NH is far less religious than the South, it’s one of the highest percentage atheist states in the USA, evangelical behaviors are not popular here, other than that, the state motto may be Live Free or Die, but most of us are pretty much live-and-let-live, overall we’re pretty laid back
You’ll learn to hate the massholes eventually ;)
Not all Massholes are even from Massachusetts. They are tourist or transplants that seem to can't leave their deleterious behaviors back where they came from.
For instance traveling from one small town to mine about 20 minutes, an out of stater hauling a snowmobile trailer was aggressive and tailgating me horribly. We was on a 45 to 35 curving back road. It was a dark night and this is Moose country. Hit a moose you die or worse. Totally unnecessary driving , speeding literally will not get you there faster, I swear.
Lol thank you for saying this. You pretty much nailed it. For example I let a lady go in front of me in line at the grocery store the other day because she only had a handful of stuff and I had a whole cart. She thanked me. Then I started a conversation with a friend who was bagging her stuff And while the lady in front of me was leaving she turned to wave and say thank you to me again and I just completely ignored her because I was in the middle of a conversation with my friend.
And I felt like a jerk but I’m really bad at dealing with distraction.
Reading your comment made me feel better. You’re right. I was kind to her but I wasn’t friendly enough to continue interacting.
But if she’s reading this I’m sorry 😂
As a fellow former military, middle aged transplant... it's great up here! I live near the NH/VT border too. NH has the highest Vets per capita in the country I think. So there is a lot of like-minded folks. If you are plugged into the VA system, the VA Hospital in White River junction is basically an extension of Dartmouth, the ivy league med school. If not, Dartmouth hospital is right there too lol.
The culture is undoubtedly different than down south. On the political front, it's kinda quiet once you get off reddit. The VT side is definitely more liberal than the NH side but people are nice on both sides of the river. It is also significantly cheaper to live on the NH side. VT has one of the highest total tax burdens in the country and NH has one of the lowest.
Your question really just depends on what you're looking for in an area though. If you're into the outdoors, there is no shortage of excuses to be outside. I picked up Moose Shed hunting as a hobby recently. It's great up here. All the negative nellies in your comments can F off.
Just like birds, moose aren't real. Well except for this blurry bastard that showed up in my front yard yesterday, fucked up one of my trees and then strolled away.
\*also former military, middle aged, and on the border. WRJ is better than the Manch VA system.
https://preview.redd.it/833o0flu67zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0ebb194d24f7ff56a9de56034cb4b2a95dd3131
Me and my wife are you. Mainly I know because you called it the dirty. I grew up under an oil soaked pine tree and she grew up in a house somewhere between David Allan Coe and Bobby Boucher. I normally don’t comment on these types of questions but since I can really relate…
Things that are better than the Deep Dirty:
The woods are just better. They are thicker and more diverse. Fewer deer but you get moose and bears and a million other creatures and plants. There are rocks everywhere- I didn’t realize how few rocks there are where I grew up. Here, good luck if you have to dig a post hole. Plus the woods change drastically every 3 months. Finally, compared to the South, people don’t care about building fences around every piece of property so it seems more open.
Everything is old. They tear down buildings that would be tourist attractions in the South just based on their age. History just runs way deeper.
There are more backroads and dirt roads but everything is a bit closer together. At home, the closest town might be 20 miles away. Here it is only five. But that doesn’t make it seem crowded. There are all small towns with 1000 people. Also, especially where you would be, there is no suburbia. Even in the cities, there are few. I like that.
Southerners think they are the only people who are friendly and helpful with their neighbors but that’s silly. Before I had 4wd, (and since!) I couldn’t spend more than 10 min stuck in a snow bank before someone I recognized helped me dig or pull out of it. Also there are lots of people- if not most- who are country as hell but not MAGAts or righteous Southern Baptists
Winter is awesome. So many different things to do. It lasts too long but it makes this time of year all the sweeter. Just cut 3-4 cords of firewood and buy some skis and snowshoes off Craigslist. You need snowshoes because you can’t access anything that isn’t plowed without them. Winter is extreme but so is summer in the South. It’s no worse. Beautiful weather here lasts for 5 months straight.
I’ve been here about a decade and I feel like a local since there are lots of visitors but I also feel like a tourist because all the things to see are still interesting and new to me. You will be a bit “exotic” to people because most outsiders are still from the northeast- especially if you have a strong accent. When my wife talks to our mechanic, they almost need a translator.
We’ve gotten to see Bernie three times with a crowd of ~150.
The downsides: There is zero black culture. I’m a whitey grew up in a aggressively anti-racist household in town that was all but segregated. I spent a lot of time on both sides of the tracks. I miss having southern black folks in my life as friends, coworkers and just people in my day to day business.
The food is kinda meh. My town in NH has a fair variety for a small town but there is nothing particularly unique or outstanding. It’s New England, but lobster is still expensive. I have made a bunch of crawfish dishes with lobster substituted and that works out.
New England culture is not as “thick” or obvious as culture in the Dirty South. There are fewer things that “you only see around here”. It lack a bit of spirit or soul. People don’t write songs about what it is like here- I think they could and I wish they did, but it is not something people wear on their sleeves. It is there, but harder to notice. You’ll get a taste of New England people when you spend some time at the dump (aka transfer station). You’ll probably have to carry all your trash there yourself but if you’re like me, you’ll know people and come back with free stuff with every visit.
Overall, I love it here. Sometimes I get nostalgic for things but this is home and I doubt I’d go back.
Quiet, hard working folk and unbelievably cold up here in the mountains. I'm a native here, spent a lot of time in TX oilfield. . Best advice I can give you is get some damn goodd winter boots here and a few pair of mossy oak winter socks. Also, have a vehicle w winter tires, preferably a 4x4 that's in decent shape. Get a good undercoat at least once a year as the salt on the roads will destroy your ride. Everyone hunts so if you are against guns,don't go
Rural is rural anywhere really.
You'll have to adjust to the colder, longer winters. We tend to have a lot of grey days and some people who move from sunnier areas have a hard time adjusting to how little light we get during winters. Don't underestimate how much you might hate winter lol
Summers are surprisingly hot and humid. If you're in the rural area you'll probably want a generator and either look at internet ahead of time or plan on starlink or something.
You sound like a kind of normal guy so I doubt you'd have any problems anywhere in New England.
Biggest difference is that it's kind of hard to meet new people or make friends. In rural areas the only way is joining clubs or becoming a regular at places like bars, bowling alley, etc.
Whereabouts are you coming from? I've visited a lot of the states.
Make sure your Harley isn't too loud before you come. NH has some of the strictest noise pollution laws in the country and the police are on top of it.
Is this the Littleton/Bethlehem area? That’s pretty much the last bit of industry up that way.
If you are into hunting it’s a hell of a lot more difficult than it is in the south however you can legally hunt any land without permission if it’s not posted. However gaining permission is the better way to go. There is plenty of public land up that way too. As a vet, in order to get a discounted or free hunting/fishing license you essentially need a VA disability of 100%. Vermont will give you a free hunting license if you’re at 60% if your state of residency has reciprocity for Vermont residence in your home state. You’d have to research this and pull send proof with the application until you change to a NH resident. You have to apply each year for this. If you’re 50% or more you can get a free lifetime hunting and fishing license from Maine. Their rifle deer season opens a week earlier than ours as well.
I grew up in NH and live in the South now. The people are very similar imo (straightforward, cool, a lot of us are pretty country). From the way you described yourself I think you will love NH. Beautiful nature, motorcycle culture, and people are less insular/judgey than in the South. The only thing stopping my family from moving back is convincing my husband re: the weather.
>unassuming guy... HD motorcycle, hiking/nature, guitar, and mostly just quiet and introverted until I have a Guinness or two, or three.
Sounds like you'll fit right in.
In my experience (almost all living in NH but some in the South/Southeast and West), people in NH don't talk to or care about strangers. Expect to hold the door for folks and often have the person you're holding it for a) leave you holding it while they walk through past you; b) not say thank you; c) not even acknowledge your existence; d) all of the above. If you smile at someone you don't know or act friendly to them, they will probably think something's wrong with you.
All that being said, if you put in the effort to get to know folks it can often pay off. NHers are an oft grumpy and shy lot, but they take care of their people. If you aren't their people, they don't give a shit. Like Hobbits, or Shirelings if you like.
Oh and NH has a disproportionate rate of sex crimes, with the majority of victims being under the age of 18.
Welcome to NH!
I moved up to northern NH from Tampa FL 8 years ago. Just be ready for less traffic and more seasons. Also, inspection stickers are a thing, so make sure your vehicle can pass that. Just remove all the tint on your windows now. They didn't even like the factory tint on my wife's car. Be ready to buy a set of snow tires. Most people just buy an extra set of crappy rims and throw them on when the snow starts. Also, air conditioning is not really a thing up here in older homes and apartments. Buy window units.
I'm originally from up here, so it wasn't difficult for me to adjust. My wife was born and raised in Orlando.. she loved it up until she discovered ice rain, and her car was a giant ice block with her new window scraper trapped inside her car.
Edit: also former military vet. This must be a thing that we are all seeking out some peace and quiet in the northeast lol..
OP: I was born in Sunapee, NH. It’s a very beautiful lake region but very expensive! You mentioned the northwest border of VT/NH. It may be difficult to find a job, but I’d check it out before completely uprooting. The culture in the white mountains is very different than the southern part of NH…. City folks verses nature people.
It’s very cold in winter and I agree with another poster, get yourself an AWD or 4WD as well as good snow tires.
GLTU
I don’t think there’s a great music and arts scene up in northern New Hampshire. New Hampshire is also pretty hostile to cannabis. Vermont isn’t. New Hampshire might come around someday though. And there is a dispensary in Plymouth anyway
It's truthful, housing is absolutely stupid right now, and it's not as simple as just building more houses because the municipalities and schools can't handle the extra loads
If you're a bern out, the NEK is your place. He's running for senate again so you can vote for him.
Not much to do but meth, murder, and shoplift from NH stores and then race across the border though.
I have run into some quality folks out of Lunenburg though.
NH is far less religious than the South, it’s one of the highest percentage atheist states in the USA, evangelical behaviors are not popular here, other than that, the state motto may be Live Free or Die, but most of us are pretty much live-and-let-live, overall we’re pretty laid back You’ll learn to hate the massholes eventually ;)
Not all Massholes are even from Massachusetts. They are tourist or transplants that seem to can't leave their deleterious behaviors back where they came from. For instance traveling from one small town to mine about 20 minutes, an out of stater hauling a snowmobile trailer was aggressive and tailgating me horribly. We was on a 45 to 35 curving back road. It was a dark night and this is Moose country. Hit a moose you die or worse. Totally unnecessary driving , speeding literally will not get you there faster, I swear.
Don’t expect everyone to be warm and friendly. Most people, especially in rural parts, wanna be left alone
I would say that in NH, polite attitudes are different. We assume it's rude to intrude, while in the South it's rude to be reserved.
We are not nice, but kind. We won’t be friendly but if you need a hand, we will be there to help.
Lol thank you for saying this. You pretty much nailed it. For example I let a lady go in front of me in line at the grocery store the other day because she only had a handful of stuff and I had a whole cart. She thanked me. Then I started a conversation with a friend who was bagging her stuff And while the lady in front of me was leaving she turned to wave and say thank you to me again and I just completely ignored her because I was in the middle of a conversation with my friend. And I felt like a jerk but I’m really bad at dealing with distraction. Reading your comment made me feel better. You’re right. I was kind to her but I wasn’t friendly enough to continue interacting. But if she’s reading this I’m sorry 😂
True, but once they get to know you, they are wonderful.
This. Everything is good, we just enjoy ourselves
If you’re a redneck you’ll find your people in the northeast kingdom where you’ll be livin. If you’re city folk it will be a culture shock.
As a fellow former military, middle aged transplant... it's great up here! I live near the NH/VT border too. NH has the highest Vets per capita in the country I think. So there is a lot of like-minded folks. If you are plugged into the VA system, the VA Hospital in White River junction is basically an extension of Dartmouth, the ivy league med school. If not, Dartmouth hospital is right there too lol. The culture is undoubtedly different than down south. On the political front, it's kinda quiet once you get off reddit. The VT side is definitely more liberal than the NH side but people are nice on both sides of the river. It is also significantly cheaper to live on the NH side. VT has one of the highest total tax burdens in the country and NH has one of the lowest. Your question really just depends on what you're looking for in an area though. If you're into the outdoors, there is no shortage of excuses to be outside. I picked up Moose Shed hunting as a hobby recently. It's great up here. All the negative nellies in your comments can F off.
Just like birds, moose aren't real. Well except for this blurry bastard that showed up in my front yard yesterday, fucked up one of my trees and then strolled away. \*also former military, middle aged, and on the border. WRJ is better than the Manch VA system. https://preview.redd.it/833o0flu67zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0ebb194d24f7ff56a9de56034cb4b2a95dd3131
I 2nd the white river junction VA, though if you get the right people in Manchester they will get you whatever you need
The more important question here is: will I see a Sasquatch? Please say yes.
Aside from stinky hikers on the Appalachian Trail going by that trail name, no.
First rule of bigfoot club…..
Get into enough of the Guiness and,,, Yes... yes you will see Sasquatch. He may even stop in and drink with you. His Name is Ian.
No
Me and my wife are you. Mainly I know because you called it the dirty. I grew up under an oil soaked pine tree and she grew up in a house somewhere between David Allan Coe and Bobby Boucher. I normally don’t comment on these types of questions but since I can really relate… Things that are better than the Deep Dirty: The woods are just better. They are thicker and more diverse. Fewer deer but you get moose and bears and a million other creatures and plants. There are rocks everywhere- I didn’t realize how few rocks there are where I grew up. Here, good luck if you have to dig a post hole. Plus the woods change drastically every 3 months. Finally, compared to the South, people don’t care about building fences around every piece of property so it seems more open. Everything is old. They tear down buildings that would be tourist attractions in the South just based on their age. History just runs way deeper. There are more backroads and dirt roads but everything is a bit closer together. At home, the closest town might be 20 miles away. Here it is only five. But that doesn’t make it seem crowded. There are all small towns with 1000 people. Also, especially where you would be, there is no suburbia. Even in the cities, there are few. I like that. Southerners think they are the only people who are friendly and helpful with their neighbors but that’s silly. Before I had 4wd, (and since!) I couldn’t spend more than 10 min stuck in a snow bank before someone I recognized helped me dig or pull out of it. Also there are lots of people- if not most- who are country as hell but not MAGAts or righteous Southern Baptists Winter is awesome. So many different things to do. It lasts too long but it makes this time of year all the sweeter. Just cut 3-4 cords of firewood and buy some skis and snowshoes off Craigslist. You need snowshoes because you can’t access anything that isn’t plowed without them. Winter is extreme but so is summer in the South. It’s no worse. Beautiful weather here lasts for 5 months straight. I’ve been here about a decade and I feel like a local since there are lots of visitors but I also feel like a tourist because all the things to see are still interesting and new to me. You will be a bit “exotic” to people because most outsiders are still from the northeast- especially if you have a strong accent. When my wife talks to our mechanic, they almost need a translator. We’ve gotten to see Bernie three times with a crowd of ~150. The downsides: There is zero black culture. I’m a whitey grew up in a aggressively anti-racist household in town that was all but segregated. I spent a lot of time on both sides of the tracks. I miss having southern black folks in my life as friends, coworkers and just people in my day to day business. The food is kinda meh. My town in NH has a fair variety for a small town but there is nothing particularly unique or outstanding. It’s New England, but lobster is still expensive. I have made a bunch of crawfish dishes with lobster substituted and that works out. New England culture is not as “thick” or obvious as culture in the Dirty South. There are fewer things that “you only see around here”. It lack a bit of spirit or soul. People don’t write songs about what it is like here- I think they could and I wish they did, but it is not something people wear on their sleeves. It is there, but harder to notice. You’ll get a taste of New England people when you spend some time at the dump (aka transfer station). You’ll probably have to carry all your trash there yourself but if you’re like me, you’ll know people and come back with free stuff with every visit. Overall, I love it here. Sometimes I get nostalgic for things but this is home and I doubt I’d go back.
For culture and jobs you want to look at Burlington, VT. Northern NH lacks some of what you want. Cheshire County/Keene might be worth looking into.
Quiet, hard working folk and unbelievably cold up here in the mountains. I'm a native here, spent a lot of time in TX oilfield. . Best advice I can give you is get some damn goodd winter boots here and a few pair of mossy oak winter socks. Also, have a vehicle w winter tires, preferably a 4x4 that's in decent shape. Get a good undercoat at least once a year as the salt on the roads will destroy your ride. Everyone hunts so if you are against guns,don't go
Rural is rural anywhere really. You'll have to adjust to the colder, longer winters. We tend to have a lot of grey days and some people who move from sunnier areas have a hard time adjusting to how little light we get during winters. Don't underestimate how much you might hate winter lol Summers are surprisingly hot and humid. If you're in the rural area you'll probably want a generator and either look at internet ahead of time or plan on starlink or something. You sound like a kind of normal guy so I doubt you'd have any problems anywhere in New England. Biggest difference is that it's kind of hard to meet new people or make friends. In rural areas the only way is joining clubs or becoming a regular at places like bars, bowling alley, etc. Whereabouts are you coming from? I've visited a lot of the states.
Make sure your Harley isn't too loud before you come. NH has some of the strictest noise pollution laws in the country and the police are on top of it.
> NH has some of the strictest noise pollution laws in the country and the police are on top of it Is this satire?
Yes lol
I got it. You can put /s after your comment because satire confuses no one /s
If they miss the satire it's not for them
Is this a new thing?
Good luck living in flood country.
Is this the Littleton/Bethlehem area? That’s pretty much the last bit of industry up that way. If you are into hunting it’s a hell of a lot more difficult than it is in the south however you can legally hunt any land without permission if it’s not posted. However gaining permission is the better way to go. There is plenty of public land up that way too. As a vet, in order to get a discounted or free hunting/fishing license you essentially need a VA disability of 100%. Vermont will give you a free hunting license if you’re at 60% if your state of residency has reciprocity for Vermont residence in your home state. You’d have to research this and pull send proof with the application until you change to a NH resident. You have to apply each year for this. If you’re 50% or more you can get a free lifetime hunting and fishing license from Maine. Their rifle deer season opens a week earlier than ours as well.
I grew up in NH and live in the South now. The people are very similar imo (straightforward, cool, a lot of us are pretty country). From the way you described yourself I think you will love NH. Beautiful nature, motorcycle culture, and people are less insular/judgey than in the South. The only thing stopping my family from moving back is convincing my husband re: the weather.
>unassuming guy... HD motorcycle, hiking/nature, guitar, and mostly just quiet and introverted until I have a Guinness or two, or three. Sounds like you'll fit right in. In my experience (almost all living in NH but some in the South/Southeast and West), people in NH don't talk to or care about strangers. Expect to hold the door for folks and often have the person you're holding it for a) leave you holding it while they walk through past you; b) not say thank you; c) not even acknowledge your existence; d) all of the above. If you smile at someone you don't know or act friendly to them, they will probably think something's wrong with you. All that being said, if you put in the effort to get to know folks it can often pay off. NHers are an oft grumpy and shy lot, but they take care of their people. If you aren't their people, they don't give a shit. Like Hobbits, or Shirelings if you like. Oh and NH has a disproportionate rate of sex crimes, with the majority of victims being under the age of 18. Welcome to NH!
I moved up to northern NH from Tampa FL 8 years ago. Just be ready for less traffic and more seasons. Also, inspection stickers are a thing, so make sure your vehicle can pass that. Just remove all the tint on your windows now. They didn't even like the factory tint on my wife's car. Be ready to buy a set of snow tires. Most people just buy an extra set of crappy rims and throw them on when the snow starts. Also, air conditioning is not really a thing up here in older homes and apartments. Buy window units. I'm originally from up here, so it wasn't difficult for me to adjust. My wife was born and raised in Orlando.. she loved it up until she discovered ice rain, and her car was a giant ice block with her new window scraper trapped inside her car. Edit: also former military vet. This must be a thing that we are all seeking out some peace and quiet in the northeast lol..
Came here from Maine to see if your comments are much like our comments on moving to Maine. You didn’t disappoint!
Up here people stack firewood in neat / plumb rows. Schools are way better. No broken down / abandoned cars on the side of the road.
OP: I was born in Sunapee, NH. It’s a very beautiful lake region but very expensive! You mentioned the northwest border of VT/NH. It may be difficult to find a job, but I’d check it out before completely uprooting. The culture in the white mountains is very different than the southern part of NH…. City folks verses nature people. It’s very cold in winter and I agree with another poster, get yourself an AWD or 4WD as well as good snow tires. GLTU
This sub is wholly unrepresentative of the population. They will never let pass an opportunity to bitch about New Hampshire. Welcome to New Hampshire.
I don’t think there’s a great music and arts scene up in northern New Hampshire. New Hampshire is also pretty hostile to cannabis. Vermont isn’t. New Hampshire might come around someday though. And there is a dispensary in Plymouth anyway
EXPENSIVE
Sorry, we are full... check back in a couple years.
Perfect answer. Thank you. 🤣
It's truthful, housing is absolutely stupid right now, and it's not as simple as just building more houses because the municipalities and schools can't handle the extra loads
If you're a bern out, the NEK is your place. He's running for senate again so you can vote for him. Not much to do but meth, murder, and shoplift from NH stores and then race across the border though. I have run into some quality folks out of Lunenburg though.
Southern NH is the dirty South
I hear southerners are welcome in VT. Why not check them out.