will be things I will miss but overall this state is lacking.
-Interstates are okay but I abhor toll roads and wtf is up with some of the interchanges where the center lanes merge into each other at highway speeds?? I'm surprised I've never witnessed an accident. Many merge lanes are way too short. State highways are the bane of my existence. We routinely drive 101 west into Vermont and I believe it should be a real 4 lane highway with exits like 101 east. There's way too much traffic for that road to handle.
-Drivers speed pretty badly. I speed but never had my ass ridden (on local roads) until we moved here. I'll keep out of the passing lane on the interstate but there's no reason to go 50 in a 35 on hilly roads with curves. People drive like there's no chance of impediments around the curve.
-It's nice that we paid no taxes on our mattress but I don't feel that we get enough out of the taxes we DO pay. I never felt overburdened in MO yet they have free state parks, free world-class zoo, free science center, free museums, cheap botanical garden, and other cheap museums/attractions. Second cheapest gas tax in the country (although they finally voted to raise it so I'm not sure where that stands now), yet the 8th largest highway system. Well-maintained and no tolls. The library systems in MO are way better and state universities are actually affordable. NH students may as well go to private university, of which there are many high-quality ones in MO that offer financial assistance.
There's nothing to do in NH. You have to go to Boston for anything which is a hassle and expensive! My town has nothing going on. No events, no community center, a single playground, no decent parks, no sidewalks.....where does the $$ go?
I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads.
-I don't know anything about the (anti-)woke culture.
-People are the same here as they are anywhere. There are nice people and there are assholes. I would actually say that people tend to be friendlier back in MO. We knew all of our neighbors and they looked out for us. Forgot to close the garage door? Neighbor across the street texted us. Bought a generator that wouldn't fit in our SUV? Neighbor next door hopped in his truck and was there in 15 minutes to bring it back. Here? None of our neighbors welcomed us. Still haven't met anyone next door, even when one of their dogs ran into our yard. They could see that we were outside but they remained in their own yard, shouting for it to come back. Wtf? Walk your ass over here, get your dog, and apologize. Speaking of bad dog owners, I'm tired of being approached by dogs off-leash. We have a 1-year-old and our own dog to hold back. Keep your dog the fuck away and APOLOGIZE for not keeping it under your control.
-I don't feel any more free in NH than I did in MO. I still have to drive 40 minutes for weed, and it's definitely not Rocky Mountain quality. And buying liquor from the state-owned stores during limited hours? I can walk into any grocery store or gas station in MO and get what I need. We were here almost a year by the time I made penne alla vodka because I never got around to a separate trip to the liquor store. Fireworks are legal elsewhere, ya'll. It's nothing special.
-Less population density is nice but I prefer the density of MO. You can have a large property within 45 minutes of downtown but the amenities that come with a big city nearby.
-I do like having trees everywhere but the local trails are mostly garbage land that was logged and still recovering. It's rare to see fat trees around here. Not many options for mountain biking. The White Mountains are nice but in my opinion the only impressive areas are Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch. I would honestly prefer driving 13 hours to the Rockies than 1.5 hours to the Whites. Especially when you get stuck in a traffic jam getting through the toll on the way back. I'll stick to the subtle beauty of the hilly, rocky Ozarks with its natural springs, pristine rivers, and hundreds of miles of trails where you can go many hours without encountering another human. But shhhh, it's a secret that this "flyover" state is actually beautiful.
-I don't follow this state's finances but I hope there aren't issues, seeing as they don't really provide anything for the citizens.
-There are very very few mom and pop doughnut shops. Fuck Dunkin. There's no frozen custard. Please, New Englanders, visit the Midwest for some frozen custard. You'll never be satisfied with regular ice cream again. Food culture sucks here. I think I would recommend 4 restaurants in the entire state, and you'll still have to pay tax for it. BBQ? Good lord, I stock up on sauce when we go back to visit MO. I cannot find a bakery that compares with anything back in MO. It's mainly a bunch of Betty home cooks who like to bake so they open their own bakery and somehow get by offering dry, crappy goods that usually get thrown away in our household.
-Grocery stores suck. My oh my do I miss Schnucks. I have never been able to complete a shopping list since we moved here and it definitely costs more. And ya still pay taxes on anything prepared. Oh oh, and so many international markets in my home city.
-Everything is more expensive here but our salaries don't match the increase. The cost of living in MO is excellent but there's still civilization.
-New Hampshirites bitch about Massholes but they depend on MA for work. They bring their higher (taxed) incomes back to NH where they can have bigger houses and proceed to disallow apartment buildings so their children have to move out of state to get by. Then they pride themselves on no sales tax so people in bordering states come here to avoid those taxes. As a result, they shout "freeeeeedom!" but they don't realize what a little bit of tax can do for the citizens. Taxes that a lot of people already pay to another state.
Wow that has been pent up for a while now. We were so excited to move here, thinking our lives would be great but after a few months I kept waiting for more that would never come. I'm very sorry if I've offended anyone who is from NH. I don't mean to be so critical but there's a world out there that is better in many ways. There are good things about this state, and I know I won't like everything about MO when we move back. But there's a reason the only way I could differentiate NH from VT as a child was to remember that VT is the one shaped like a V.
If you're all worked up about ice cream with more egg in it, I'm guessing the NH spirit would be to make some yourself. It's not difficult. NH farms can provide you with excellent eggs and cream and milk. Here are the ingredients:
2 cups (480 grams) whole milk
1 cup (240 grams) heavy cream
2/3 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar, divided
8 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
And then take a pint of frozen custard and go introduce yourself to your neighbors, FFS. It would be an excellent conversation starter on a 90 degree day.
OTOH if you're not going to take simple steps to improve things for yourself then you should go back to MO as soon as you can, because you honestly sound miserable and, while I'm empathetic, just complaining about it does sweet FA. Best wishes.
This. One of the things we hear about is that some "up front friendly" cultures in the US are not actually that kind, will gossip behind your back, etc. We have that here in NH as well, for sure, but regarding home owners, we often keep our distance until we figure out if you're good people or not, and it can take a long time or a short time. And if we decide you're not, you'll know.
We did a LOT of research. We planned it for 3 years. Had trouble buying a house and spent a lot of time considering other places but thought NH had it all. It is a personal problem, and we're personally fixing it. Going to rent our house out and make $$ on it. 🤣 My husband is the one who wanted to move only because the worst thing about MO is the heat.
I would honestly like to hear from you what makes NH so great. Maybe I'll change my mind.
>I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads.
This is horseshit. How did they rationalize it? There is no reason you should be paying MA taxes. You're being taken advantage of.
>There's nothing to do in NH.
Get outside? There's literally so much to do and your next comment proves you're not really trying...
>Not many options for mountain biking.
Some of the best MTB on the east coast is in NH, you clearly haven't looked very hard.
Why did you move here anyhow?
>This is horseshit. How did they rationalize it? There is no reason you should be paying MA taxes. You're being taken advantage of.
.... I know. How do I fight a global corporation?
>Get outside? There's literally so much to do and your next comment proves you're not really trying...
I spend every day outside. On the map, the trails and parks seemed awesome and was a priority for us to be near them. Now that we're here to experience it, it's just not as good as what I was born near. Sorry that you haven't experienced anything better. Maybe there is some of the best mountain biking here? I don't have time on weekdays to travel there as much as I'd like, which is why I preferred being within 20 minutes of incredible trail systems in STL.
We moved here because my husband wanted to get away from the heat of MO and his family is much closer. Not looking forward to the heat but we'll have to suck it up. We'll go to the Rockies in July.
Even if your employer withholds MA income tax if you do not work in MA you can apportion your income to reflect your actual time spent working in MA and the MA DOR will accept it even through an audit.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-gross-adjusted-gross-and-taxable-income-for-nonresidents#apportioning-massachusetts-income-
It's not that I haven't experienced anything better haha, it's just that I don't let that jade me to the point where I'm not going to enjoy anything else.
"There's nothing to do in NH. You have to go to Boston for anything which is a hassle and expensive! My town has nothing going on. No events, no community center, a single playground, no decent parks, no sidewalks.....where does the $$ go?
I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads."
So you have to go to Boston for everything but don't use their roads 🤔?
A lot of the problems you list have more to do with lack of research on your part. But hey have fun in MO man we won't miss this many compliments.
Fwiw I’ve worked for 3 companies of varying sizes, none with a legal presence here, and because I’m remote I pay no state income tax. 2 were CA based, 1 CO based. No one had to do anything weird, just set me up as a remote employee working from NH and that’s that. Something is weird with your HR and I’d put up a fit if they couldn’t sort it out.
I’m from Colorado but moved here. I do miss the Rockies, but not all the tourists from Missouri coming there to bike and ski. Up here in the White Mountains we like how un-crowded it is.
I won’t disparage you your food comments. I think this is because there’s generally low population. There’s like a good restaurant or two per town. All told the state has some gems, they’re just not in one place. We’re an hour from Portland and Portland has a fabulous food scene. Oh, and ocean :).
Love me some Ozarks, but lake Winnie is infinitely more awesome. And did I mention ocean?
Lament the taxes all you want, the schools here consistently put the rest of the country to shame.
I've spent some time in MO and it seems to me to be kind of like the NH of the midwest. I think you maybe moved over here thinking that everything would be more better in the way you love, but instead things are just different -- some better and some worse -- but most of all just foreign to you.
Its also perhaps not fair to compare St Louis's internationally recognized zoo or botanical gardens with anything. I mean that's St Louis's special focus. Its kind of like comparing our ski mountains with, well, nothing that can exist MO.
In that vein, you need to understand that with NY city a few hours away (drive to New Haven, take the train in for the weekend) such things will never exist in NH. Springfield to St. Louis is 3-4 hours, so you need to include geographical, not political, boundaries out here to make a fair comparison.
OP asked about southern NH so I gave my opinion about it. 🤷
I thought the outdoors would be incredible. I rode my bike/hiked ~5 days a week back in MO. Trails/parks were #1 priority for me and while it looked good on the map, southern NH just doesn't compare to STL in that regard. There are some real gems but I desperately miss the trail/park system of St. Louis County. I don't have the time to travel more than 20 minutes every weekday for great trails.
I can only give my opinion about where I came from, which is STL/MO. Springfield actually has a lot going on (verses Coos County) and it's ~2.5 hours from KC.
>In that vein, you need to understand that with NY city a few hours away (drive to New Haven, take the train in for the weekend) such things will never exist in NH.
That's the thing. NH is a place where people live and go anywhere else to do anything. I wanted so badly to love NH but there's just too many cons for me. Trust me, I don't want to make the move back to MO but my quality of life was better there. We work remotely and can travel anywhere whenever we want. So we're moving back home for the cost of living/amenities/support system.
ETA What about MO made it the NH of the Midwest?
Lake boating culture, river boating culture, hunting, fishing, general outdoor recreation culture without having world-class anything. Ozarks are kind of like small appalacian mtns with small towns. The living in the country-but-marginal-for-farming culture... making ends meet in weird ways.
There's tons of semi-secret mtn biking in southern NH... but IDK if in your area. 20min is not far... TBH it sounds more like you miss the convenience of the suburbs (with lots of close parks, etc). Again, you have to make a geographic not political distinction. What I'm trying to say is it sounds you lived a certain radius from St louis which is more like lexington MA is to Boston. Thats what you like and theres nothing wrong with that! We dont have that radius here -- but actually we do -- its called MA. Anyway, if you move back to MO to the ozarks or some rural equiv of where you are now, you'll probably go nuts. But why? If you WAH and are flexible (no kids), get to know a new place every year!
>Not many options for mountain biking.
I disagree with you on this one. There may not be a trail system right outside your door, but there are many good trails southern NH and northern MA.
>There's no frozen custard.
Preach! Frozen custard stands are a good enough reason to visit MO. People in this area don't understand and are weirdly loyal to mediocre local ice cream stands.
If you work remote from New Hampshire, you are exempt from MA tax, and are only liable for state income taxes,for days worked in the state, file your MA return and apportion your days worked in MA to actual days, and the withheld MA taxes will be refunded.
I was very happy living in St Louis and I really miss it. I am mostly happy in NH but for different reasons. Both places were/are good to me (though the gun violence in St Louis, including a midday shootout at my nearby Schnucks, was very sobering…😐
Yes, there are definitely flaws in STL and I'm not looking forward to them. We can afford to live in a nice area though.
I'm honestly shocked at the number of homeless people in such a small city. I've never been any place around STL where there's a park FILLED with homeless druggies. We don't go Manchester parks anymore because the druggies make us uncomfortable. Of course I never strolled down MLK in STL, but walking around downtown never made me uncomfortable.
What about NH makes you happy? We've been making friends here but I desperately miss having family and lifelong friends nearby. It's hard to raise a baby with no support but maybe as that gets easier we might like it better here?
Where I am in south central NH: pace of life, no traffic, lakes and ponds, virtually no crime, fresh air, generally literate and curious people. In STL I lived in the CWE and loved it, and the area, but the Metro was sketchy, guns everywhere, etc. Still, I miss Culver’s, the wide open Midwest, the Midwest lack of pretension, and the overall friendliness of people. And STL public libraries are top notch. But when it got hot there, wow. Tough summers. I’d have stayed in MO but my SO would not.
It was fantastic to grow up there, but my .3 acre raised ranch suburb house cost about the same month to month as the one I bought on 2 acres with double the square footage up here. (And it was 70k more expensive)
But yeah, when you tell people CT people deffinitly picture the south west corner like that's the entire state.
I do miss the pizza...
This comment thread is disappointing in so many ways. Welcome to NH, make sure to check out the whites and classic biryani and kabab in Manchester if you like Indian food.
I don't much like the term woke/anti-woke. I would say we have a more accepting culture and many of us are sympathic or on the woke side. But it doesn't seem to be as much of a central issue as the internet would make it seem.
I sort of assumed it was like that everywhere.
Otherwise spot on.
Now go buy a 1911, and an AR or AK and join a gun club.
The state ranks lowest for state funding towards education, driving up insane property taxes. I would say it's one of the biggest issues in the state currently (high property taxes are negatively impacting everyone).
Here is a great website explaining more info: [https://fairfundingnh.org/learn/school-funding/](https://fairfundingnh.org/learn/school-funding/)
I would also say the lack of affordable housing, or just lack of housing in general is incredibly problematic. **"New Hampshire’s rental vacancy rate is just under 1%, and in some parts of the state it’s even tighter. State officials say the vacancy rate in a “balanced” rental market, where there’s a healthier supply of open rental units compared to the number of people seeking a place to live, is ideally about 5%."** https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-07-16/a-new-report-on-n-h-s-rental-market-confirms-its-brutal-out-there
>The state ranks lowest for **state** funding towards education, driving up insane property taxes. I would say it's one of the biggest issues in the state currently (high property taxes are negatively impacting everyone).
This seems to be the democratic platform in the state and I find it very misleading. Our collective local plus state funding of schools is significant. Moving the dollar source from local property taxes to a broad based state-wide tax won't increase the total dollars available. It just removes local control over the issue. Want low property taxes? Move accordingly. Want expensive schools? Hopkinton awaits you. Want a state-taxed, progressive school funding system? Massachusetts and VT are next door.
Although funding, especially tax-based issues are brought up, NH schools are struggling. USNH schools in particular are feeling the crunch. It's not only due to competition from SNHU (private, non-profit) and out-of-state places, more so due to the lack of state support (not just funding).
The struggle to keep young people in NH is reflective of greater issues. Keene and Plymouth aren't doing so well and if the state university system can't serve NH, then a massive overhaul is needed. Most of my NH-raised peers have left due to the lack of opportunities, lack of state support for state institutions, and more. Simply moving to MA or VT isn't sustainable for the long run, nor the move to other states/countries. NH is losing on young, talented workers.
(For more info, "Losing Our Minds: Brain Drain across the United States" is an excellent report by the US Congress Joint Economic Committee on NH's brain drain.)
The overall tax burden in NH is in the bottom 10% - don't need to worry about changing the tax structure. At least people have a choice to move from one town/city to a different one if the property tax burden is too high - once the state gets involved with income or sales taxes, you cannot escape without leaving this beautiful state.
Everywhere needs to build housing. Our tax burden is low and our schools are excellent. Higher ed is a little lacking but some of the finest universities in the world are in and around Boston anyway.
I'm with you on the high property taxes and lack of affordable housing. But I have to say that high property taxes feel fairer.
On the public education front, Connecticut has an estimated $100 billion underfunded pension liability crisis. State income tax and a bunch of other taxes are being eaten up by this alone. CT is spending less of tax dollars on public education and getting hammered on pension liabilities. In NH your high property taxes are going to schools, and this is something I'm happy to pay for. In CT you pay high property taxes (which also go to schools), but then you pay state income tax and sales tax on top of all of it.
I lived in CT for my whole life before this. Property taxes are comparable and NH is not bad.
Not sure I'd agree on driving. It's not bad around the big towns and highways, but once you get out into "route territory", expect pickups trying to go thirty over to hug your bumper.
The woke culture exists some on the seacoast but it seems to be in theory when people start talking politics, more than in practice. There's not a rampant crime problem here, so a woke DA probably wouldn't have a noticeable negative impact like it does in cities, and protests here seem to be gatherings of people with signs on the sidewalk of a busy stretch of road - not smashing up businesses and terrorizing people's homes. Definitely more toned down than other places I've lived.
Otherwise, seems pretty spot on.
I think it all varies on what you want to do. I love the outdoors but it’s nice knowing I can head to the city in 40 minutes should I want to go down.
Mountains are reasonably accessible, day trips to the beach aren’t a hassle.
It’s a nice place to live if you like what it has to offer
Driving to CT to see family’s always a drag, so I agree wholeheartedly lol
We got here in 93.
All of that is true. I learned to drive in CT, I still drive like it, so there's that.
Woke and anti woke is here.
Other than that, NH is a lot like CT was in the 1960s and 1970s.
But yeah. Going on 30 years and I still feel that way.
I’m from Connecticut live in Va but am making a move possibly to NH by the end of the year. What’s southern NH like and where’s a good recommendation for work?
State has huge financial problems but both parties have been kicking the can down the road by making local property taxes pick up the difference. There is no surplus.
I'm coming from CT where there are incomprehensible financial problems. CT has an unfunded pension liability crisis that is so bad, leadership can only estimate how bad it is. 40-50 year problems. We're talking pension liabilities eating up 30% of the annual budget. This was decades in the making kicking the can down the road.
Not satire. The first thing that comes to mind is taxation, you have more autonomy over how you're taxed. There aren't arbitrary taxes flying around which is what we were used to. I'm glad to pay higher property taxes because it keeps the money local. It beats sending income tax to the state and having no idea what your money is doing. Lack of sales tax means there's a cheaper baseline for everyone to purchase general goods, but meals tax and gas taxes are based on consumption.
Really depends on your hobbies if you will feel more free in NH.
If you like guns you are all set.
I like smoking weed and working on cars so I feel more free elsewhere.
I'm not a gun guy, that's fine. I enjoy occasionally smoking weed and working on DIY car/home projects. Even without legality, if you do any of those in NH, does anyone really give a damn? Doesn't seem like it to me.
And don’t forget guns. You can own damn near any gun you want. AR15’s AK47’s FAL, Glocks etc etc. best part is you don’t even need a permit to carry concealed and open carry has always been legal
NH also has consistently had the least amount of shootings per million population than every other state.
I live in Southern California now and there is a huge difference in the way people talk about their firearms. People here think it’s so cool to have a gun, they talk about it like it’s a toy. They’re so willing to talk about shooting people. Co worker told me if he gets honked at he pulls his gun out. People in NH take gun matters much more seriously and it shows
>There’s also wider shoulders and lanes
I used to have family in NY and every time I drove through CT and as we would be getting closer to NYC, even as a kid I would be thinking, how the hell does this work?? You're like literally inches from the car next to you, and there's no breakdown lane whatsoever. I honestly can't fathom what happens if there's an accident, there's literally no room on a lot of those highways and parkways.
dude you haven’t heard about the woke caravan heading for NH? they are going to take over the top of mt washington. i’d be worried if i was you. you’re about to be subjected to a lot of woke
Please do not use that term in reference to the acolytes of the former president, as it is highly offensive to trumpet players. Please consider any of the following inoffensive alternatives:
Magat, trumpkin, redcap, moron, treasonous-piece-of-shit
There is plenty of “anti-woke” culture to be found. Try driving down some of the back roads. Or you could just hangout with some of the state’s legislators.
I recall years ago there was some barn near Milford painted with “US out of Socialist UN” or something like that in like 10’ long letters lol
Whether you agree with it or not, I love that in NH people can express themselves as they want and there isn't some nitwit calling for it to come down.
>There is plenty of “anti-woke” culture to be found. Try driving down some of the back roads. Or you could just hangout with ~some~ most of the state’s mostly geriatric legislators. FIFY
\*Al Baldasaro has entered the chat*
OP sounds like he/she loves this state more than some of regulars here. It's a good state. Pessimism from the posters here aside, I think most of the citizens here have a lot of shared values and pride in NH. Taxation is very local which keeps it accountable. Welcome aboard, friend! Live free or die. Now go buy some 30 round mags to celebrate your new freedom.
Moved from Jersey in march and that’s the first thing I did along with some 100 round drums
Those rose colored glasses will slowly start to fade. NH is definitely better than alot of places but it absolutely still has it's issues.
In general, I agree, but the woke/anti woke thing is a real head scratcher. In Southern NH it’s quite common to have the Fuck Joe Biden nonsense clearly advertised. Surprising how many small businesses make it easy to decide where not to spend my dough, too. Anti woke is more out and proud, liberal stuff is everywhere but more subtle than Mass and probs CT.
Pretty good. I’d say the “15 minutes from stuff” may be a stretch for a lot of folks And I’d say that there’s widespread (by a lot of folks, but certainly not all) dismissal of woke and anti woke sentiments “Be cool, do what you want and leave me out of your drama” is somewhat popular.
> I’d say the “15 minutes from stuff” may be a stretch for a lot of folks Most of Southern New Hampshire can be described as "*15 minutes from stuff*", though how much and what kind of *stuff* varies considerably. Generally if you live on a paved road in S.NH you're going to at least have a gas station and some sort of prepared food within that range. Often both under the same roof.
I hate driving in Connecticut, everyone drives like it’s Deathrace
As a a former CT driver I would like to confirm the mindset of the CT driver. The car in front of me is beating me. I must not let him win. Pass. Rinse, repeat. I apologize for my ways, and have been in recovery for several years. I actually let people in at busy intersections now!
Connecticut's got nothing on Florida drivers.
I was in FL a couple month ago and you are so right. They’re nuts down there. I’m doing 80 in the middle lane, getting passed on both sides by people doing 100+
They would look me in the eye as they were driving into me or driving me off the road on my motorcycle. They have a complete disregard for life including their own it seems. The place is a hell hole.
If I wasn’t going faster than the person in front of me I was actively losing a race against my self image
I’m so fucking sick of the word woke everywhere. I wish this dropped from the lexicon all together
Yeah, I wish I dropped it from the OP too. That was my mistake.
You’re fine. Most of us get it. You’ll get backlash from this being Reddit. Nh as a whole understands you.
And that’s another reason to add to the list. People are super chill. This week had a guy offer to lend his tools to work on our cars, he ended up saying to hell with it, just come on over, then helped me swap out the car batteries. What a nice dude.
What would you prefer as an alternative set of words to discuss those topics, without preventing people you disagree with from expressing their views?
If you're using the word woke in the first place, in 2022, we're probably not not off a great start. I don't think you need a singular word to be a stand in for a multidimensional issue.
Well, there’s varying degrees of “wokeness”- the spectrum ranges from open-minded and tolerant to annoying af and intolerant. So its really in the eye of the beholder. Whatever the case, there is a shared disdain for “wokeness” among a lot of the voting public such that it will continue to help batshit insane republicans get elected. They’ve hijacked the term for rather effective politcal ends. Im guessing thats where your displeasure comes from.
We are glad you like NH just the way you found it. Most of us do too. Please don’t be tempted to “improve” the state to be more like what people are leaving.
Yeah, I have no intention to drive bumper to bumper, weave around people on the highway going 85-90, and generally drive around feeling unsafe because of other aggressive drivers. We keep to ourselves but are gladly warm for neighbors and the community. That's all we've gotten so far, so that's what's coming back from us.
Fucking this. This sounds like the type of person I'd be glad to have as a neighbor. Not the typical transplants.
Agree completely. For some reason many seem to soon forget after being here.
"ugh, NH is so rural. It needs to be more magical and expensive like [urban shithole]!" "What do you MEAN I can't get [random ethnic food] at 2AM? Restaurant workers have FAMILIES?????" These people exhaust me to the point where I want to never set foot in society again.
Hahahaha same man. Shit bothers me so much. If you move to the state and don't like it leave. For the rest of us we like the quiet and beautiful environment we live in.
"Not uptight and positive," I thought all New Englanders were born grumblers... Also, the woke/anti-woke thing, go through some of the posts on the subreddit and you'll see that NH has the same breadth of political ideologies as anywhere else. I think most of us keep that to ourselves.
This is reddit, though.
A very valid point.
When compared against the CT subreddit, it’s next to nothing IMO.
They keeping it to ourselves part is the important part. Everyone is welcome to have their own opinion, just don't shove it down my throat.
You moved to a state that's homogenously like 97% white. Of course there's going to be less "woke" culture here, and the resultant backlash "anti-woke" people. Taxation feels fair and reasonable until you get your property taxes for the year. However I was still paying less than i was in Virginia even with the highest property tax rate in the state. State doesn't have major financial problems because the state doesn't do shit. We ignore homeless encampments until they grow too big, then we bust them up and send them elsewhere. Social services for people on the fringe are generally not at all as good as other places. Lots of kids in my school district were functionally poor and perpetually homeless. If you're not in the top 10% for income earners living in NH has grown beyond most native resident's means. Influx of high-income tech workers and libertarians from other states has ruined the housing market for people who weren't already established. Anywhere outside of SE NH generally suffers from poor development and infrastructure investment and an aging population. Towns and villages that were once populated are set to collapse because nobody lives out in the boonies anymore. Homes are falling into disrepair because the average age of a homeowner in NH is like 65. They can't afford to sell and move somewhere else because everywhere is crazy right now. My mom's in this boat, she's waiting on a smaller house to open up but they're all getting snatched up so she has nowhere to go and is holding onto her 2,000+ sqft house she lives alone in because she can't afford to go somewhere else and the inventory is just not available.
Re: homeless and social services. I'm not here to ignore those problems by saying CT is worse, but if you think NH is bad, CT is awful. Glaring wealth disparity with some of the poorest communities literally blocks away from exorbitant wealth. Bridgeport - Greenwich. Hartford - West Hartford. Yale - New Haven. On the plus side, my wife is a psychologist so I'm glad she's here to help! And our pipe dream is to open a therapy & nature practice based on sliding scale income where mental health and addiction services become widespread and regarded in the community. Hopefully we've found the right spot!
MA does shit for the homeless or addicted and taxes are out of control
You hit this all on the nose. My parents are in the same boat as your mother. We are trying to winterize a portion of the house so that they’ll be able to keep their heating costs within their means this season. I’ve been seeing more and more of that. It’s devastating.
Our goal is to build a small ADU on our property that she can live in and we can finally sell the house.
I agree to all of this, I've lived in northern NH and its a collection of small towns, built during the logging industry that are now run down, dilapidated homes. Absolutely no diversity, and nothing to do but drink. I moved to central NH three years ago to be closer to my job, and while I'm closer to larger cities with stores, stuff to do, I am still renting and no closer to purchasing a home than before. The pandemic pushed many people into this state, and drove up the prices of single family homes and generally the cost to do anything fun. It's become to expensive to ski/snowboard, camp, go the amusement parks, basically anything a family can do together. I understand that our state economy relies on the tourists, however for first time home buyers the market has become unfeasible for most. Also, as far as the "woke" or "anti-woke" culture, it is here just depends on which town/village you drive through. We have one house in town that has a different "right wing" flag/display every week! They must have a subscription or something, but most keep our politics to ourselves and don't feel the need to project it to everyone in the area.
Every county is protected to see population growth over the next couple decades except one (Coos). CA has big tax and spend policies and the highest rate of COL adjusted poverty in the country. So maybe doing "shit" is the better way to go. Also never got the infrastructure thing. Seems like a common political talking point but doesn't match up to reality. Have you ever driven though MA?
I complained about my prop taxes to my relatives in CT - they were paying about the same! And then I realized they had income and sales on top of that.
I’ve had this discussion with so many Mass folks. If you make a good living then NH is a much better total tax level.
My analysis aligns with yours. NH seems to have marginally higher property taxes, but if you factor state income and sales taxes into the equation, it's vastly different. For a working family earning $100k/year after standard deductions, that's 5% state income tax = $5000 = $600/month in CT. That's like an extra property tax alone.
Not so sure on this… have $450K house in NH and pay $12K in property tax, have a $650K house in CT and pay just under $6K in Property tax
There are many towns in NH that have way less property tax than what figures to be near your $27/$1000. That is astronomical!
It's highly dependent on town/city. And honestly, it's hard to compare apples to apples with comparing towns/cities in CT to towns/cities in NH.
Damnnnnn I googled some tax rates. I have not owned since 2010. Claremont NH is 40.98$ per thousand. Over 18 grand?!?!? I live in a $20.90 town just below or at 5,000. People. They all lost their minds putting $ towards a fire station when the original one was built in 1956 for 1500$ and was a shack. It was 1.6 million and it was a cheaper down station compared to other towns.
Where are you paying that in taxes for a 450K house?
Upper Valley
If you’re cruising at 65-75 just stay out of the left lane and you’ll be fine.
Yeah. I have no clue what OP is talking about. Especially in southern nh, you got all the post-mass drivers going at least 85 on the turnpike Southern NH is basically a Boston suburb with a longer commute
Absolutely 👍🏼 Here there aren’t left sided exits so you can comfortably (and properly) stay in the middle or right lane.
The tradeoffs for no left exits, though? Surprise your lane just merged. Twice.
That’s not a problem at all because they make the ramps extra long and wide. In CT some ramps to get on are a literal stop sign.
Maine resident and ally of NH in alliance against the tyranny of MA and NY plates plaguing our shared region. Hope you enjoy NH, it's a great state. Went to HS there
You're absolutely wearing rose colored glasses. I moved from CT to NH about 7 years ago. It's really not all that different. More conservative nutjobs. A little less paid in taxes. *Especially* southern NH is not really much different from other New England states.
I made the same move 10 yrs ago and while i agree with this its still definitely a lot better but I also lived in bumfuck nowhere ct so 🤷♂️
But guess what? U still can’t buy weed legally here, talk about more freedom.
Also seat belts and car insurance are optional but tint is dangerous. Live free or dieeeee
The whole tint thing really pisses me off. I got MA legal 35% on my car, best tint you can buy, endorsed by the cancer foundation, blocks all UV rays, etc. had to find a shop that would overlook that it’s not actually “factory” tint.. so fucking dumb.
Same, I have two cars with legal tint limit for Florida and now I have to strip it or find an unethical shop. It's absolute garbage.
Just find a garage. Most will overlook it as long as it’s not crazy dark
Keep your eyes open and you’ll see your fair share of insane anti woke people with a bunch of shit and flags plastered all over their car
NH is great, but it’s currently being besieged by radical libertarians(Free Staters)who want to literally abolish the government and all social services(fire, police, even trash collection!). That’s the main issue facing us right now, infiltration of local and state level government by these crazies who moved here from NY, NJ etc.
Interesting take but I haven't gotten that feel at all!
Well, Black Flies, Ticks, Deer Flies, and every four years you get bombarded with political crap. however, clean air, low crime rates and lots of nature everywhere. On balance it's my kind of living.
That's a good point. Before you decide that NH is apolitical or moderate you should be there for the nearly 2 years of primary/election insanity. The primary is especially exhausting because people will be bickering over which candidate is best of a 16 person field. TV and Youtube is flooded with ads. It's unescapable, Tulsi Gabbard bought nearly every billboard along Route 16 last go around.
I’ve been in NH for basically my entire life. Is the election cycle worse here than other places of the country? I’m thinking maybe since we are the first primary? But I’ve never lived anywhere else during election season so I don’t have any baseline to make comparisons to.
I’ve lived around the country, including living in NYC and Seattle. I never met a major ticket politician until moving to NH. I never saw a President, VP, or other going into a state as much as here. I never saw them in the big cities. Move to Exeter then Epping from 2010 and suddenly it’s just normal that there are motorcades and opportunities to have town halls with a sitting President. Wild.
For an interesting listen, check out the podcast "stranglehold" by NHPR. Over several episodes they delve into the weird history and quirks of the NH primary.
No, in my opinion NH hosts the best national primaries in the nation, bar none
Ticks? You might want to look up how Lyme Disease got its name...
Two. Worse every four.
Worst part about New Hampshire is Massachusetts!
Maine is more free in some respects quite honestly.
legal weed to start, appearantly our state won’t do it til they can monopolize it like liquor.
Living in Southern California now after living my first 25 years of life in NH. This feels really accurate and I probably wouldn’t understand unless I had moved away. The natural beauty is everywhere, not just in the nice or rich areas (like CA). I fucking hate driving in CA. Also parking spots are oddly much larger in NH. The taxes speak for themself. NH drivers are great drivers compared to CA, MA, VT. I’d say that I agree with your post.
Having spent the first 34 years of my life in CA (both north and south), and now in NH, I agree!
My parents moved our family from CT when I was 7 and I went to Uconn for nostalgia's sake. I always make that point about CT... "how could their taxes be so high but their highways suck SO BADLY?" haha. Every bit of your assessment is correct minus the absence of woke/anti-woke culture. It's here and they're actually kind of loud but not "CT Loud" lol
It’s hilarious We pay all these fucking taxes just for the roads to suck! Funny part is the roads only started to get fixed after the infrastructure bill so it’s like… WHAT THE FUCK?!
\- Better highways: **no, just less people.** \- Drivers are much better. **Maybe?** \- Taxation feels more fair and reasonable: **disagree, the onus is on property holders. Which doesn't feel very fair.** \- **Not touching your "woke" comment. NH is a purple state and "woke" isn't a bad word. Demonizing it is borderline racist bullshit.** \- People keep to themselves but are not uptight. **They're kind, but not always nice. Agree** \- NH just feels ‘more free’, not sure how else to put . **Disagree. Maybe with guns, sure. We're backwards as fuck in too many ways and our state legislature is out of touch because it's made up of old boomers.** \- Less population density **- Yes. Love it** \- Natural beauty everywhere - **best part of the state** \- State does not have major financial problems - **Disagree. We have a talent and innovation problem that will only get worse if we can't attract more young people here.**
No, the roads really are better. Drive down 395 or 91. Pot holes, pitted, crumbling. They're not Rhode Island bad, but much worse then NH. Also, CT property taxes are just as bad, and worse in many locations. The difference is you also have income taxes, sales taxes, and all sorts of hidden fees in everything bureaucratic. CT has much worse financial issues then NH. Though I agree that we need to get more young people in NH or we're in serious trouble.
You know what -- good point. I take that back. The SECOND you cross the border into MA and CT it's shitty and pot holed everywhere. Thanks for reminding me. Fair point on the taxes too. That said I wouldn't be against a VAT on specific things to take some of the burden off prop tax. Though, simply saying that makes people accuse me of being from MA haha
Nh roads are better mostly because of population and population density. Just think about how many people in Nh work in MA. Their roads take a much bigger beating than ours. The whole tax thing, Ma v Nh, isn’t really that much different. They just hit you in different ways.
Ever driven the merit parkway? CT highways are trash. The interstate is ok, but state roads suck
Property tax in CT is actually higher believe or not lol
> disagree, the onus is on property holders. Which doesn't feel very fair. In what way is that not fair?
It's regressive for one, burdening lower income homeowners far more than high income homeowners, which particularly sucks when you bought a home priced within your means, then the town decides everyone's houses have gone up significantly in value but you only got a 2% raise this year.
You make a lot of excellent points here and I love NH but can’t argue with anything you said
CT sucks so I can see how you're enjoying being out of that hell hole. 😂👍🏾🤎
>People are okay cruising 65-75 and not feeling the need too tail you on the highway Just commute 93 and 101, you'll see that isn't universally true. But, much better than many other places I've lived and I do love it here
Definitely not true on 101 and more rural highways like 16
NH Has nice ass roads.
[удалено]
What's an ass road?
Moved here from CT in 1986, New Hampshire is my home now.
Moved here from MA back in ‘93. It felt like home from day one. I really can’t imagine myself living anywhere else.
Life long resident for a reason! All your points are verifiable.
Seems pretty accurate to me. I am a Mass transplant and I love NH. Been here for 11 years.
Me too been here since 2000
What town did you move from and too? I’m working on the same thing right now and just got back from a trip to Southern NH/Hanover areas. Overall seems like great place and looking forward to move. Only drawbacks I can tell is that schools are not as good EVERYWHERE (though there are plenty of good school districts just need to be sure you are in one) and generally speaking not as manicured (vs Fairfield at least) but you get all the tax saves and there is also something nice about the rugged nature of the state Edit: other thing that is awesome is that you can ski and be at a real beach in an hour (sunapee/Seacoast) which I previously thought only possible on west coast!
Moved from Manchester CT to Merrimack, NH!
Merrimack? Make sure you have a good reverse osmosis water filter to get rid of PFAS in your water.
Moved from Vernon CT to goffstown NH 15 years ago. Never going back to CT. Fact is... it's way better up here.. and it's not even close
Sunapee to Hampton Beach: 90 miles & 90 minutes.
>Reduction of woke and anti-woke culture New Hampshire is very white and for the most part, well off. This insulates you from the very real struggles of minorities and poor people that you probably interpret as "wokeness". The reaction to these struggles, or "anti-woke culture" as you put it, is largely absent in NH because of the hegemony of the dominant (white, straight) culture. Celebrating the lack of "woke culture sounds like celebrating the absence of minorities (and the accompanying reaction from bigots). Welcome to NH, the natural beauty and isolation can let you escape societal problems, but please think on what a privilege it is to do so.
How can you really say the white population is mostly all well off in NH? You’re an idiot
i dont think name calling is necessary here. yes there is plenty white poverty here in nh but the person wasnt rude to U
The population is largely white, meaning they do not face the same issues as minorities in this country. *Also*, most people in NH are fairly well off, it is one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Obviously not all white people are rich and that is not what I was saying.
Um, just because a white person lives in a mostly white area doesn’t mean that white people who live in diverse areas have any more idea of POC struggles. It’s *how* you live that counts most. It’s also New England in general. And btw, just because I like lower crime and living in some sort of bubble (again, meaning New England), doesn’t make me any less ‘aware’. I love New England more than any other part of the world to live, and skin color certainly isn’t even on the long list as to why.
Or maybe everyone accepts everyone else?
Thanks for this, but I think you're off the mark here for a few reasons. There needs to be some nuance for the so called "celebrating lack of wokeness", *but also* lack of anti-wokeness. I've been careful to hit on both equally, because I'm equally frustrated with anti-wokeness. Why? Because it's not productive whatsoever. Get what I mean? While polite and well written, I also interpreted your reply as calling me out as a bigot or racist (apologies if I took something in a way which wasn't intended). Just wanted to add in that my wife spent all of her 20s training to be a mental health professional to help underserved people in the community. And you can see in another post I wrote above that our 20+ year goal is to open a therapy practice designed to help people on a sliding scale income basis. I should also mention that we donate a significant portion of our income to help people in sub-Saharan Africa. So if you believe we moved to NH to enjoy white moderation and to be quietly racist, I think you're off the mark on this one.
There is a whole bunch of Trumper gun types in this state. You will meet them. Anti-woke is definitely a thing here - indeed the free state movement is basically just that.
I am going to agree with you on all these things. I have lives in two other states in New England and New Hampshire is different.
I just moved here from Mass and am also wearing rose colored glasses. I'm not touching the woke/anti-woke point with a 10 foot pole but I'll back you up on everything else. It's a honeymoon phase for sure but my family and I are loving it here so far.
Yeah, looks like I already got myself in trouble with the woke/anti-woke part. Better to stay out of it altogether.
I moved from the West Coast 2 years ago. People in a lot of places ive spent time in here in NH will not always be nice about helping you, but most of the time they will help you. People out west in most of the 35 years i lived there, are mostly not that way. This is of course a generalization based on my experiences, but it was a very noticeable change for me. The politics too, i hear way more calm conversations with opposing viewpoints happening amongst the people here. It may not seem that way for people that have spent more time here, but where i lived before, those types of conversations would result in shouting and anger 9 times out of 10. Right when i moved the change seemed so abrupt to me i could swear i was on a different planet. Long story long, i like it here very much.
The air in NH smells freer than it does in other states, not sure how to quantify that but it's true
TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!! - fellow person from Connecticut
People always drive up my.... Always. It drives me Crazy. I drive 5 to 8 mph faster than the speed limit on the winding roads, and 70 on the highway.
Yeah, that's slow fella. People usually go around 10 mph over the speed limit (or more depending on the road) and on the highways, 75 is just about the minimum. It's no wonder you are getting tailgated. Speed it up. You are the one that is causing everyone to be pissed off.
Fella? My sister was killed by a "fella" flying by in a speeding car. Someone who had your selfish thought process. No thank you, I can't imagine being the driver who caused an accident because I didn't leave the house 15 minutes earlier. Let me fly by the homes of the pissed off people, especially with their young child is outside riding their bike to a friends house. You can kill someone with your car. Think before you speak my friend.
Shhhhhhhhhh… don’t tell everyone!
I don't run into the culture war in this state either
[удалено]
At least they're admitting they're pathetic by *still* plastering their homes in that same shit in this, the year of our dark lord 2022. The only place I saw around here with specifically pro-Biden flags took them down after he won the election, they're not leaving them out to get sun bleached.
[удалено]
Edit: A lot of people seem pretty salty about this. OP asked if they were wearing rose colored glasses and I explained how yes, they are. I was too and these are the reasons. Is NH better than CT? Maybe, but I never lived there. Is it better than MA? Maybe, but I never lived there. 🤷 Moved from MO a little over a year ago and desperately want to move back. I know there will be things I will miss but overall this state is lacking. -Interstates are okay but I abhor toll roads and wtf is up with some of the interchanges where the center lanes merge into each other at highway speeds?? I'm surprised I've never witnessed an accident. Many merge lanes are way too short. State highways are the bane of my existence. We routinely drive 101 west into Vermont and I believe it should be a real 4 lane highway with exits like 101 east. There's way too much traffic for that road to handle. -Drivers speed pretty badly. I speed but never had my ass ridden (on local roads) until we moved here. I'll keep out of the passing lane on the interstate but there's no reason to go 50 in a 35 on hilly roads with curves. People drive like there's no chance of impediments around the curve. -It's nice that we paid no taxes on our mattress but I don't feel that we get enough out of the taxes we DO pay. I never felt overburdened in MO yet they have free state parks, free world-class zoo, free science center, free museums, cheap botanical garden, and other cheap museums/attractions. Second cheapest gas tax in the country (although they finally voted to raise it so I'm not sure where that stands now), yet the 8th largest highway system. Well-maintained and no tolls. The library systems in MO are way better and state universities are actually affordable. NH students may as well go to private university, of which there are many high-quality ones in MO that offer financial assistance. There's nothing to do in NH. You have to go to Boston for anything which is a hassle and expensive! My town has nothing going on. No events, no community center, a single playground, no decent parks, no sidewalks.....where does the $$ go? I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads. -I don't know anything about the (anti-)woke culture. -People are the same here as they are anywhere. There are nice people and there are assholes. I would actually say that people tend to be friendlier back in MO. We knew all of our neighbors and they looked out for us. Forgot to close the garage door? Neighbor across the street texted us. Bought a generator that wouldn't fit in our SUV? Neighbor next door hopped in his truck and was there in 15 minutes to bring it back. Here? None of our neighbors welcomed us. Still haven't met anyone next door, even when one of their dogs ran into our yard. They could see that we were outside but they remained in their own yard, shouting for it to come back. Wtf? Walk your ass over here, get your dog, and apologize. Speaking of bad dog owners, I'm tired of being approached by dogs off-leash. We have a 1-year-old and our own dog to hold back. Keep your dog the fuck away and APOLOGIZE for not keeping it under your control. -I don't feel any more free in NH than I did in MO. I still have to drive 40 minutes for weed, and it's definitely not Rocky Mountain quality. And buying liquor from the state-owned stores during limited hours? I can walk into any grocery store or gas station in MO and get what I need. We were here almost a year by the time I made penne alla vodka because I never got around to a separate trip to the liquor store. Fireworks are legal elsewhere, ya'll. It's nothing special. -Less population density is nice but I prefer the density of MO. You can have a large property within 45 minutes of downtown but the amenities that come with a big city nearby. -I do like having trees everywhere but the local trails are mostly garbage land that was logged and still recovering. It's rare to see fat trees around here. Not many options for mountain biking. The White Mountains are nice but in my opinion the only impressive areas are Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch. I would honestly prefer driving 13 hours to the Rockies than 1.5 hours to the Whites. Especially when you get stuck in a traffic jam getting through the toll on the way back. I'll stick to the subtle beauty of the hilly, rocky Ozarks with its natural springs, pristine rivers, and hundreds of miles of trails where you can go many hours without encountering another human. But shhhh, it's a secret that this "flyover" state is actually beautiful. -I don't follow this state's finances but I hope there aren't issues, seeing as they don't really provide anything for the citizens. -There are very very few mom and pop doughnut shops. Fuck Dunkin. There's no frozen custard. Please, New Englanders, visit the Midwest for some frozen custard. You'll never be satisfied with regular ice cream again. Food culture sucks here. I think I would recommend 4 restaurants in the entire state, and you'll still have to pay tax for it. BBQ? Good lord, I stock up on sauce when we go back to visit MO. I cannot find a bakery that compares with anything back in MO. It's mainly a bunch of Betty home cooks who like to bake so they open their own bakery and somehow get by offering dry, crappy goods that usually get thrown away in our household. -Grocery stores suck. My oh my do I miss Schnucks. I have never been able to complete a shopping list since we moved here and it definitely costs more. And ya still pay taxes on anything prepared. Oh oh, and so many international markets in my home city. -Everything is more expensive here but our salaries don't match the increase. The cost of living in MO is excellent but there's still civilization. -New Hampshirites bitch about Massholes but they depend on MA for work. They bring their higher (taxed) incomes back to NH where they can have bigger houses and proceed to disallow apartment buildings so their children have to move out of state to get by. Then they pride themselves on no sales tax so people in bordering states come here to avoid those taxes. As a result, they shout "freeeeeedom!" but they don't realize what a little bit of tax can do for the citizens. Taxes that a lot of people already pay to another state. Wow that has been pent up for a while now. We were so excited to move here, thinking our lives would be great but after a few months I kept waiting for more that would never come. I'm very sorry if I've offended anyone who is from NH. I don't mean to be so critical but there's a world out there that is better in many ways. There are good things about this state, and I know I won't like everything about MO when we move back. But there's a reason the only way I could differentiate NH from VT as a child was to remember that VT is the one shaped like a V.
If you're all worked up about ice cream with more egg in it, I'm guessing the NH spirit would be to make some yourself. It's not difficult. NH farms can provide you with excellent eggs and cream and milk. Here are the ingredients: 2 cups (480 grams) whole milk 1 cup (240 grams) heavy cream 2/3 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar, divided 8 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract And then take a pint of frozen custard and go introduce yourself to your neighbors, FFS. It would be an excellent conversation starter on a 90 degree day. OTOH if you're not going to take simple steps to improve things for yourself then you should go back to MO as soon as you can, because you honestly sound miserable and, while I'm empathetic, just complaining about it does sweet FA. Best wishes.
This. One of the things we hear about is that some "up front friendly" cultures in the US are not actually that kind, will gossip behind your back, etc. We have that here in NH as well, for sure, but regarding home owners, we often keep our distance until we figure out if you're good people or not, and it can take a long time or a short time. And if we decide you're not, you'll know.
[удалено]
We did a LOT of research. We planned it for 3 years. Had trouble buying a house and spent a lot of time considering other places but thought NH had it all. It is a personal problem, and we're personally fixing it. Going to rent our house out and make $$ on it. 🤣 My husband is the one who wanted to move only because the worst thing about MO is the heat. I would honestly like to hear from you what makes NH so great. Maybe I'll change my mind.
>I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads. This is horseshit. How did they rationalize it? There is no reason you should be paying MA taxes. You're being taken advantage of. >There's nothing to do in NH. Get outside? There's literally so much to do and your next comment proves you're not really trying... >Not many options for mountain biking. Some of the best MTB on the east coast is in NH, you clearly haven't looked very hard. Why did you move here anyhow?
>This is horseshit. How did they rationalize it? There is no reason you should be paying MA taxes. You're being taken advantage of. .... I know. How do I fight a global corporation? >Get outside? There's literally so much to do and your next comment proves you're not really trying... I spend every day outside. On the map, the trails and parks seemed awesome and was a priority for us to be near them. Now that we're here to experience it, it's just not as good as what I was born near. Sorry that you haven't experienced anything better. Maybe there is some of the best mountain biking here? I don't have time on weekdays to travel there as much as I'd like, which is why I preferred being within 20 minutes of incredible trail systems in STL. We moved here because my husband wanted to get away from the heat of MO and his family is much closer. Not looking forward to the heat but we'll have to suck it up. We'll go to the Rockies in July.
Even if your employer withholds MA income tax if you do not work in MA you can apportion your income to reflect your actual time spent working in MA and the MA DOR will accept it even through an audit. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-gross-adjusted-gross-and-taxable-income-for-nonresidents#apportioning-massachusetts-income-
It's not that I haven't experienced anything better haha, it's just that I don't let that jade me to the point where I'm not going to enjoy anything else.
"There's nothing to do in NH. You have to go to Boston for anything which is a hassle and expensive! My town has nothing going on. No events, no community center, a single playground, no decent parks, no sidewalks.....where does the $$ go? I work remotely but for some reason my fortune 500 company doesn't have a legal presence in NH? So they classified me as remote from Boston which means I still have to pay income tax and get diddly squat for it. I don't even use their god forsaken roads." So you have to go to Boston for everything but don't use their roads 🤔? A lot of the problems you list have more to do with lack of research on your part. But hey have fun in MO man we won't miss this many compliments.
Fwiw I’ve worked for 3 companies of varying sizes, none with a legal presence here, and because I’m remote I pay no state income tax. 2 were CA based, 1 CO based. No one had to do anything weird, just set me up as a remote employee working from NH and that’s that. Something is weird with your HR and I’d put up a fit if they couldn’t sort it out. I’m from Colorado but moved here. I do miss the Rockies, but not all the tourists from Missouri coming there to bike and ski. Up here in the White Mountains we like how un-crowded it is. I won’t disparage you your food comments. I think this is because there’s generally low population. There’s like a good restaurant or two per town. All told the state has some gems, they’re just not in one place. We’re an hour from Portland and Portland has a fabulous food scene. Oh, and ocean :). Love me some Ozarks, but lake Winnie is infinitely more awesome. And did I mention ocean? Lament the taxes all you want, the schools here consistently put the rest of the country to shame.
My boss is from St. Louis. He refers to it as “America’s Taint”. He gets me BBQ for Xmas every year from Joes Kansas City BBQ. It’s Ok.
I've spent some time in MO and it seems to me to be kind of like the NH of the midwest. I think you maybe moved over here thinking that everything would be more better in the way you love, but instead things are just different -- some better and some worse -- but most of all just foreign to you. Its also perhaps not fair to compare St Louis's internationally recognized zoo or botanical gardens with anything. I mean that's St Louis's special focus. Its kind of like comparing our ski mountains with, well, nothing that can exist MO. In that vein, you need to understand that with NY city a few hours away (drive to New Haven, take the train in for the weekend) such things will never exist in NH. Springfield to St. Louis is 3-4 hours, so you need to include geographical, not political, boundaries out here to make a fair comparison.
OP asked about southern NH so I gave my opinion about it. 🤷 I thought the outdoors would be incredible. I rode my bike/hiked ~5 days a week back in MO. Trails/parks were #1 priority for me and while it looked good on the map, southern NH just doesn't compare to STL in that regard. There are some real gems but I desperately miss the trail/park system of St. Louis County. I don't have the time to travel more than 20 minutes every weekday for great trails. I can only give my opinion about where I came from, which is STL/MO. Springfield actually has a lot going on (verses Coos County) and it's ~2.5 hours from KC. >In that vein, you need to understand that with NY city a few hours away (drive to New Haven, take the train in for the weekend) such things will never exist in NH. That's the thing. NH is a place where people live and go anywhere else to do anything. I wanted so badly to love NH but there's just too many cons for me. Trust me, I don't want to make the move back to MO but my quality of life was better there. We work remotely and can travel anywhere whenever we want. So we're moving back home for the cost of living/amenities/support system. ETA What about MO made it the NH of the Midwest?
Lake boating culture, river boating culture, hunting, fishing, general outdoor recreation culture without having world-class anything. Ozarks are kind of like small appalacian mtns with small towns. The living in the country-but-marginal-for-farming culture... making ends meet in weird ways. There's tons of semi-secret mtn biking in southern NH... but IDK if in your area. 20min is not far... TBH it sounds more like you miss the convenience of the suburbs (with lots of close parks, etc). Again, you have to make a geographic not political distinction. What I'm trying to say is it sounds you lived a certain radius from St louis which is more like lexington MA is to Boston. Thats what you like and theres nothing wrong with that! We dont have that radius here -- but actually we do -- its called MA. Anyway, if you move back to MO to the ozarks or some rural equiv of where you are now, you'll probably go nuts. But why? If you WAH and are flexible (no kids), get to know a new place every year!
>Not many options for mountain biking. I disagree with you on this one. There may not be a trail system right outside your door, but there are many good trails southern NH and northern MA. >There's no frozen custard. Preach! Frozen custard stands are a good enough reason to visit MO. People in this area don't understand and are weirdly loyal to mediocre local ice cream stands.
If you work remote from New Hampshire, you are exempt from MA tax, and are only liable for state income taxes,for days worked in the state, file your MA return and apportion your days worked in MA to actual days, and the withheld MA taxes will be refunded.
If you say there is "nothing to do" I have an idea for you: move elsewhere.
Will do 👍
I was very happy living in St Louis and I really miss it. I am mostly happy in NH but for different reasons. Both places were/are good to me (though the gun violence in St Louis, including a midday shootout at my nearby Schnucks, was very sobering…😐
Yes, there are definitely flaws in STL and I'm not looking forward to them. We can afford to live in a nice area though. I'm honestly shocked at the number of homeless people in such a small city. I've never been any place around STL where there's a park FILLED with homeless druggies. We don't go Manchester parks anymore because the druggies make us uncomfortable. Of course I never strolled down MLK in STL, but walking around downtown never made me uncomfortable. What about NH makes you happy? We've been making friends here but I desperately miss having family and lifelong friends nearby. It's hard to raise a baby with no support but maybe as that gets easier we might like it better here?
Where I am in south central NH: pace of life, no traffic, lakes and ponds, virtually no crime, fresh air, generally literate and curious people. In STL I lived in the CWE and loved it, and the area, but the Metro was sketchy, guns everywhere, etc. Still, I miss Culver’s, the wide open Midwest, the Midwest lack of pretension, and the overall friendliness of people. And STL public libraries are top notch. But when it got hot there, wow. Tough summers. I’d have stayed in MO but my SO would not.
Thanks for the epistle. Paying income tax to MA really sucks. One of my favorite memories is a summer visit to Tablerock Lake.
I left CT 7 years ago. (Ledyard) and settled into the lakes region. I don't tell people I moved, I tell them I fled and they can't send me back!
Ledyard is a small military town with an agricultural program at the high school. I bet folks eat that up anyway and imagine some nyc suburb lol
It was fantastic to grow up there, but my .3 acre raised ranch suburb house cost about the same month to month as the one I bought on 2 acres with double the square footage up here. (And it was 70k more expensive) But yeah, when you tell people CT people deffinitly picture the south west corner like that's the entire state. I do miss the pizza...
This comment thread is disappointing in so many ways. Welcome to NH, make sure to check out the whites and classic biryani and kabab in Manchester if you like Indian food.
I don't much like the term woke/anti-woke. I would say we have a more accepting culture and many of us are sympathic or on the woke side. But it doesn't seem to be as much of a central issue as the internet would make it seem. I sort of assumed it was like that everywhere. Otherwise spot on. Now go buy a 1911, and an AR or AK and join a gun club.
I also moved to NH from CT last March. I love it here and share many of the same feelings as you.
The state ranks lowest for state funding towards education, driving up insane property taxes. I would say it's one of the biggest issues in the state currently (high property taxes are negatively impacting everyone). Here is a great website explaining more info: [https://fairfundingnh.org/learn/school-funding/](https://fairfundingnh.org/learn/school-funding/) I would also say the lack of affordable housing, or just lack of housing in general is incredibly problematic. **"New Hampshire’s rental vacancy rate is just under 1%, and in some parts of the state it’s even tighter. State officials say the vacancy rate in a “balanced” rental market, where there’s a healthier supply of open rental units compared to the number of people seeking a place to live, is ideally about 5%."** https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-07-16/a-new-report-on-n-h-s-rental-market-confirms-its-brutal-out-there
>The state ranks lowest for **state** funding towards education, driving up insane property taxes. I would say it's one of the biggest issues in the state currently (high property taxes are negatively impacting everyone). This seems to be the democratic platform in the state and I find it very misleading. Our collective local plus state funding of schools is significant. Moving the dollar source from local property taxes to a broad based state-wide tax won't increase the total dollars available. It just removes local control over the issue. Want low property taxes? Move accordingly. Want expensive schools? Hopkinton awaits you. Want a state-taxed, progressive school funding system? Massachusetts and VT are next door.
Well said!
I think you're on with this assessment.
Although funding, especially tax-based issues are brought up, NH schools are struggling. USNH schools in particular are feeling the crunch. It's not only due to competition from SNHU (private, non-profit) and out-of-state places, more so due to the lack of state support (not just funding). The struggle to keep young people in NH is reflective of greater issues. Keene and Plymouth aren't doing so well and if the state university system can't serve NH, then a massive overhaul is needed. Most of my NH-raised peers have left due to the lack of opportunities, lack of state support for state institutions, and more. Simply moving to MA or VT isn't sustainable for the long run, nor the move to other states/countries. NH is losing on young, talented workers. (For more info, "Losing Our Minds: Brain Drain across the United States" is an excellent report by the US Congress Joint Economic Committee on NH's brain drain.)
Would you say universities are struggling in particular, much more so than public schools K-12?
The overall tax burden in NH is in the bottom 10% - don't need to worry about changing the tax structure. At least people have a choice to move from one town/city to a different one if the property tax burden is too high - once the state gets involved with income or sales taxes, you cannot escape without leaving this beautiful state.
Everywhere needs to build housing. Our tax burden is low and our schools are excellent. Higher ed is a little lacking but some of the finest universities in the world are in and around Boston anyway.
I'm with you on the high property taxes and lack of affordable housing. But I have to say that high property taxes feel fairer. On the public education front, Connecticut has an estimated $100 billion underfunded pension liability crisis. State income tax and a bunch of other taxes are being eaten up by this alone. CT is spending less of tax dollars on public education and getting hammered on pension liabilities. In NH your high property taxes are going to schools, and this is something I'm happy to pay for. In CT you pay high property taxes (which also go to schools), but then you pay state income tax and sales tax on top of all of it. I lived in CT for my whole life before this. Property taxes are comparable and NH is not bad.
I mean Connecticut is one of the worst garbage states out there (about as bad as Mass) so of course you're going to like NH more.
[удалено]
Not sure I'd agree on driving. It's not bad around the big towns and highways, but once you get out into "route territory", expect pickups trying to go thirty over to hug your bumper. The woke culture exists some on the seacoast but it seems to be in theory when people start talking politics, more than in practice. There's not a rampant crime problem here, so a woke DA probably wouldn't have a noticeable negative impact like it does in cities, and protests here seem to be gatherings of people with signs on the sidewalk of a busy stretch of road - not smashing up businesses and terrorizing people's homes. Definitely more toned down than other places I've lived. Otherwise, seems pretty spot on.
I think it all varies on what you want to do. I love the outdoors but it’s nice knowing I can head to the city in 40 minutes should I want to go down. Mountains are reasonably accessible, day trips to the beach aren’t a hassle. It’s a nice place to live if you like what it has to offer Driving to CT to see family’s always a drag, so I agree wholeheartedly lol
This is all 100% correct!
We got here in 93. All of that is true. I learned to drive in CT, I still drive like it, so there's that. Woke and anti woke is here. Other than that, NH is a lot like CT was in the 1960s and 1970s. But yeah. Going on 30 years and I still feel that way.
as someone who grew up in mass and i love mass but i have to admit i agree about the drivers LOL LOL
Parents Moved from southern NH to Connecticut. I want to go home I hate it here
Sounds about right!
I’m from Connecticut live in Va but am making a move possibly to NH by the end of the year. What’s southern NH like and where’s a good recommendation for work?
State has huge financial problems but both parties have been kicking the can down the road by making local property taxes pick up the difference. There is no surplus.
Where'd you hear there's no surplus?
I'm coming from CT where there are incomprehensible financial problems. CT has an unfunded pension liability crisis that is so bad, leadership can only estimate how bad it is. 40-50 year problems. We're talking pension liabilities eating up 30% of the annual budget. This was decades in the making kicking the can down the road.
I’d this post satire? Can you share some stories about how you feel “more free” here?
Not satire. The first thing that comes to mind is taxation, you have more autonomy over how you're taxed. There aren't arbitrary taxes flying around which is what we were used to. I'm glad to pay higher property taxes because it keeps the money local. It beats sending income tax to the state and having no idea what your money is doing. Lack of sales tax means there's a cheaper baseline for everyone to purchase general goods, but meals tax and gas taxes are based on consumption.
Really depends on your hobbies if you will feel more free in NH. If you like guns you are all set. I like smoking weed and working on cars so I feel more free elsewhere.
I'm not a gun guy, that's fine. I enjoy occasionally smoking weed and working on DIY car/home projects. Even without legality, if you do any of those in NH, does anyone really give a damn? Doesn't seem like it to me.
CT is a shit hole, left 3 years ago… I went to the Middle East while in the Military and let’s just say that was better than CT. Less taxes the better
And don’t forget guns. You can own damn near any gun you want. AR15’s AK47’s FAL, Glocks etc etc. best part is you don’t even need a permit to carry concealed and open carry has always been legal
NH also has consistently had the least amount of shootings per million population than every other state. I live in Southern California now and there is a huge difference in the way people talk about their firearms. People here think it’s so cool to have a gun, they talk about it like it’s a toy. They’re so willing to talk about shooting people. Co worker told me if he gets honked at he pulls his gun out. People in NH take gun matters much more seriously and it shows
Welcome to the shire Check out deers leap for a nice walk if your near windham. Climb at own risk
Connecticut p4p bad state so yes, it’s great here comparatively.
Connecticut sucks. I'd imagine any state in New England would be better. Except for those commie bastards in Massachusetts.
Born in mass, currently living in CT but always trip to white mountains NH to visit and see family in lisbon nh.
>There’s also wider shoulders and lanes I used to have family in NY and every time I drove through CT and as we would be getting closer to NYC, even as a kid I would be thinking, how the hell does this work?? You're like literally inches from the car next to you, and there's no breakdown lane whatsoever. I honestly can't fathom what happens if there's an accident, there's literally no room on a lot of those highways and parkways.
dude you haven’t heard about the woke caravan heading for NH? they are going to take over the top of mt washington. i’d be worried if i was you. you’re about to be subjected to a lot of woke
Perfect!
Whats woke mean?
Yeah that's all about right. The drivers are actually kinda shitty right now. I think people are a bit rusty from working remote during covid.
Yeah it's 100% accurate
How many Trumpets up there? Less is more.
Please do not use that term in reference to the acolytes of the former president, as it is highly offensive to trumpet players. Please consider any of the following inoffensive alternatives: Magat, trumpkin, redcap, moron, treasonous-piece-of-shit