New Hampshire?

Technowiz

Any members here from New Hampshire or familiar with that part of the country? I'm considering an eventual move there as part of the Free State Project and curious what kind of IT opportunities are there. What would be the best areas for me to look at?

eMeS

I am familiar with the area. I've spent quite a bit of time there, and know many people that live there now.

One of the best ways I can think of to characterize most of New Hampshire is that it is a southern state that happens to be located in the north. There are parts of New Hampshire that people from Arkansas would consider backwards. Go deep enough into NH/VT and you run into strange inbred French-speaking people...

Regarding IT and the job market. Look in the Merrimack/Nashua area, and other areas near the border with MA. However, it is a fiercely competitive market as you have countless tax refugees moving from MA into NH. In fact, I know of one large employer in that area that just announced 1300 job eliminations, so tread carefully.

I know many people that live up there. Housing is generally more expensive than down south because they don't have the huge pool of unskilled labor willing to work for peanuts that we have down south. Property taxes are very high there, as it is one of their only sources of funding for schools, etc...

As far as personal freedoms/low taxes, etc.., I think that has to be taken in context. They are right next to NY and MA, which have some of the highest (and most sources of) taxes in the nation. I think most of the south matches or outdoes NH in terms of personal freedoms and taxes, without the added problem of really bad weather for a good part of the year.

Despite all of the negatives that I've mentioned, NH really is a beautiful state. If you love the outdoors then you will love NH. Also, I believe Mt. Washington has the highest recorded wind speeds in the US. No sales taxes is another benefit. One of my favorite restaurants in NH is called "Newick's". It is a great seafood place with only 2 locations that I know of (1 in Merrimack, 1 in Portsmouth)....get the lobster pie.

If I had to sum it up, I'd say it's alot like a wanna-be Texas without all of the beautiful women.

(see my avatar...you'll never find that in NH!)

MS