Question for folks from New Hamp

[Hisgirl]

So this southern gal goes to south New Hampshire to help settle in my family member who just moved there due to a job.

I have comments and questions for you, in case you are from there! I drove around, spent a week exploring and noticed a few things.. So much beautiful natural land!

1. On my first day, I had three different people scream 'F***' at me while I was driving. Nothing huge, just basic stuff but wow...like screamed at me. That was a surprise.
Is that...normal? I'm an excellent driver, but obviously upset some folks.

2. I noticed few if no houses are made out of brick. Most have basements and so many don't have AC. I thought yall had some really hot heat waves. Are new builds getting AC?

3. Being that I'm a southerner and we tend to talk to strangers, I did this twice and both times people looked at me like I had two heads and didn't respond. Was that a big no no?

4. I drove from Bedford, through Manchester, 90 miles Northwest to VT and saw one church. I did see a sign to a church, so I guess two.

5. Very little fast food, but a dunkin donuts on every corner! Where do yall eat when you want to grab a quick lunch? Do yall really eat that many donuts?

6. Two loose dogs attacked my DD's dog and animal control was extremely helpful. That was great!

7. Very few chain restaurants, and actually very few places to eat in general while driving through towns. I was east of bedford driving through a very populated business district and had to drive miles to find somewhere to eat. And no mexican places?

8. I noticed the motto 'Live free or Die' and no motorcycle helmets. Is that a normal thing, to not wear a helmet, or are those just the rebels?

9. Regarding the winters, do most folks stay once they finish school and leave home, or is the weather a factor in leaving?

It was a unique place compared to other parts of the country. It was refreshing to see the history embraced in order to study and learn, and all the natural land.

 

[lanejudy]

I’m from neighboring VT but know that area fairly well.

1. You’ll find jerks anywhere. I’m sure there are plenty in your own area as well. No reason to think it’s a NH thing.

2. Most houses are probably “stick-built” though there are brick houses as well. Yes most have basements. Central A/C is not common especially in older homes, new builds may have it. Many folks use window units. For the few days a years that it might be “necessary.”

3. I’ve never had problems speaking to strangers.

4. Most small towns have 1 church, maybe 2. I guess it depends on your route whether you’d see them.

5. Rural areas are less likely to have chain restaurants. Maybe a McDonalds. She’ll find the local eateries — deli, diner, etc.

6. Good. I hope your DD’s dog is ok.

7. See #5

8. Helmets are not required in NH for those over 18.

9. Do some people find the seasons not to their liking? Sure. But many people are fine with it even the winters. I’m sure your daughter and her husband will figure out where they want to settle.

 

[QueenIsabella]

A few other tidbits, as a former New Hampshirite who moved to North Carolina...

1. A lot of people move to NH from MA. We have an unpleasant nickname for them (not DIS-friendly), for a reason. They tend to bring their MA driving habits with them. Personally, I try to give grace, especially to out-of-state plates (they might be lost, looking for something, etc.). Not everyone does this.

2. Brick houses are more common in parts of the south, due to availability of red clay. Our current home is brick, not so much in NH. I HAVE seen a few stone houses, but more in NY/closer to the Canadian border.

3. People are generally nice, we never had an issue with this. However, DH and I both grew up in New England, then moved to upstate NY, so maybe "Northeast normal" is not as friendly as you're used to. It doesn't mean people don't like you--they'd help you out, for sure, even if they don't chat.

4. Here in NC, you can't throw a rock without hitting a church! They're much less per capita in the northeast. Interestingly, the denominations are different, too--I still don't know where a Catholic church is, after 10 years here, but there's many, many churches, even some more unusual (to me) choices.

5. We lived in Keene, NH, so when we drove to Manchester, there was nothing, nothing, nothing, Dunks, nothing, nothing, nothing... New Englanders take their Dunks very seriously. They sell sandwiches and coffee, in addition to donuts. Keene (very small, isolated city) has Mc Donald's, Burger King, Panera, and so forth, but I recommend finding small, local places. You're likely to get much better pizza in NH (certainly, better than what we get down here--I miss good pizza!). And the bagels are better in NH.

6. There ARE dog control laws. I'm sorry if you encountered people who don't follow them. I hope it's an isolated incident, and that your DD's pupper is okay.

7. Another note on restaurants --even Keene had a couple Mexican places. BUT--restaurant meals are heavily taxed, to hit tourists. NH has no income or sales tax on regular purchases, but they have high meal and property taxes. In Keene, it was SOP to eat "over the border" in VT (we were ~15 miles away).

8. Car seats are required, but helmets and seatbelts are not (unless you're in my car--then, seatbelts are not negotiable). Also, car insurance isn't required--BUT, if you plan to cross the border into another state, be forewarned! VT state troopers just LOVE to pull over cars with NH plates, and ding them for driving in VT without insurance (where it IS required). Unfortunately, this means that car insurance is pricey, because the odds are high that you'll get in an accident with an uninsured driver.

9. Weather is a personal taste thing. When we moved from upstate NY (Saratoga County) to Keene, I commented that the winters were so much milder there! I got laughed at a lot, but it was true--in NY, we got, on average, 7 feet of snow a year, while in Keene, it was more like 5 feet. Also, I noticed that we had ~ a month less on each side of winter. In NY, the furnace was turned on by the end of September, and spring didn't really arrive until mid-April. And we'd have a week of -20 degree nights in January. NH--only -10 degrees--practically balmy! On the good side, people know how to dress, towns know how to plow/sand, and there are a wide range of winter activities to try.

Overall, we liked NH a lot. We like NC, too. They're very different, but there's much to love in both places.

 

[Willows909]

So this southern gal goes to south New Hampshire to help settle in my family member who just moved there due to a job.

I have comments and questions for you, in case you are from there! I drove around, spent a week exploring and noticed a few things.. So much beautiful natural land!

1. On my first day, I had three different people scream 'F***' at me while I was driving. Nothing huge, just basic stuff but wow...like screamed at me. That was a surprise.
Is that...normal? I'm an excellent driver, but obviously upset some folks.

2. I noticed few if no houses are made out of brick. Most have basements and so many don't have AC. I thought yall had some really hot heat waves. Are new builds getting AC?

3. Being that I'm a southerner and we tend to talk to strangers, I did this twice and both times people looked at me like I had two heads and didn't respond. Was that a big no no?

4. I drove from Bedford, through Manchester, 90 miles Northwest to VT and saw one church. I did see a sign to a church, so I guess two.

5. Very little fast food, but a dunkin donuts on every corner! Where do yall eat when you want to grab a quick lunch? Do yall really eat that many donuts?

6. Two loose dogs attacked my DD's dog and animal control was extremely helpful. That was great!

7. Very few chain restaurants, and actually very few places to eat in general while driving through towns. I was east of bedford driving through a very populated business district and had to drive miles to find somewhere to eat. And no mexican places?

8. I noticed the motto 'Live free or Die' and no motorcycle helmets. Is that a normal thing, to not wear a helmet, or are those just the rebels?

9. Regarding the winters, do most folks stay once they finish school and leave home, or is the weather a factor in leaving?

It was a unique place compared to other parts of the country. It was refreshing to see the history embraced in order to study and learn, and all the natural land.

#1: There are idiots all over the country, NH is no exception, #2: Window air conditioners work. New England weather is crazy (example: snow about 3 weeks ago, 80's real feel a week ago, lol) #3: I'm a talker, and the majority of humans here are quite friendly. #4: Pretty much all towns have a few churches (denominations). My Southern NH town for example has a population of about 25,000 people and 7 churches that I can think of off hand. #5: The usual of McDonalds, Wendys, and also Pressed Cafe & Panera Bread (not sure if those are down South) #6: Can't speak to this, but there are leash laws. #7: Chain restaurants in Southern NH include TBones, AppleBees, OutBack, Longhorn to name a few. There are Mexican eateries, but the best are found locally as well as finding local owned favorites of all types of cuisine once you find your home! #8: No law for helmets in NH. #9: Crazy weather is everywhere. New England is just winter...blizzards, storms etc. A lot of people love sledding, skiing, ice skating on ponds, snowmobiling etc.. in New England. It's a personal choice. Summers are lovely and Autumn is amazing. (I am a lifelong New Englander)
I realize this is long, hope it helped!