Where to Live: NH/VT/ME

[oweno]

RTFM posts:

"Good luck to them, but it will be just like when Mass-holes (Massachusetts residents) migrate north, they may live in New Hampshire now, but they will NEVER be FROM New Hampshire, and will always be treated as an ugly step child."

I though that insults like that were frowned upon in this forum. Oh well.

And, btw, a real NH native lives in a town that has a road in it named after his family. (Brook, river, hill works too.)

Back to one of the original questions, most EMTs in the small towns are, like the firefighters, volunteers. If you're new to the town, it's a great way to meet a bunch of good people who, regardless of what others may have said, will welcome you. You will *not* be treated like an ugly step-child, you'll be welcomed as are all who volunteer to take part in the town.

 

[M1911]

The only bad thing about NH is that there are not many good jobs there.

Maybe, but there's a whole lot more work in NH than in VT or ME.

As for the term M??????? -- I live in MA and I'm not insulted by it. Frankly, most of my neighbors are M???????s and I don't wish them on NH.

 

[Devonai]

The problem is elitism. It is encountered everywhere and is no less bothersome in Lynn as it is in Londonderry. Pointing the finger at the residents of one state or another is a waste of effort.

RTFM, if you think New Hampshire is insignificant politically, you obviously haven't been watching television lately. Something about some sort of primary, I think...

I think the Free State Project can work, and I welcome any Libertarian who moves here.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

The thing I don't understand about the Free State Project is why they picked a state which is fairly libertarian to start with. Why not Rhode Island, Connecticut or Maryland? Doesn't seem like there's really much to change in a state who's motto is "Live Free or Die".

 

[Blain]

Because NH will be easier to change to an LP state than RI. The residents of RI would never go for such a thing (believe me, I live here) where as the NH citizens already mostly think that way.

(in reference to MA) My quality of life far outweighs the small flaws of the greatest state. : )

Uhhhhh.......whatever you say buddy.


I'm sure some russkies said the same thing too, eh comrade?

 

[Devonai]

I can easily believe Jonesy9. I loved Beverly, I lived there for six years, and Wenham wasn't bad either, I lived there for three years before that. The North Shore is a nice area (including Lynn, certain neighborhoods notwithstanding). Boston is still my favorite city despite the fact that I have seen some of the worst it has to offer.

Not to mention the fact that five of my nearest and dearest friends still live in Beverly. I'm back there 3-4 times a month. 45 minutes on the highway and I'm there. I used to be in my car 8-10 hours a day as a courier, so the trip seems like nothing (especially if I drive while Jay Severin is on the squaker).

Unlike Jonesy9, I decided that gun laws, liberal pols and taxes were too much for me. It was not an easy decision, but the time had come.

Politics: John Kerry and Ted Kennedy are my representatives? I think not. Barney Frank and Cheryl Jacques get covered on the nightly news every time they pass wind? No thanks, I'm sick of that garbage. At least we trounced Shannon O'Brien in the last gubernatorial race, but one glimmer of hope with Romney was not enough to keep me around.

Taxes, etc: A thousand dollars a month for a tiny two bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood? Granted it takes me about a month to finish one pack of cigarettes (I prefer smoking a pipe), but seven bucks for a pack of Luckies?

Firearms: Geez, where to begin? The handgun ban of 4/01, the license renewal fee raised to $100 (if your local chief even "lets" you have one), an FID at a minimum just to own a firearm in your own home, the AG scaring the crap out of ammo vendors so that nobody will ship ammo anymore, plus the same situation for standard capacity mags (all legal despite what you may have heard)!

Goodbye, Massachusetts, I love your heart but you are one ugly lady on the outside.

Oh, and the militia isn't bad either.

 

[dustind]

From the FSP website...

Statement of Intent

I hereby state my solemn intent to move to the state of New Hampshire. Once there, I will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.

RTFM you have said what countless others have said. We intend to be activists, the demicans and republicrats do not even have 2000 activists combined (a lot less IIRC). We officially start the move when 20,000 non NH residents sign on, and continue to recruit afterwards. We will also have countless "friends," people who do not plan to move, and NH residents who join. Having spent a lot of time on the message board you do not have to worry about people making NH anything but more free and less taxed.

To answer the thread, NH has great gun laws, low taxes, and a lot of freedom.

 

[Khornet]

Oweno,

You kill me. That's so true about roads with family names up here. Closest I can come is that I have many old friends whose names are on roads.

Around here you can't throw a dead cat without hitting a Drew, Glidden, French, etc. I can walk down the street and over half of the people I see I know by name, and they me. It's great.

Also, every town (at least north of Concord) has sandpits where everyone goes to shoot. I'm never more than a few minutes from someplace I can do some shooting.

 

[RTFM]

...RTFM...I'll refrain from further comment here.

I Lied.

...dustind... We officially start the move when 20,000 non NH residents sign on....

So you and 19,999 others who have never lived in New Hampshire, will decide what is best for the natural residents there?

IT'S NEW ENGLAND for God sake, they (we) can hardly be civil to each other from the surrounding states in New England, and now you want to introduce 20,000 flat landers who presume to know what is best for them!

HA!

It may be a motto on the New Hampshire license plate to "Live free or die" but I personally hope that they rise up and fight your unwanted intrusion with every means they have available to them.
I should hope that any state would fight you, not just N.H. but any populace. No state should be over-run and forced to conform to your ideals of freedom.

RTFM

 

[Jonesy9]

RTFM- you're a funny bastid! Your posts really personify the parochial old NH codger bemoaning the march of time, but I understand why the hill people don't like the flat landers encroaching.


Blaine- your opinion is duly noted. LOL!


Dev- Beverly is a great town, great striper fishing too!

I'm too parochial I guess. My son is young and I want him growing up the way I did. I've traveled the country extensively and there are few communities I want to raise him in other than my own. Now I could have it all and move to southern NH, but the commute is hell, not worth it in the long run to me. Northeast elitest and proud of it baby.

Hell, I even volunteered to move to London for a year and a half just for the international biz experience. It might not happen and the deal must be right but I'd gladly live in a gun free zone temporarily just for the expereince (shudder). Lifes for living to the fullest.

 

[RTFM]

Jonesy9 ...Your posts really personify the parochial old NH codger bemoaning the march of time...

Thank you Jonesy9, I do tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve most of the time.
I have taken your comment as a badge of honor, and will display it proudly!

RTFM

 

[fish2xs]

NH, young man....

Sounds like all your criteria (winters, mountains, as unobtrusive a
gov't as you can get in the area) can be found in NH.

You also need to make a living and I think your best bet would be
NH.

I've lived in MA since 87 and the MA-ho comment is right on for the
majority of the people you find (at least on the roads) inside 495.

I would not mind moving to NH - I think my libertarian perspective
and love of the outdoors would mesh well. But alas, the wife is not
interested until the kid gets thru college.

I do make a decent chunk of $ in MA, and the striper fishing is
amazing... We all have to make our choices.

 

[fivepaknh]

I spent 36 years living in Mass and have no problem with the term Mass hole. It doesn't apply to all there, but many.

 

[Jonesy9]

yep- and RTFM- no offense was intended, I do understand how they would feel being overrun by people who will eventually change the fabric of the community. Until some one cures the problems of urban sprawl, rising prices and population growth, we'll just have to do our best to adjust.

 

[OEF_VET]

<-----Native of Massachusetts here. Thank God my parents left soon after I was born, before the Ma$$hole syndrome could take effect. Since then, I've lived in 9 other states, including NH and Maine.

If I had to pick one of the three states that were mentioned, I'd most likely go with NH. Beautiful state, taxes are reasonable (especially if you don't own property), it's fairly close to Bean-town and NYC, and it's centrally located between the other New England states in the event you want to visit one of them.

The area between Dover and Concord would probably be my choice of places to settle down. It's far enough north of the border to avoid the problem children, but close enough to get there quickly, should you want to. There are more problem children in Mass. than the 'elitists'. Don't forget the gang-bangers in Worcester, Lynn, Saugus, and a number of the other towns. Heck, I'm sure you've all heard the saying "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin. You never come out the way you went in." It just so happens to be one of the main focal points for drug trafficking into northern New England.

Frank

 

[Blain]

RFTM.....I don't think that you get it..

The purpose of the freestateproject is not to impose our will upon anyone else, it is to ABOLISH the state's imposing will upon others so that one can live the way they wish. You can not force someone to be free.

Indeed, it is the state, not us, who is forcing people to live according to their imposed view. When you have liberty, and remove the imposing will of the state, then people can live as they see fit.

I am sorry to see you feel the need to support tyranny in any form.


Again, you can NOT force people to be free, it is an oxymoron of the highest order. All we are doing is stopping the forced lifestyles that were going on, we are not forcing anything.

 

[OF]

Indeed, it is the state, not us, who is forcing people to live according to their imposed view. When you have liberty, and remove the imposing will of the state, then people can live as they see fit.

A point that many people fail to grasp.

- Gabe

 

[oweno]

It has been said: "Politics in New Hampshire is a hobby." and whoever said that has a point. We take our town meeting form of government very seriously - it is, in fact, a pure democracy. Once a year, you vote on every major issue facing your town. 50% of the vote plus 1 and whatever is being voted on passes, less than that, it fails. (Except for a bonded indebtedness, that requires 2/3rds majority to pass.)

Now, at times, this can get tiresome - a 3-hour discussion on whether or not to pave a certain dirt road can be a bit much but that's the way we like it.

Do we participate in elections? Well, in my town at the last presidential election, 96% of the registered voters voted...and many of us wondered what was wrong with the other 4%.

So, am I "worried" about the Free State people coming up here and 'taking over' our towns. Not at all. If they move here, attend town meeting, and vote something in that's the way it works. But don't think that 10 or 20 families will change anything at all - or 20,000 spread over the state, for that matter.

And, in my opinion (and I could be and often am wrong), the people who move up here from Massachusetts come here for many reasons, quality of life, non-intrusive government, etc. and they fit right in. They don't want to change things.

Finally, if you're born here (I was not but my children were) are you a native? Well, a common saying is: "If your cat had kittens in the oven, would you call them biscuits?"

 

[nextjoe]

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I'm leaning towards NH, she's leaning towards Maine, but we'll figure it out. ANY of the three states will be an improvement over our current states, I think. Job availability may be the deciding factor. Hopefully the economy and job market will be better a year from now, when we're planning to move.

Thanks again,
Joe

 

[G.I.Jew]

Well, Massachusetts has REALLY ????ty gun laws, especially pertaining to handguns, and it has its own AWB so no evil features for us if the ban sunsets. Almost everyone is liberal, especially near the cities (not surprising) but in many parts of northern Massachusetts, the people are much more conservative. Many of the public schools are quite good, which is important if you are raising kids here. There are lots of really bad drivers in Massachusetts, too. Overall, you would be much happier in New Hampshire. I know I would.

 

[DBR]

I "lived", went to school and worked in MA for more than 50yrs until I finally gave up on the state and the growing number of "Mass***es". Massachusetts changed a lot during my stay there. It is not the same state I grew up in and most of the places and traditions I cared about have changed beyond recognition. I know this is considered "progress" but I think it has happened in MA and some other states much more than in the rest of the country. I moved to VT 5yrs ago and I wish I had done it 30yrs ago when I got out of college. In my limited experience with VT, there are jobs for professionals and skilled workers if you pick the right area. The people who are suffering are the unskilled and blue collar workers of which there are many.

Added: I pay the same property taxes on a modern 4000sq ft house and 200+ acres of land that I paid in MA on a 2000 sq ft 30yr old house and 2 acres of land. There is no "excise tax" on my cars, no "personal property tax" on my machinery, my home insurance is less than half of what it was and my car insurance is less than half of what it was. I don't have to plan my daily activities around "rush hour".

 

[gabeodog]

I was stationed in Maine. I loved it. If my wife could deal with the cold, I would move back in a heart beat.

 

[Stand_Watie]

I lived in Maine for 6 years as a child, and have ancestors in the area going back to the early 1600's (Stratham, NH), and lived in Michigan and Northern Indiana for many years as well. My suggestion for when you move to northern new england is that you learn to not talk very much. There is a pretty substantial culture difference between Michigan and Maine.

Let me give you an example: suppose one of your neighbors is engaging in what you consider anti-social behavior like taking 6 or 8 deer and putting them on licenses made out to his family, or cutting stovewood off of state property. Don't comment on this behavior to your other neighbors. They all know he's doing it, and the game warden and the state police all know about it too. They'll get around to dealing with it in their own good time. That time may be very different than the Michigan time that you are used to, but they'll get to it, and they won't appreciate it being comented upon by an outsider.

If you keep your mouth shut and your eyes open, you'll get along fine there.

One thing that may not be obvious to you immediately is that Maniacs love to talk. This seems counter-intuitive, because they talk slowly, and only if it appears that the person they are talking to really wants to listen, but if you act like you are really interested and prompt them to tell their stories a little, you can make a lot of friends just by being a good listener.

 

[Tactical]

I say move to NH.

Don't take this wrong but we have enough people entering Maine trying to change it to be more like there liberal azz state, Ahum(MASS)

We have very high taxes
No jobs
Barren waste land (90% forested)
We are all toothless gun carrying slugs
We all have to hunt to eat
It’s faster to travel by snowmobile than by truck.
We have more groomed snowmobile trails them NH has highway.
We all must carry concealed for protection against bears.
Did I mention that Maine is larger than all other New England states combined?
Maine has 1400 miles of coastline with man eating crustaceans everywhere.
Maine will not let you get married to your gay lover.(See Vermont)
Biker gangs run ramped all over the state.
Many of our town's don't even have a name. (there numbered townships)
Weird chit happens here (ask Steven King)



I love this place. This is MY home. born and raised.
Run for your life.
Stay out.

 

[Stand_Watie]

Tactical

You forgot to mention the black flies