Possible Relocation to New Hampshire

So the wifey and I are done with the City scene and California in general and are contemplating a move to the New England area in the next couple of years, New Hampshire in particular. I grew up in the mountains of the gold country of Cali and never thought I would want to leave but now, this place is sucking hard. High crime, failing housing market, increased pollution, and just way too many damn people. Both our jobs are getting to the point where we can accomplish the majority of our work remotely from a home office. Both of us don't need much in the way of nightlife or big city luxuries and NH is looking like the perfect place to settle down for some nice quiet living and raising some little crumb snatchers (kids).

 

So I wanted to hear from some members who live in the area what their opinion is? Am I crazy for wanting to move there? Will I be persecuted for being a Californian transplant? Will my LGT feel right at home there? Anything I should know?

I think NH is great place for anyone to transplant to and thrive. Especially with telecommute jobs. Each area of the state offers something unique. I personally love the seacoast region and ease of escape to the mountains, lakes, ocean, and city culture not too far away(Boston/NYC).

 

I think the biggest change for you would be weather. We have four distinct seasons with some extremes in both heat(humid) and cold(frigid or wet cold). But in general it remains not really too hot nor too cold.

I live in FL but grew up No. of Boston and went to college in NH. You will live like a rock star in NH....trust me.

 

Mind you it is cold but if you can get past that...all is well. NH has high property taxes but no State tax and Sales tax so it about evens out. then again coming from CA, your taxes will most likely go down.

 

I know Bedford,NH is nice...a wealthy area so coming from CA you could live well in a town like that.

 

Best of luck!

We moved here in Jan, and most likely will never leave. Lived in SoCa for a while too. If you can do your job from home, then you are set. We moved to the seacoast area and feel like it is a mini cali in the terms that you've got the ocean and mountains right here. High housing prices in some markets, but you are used to that and from what I've seen the quality of the school system is commensurate with the taxes. Property tax as said above is high, but it evens out with no other taxes. We ski, so the winter is something we look forward too. Here's a similar thread I started in the fall when I was in your position. Good Luck! http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45426

We moved here in Jan, and most likely will never leave. Lived in SoCa for a while too. If you can do your job from home, then you are set. We moved to the seacoast area and feel like it is a mini cali in the terms that you've got the ocean and mountains right here. High housing prices in some markets, but you are used to that and from what I've seen the quality of the school system is commensurate with the taxes. Property tax as said above is high, but it evens out with no other taxes. We ski, so the winter is something we look forward too. Here's a similar thread I started in the fall when I was in your position. Good Luck! http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45426

 

That is a first about the Seacoast being a 'mini Cali'....

That is a first about the Seacoast being a 'mini Cali'....

 

I know - wierd analogy. ONLY from the perspective that there is so much to offer in terms of ocean and mountains in a small state. Cali you could surf in the morning and be up to Mammoth to ski that afternoon.

Thanks for the encouraging words. One thing we liked about being in the central valley in CA is that the mountains and ocean are both nearby. We were looking at multiple places around NH. Littleton, Concord, Charlestown. And are looking for somewhere that has an few acres of property. The wife wants to have lots of animals and all that stuff. I wouldn't mind having a lake or river nearby to fish and kayak around in. We are hoping to make the move by 2009 or sooner. All depending on what we can get out of our current house and the telecommuting thing works out.

NH > CA

nuff' said.

 

and yes, your LGT will love it, you can actually use the AWD in the winter...

NH > CA

nuff' said.

 

and yes, your LGT will love it, you can actually use the AWD in the winter...

 

Depends where live in both states on both your points above.......

Born and raised in NH. I lived in VT for 5 years (college) and VA for 1.5 years (post college)...moved back to NH cause I missed the region.

 

I'm in Manchester and its 1 hr from almost everything: Boston, seacoast and mountains.

 

Maple Syrup. Period. If you're going to live here, have the real stuff (which is made here and VT and MA and Canada) and don't even think about the faux stuff.

 

Bedford, (NE) Concord, Lakes Region (Laconia, Tilton, etc) and a few of the 'burbs of Portsmouth have the land and high prices to match.

 

Most state roads rock in terms of driving...watch for the low flying planes on the interstates, as the State Troopers use lines in the road and NO radar to trap you.

 

Some cities really bite in terms of road conditions...and stay out of Boston if you want to keep your suspension aligned and rims straight....I don't know what they do with their road budget...but they don't spend it on roads. I-93 (in MA) has terrible road contractors working on it right now and they have NO quality control!

 

It is easy to get away here...get far enough out for peace and quiet and doesn't take too long to get back to society to get the grocceries or home improvement items.

 

NHIS (not just for NASCAR) is here and Bike Week is celebrated in Laconia every year on Fathers Day weekend....if you're into that kind of thing. Highland games are also held in northern NH.

 

Speaking of northern NH....great skiing country and a lot of country is still untouched....great to go sight seeing (VT is great for seeing untouched nature too!).

 

And, you're not too far from Maine....where the Maine Forest Rally is held every year...and I think they are bringing back the Winter Rally too.....I think.

 

And 2 things I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy:

1. tax free shopping (that means online too!)

2. 93 octane!

 

Come on over man! I'd love to see another Legacy out here! I have 2 co-workers from California that absolutely love it here!

Some cities really bite in terms of road conditions...and stay out of Boston if you want to keep your suspension aligned and rims straight....I don't know what they do with their road budget...but they don't spend it on roads. I-93 (in MA) has terrible road contractors working on it right now and they have NO quality control!

Must be a Spec B thing. I live in Boston, commute regularly to Manchvegas and often drive in Northern New England. No New England state has a monopoly on poor roads. I've bent one rim and busted one tire in Boston, and another in Nashua, NH. New England's Spring is designed to keep construction crews busy all summer repairing frost damage and erosion.....

 

To add a little to all of the above, there are a few areas that are attracting more year-round residents with families than in the past. New London/Lake Sunapee is one. Lebanon/Hanover is another. The Seacoast is a little less popular with families as they have to go to HS with the 'brookers, so they tend to move to Exeter/Stratham/Newfields.

 

There's a whole "Free State" / Libertarian movement going on in NH. But there is also a lot of migration by families from the PRM, so the whole Democrat/Republican/Libertarian mix is in flux. When I lived in NH, Meldrim Thompson was Governor - now they're just as slick as any others.

 

NH's tax burden is one of the lowest overall in the US: by contrast, Maine and Vermont are among the most costly (MA is about the middle). But because there are no progressive, broad-based taxes school funding is an issue. I take that back - school funding is an issue everywhere. But in NH, they take from the rich and give to the poor, and the whole system of school funding is a quagmire, with threatened Federal action to boot.

 

To put the property tax issue in perspective, a friend of mine lives in Bedford. His house is appraised approximately the same as ours in Boston and he's paying about $10,000 a year in real estate taxes, according to him. In Boston, ours has increased significantly - to $4,400. If you have a high income, NH may be advantageous but be sure you have a handle on it. The true state motto is "Live Tax Free or Die - except Property Taxes"

 

What has happened time and again is that a bunch of families move to a small town with low taxes but a big new development. This overburdens the existing services and requires big increases in RE taxes to fund their new schools, police, fire, etc.

 

But the natural beauty of the White Mountains is unmatched elsewhere in New England, and you still have easy access to the rest of New England. And as far as Subarus go, since 48% of all Subarus in North America are in New England, no matter where you settle the place will be filthy with them - although LGT's are still rarish.

 

Be careful what you wish for. I always tell our VT customers that "I like Vermont so much I'm not going to move there." With population growth comes suburbia, strip malls, rising taxes and more regulation. But not necessarily more employment.

 

Being from CA is no BFD like it would be in the Pacific Northwest. It would be an interesting oddity. In NH most scorn is reserved for recent MA transplants. The people who usually heap on the abuse most likely also moved from MA, just not as recently.

i vote STAY IN CA or move to Houston

CA > NH

Why not northern MA? Enjoy the lower property taxes and better schools and hop over the border to pluder everything NH has to offer.

I live in FL but grew up No. of Boston and went to college in NH. You will live like a rock star in NH....trust me.

 

Mind you it is cold but if you can get past that...all is well. NH has high property taxes but no State tax and Sales tax so it about evens out. then again coming from CA, your taxes will most likely go down.

 

I know Bedford,NH is nice...a wealthy area so coming from CA you could live well in a town like that.

 

Best of luck!

 

 

your fvcking crazy!!! aour cost of living in waaaaaaaaaaay up since you went to school.

 

FLA, I would have to make 10k less a year to live in Tampa compared to DOVER, NH

 

A downtown 1, yes I said one bedroom apartment in Portsmouth is $500,000.

 

The average 2.5 BR Ranch house in southern NH, $300,000

 

Rent of a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apt in Manchester, $1,300 a month not including utilities.

 

NH is not cheap to live in by any means. COLA will not adjust between cali and NH.

 

In fact, if you move to NH in the portsmouth area and you are single, the poverty line is 40k. If you make less then 40k, you live in poverty.

 

If you are married, and make less then 80k, you live in poverty.

 

OP

 

Unless you plan on living in the mountains, and I do mean back country mountains... plan on paying at least 350k for a decent house.

 

Nashua NH is ghetto

Manchester is Ghetto (sorry freak)

Concord is ghetto

Portsmouth is beautiful but super expensive and the same applies to Dover.

 

I would think more about VT. Much cheaper to live there.

Ask bergs, he lives in NH. But his LGT is coming to live with me!

Why not northern MA? Enjoy the lower property taxes and better schools and hop over the border to pluder everything NH has to offer.

 

 

Why not? every masshole does it anyway! Just look at 95 and 93 north on a friday or 95/93s on a Sunday.

 

ALL MASSHOLE PLATES!!!

 

You don't want to live in Mass... they polluted their own lakes and rivers so bad that they come north to infest ours.

 

Why do think Nashua went from the best city to live in in the United States to one of the worst crime ridden small cities in the country? you guessed it!!! the widening of rte 3 brought every masshole and their brother from lowell, lawerence and dracut into NH.

 

Now the massholes have infested manchester. Crime rate has qaudrupled in 10 years...

 

I like how high the property taxes are on the seacoast. Keeps the riff raff out of my back yard.

 

Like I said, consider VT or anywhere far enough away from boston that you don't get murdered by Cost of living.

You're funny.

I speak the truf!

NH , the liquor is cheap . I take often trips from NY to stock up .

Also very clean .

Also speaks the truf^^^^^

your fvcking crazy!!! aour cost of living in waaaaaaaaaaay up since you went to school.

 

FLA, I would have to make 10k less a year to live in Tampa compared to DOVER, NH

 

A downtown 1, yes I said one bedroom apartment in Portsmouth is $500,000.

 

The average 2.5 BR Ranch house in southern NH, $300,000

 

Rent of a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apt in Manchester, $1,300 a month not including utilities.

 

NH is not cheap to live in by any means. COLA will not adjust between cali and NH.

 

In fact, if you move to NH in the portsmouth area and you are single, the poverty line is 40k. If you make less then 40k, you live in poverty.

 

If you are married, and make less then 80k, you live in poverty.

 

OP

 

Unless you plan on living in the mountains, and I do mean back country mountains... plan on paying at least 350k for a decent house.

 

Nashua NH is ghetto

Manchester is Ghetto (sorry freak)

Concord is ghetto

Portsmouth is beautiful but super expensive and the same applies to Dover.

 

I would think more about VT. Much cheaper to live there.

 

So when you mention ghetto, it can't possibly be as bad as in the CA central valley which is one of our main reasons for getting out. Turn on the news around here lately and we have multiple drive-by murders with no suspects caught, increased home invasions, a stabbing at the local mall in broad daylight, nobody caught, CHP officer was trying to lay down a tack strip ahead of a high speed pursuit and the guy they were chasing mowed him down going over 80 mph. It's been crazy. Population has grown over 200% here the last 5 years with no additional law enforcement. Traffic is a nightmare too. It takes me 45 minutes to go roughly 13 miles from work to my house. What used to be a hour and a half to two hour drive to San Francisco now can take up to 4 hours at times.

 

Either way, we do plan on finding a place in the country, away from the larger cities. We don't mind travelling a little extra for luxuries. Don't care for strip malls, don't need any foo-foo BS. Just want to live the simple life. As for income, were a-okay. Between the wife and I we pulled in about $150k last year and as long as we can maintain that sort of income, we will be doing just fine. About $330k will be our budget for a home there. Here in Sacramento, $330k gets you a two-story 1318sq. ft. house from which your neighbors are located 5 feet to either side. I can literally touch my neighbors house and mine at the same time. My back yard is 9ft. x 25ft.

 

Now we just have to wait and do a little more saving. Hoping to have enough saved to move, and spend the first month or two getting acclimated and settling in before we return to work.

A caveat for those of you "from away." New England has these little tiny states. When you drive through it, it will all seem like one contiguous region. But squabbling amongst these teeny-tiny states gave us something to do during Winter before snowmobiles were invented....Five of the 10 smallest states are in New England, and Maine - which is about half of New England - is ranked 39th. California is 3X all six New England states. If the six states were lumped together as one, we'd still only be #21.

 

Why not? every masshole does it anyway! Just look at 95 and 93 north on a friday or 95/93s on a Sunday.

 

ALL MASSHOLE PLATES!!!

BTW are you a NH native?

 

This is pretty funny. 93 and 95 South are packed with commuters from NH going to work in MA every day. If there is one raindrop, traffic is stop and go bumper-to-bumper from NH exit to on 93 S all the way to Boston. And in Boston you avoid NH plated vehicles as they are undoubtedly looking up at the signs and won't roll down the window to ask directions from anyone, as we would undoubtedly kill them, sell their livers, and eat their dogs if they stopped and asked for directions.

 

But all those enlightened NH residents must not be stupid, right? Apparently they have decided that despite having to pay NH real estate taxes and MA state income taxes, having a job in MA beats cutting logs or making paper.

 

You don't want to live in Mass... they polluted their own lakes and rivers so bad that they come north to infest ours.

This is also pretty funny. You live on the Seacoast, right? Which means you can probably see the Seabrook nuclear plant from your house. I suppose all those no-deposit beer cans in your lakes and up and down the highways were all dropped by MA residents? NH is the only New England state without a bottle deposit. New Hampshire, with a population of 1.3 million, has 20 SuperFund sites. MA, with a population five times greater, has 34.

 

Why do think Nashua went from the best city to live in in the United States to one of the worst crime ridden small cities in the country? you guessed it!!! the widening of rte 3 brought every masshole and their brother from lowell, lawerence and dracut into NH.

This is a thigh slapper. You have to have moved in to the region recently, or be really young, or both. When I was growing up Nashua was considered an armpit. We planned to put an office there but NH residents said they didn't want to drive there for training as the traffic was too bad. It's always sucked: they just got some good PR for a while.

 

Like I said, consider VT or anywhere far enough away from boston that you don't get murdered by Cost of living.

Vermont is very nice and shows what New Hampshire could have done to preserve the open spaces instead of letting them get plastered with billboards.

 

But unlike NH they are not lucky enough to be an economic colony of MA. As a result, they have the highest overall tax burden in the nation (Maine is second, MA 32nd, NH last). In Vermont recent NY transplants are demonized instead of recent MA transplants, though. And in northern NH, the woodchucks demonize the recent transplants from Southern NH suburbs.....

We're ridiculously psyched that we chose to move to VT full-time last year. My girlfriend and I are both telecommuting effectively, as you'd expect the local economy relies mostly on tourism, service jobs and agriculture. But the Upper Valley region of NH / VT probably offers all of the things you guys are looking for. Check out the Hanover / Lebanon region and you can get a sense of what this part of the world is all about. Culture, education, natural beauty and all... It can definitely be had. You should definitely take a few trips to get the lay of the land and really get a sense of the differences between NH and VT. For us, wer're lucky to make city-esque salaries while our cost of living has been seriously minimized, and we always shop in West Leb which is about 35 mins away... on some great roads

 

Your LGT will adjust very nicely... although it's much harder to keep it clean in the winter, though.... I've only seen a handful since we moved up. Plenty of Subies, but the LGT always seems rare...

 

PS - We've got lakes and rivers all over the place, but for a real lakeside setting - have you considered Burlington? Most of VT lives up in that portion of the state, plenty to offer near Lake Champlain...

So when you mention ghetto, it can't possibly be as bad as in the CA central valley which is one of our main reasons for getting out. Turn on the news around here lately and we have multiple drive-by murders with no suspects caught, increased home invasions, a stabbing at the local mall in broad daylight, nobody caught, CHP officer was trying to lay down a tack strip ahead of a high speed pursuit and the guy they were chasing mowed him down going over 80 mph. It's been crazy. Population has grown over 200% here the last 5 years with no additional law enforcement. Traffic is a nightmare too. It takes me 45 minutes to go roughly 13 miles from work to my house. What used to be a hour and a half to two hour drive to San Francisco now can take up to 4 hours at times.

 

Either way, we do plan on finding a place in the country, away from the larger cities. We don't mind travelling a little extra for luxuries. Don't care for strip malls, don't need any foo-foo BS. Just want to live the simple life. As for income, were a-okay. Between the wife and I we pulled in about $150k last year and as long as we can maintain that sort of income, we will be doing just fine. About $330k will be our budget for a home there. Here in Sacramento, $330k gets you a two-story 1318sq. ft. house from which your neighbors are located 5 feet to either side. I can literally touch my neighbors house and mine at the same time. My back yard is 9ft. x 25ft.

 

Now we just have to wait and do a little more saving. Hoping to have enough saved to move, and spend the first month or two getting acclimated and settling in before we return to work.

 

your comparing apples and oranges!

 

when did I ever compare CA to NH? NEVER!

 

I simply said that VT is a much better choice.

 

BTW are you a NH native?

 

This is pretty funny. 93 and 95 South are packed with commuters from NH going to work in MA every day. If there is one raindrop, traffic is stop and go bumper-to-bumper from NH exit to on 93 S all the way to Boston. And in Boston you avoid NH plated vehicles as they are undoubtedly looking up at the signs and won't roll down the window to ask directions from anyone, as we would undoubtedly kill them, sell their livers, and eat their dogs if they stopped and asked for directions.

 

But all those enlightened NH residents must not be stupid, right? Apparently they have decided that despite having to pay NH real estate taxes and MA state income taxes, having a job in MA beats cutting logs or making paper.

 

 

Numerous studies contacted by numerous magazines, newspapers and traffic specialists will agree that MASS drivers are by far the worst in the country.

You can not argue the facts.

 

Maybe if your corrupt liberal gov would fix the roads instead of lining their own pockets people wouldnt get lost. ANd don't throw stones VVG.... you dont know your way around Boston either. You just happen to have MA plates.

 

And your little comment about paper mills and cutting trees?

 

I guess you've never been to Merrimack NH. You would know that Fidelity Investments emplys 6000+ people, half of which are from mass, in two buildings there.

 

the Budwieser plant, employs another 3000. BAE employes another 2500.

 

Remember the first gulf war? the tomohawk missles? yeah... made in Merrimack.

 

The next time you start your car, you can thank a BAE MERRIMACK employee. Next time you drink a budweiser product... you can thank my father and MERRIMACK plant. If your a beer snob, you can thank redhook (oh snap!!! budwieser own rehook!) And when its time for me to retire at 45... Thank you fidelity.

 

Oh and one more thing. Do you know which state has the most millionaires? Oh yeah.. it's NH

 

 

This is also pretty funny. You live on the Seacoast, right? Which means you can probably see the Seabrook nuclear plant from your house. I suppose all those no-deposit beer cans in your lakes and up and down the highways were all dropped by MA residents? NH is the only New England state without a bottle deposit. New Hampshire, with a population of 1.3 million, has 20 SuperFund sites. MA, with a population five times greater, has 34.

 

this is like shooting fish in a barrell cuz your talking out of your ass

 

the seabrook power plant is nuclear.... no emmisions... and it used to power MA to as it is owned by municipal utilities in Massachusetts It was built in seabrook because the north shore of MA is not condusive for building such sites.

 

Don't talk to me about litter.... we have one of the cleanest states. Mass is deplorable when it comes to litter. ANYONE who has been to both states will agree. We don't shit where we eat.

 

And your 100% correct about the super fund sites.

 

too bad 60% of your population lives in Boston. kinda sceeeeeews the numbers a bit... Plus again.... all Massachusetts comapanies that owned the superfund sites.

 

Ever heard of the movie Erin Brocovich? See that didn't take place in NH because WE took care your mess. We cleaned our sites up. YOUR government turned a blind eye while helpless children died.

 

 

This is a thigh slapper. You have to have moved in to the region recently, or be really young, or both. When I was growing up Nashua was considered an armpit. We planned to put an office there but NH residents said they didn't want to drive there for training as the traffic was too bad. It's always sucked: they just got some good PR for a while.

 

again... talking out your ass...

 

I lived in Merrimack for 25 years. I watched Nashua go from a perfect little town to shit hole from 1999-2003 (same time the rte 3 expansion ended.)

I bet you lived in the tree streets didn't you?

 

As far as people complaining obout traffic? THERE IS NONE!!! think about it... in the AM everyone is going south.... in the PM, north. It's smooth sailing on RTE 3 if your going the opposite way of traffic. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT!!!

 

Vermont is very nice and shows what New Hampshire could have done to preserve the open spaces instead of letting them get plastered with billboards.

 

But unlike NH they are not lucky enough to be an economic colony of MA. As a result, they have the highest overall tax burden in the nation (Maine is second, MA 32nd, NH last). In Vermont recent NY transplants are demonized instead of recent MA transplants, though. And in northern NH, the woodchucks demonize the recent transplants from Southern NH suburbs.....

 

It's called growth... it happens when you have a successful government leading your state.

 

Maybe you should concentrate on your own state before pointing fingers.

 

Mass has the potential, but not the leadership.

Maybe I missed in your previous post whether you were a NH native or not? If not, where from?

 

When and where did you say you've lived yourself in MA? Just wondering, as to me "talking out of your ass" would be never having actually lived there.

 

I've lived in Amherst, Hampton, Nashua, and Portsmouth so I have some first hand experience in the Live Tax Free or Die state. We also rent 5,000 sf of office space, employ 8 NH residents, and have three company cars plated there. I bought my last Subaru at Manchester Subaru, who offered much better prices than Wakefield, Ira or Planet (actually Planet wouldn't give me a price).