What is the best state in New England to live in?

[Asaltweapon]

Very true. Our place is one of 5 on an active wood lot. We cut some trees every 10 years and taxes are minimal.

OP there's a huge shortage of trades in ME.
When finding people to work on our place, every GC type told me they had work for me if I wanted it.
I get people who see my truck up there asking if we can look at work too.
The thought of building a new business and finding new crews is what keeps me here; if you're a one-man show you can be working by morning there.

I bought our first place up there 22 years ago. Taxes were getting killer (currently very close to 10K in 2016) so it was time to sell and move on so we sold it 11 years ago. Moved 1 town north built a fully custom designed by me home and detached 3 bay garage and last years tax bill was 2751.00.
Now sure, #1 was OTW and #2 has deeded sandy beach rights and a free mooring area 1 mile away but for $7K in savings that puts our boat in the marina with fresh water and electric, winter storage indoors, is also 1 mile away plus pays the fuel for the year and we still save over $3K. I don't even need to move my boat to get fuel!! Now that's lazy. Both places were/are 14 acres.

 

[Oldarmy]

It was NH for me. No regrets. Will be six years this July and have not been over the border to Ma. since.

 

[PreliatorX]

It was NH for us, best decision we've made in a long time, happy I can raise my kids here.

 

[enbloc]

New Hampshire, go there I hear freedom lives there. Go as far north as possible.

I love New Hampshire too! But, if I had my way I'd make Massachusetts SOOOOO Great, that you Guys would be flocking Here to get away from that repressive State!
~Matt

 

[akma]

I looked at VT, NH and ME. For me I found Maine to be the most reasonable on general expenses. You need to be above Sanford for reasonable property taxes. Look around for best rates. Jobs can be tough. Unless your close to town be prepared to travel to get to major stores. It's about 30 miles for me to get to WallyWorld. It averages about 10 degrees colder than here in the winter so plan accordingly.

 

[lowbuckbob]

Florida...

 

[Reeg]

NH or ME. I chose NH when I left CT.

Same here. Absolutely no regrets except wish I could have done it sooner.

 

[durask]

Basically what I'm saying, in 10 years things can change a whole lot. Same deal in other states too. Be complacent and comfortable and see where that leads. I am not the one saying this, it's always been like that. There are no safe places if people are not willing to keep them safe.

Pretty much this. If confiscation starts in one state, do you think you will be safe across the state border in VT or NH? Or even in TX?

I have property in NH but I have no illusions that it will be some kind of safe haven.

 

[Ultrarunner]

Pretty much this. If confiscation starts in one state, do you think you will be safe across the state border in VT or NH? Or even in TX?

I have property in NH but I have no illusions that it will be some kind of safe haven.

There are anti gun statists in all 50 States, it's a cancer that no one can escape. Keep preaching liberty wherever you hang your hat.

 

[Chevy 2 65]

 

[Masswhole]

I bought our first place up there 22 years ago. Taxes were getting killer (currently very close to 10K in 2016) so it was time to sell and move on so we sold it 11 years ago. Moved 1 town north built a fully custom designed by me home and detached 3 bay garage and last years tax bill was 2751.00.
Now sure, #1 was OTW and #2 has deeded sandy beach rights and a free mooring area 1 mile away but for $7K in savings that puts our boat in the marina with fresh water and electric, winter storage indoors, is also 1 mile away plus pays the fuel for the year and we still save over $3K. I don't even need to move my boat to get fuel!! Now that's lazy. Both places were/are 14 acres.

Need a friend? Lol

We’re on 65 total acres with each camp on 1 and well separated, but you can wander wherever you like. 250’ tidal bay surrounded by old growth. Most residents are there 1mo in summer so we basically have place to ourselves rest of year. $250/yr association fees for road maintenance only plus food and beer for board meeting every August. Only downside is I can’t shoot there.

 

[Vagrant]

Fwiw: us news says NH is now ranked 5th best state in the US while MA has dropped to 8th. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

 

[Asaltweapon]

Need a friend? Lol

We’re on 65 total acres with each camp on 1 and well separated, but you can wander wherever you like. 250’ tidal bay surrounded by old growth. Most residents are there 1mo in summer so we basically have place to ourselves rest of year. $250/yr association fees for road maintenance only plus food and beer for board meeting every August. Only downside is I can’t shoot there.

I can’t shoot either on my side of the main road but this is where all the houses. Deer are like yard rats so no landscaping for me including flower gardens. Oh well. Towns are 25000 acres so there is still 23k or so.
Joined Big Pine Gun Club anyway with some friends.
Town takes care of our roads and they are known to be some of the best in the area year round.
HOA is 35.00 and takes care of beach and mooring area plus common trails for hiking, skiing or snow shoeing. They also lead into Lily Bay SP.

 

[Ringworm]

No state in NE is worth it, anymore. The entire northeast is going to liberals. Head west, that's what I'm doing in a few years...

 

[Ultrarunner]

No state in NE is worth it, anymore. The entire northeast is going to liberals. Head west, that's what I'm doing in a few years...

Everyone is moving West. Its getting harder to find affordable treed acreage in Western Montana and Northern Idaho...

 

[RadiCS]

Moved to NH almost 6 years ago. I love it.

What sucks is how they do car registrations and inspection stickers.

 

[MP-In-The-Wind]

Need a friend? Lol

We’re on 65 total acres with each camp on 1 and well separated, but you can wander wherever you like. 250’ tidal bay surrounded by old growth. Most residents are there 1mo in summer so we basically have place to ourselves rest of year. $250/yr association fees for road maintenance only plus food and beer for board meeting every August. Only downside is I can’t shoot there.

Wow! Sign me up! ...if you could only shoot there it would be heaven!

 

[soloman02]

I am done with Massachusetts. I think I have my wife on board with a move also. It will be difficult for me to sell a house I enjoy with a great property. I am just done with all the B.S and taxes.

My wife seems to like Maine as an option and I lean to New Hampshire or Vermont. I have a feeling that Vermont and Maine would not be much different on the tax front.

I am looking for some real life experiences from members who have lived in these states to share there experiences. I want to make a more informed decision instead of using my anger and settling on anywhere but here.
Thank you for sharing.

Vermont is about to get Mass style gun control. Stay away. I am however fearful for Maine and NH. I see a dem wave brewing. The dems in NH just won a special election in a district Trump won by 13 points. There was a 20 point swing. Dems in NH have won 9 of the last 11 special elections since 2017 began. Not to mention the special elections they are winning across the US. 538 analyzed the data and the indicators look like a wave similar to 2006 building. For NH that meant a dem house senate governor and executive council. The dems will NOT sit around this time, they will push gun control. f***ing Steve Marchand (D) has an AWB as a leading plank for his NH governor candidacy! Maine is worse off than NH IMO.

We only have six data points here, so we shouldn’t get carried away drawing conclusions. That said, Democrats have to like the look of this table.

The cycle that looks most like this one is 2006, when Democrats gained 30 seats and control of the House from the Republicans3 thanks to a hefty win in the popular vote across all House races. In 2018, they need 24 seats to win back control of the lower chamber. The difference between the average swing in special federal elections and the margin of the national vote for the House has averaged just 3 percentage points since 1994. It has never differed by more than 7 points. So even if Democrats do 7 points worse in the national House vote than the average swing so far suggests, they’d still win the national House vote by 9 points, which would likely mean that they reclaim a House majority next year.

Indeed, the special election results so far this year are merely another indication of the GOP’s precarious position. President Trump’s approval rating is below 40 percent and Democrats hold an 11-percentage-point lead on the generic congressional ballot.

We’re still nearly a year from the 2018 midterms. That’s enough time for things to shift. Maybe Trump will grow more popular, for example. But historically, the environment doesn’t change much between this point in an election cycle and the midterms. So if you’re a Democrat, Tuesday’s Alabama result is just the latest special election sign that things are looking up heading into 2018.

Special Elections So Far Point To A Democratic Wave In 2018

 

[soloman02]

It looks like Vermont may flip for the first time ever on guns. For my research Maine gives you the option of buying affordable acreage, NH does not. For me, I'll eventually return east and settle in NH due to the Free State movement and a multitude of small things that add up toa quality of life picture.

NH I believe has some of the highest per capita income, lowest crime, and lowest regulatory burdens. (The same can be said of VT and ME when it comes to safety and economics)

A lot of little things you never realize until they aren't an issue anymore. I can't wait to not carry automotive liability insurance....

And little niceties I like about my current home in Montana, no sales tax, no vehicle inspections, permanent registration for 10 year old vehicles. (Whats an excise tax!?) The general acceptance of firearms everywhere culturally and legally, etc.

I do not recommend you drop liability. Since NH has one of the highest median incomes in the US there are lots and lots of expensive cars around (especially on the Seacoast). I drive by TWO Tesla Model S' on a daily basis going to work and I regularly see Tesla's when out and about (hell I'm FB friends with 2 people that own one...). I also have seen super cars around (Mazarati, etc). You do not want to have to pay the bill for one of those cars in an accident.

I am lucky. The trade I work is in very high demand. I could get a new job in just days.

I have lived in Mass most of my life and I really do love the land. Im just tired of feeding the beast. It does not help that my older brother lives in Alabama and pays just under $1k a year for property taxes on a $300k home. Everything costs less there and you are not treated like a criminal for collecting and carrying guns. It emphasizes how different things really can be.
I think I like New Hampshire due to the lack of sales or income taxes, the gun culture and it is still New England. And I could get a job tomorrow.
Maine is also appealing because I would love to live in a coastal area.
I have time to think. I am about 1 year out from my daughter graduating and us starting the move.

I'm going to be perfectly honest: I do not see myself living in NH for much longer. It is un-affordable. Unless I can increase my pay by 30-40K I do not foresee myself being able to afford to buy a house up here. Even renting is becoming a problem. I cannot live on my own, the rents are too high. Down South in a state like TN (Specifically the Chattanooga area) the rents are affordable.

My parents lived in NH since the mid 1970's and grew up in Maine before that. 4 years ago they left NH for South Carolina. The house they own, while in a development with people right next to them, was $300K brand new. Property tax is about $1,000/year. Electric is 10 cents/kWh( I pay 19 cents in NH!!!!!). No need to pay for heat. The same house in NH would cost $500K easy. Even with an income and sales tax, they come out ahead.

If you are set on staying in New England, NH is the best place. If not, Southern states like SC or TN (TN ranks 26 on the US News Best State list, SC is like 42) are your best bet.

 

[VTski4x4]

My property is in the cheapest tax district in Maine. I pay a whopping $395/year for my 35 acre parcel was selectively logged and now it’s over. Another 55 acres coming my way. Don’t discount Maine until you scout all the facts.

 

[Franco]

NH is great but beware of property taxes they are high AF, especially if you want any kind of decent home, garage and land. My property tax got raised a few months after i moved here.

House across the way from me, a beautiful private modern colonial with an attached 3 car garage and 6 acres. Been empty for 3 years/foreclosed and has gone to auction multiple times with no buyers. Taxes on the house 12k+ a year.

I would not recommend a NH to MA commute. It is pure misery. Find a job in state is a must.

 

[Zappa]

NH. I think if you ask others like me who have moved here in the past decade they will tell you it was a good choice.

This^

I escaped Mass in 2014 and don't regret it at all.

If I could live anywhere and it had to be in New England, it would be somewhere near the White Mountains.

Racist!

 

[W.E.C]

I thought S.C. is in NE cause that's where I'm heading in 3 years.

Right, S.C is the most northern state that doesn’t suck on the east coast.

 

[Zappa]

Right, S.C is the most northern state that doesn’t suck on the east coast.

As long as you like brutal humidity and don't want to buy beer in certain counties in Sunday.

 

[W.E.C]

As long as you like brutal humidity and don't want to buy beer in certain counties in Sunday.

A fullly stocked beer fridge , and a/c are my friends!

I’ve decided to move south at least to S.C ,Georgia ,or Fla.

To a place where if I put my snowblower in a flea market ,no body even knows what it is.

 

[Mark from MA]

I thought S.C. is in NE cause that's where I'm heading in 3 years.

Same here....less than 3 for me.

 

[Mark from MA]

As long as you like brutal humidity and don't want to buy beer in certain counties in Sunday.

I've been down there in August. Not any worse than August up here...... Sure it lasts longer, but winter is less than half of what it is up here.... I'll take it over constant noreasters, occasional hurricanes, cold shxt weather til June, and 3 feet of snow for months and a 2 month long mud season, ice dams, ice storms, ice coated driveways for a month, heating oil bullshit, all sorts of weather related bullshit that must be dealt with or you pay. F that.

Low taxes, living costs, friendly people that have common sense, and freedom are icing on the cake.

Piss away half your life up here waiting for good weather........

I'll be glad when I sell the plow, snowblower and everything that goes along with winter.

 

[sbi]

As long as you like brutal humidity and don't want to buy beer in certain counties in Sunday.

Humidity in MA, at least around the 128/495 belt, can be brutal as well in the summer, granted for a shorter period of time. That's why I am not moving to the coast area.

I don't drink alcohol so Sunday beer would not be an issue

 

[Agincourt]

I chose New Hampshire over Maine and Vermont because of the lack of sales and income tax. Maine and Vermont both have a worse income tax structure but you will have to do the math for yourself and your situation – property taxes in New Hampshire are fairly high and there is a five percent tax on interest and dividend income.


This site has three sections comparing taxes in all fifty states:


Taxes in Alabama to Iowa | Retirement Living


The tax rate section takes you to this link:


https://files.taxfoundation.org/201...ax-Rates-and-Brackets-for-2017-PDF-UPDATE.pdf It has the rate structures for Maine and Vermont.


IANAL. You should consult your attorney to make sure that once you leave Massachusetts you have severed all ties and clearly established New Hampshire (or wherever) as your legal domicile so you won't be hounded by Masschusetts for taxes.


For New Hampshire (or any state) explore online and in person a lot before you decide. Go to city-data.com for information on specific towns and states, map out where you think you like and visit several places. Also, think about what sort of life you want. On the water? There is the seacoast and there are a lot of smaller lakes (Sunapee and the like). A coupla acres in a small town? Forty acres and a pond fifteen minutes outside of a town?


One important point is to consider long-range planning. We are all growing older so you want to be sure you are fairly close to a hospital and a ‘major medical center’. You may have good health now and I hope you do all your days, but as we get older some of us will develop chronic conditions – cardiac, arthritic, etc. and if you need to make monthly doctors visits or need specialized care a major medical center cannot be beat. I am about twenty minutes from a classic ‘community hospital’ and forty minutes from Dartmouth-Hitchcock-VA Medical Center.

 

[roccoracer]

I chose New Hampshire over Maine and Vermont because of the lack of sales and income tax. Maine and Vermont both have a worse income tax structure but you will have to do the math for yourself and your situation – property taxes in New Hampshire are fairly high and there is a five percent tax on interest and dividend income.


This site has three sections comparing taxes in all fifty states:


Taxes in Alabama to Iowa | Retirement Living


The tax rate section takes you to this link:


https://files.taxfoundation.org/201...ax-Rates-and-Brackets-for-2017-PDF-UPDATE.pdf It has the rate structures for Maine and Vermont.


IANAL. You should consult your attorney to make sure that once you leave Massachusetts you have severed all ties and clearly established New Hampshire (or wherever) as your legal domicile so you won't be hounded by Masschusetts for taxes.


For New Hampshire (or any state) explore online and in person a lot before you decide. Go to city-data.com for information on specific towns and states, map out where you think you like and visit several places. Also, think about what sort of life you want. On the water? There is the seacoast and there are a lot of smaller lakes (Sunapee and the like). A coupla acres in a small town? Forty acres and a pond fifteen minutes outside of a town?


One important point is to consider long-range planning. We are all growing older so you want to be sure you are fairly close to a hospital and a ‘major medical center’. You may have good health now and I hope you do all your days, but as we get older some of us will develop chronic conditions – cardiac, arthritic, etc. and if you need to make monthly doctors visits or need specialized care a major medical center cannot be beat. I am about twenty minutes from a classic ‘community hospital’ and forty minutes from Dartmouth-Hitchcock-VA Medical Center.

Thank you. Excellent post tgat gets the gears turning.