One of the most frequently asked questions we receive from people moving to New Hampshire is, “What is the best town in which to live?” Below are some considerations when making the move:
Location
It’s important to determine just how rural you want to be. Are you OK with driving 20 to 30 minutes to the doctor’s or to get to the grocery store? Do you want easy access to the airport or cultural activities? What is your work commute? Assigning importance to these factors will help establish which areas to consider.
Proximity to the Liberty Community
We see two types of movers coming to New Hampshire: Those who want to live close to events, activism, and other FSP’ers, and those who just want to be left alone. Where do you fall on this scale? If you want to be where the action is, you might find that a city like Manchester, Nashua, or Portsmouth will best suit your needs. Perhaps you want to get involved only a few times a year, in which case being a little more rural could work. To get an idea of where some of our clients have landed, view the map of homes sold. Or explore the regions of the liberty community!
Cost of Housing
Whether you’re planning to rent or buy, the cost of housing is an important factor to consider. Many people are surprised to find that the rents in New Hampshire cities can be higher than they are used to, and that vacancy rates are fairly low. You can view median rents in New Hampshire here. The cost of buying a home varies greatly, as well, and we can help you determine the towns where your money will stretch the most.
Property Taxes
If you are buying a home, what is your tax tolerance? Do you mind paying higher property taxes for better schools? Or do you want to live in a town with the lower taxes? Our Property Tax Heat Map shows property tax rates by town. For a comprehensive spreadsheet showing tax rates by town/city and other property tax-related resources, click here. Also see Understanding Property Taxes in New Hampshire.
Schools
Are good schools important to you at all? If you have kids (or plan on having kids) who will be attending public school, you can read the ratings at sites like Great Schools to determine the towns that would be the best fit for you. New Hampshire is also friendly toward homeschooling and has some great private schools.
Political Leaning of the Town
For politicos and pundits in our movement, there are plenty of good resources to help understand the political scene. In general, college towns, the capital city, and large cities tend to lean statist, while smaller, low tax-rate towns tend to be a bit more conservative in regards to spending taxpayer dollars. With more than 200 towns/cities in NH, there is a wide variety.
Moving to a new state is never easy, but Porcupine Real Estate is here to help you along the way.