Moving, no matter where you’re moving, can be a big decision full of stress. But if you’re thinking of crossing state borders and moving to New Hampshire, you may be wondering if New Hampshire is a good place to live. We’ll tell you all about the pros, cons, and little details about New Hampshire, so you can make an informed choice!
4th Best State to Live
New Hampshire ranks 4th on the best states to live list by US News for 2021. The list reviews things like education, health care, and more and compares against other states to find out where that state lands on the list. You can review the full list here.
All 4 Seasons!
Moving to New Hampshire, or any New England state, expect to experience all four seasons in full. This can be great if you’ve never seen snow before, but for many of us life-long New England natives, we’re a bit over it. Be prepared for the hard slam of winter (especially if you have to drive in it to go to work or school!), the dog days of summer, the warm up of spring, and the beauty of autumn when you move to New Hampshire.
Mountains, Farms, and Cities
New Hampshire is such a diverse place. Head up north, and you’ll get to visit luscious forests, streams, rivers, and mountains. There’s a lot of farmland in New Hampshire, but there’s also hip city areas like in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and Portsmouth. Basically, if you wanted to, you could get some fresh, homemade maple syrup, eggs, local honey, and more on your way to go check out all the shops by the seacoast.
Tax-Free
Unlike many other states, New Hampshire enjoys a few areas where we can skip the taxes. You can shop in New Hampshire tax free, and there’s no income tax. However, these lack of taxes usually come out of other places, such as higher property taxes and occasionally an uptick in our prepared meal and room taxes (it’s 9% in 2021 if you’re going to McDonald’s or any other restaurant, or staying at a hotel!).
A Great Place to Work
Because of the diversity of spaces in New Hampshire, it makes it a great place to work. NH has everything from farms to restaurants to warehouses and more with a lot of opportunities for work. However, New Hampshire’s minimum wage falls short of other states in New England at an unfortunate $7.25 an hour ($3.27/hr for tipped workers). Cities bordering Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont can often enjoy higher wages due to the competitive nature of those job locations, so keep this in mind when moving to New Hampshire.
A Free State… Almost
New Hampshire has a lot of things riding on their “live free or die” motto. NH doesn’t make you wear a seatbelt if you’re an adult, and you are not legally required to wear a helmet when riding your motorcycle. NH also has lax laws regarding concealing a firearm (you do not need a permit or license to own, carry, or conceal a firearm). However, New Hampshire still is the only state in New England not to legalize recreational cannabis usage for adults (though as of 2022, this is being reviewed). So, it may be free in some ways, but not in others.
If you’re thinking of moving to New Hampshire, what’s got you convinced? Let us know in the comments!
