Guys and gals,
I am looking to get out of this state of mine (New Jersey) and I would like to know from those that live there the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Fill me in on what the state is like and any other info such as the best places to live or places to avoid, how is employment, etc.

I KNOW the gun laws have to be a hell of a lot better than my current situation!

I am going to make the jump with my wife and my 5 and 7 year old to somewhere in under 2 years so fill me in.

Thanks,
RW3

Actung! STOP HIM! He ist getting avay!!  

Ok,  I will give it a shot.  I actually just moved back to NH.  I personally like the north end of the state due to the absence of people there. Unfortunately there are not a lot of job opportunties up there so I find myself livin' south of the Whites.  Gun laws are pretty laid back, we are a Shall Issue concealed carry state so that is cool.  No sales or state income tax.  I would avoid the Mass border at all costs especially the seacoast area.  But that's just me.  I'm not a big fan of folks from mass - too anti-gun for my taste.  If you fish or hunt we got lots of that, too.  Be prepared for nasty weather and constantly overcast skies. The lack of sunshine affects me the most I think. But other than that it's a cool place to be.

Honestly, I couldn't picture myself wanting to be anywhere else.

Google "Most livable state" and see what turns up.

Yeah, winters are cold and snowy ... Got a woodstove, that takes care of that.

Gun laws are GREAT. You don't need anything but a drivers license to buy a gun here, and there's no waiting period, or State background check at all. You can, quite literally buy on a whim if you feel like it (and I've done so) ... Just fill out your 4473, wait for the FIC to go through and you're out the door.

Small, liberty minded Government.

OK ... property taxes .... mmmm, a bit on the high side.

BUT

There's no sales tax.

There's no State income tax.

No Capital gains tax.

Bottom line is ... we hate taxes. A "Former Governor" hinted that she thought it would be a swell idea to institute a sales tax, and Income tax. Guess who was looking for a new job the following election?

No helmet law if your into motorcycles.

Lots of jobs in the high-tech sector

Low poverty rate

One of the lowest crime rats in the country

Beautiful country ... Mountains, forests, lakes, and even a little bit of seacoast too.

You'll love it here.

+1

Property taxes can be tough, and some towns dont have public services like trash pick up,  but I think the beauty, cleaner enviornment, and peacefulness outweights all of the negatives in my mind. I live in the southern part as my job requires me to leech off of the wealthy people in the andovers in Mass(ok not leech, but they are the ones who are willing to pay contractors good coin for great work)but Im still in a quiet part of NH where there are trees in between houses and my backyard isnt someones front yard! Oh yeah I went to Manchester Firing line range to function test my new rifle, and while I was walking in to the range both of my Mass friends say "what are you crazy walking into the range with the AR slung across my back?". I told them to relax as this is a FREE STATE. Ok ill shut up now about NH, but its just that I really like it here that causes me to ramble on.

Consider that property tax and town vehicle tax are the bulk of what you pay. So, thats not at all bad as far as tax burden. Also almost every town has a town mtg/school lmtg where you can go to be active in how govt spends YOUR money. Ive lived many places but NH is hands down THE BEST in almost every regard esp citizen involvment in govt. The legislature is part time so all those reps have to do something else to make a living and arent constantly thinking of ways to enslave and fleece the taxpayers.

Not having services isnt a problem. Septic and wells are far better than the alternatives. Going to the dump really brings you in contact w/ your neighbors and lots of valuable items you can take back home for future repairs and projects. In short the dump is where the town meets...the heart beat if you will.

Youll want to toughen up your hide b/c there are lots of biting insects which will feast on you esp the black flys, deer flys and mosquitos. There are ticks as well (a couple varieties). I think though you have his sort of thing going on in NJ too.

While hunting isnt as good as many other states its still passable. Unlike other states NH has something I believe is called the 'right of trespass'. Unless the land is posted you can walk from parcel to parcel. Most folks dont mind as long as you use common sense and dont trash the place up. If youre quiet and get out often youll see a boat load of wildlife. Oh, theres also coyote night hunting in Jan. That rocks!!!

Probably the worst time of year is summer b/c it seems that all of Mass migrates north into the state. They clog the roads and are generally obnoxious. Its always good to see them leave. They claim to love freedom but are the first to dump on NH for its lack of this or that law.

If you move to NH do your best to merge into town life and get to know their ways. In short become one of the locals instead of trying to change things to what youre familiar w/. I saw this happen a few times in the town I left...one group trying to change whats worked superbly for many yrs. In the end the changers lost.

Generally people are pretty friendly (outside of the bigger cities) but require some time to get to know you. Once they warm up to you all is good. Then again some folks just want to be left alone. Youll know right away which is which. If your town has a range join it...thats a great place to get to know the locals and join in. BTW there are precious few gun restrictions in NH...this will be radically different than what youre used to in NJ.

The best parts of the state are farthest from the Mass border or at least off the beaten path. I lived in Candia for almost 20 yrs and that was a good place. It was, until recently, passed over in favor of Auburn or Raymond. Thats changed in the last few yrs and the developers are tearing up the land right & left. I was thinking of going north until I got layed off. If you must have a job then its going to be a tough call. The jobs are mostly in the southern part of the state but the best places to live are north. While commuting isnt at all bad most of the time winter will certainly slow things down. Making a long commute will get old fast.

Being in NH youre close to all the other New England states (easy drives). You get the best of all worlds...ocean, mountains, big cities, some great entertainment and attractions but you can still live in a quiet rural setting. If you move there I think youll agree NH is the nicest place in all the 50 states...a true gem.



ETA: NH has nearly no crime outside the cities. Its an awesome place to raise children. Our three grew up there and it was no problem to let them go most of the day on their bikes around town alone. We lived on a dirt road w/ plenty of holes and washboard so the traffic was minimal and slow. In fact all of the folks who lived on that road petitioned the town NOT to paved it. If its not broke dont fix it. Dirt roads work better in the winter anyway...mud season is another story though.

One of the ugly things is road salt in the winter. Dont expect your car body to last very long. In fact its best to drive a beater in the winter months and the 'nice' car the rest of the year.

I escaped from MA (originally from TX) and moved to NH this last summer.   It has been a refreshing change and I'm only disappointed that I didn't to it earlier.

A lot of people have already listed the pros of moving to NH and you can find a great list here:Free State Project

I'm in Southern, NH - primarly due to the job opportunities, but the state is full of self employed people and opportunities so the sky is the limit.  My only concern is that other MA residents (mostly liberals - I'm the exception) are moving up to NH and are slowly ruining the state.  I've read a number of bills that were recently submitted to the legislature this session that are anti-gun and I can only assume that the MA influence is begining to be felt.  I've joined both pro-gun orgs in NH and am hoping we can maintain the NH way of life.  

I hate these posts.

So close yet so far.


During the summer I go weekly to a family lake house on the Great East Lake.  Leave Friday night, and wake up to the fresh crisp air and the unbelievable view of the lake and the hills across.  It's so worth the 2 hour drive, which is actualy relaxing as well, except for July 4, which can be hell.

I would avoid the southern part as much as possible.  I was born and raised in Nashua; lived there for 35 years.  It was such a wonderful place in the 70's, when I was a kid.  Now it is way overbuilt (it is basically northern Mass now).  All the woods are basically gone and houses are everywhere.  It's sad.  All Mass refugees or strip malls.  And these same Mass refugees are trying to make NH like the place they fled from.

I would try to go north as far as I could (north central) if I were you.  Granted, most of the higher paying jobs are probably located in Manchester to Nashua, but there it is.  The seacoast is a liberal hole, but still better than Mass.  university of NH is located in Durham, and they are pretty pinko there (got my masters there).  The western part is turning pinko as well (west south).  They have Keene State College that-a-away, and they are pinkos (I went to KSC as well).  All in all, it's a great state, but will get worse because of the Mass dirtbags.

ETA:  Avoid Salem. NH  - it is full of dirtbags from Mass as well...

"most of the higher paying jobs are probaly located in Manchester to Nashua, but there it is."

I would include Concord and P'mouth. There are some pretty nice places to live up Rt 16 above Rochester.

"The western part is turning pinko as well (west south)."

Are you referring to the Franklin Gold Diggers?


"ETA:  Avoid Salem. NH  - it is full of dirtbags from Mass as well..."

and Plaistow...

Speaking of the Franklin Gold Diggers: This is one of the ugly parts of NH. Several yrs ago Franklin felt the state owned them money b/c their school system was in general disrepair and their 'product' was substd. The premise was that money = quality education. Skipping forward the NH supreme court sided w/ Franklin and ruled that monies should be provided by the state to 'right the wrongs'. The legislature basically turned a blind eye to the ruling in a fit of gross cowardice and so began a protracted battle to take from the 'rich' towns and give to the 'poor' so all could be 'equal' educationally. I think it was only recently settled after many years of rangling and changing this and that. I suspect it'll rear its ugly head again too....and never truely be settled. Education is a big hot button in the state and how its funded is a battle ground that the liberals want to keep active. A look at a property tax bill will be a BIG shock. Depending on the town and county well over 90% goes to schools. Its very lopsided to be sure and what is spent has little to do w/ the quality of student thats graduated. The state allows charter schools but I think few if any have been approved that Im aware of. So, even though most of your taxes for school go to the town a portion goes to Concord and is redistributed by the state (sounds a lot like something Marx might approve of). That is, you as a town resident have NO say in how its used or allowed or raised. Its a sad reality that promises tax hikes in the future.

You mean Claremont I+II?

Duh....yup thats them Sorry! Wasnt Franklin in on that deal too as a 'poor' town too??

Also avoid Claremont like the black plague.

Quoted: Also avoid Claremont like the black plague.

+10 There is no legitimate reason to go anywhere near Claremont.

If a state can have an armpit.....then Claremont is one.

Couple of quick thoughts on taxes and "lack of services."

It's kind of nice that the only tax burden is one that's deductible off my federal income tax.  Try that with sales tax.  What it really means is that my tax burden is actually less than it appears.  As was stated earlier, education is the heaviest hit on taxes, and you can "tax shop" if you don't have kids or care whether or not your town has K-12 or just a middle school.

In regard to services, what they really did was unbundle them from your tax burden.  If you live in NY, say, and don't use municipal garbage service (preferring instead to haul it out yourself), try asking for that money back from your taxes.  You pay for it whether you use it or not.  Gargage service is available in every town around where I live. It's just commerical, and you pay for it.  Want it?  Pay for it.  Don't want it?  Don't pay for it.  I like it.

And, as was said previously, going to the "transfer station" (town dump) is almost a small-town ritual around here.  It's where you seel all your neighbors.

I was a late relocate, but I love it here, and wouldn't live anywhere else in New England.

I wasnt mentioning the lack of services as a negative to me, but just something to expect and look into so there wont be any surprises. I didnt mind going to the local transfer station and it was great for things like getting rid of motor oil or brush in the yard, or old air conditioners, appliances etc. Some people when they find that out are shocked and are disgusted to the fact people dont come and pick up your trash. I myself love the fact that say you have a party in the middle of the week you can go the next day and rid yourself of the smelly trash. Property taxes are something else to reasearch. Some towns the tax per $1000 is crazy high and might make a $300k home out of reach if taxes are in the $7k a year vs a more reasonable $3500 a year. One other thing to consider is if you have children in school reasearch the school system a bit as alot of towns have regional schools vs a local school. Im not saying anything negative about regional schools but it may be something new to those who move here.

I wasn't arguing with the services thing.  Just offereing a different perspective.  Believe it or not, we still run into people who "feel" they should be paying taxes for some reason.  It's like "Dude!  Where's my taxes??"

That's a good point about researching the tax rates.  They can vary widely.

Here's a link to the Property Tax home page.  Check it out.

www.nh.gov/revenue/property_tax/index.htm

Quoted: Quoted: Also avoid Claremont like the black plague. +10 There is no legitimate reason to go anywhere near Claremont. If a state can have an armpit.....then Claremont is one.

It is a "trailer park" town.  I live in Lempster which is 3 towns south I guess.  I love the little town I live it.    I only go over to Claremont to go to the Market Basket for groceries.    Lempters no Zoning Laws, next to no town gubbermint, and everything restrictive that is put in front of the people for a vote, gets shot down in flames.  

I hate to bust your bubble, but...
New Hampshire is turning into  New Jersey...
Its just further north.

Great thread and such a timely topic for me.  Looking to move from VT to NH this summer.  Unfortunately I will probably end up in the southern area for a year or so but would like to be around the Plymouth area.  Good info about Claremont - explains why it's so cheap to live there and I will no longer look in that area.

I'm already use to the cold and salt so it's really a big change for me.  Just closer to family which is the purpose of the move in the first place.  

Suppressors are legal too...correct?

Quoted: Suppressors are legal too...correct?

Correct

Quoted: The lack of sunshine affects me the most I think. But other than that it's a cool place to be.

It's obvious you haven't lived here very long, or are from Arizona .

I'm in Nashua. Pelham Fish and Game has a nice range and they are Class III friendly. My local carry permit cost $10 and I got it with very little hassle. I don't pay state taxes either

Quoted: I'm in Nashua. Pelham Fish and Game has a nice range and they are Class III friendly. My local carry permit cost $10 and I got it with very little hassle. I don't pay state taxes either

How long did it take you to get your License from Nashua?  I know for the most part they dont abide by the 14 day state law.  

Quoted: Quoted: I'm in Nashua. Pelham Fish and Game has a nice range and they are Class III friendly. My local carry permit cost $10 and I got it with very little hassle. I don't pay state taxes either How long did it take you to get your License from Nashua?  I know for the most part they dont abide by the 14 day state law.

I waited two weeks to go back to the PD but my license was signed and ready after 1 week if I remember correctly. They're pretty good about expediting paperwork.

Hello all. It's funny how I got AR fever at the same time I took a transfer in my company to move to Southern NH. Then I find this site and find info about NH as well as great AR info. Of course I'll be looking for some nice ranges.

I'll offcially start the new job next month around Keene but won't be a resident until my girlfriend and I sell our condos in Western CT and she finds a job.  Don't worry, I won't be bringing typical CT BS to NH. hippie.gif

Hard to beat the NH state motto.

How is Hillsboro? Home prices/taxes seem reasonable there. Compaired to CT they are. Seems to be a good mid-point between Keene, Concord and Manchester as well.

Jumbo dont know much about Hillsborough.  I only pass thru it commuting to work.  From what I can tell it has everything you need while still having that small town feel.    

Quoted: Hello all. It's funny how I got AR fever at the same time I took a transfer in my company to move to Southern NH. Then I find this site and find info about NH as well as great AR info. Of course I'll be looking for some nice ranges. I'll offcially start the new job next month around Keene but won't be a resident until my girlfriend and I sell our condos in Western CT and she finds a job.  Don't worry, I won't be bringing typical CT BS to NH. Hard to beat the NH state motto. How is Hillsboro? Home prices/taxes seem reasonable there. Compaired to CT they are. Seems to be a good mid-point between Keene, Concord and Manchester as well.

Hillsboro is a really great place (in my view). NH has done alot to improve the roads to Hillsboro so commuting should be pretty easy. If we ever move back Id like to settle in Hillsboro...or the general area.

Thanks for the info.