Not as bad as you imagine, unless you guys are getting old. NH is rated the lowest in TOTAL tax among all 50 states. The combination of no income and no sales tax is simply impossibe to beat. I figure I would save over $100K in 5 years. Houses in southern NH are appreciating like crazy now that MA wants to raise taxes again. Excellent broadband service by AT&T in many towns. People here are highly educated and friendly. Very low crime rate.
Hass, Turlo (or anyone else familiar) - I am interested in your opinions of Miami. I have been there once for a short period - I have heard different things - but mostly bad, especially regarding the level of crime, dirtiness, etc. From what I gathered it sounds like a more humid version of NYC - is that true? And if Miami's bad, are there any tolerable suburbs worth investigating, or is it better to just look elsewhere in FL? Any comments appreciated - thanks.
Madison - I am not that familiar with Miami, but like any major city, there are some very nice suburbs as well as some that are not so nice. I thought about Miami when I moved from NY, but after seeing all of the great beach towns along the coast from Ft. Lauderdale through Boca Raton and up to Delray Beach, I decided that I would just pick my favorite spot amongst these. And Miami is only 30 minutes south of me, so I can go there if I feel like it - but I rarely do. I found many towns with affordable housing along these beaches, great restaurants and markets and a nice casual atmosphere/lifestyle. You may want to check some of these towns out, such as Ft. Lauderdale, Galt Ocean Mile, Lauderdale By The Sea, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton and Highland Beach. I can tell you that living in Ft. Lauderdale has been great. Yes, the summer is pretty hot, but the winter is excellent and the beaches are beautiful. And I don't think that the summer down here is really that much worse then walking along mid-town Manhattan on a hot August day.
Haas hit the nail on the head. Ft. Lauderdale is so close that it could be considered a suburb of Miaimi. If you want to live in Miami look at Miami Beach (South Beach) Key Biscayne, Coral Gabels, Coconut Grove, and Brickell. All of these places are nice.............. It is paradise down here don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Good luck!
Thanks for your replies I am in the very early stages of researching different areas -- I'll definitely look into the places both of you mentioned. ps: I agree that few places could be worse than Manhattan on a hot August day, especially if it's a garbage-collection day....
Are Vermont and Maine roughly similar to NH lifestyle-wise? Are the economies similar? (ie housing market, job market,etc) I used to live in NH when I was a kid, but it was 20+ years ago. I wan't to move somewhere green. I've been in the desert of southwest Idaho for too long. We wan't to try a different part of the country just for the experience of it. Any other "green" suggestions? We are looking for: Slow lifestyle not too populated not to far behind in technology (gotta have high-speed internet) Less expensive is better than more expensive (cost of living) Friendly and educated people Any ideas?
Lifestyle-wise, Maine and Vermont are kind of similar to rural NH. However, they not low tax states, are quite far from any large Metro area, people are not as well educated, and are much colder. It seems to me that everything you are looking for can be found in NH. Besides, NH has no income and sales tax, Boston is not far away, and the coastal area is not much colder than New York City. A high percentage of NH residents are transplants from MA and other states, seeking more open space and a lower cost of living.