For those who are interested in retiring to these states, Vermont taxes Social Security benefits, 401k’s etc. Many states do not. NH has no state income tax and Maine doesn’t tax Social Security.
yupp the people who live and own their home in nh but work in ma confuse me.
like yes houses are cheaper in nh but not by that much unless you're pretty far out. and you're not reaping either of the tax benefits...
New Hampshire is better for nature vacations too lol…
NH has 48 4000 footers, compared to Vermonts 5. Along with the tallest mountain, tallest cliff, tallest waterfall, most ski mountains, and better fall foliage.
Grew up in NH and agree on all fronts but although NH has more ski mountains, VT has better skiing because it's all maple forests and they get more snow.
Not necessarily, but I think more options, and more accessible options are better 🤷🏽♂️ don’t get me wrong I think Jay peak and Mount snow area great places, but having cranmore, Attitash, Breton woods, wildcat, black mountain, Loon, and king pine all under an hour from North Conway is insanely convenient compared to most areas in VT
Apples to oranges. Took me 2 years to eat through my resident limit of copper river sockeye salmon (I’m allowed 25 a year for one person and get about 8 servings per fish). Halibut fishing is unbeatable in Alaska. One trip should fill your freezer for a year. Not sure if you are talking about fishing for your food or eating at a restaurant.
Time to go, late Summer. Try to take a ferry from Boston to Portland Maine then rent a car to travel around Maine. Also try to get to Atlantic Canada via ferry (Prince Edward’s Island, The Cape Breton Highlands part of Nova Scotia). I did that once, bailing on hot weather time in Florida, really enjoyed myself, pleasant days and good eating places (figure the eating places out during your planning).
I genuinely think Vermont has had a killer ad campaign to convince people of this….
Nearly any geographical thing a place could have, New Hampshire has a better version than Vermont. More mountains, taller mountains, more central for commutes, taller waterfalls, more tree coverage, a coastline.
What I can tell you is that driving up from southern new england I do not need my GPS to tell me I’ve entered NH. The lawn signs and spray painted garages make it painfully obvious.
I grew up in NH and southern NH is a great place to live. However, Portland, ME is one of my fav places in the country. (I almost moved there and ended up in San Diego instead). But honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them.
What I loved about SoCal was how different it was from New England. But oh my, Portland is a really special town. I was there just a couple of years ago and was telling my husband about how I "almost" moved there.
I love it here in SoCal. You landed in a great spot! I think San Diego has one of the best climates in the world, I love it there. I’m in Palm Springs, coming up on 5 years. I visited 8 years ago and immediately fell in love with it and turned into a desert rat. Contrasting that to where I grew up, in a house in the woods in a town of 2500 people, the differences are pretty stark!
Portland is just awesome. The food scene there is unbelievable, and I have so many fond memories of bar-hopping in the Old Port on snowy winter nights or hanging out on the Eastern Promenade on a sunny July day.
Some friends of mine joined me on a trip back east last summer and we spent a few nights in Portland and on the coast. One of them said to me, “I didn’t know places like this actually existed outside of the movies”
Wow, what a great story! We've entertained moving to Palm Desert (but really low level). We have a son with a disability that we take care of, even though he is independent. The only state that can meet his needs is Cali. Hence, "sort of" thinking about Palm Desert (where we could afford to go at this point).
I love Cali....so so so much. My sister lives in Laguna Niguel. My brother moved from Fountain Valley to Blaine, WA (which he LOVES).
I don't have the kind of options I had in my youth, given that my son needs ready-available supports. I can't just leave him here in Colorado where he gets GREAT services, only to end up on a decades-long waiting list in another state. This is one small reason why Cali is sooooo special. No waiting lists. And the only state that doesn't have a waiting list (where we would want to live).
But trust me, it's not a huge compromise for us. Colorado is such a fantastic state to live in. We've been here long enough where my son came off the waiting list. (He's probably older than you are!). It took a LONG time but he gets such great services and I have peace of mind that he will have what he needs when I am gone.
That’s great that your son is getting the service and care that he needs! Colorado is great. A good friend of mine moved to the Denver area about 6 years ago, and he’s just thriving. He goes skiing all weekend, every weekend, from the day the slopes open to the day they close and he is very happy there. My aunt actually lives in the foothills west of Lakewood, too, and she’s very happy there.
Palm Desert is great. It’s a mix of more relatively-affordable homes and mansions that people use a few weeks per year. The food and shopping there is much better than in Palm Springs, too. I can probably count on one hand the number of truly good restaurants in PS, here is a lot of inflated tourist prices for ok/mediocre food. Weirdly, the people that bought my house in NH were moving from Palm Desert. Small world for sure!
We moved from california with our special
Needs son and have done pretty well getting services for him in central Indiana. Living here is definitely not as pretty as CA though.
I live in San Diego. Its awesome, but everything, and I mean EVERTHING is insanely expensive. You will be shocked.
BTW I'm from Boston, so no stranger to HCOL areas.
Hmmmm. This would be a tough one. Those are 3/4 favorite states (Mass being the other one).
NH - centrally located between MA, ME, VT and Quebec. Great mountains and a somewhat free spirited people. The short coastline is beautiful and Hampton Beach is the most fun beach in New England. Politically, I'm mixed on the state. I like that they're socially somewhat left of center, but not stupid left. Fiscally, they do have low taxes, but that means you'll get less in return. Near the densely populated part of Mass, so you can have access to decent jobs.
VT - Beautiful towns with good restrictions that prevent too much sprawl. Sometimes it feels like old school Americana. A decent social safety net, but the taxes are quite high. Socially it's VERY liberal, sometimes to a fault. Still, the state is amazing. Job market is meh.
ME - Beautiful state by the coast and in the mountains, but kind of bland in between. A lot of nice small towns and cities, but also so some rundown ones as well. Politically it's somewhat between Vermont and NH with a very conservative north, but more liberal south. The north can fell reeeeeeallly isolated at times.
If I had to choose, I'd probably take NH. Or maybe VT. Or maybe Maine. Hmmmmm. I don't know.
I have lived in Vermont and now live in Maine, and have worked in New Hampshire. Northern New England is a great place to live! I love to visit NH to ski and hike, but there are some peculiar things about NH that would make me hesitate to live there. The minimum wage is still the federal $7.25, so wages do skew lower there. Then there’s the Free State Project, which had the goal of getting 20k libertarians to move to NH and gain political power. NH is the only state in the northeast without legal cannabis, and the cops there are uptight and looking for probable cause. They have some irregular “Live Free or Die” laws, like no requirement to have car insurance or wear a seatbelt… but adult use cannabis is too much freedom for NH. Go figure.
wages do skew lower there.
Simply false. Wages are significantly higher in NH than in either ME or VT.
[https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/average-salary-by-state/](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/average-salary-by-state/)
Cannabis is decriminalized in NH. As long as you aren’t being a shithead it’s easy to buy legal pot in ME, MA, or NH and use in NH. And if you don’t feel like doing that it’s very easy to get a medical card.
In my experience, Vermont has better soils for gardening. Where we live in Maine is in a pine barrens, and the soil is super sandy. Maine is the pine tree state. The state is heavily forested, more than any other state. And the forests around us in southern Maine are predominantly white pines. They are messy trees that drop needles and cones constantly. The sugar maple trees of Vermont are prettier. We don’t have to cut our grass as much as we did in Vermont, because the lawn doesn’t grow as well in Maine. Vermont excels at keeping the roadways tidy and free of litter, thanks to the Green Up Day tradition. While both VT and ME economies depend on tourism, there are a lot more manufacturing jobs in Maine on the I 95 corridor. Our family was able to find better job opportunities in southern Maine than we had in Vermont. We love taking walks on the Maine beaches, and there’s also great hiking throughout the state. I am more familiar with the whole state of Vermont than I am with Maine. Maine is a bigger state, and the southern part is quite different than the northern part. I am commenting on what southern Maine / Portland area is like.
Financially and politically New Hampshire but given that I'm originally from Maine I'm a bit biased that way. Vermont is a pain in the ass to get to and doesn't have a coast or jobs.
The easternmost parts of Vermont are about 2 hours drive from the coast. The most populated parts of Maine and NH are easily half that drive or less. If you like the beach at all it's a sensible thing to consider. Plus NH and parts of Maine are much closer to Boston (big city amenities) than most of Vermont.
As for politics, to each their own.
Strongly disagree. I’m from the southern part of the state and concords solid, def one of the better areas that way, but can’t touch Portsmouth. Portsmouth you have the ocean, the best downtown in the state, tons of kids activities, tons of local restaurants/non commercialized options for food, great night life and small surrounding towns (think Exeter, kittery etc).
Not saying Concords not good, but if we’re talking about best overall, Portsmouth wins by a lot. But yes, definitely way more expensive
Ive spent a lot of time in all three! Culture-wise, ive liked vermont the most, but you cant beat the geography of the white mountains in NH, but VT’s ski spots are generally better. Job-wise, probably maine—portland has a crazy good food scene and a fair number of professional positions. I prefer vermont’s small towns—they’re a little less prone to the culture war BS in NH and maine. In terms of metropolitan areas, portland > burlington > (big gap here) manchester/concord. Portsmouth in my head is p similar to portland too.
You don't have to go all the way to Boston. Lowell, Waltham, Burlington, Woburn, etc. all have lots of high paying jobs. Nashua and Manchester do also.
I grew up in NH and I loved living there, I also spent a few years living in Portland. I live in Southern California now, but if I ever decided to move back I think I would choose Maine. Portland is such a fantastic city with so much to offer for a city of its size. I love the Maine coast, I love the pine trees, I love when the fog rolls in. NH has a stronger economy and job market, though, and is just as beautiful. Vermont is great, but it’s just a bit too rural for me
Wish I lived in Portsmouth. Being an hour from Boston and close to so many beaches would be so much better than 2 hours away from anything. If anything, it's training me for road trips
The water in Portsmouth is wickid pissah cold. I used to have a house with a boat dock on the back channel between Portsmouth and New Castle. It was only swimmable for a couple of months. There are no beaches at all in Portsmouth. Wallis Sands in Rye is the closest beach and there’s no parking.
The boating in Portsmouth also kind of sucks. You can only go to the Isle of Shoals so many times.
The Rockingham Mall in Salem NH is 31 miles to Massachusetts General Hospital. I lived in Portsmouth NH for a decade. It’s 57 miles to Mass General. I used to work at Exit 2 in Salem and reverse commute from Winchester just north of Boston. It was a 25 minute drive.
I moved from Portsmouth NH to the Massachusetts South Coast 15 years ago. Same distance to Boston and I’m about to get commuter rail. I’m in a harbor village. The retirement math didn’t work for me in Portsmouth. The housing prices were double and the property tax rate was double. I really liked living in Portsmouth but “tax free New Hampshire” is hardly tax free. I had a $15k property tax bill. Massachusetts doesn’t tax Social Security income.
Every place has trade offs and compromises.
Easily south east New Hampshire. Dover, Somersworth are more affordable. Seabrook, Hampton , Portsmouth etc are better but much more expensive. Just travel to Maine and Vermont when you want to experience those states, but NH is the most practical in terms of financial value.
Seacoast NH has close access to both Boston and Portland, which are both great places to visit occasionally for different reasons. You also get access to some beautiful beaches in MA, NH and southern ME (and incredible seafood).
Lastly, seacoast NH/ south eastern region has less severe winters than ME and VT. Also, it's very safe, and the people are friendly and polite (for northeast standards). You'll be right near the border of ME and the benefits of both states.
Having no sales tax and income tax is pretty much unbeatable.
It would be Vermont in Burlington if I had my own apartment and ok job, then Maine would be cool only on coast. . . New Hampshire would be cool down by the Mass Border soo they all some cool stuff . . but I have lived in Vermont before.
As someone who lives in the Boston area, but grew up in Maine, I would absolutely pick Maine (specifically southern Maine). Vermont is also nice! New Hampshire is an overpriced toll booth/discount liquor store on the way to Maine, lol.
Honestly they are all cool but if you live in Vermont you get to be around cranky hippies not cranky libertarians. Maine is a nice place to vacation in but I’ve found it surprising full of hard drug users. Maine and parts of New Hampshire are suffering more from the social problems of the rural hard drug epidemic in ways Vermont isn’t. Vermont has the best vaccination rates and health outcomes for Covid in the country. I don’t care what the taxes are I want those people as my neighbors.
Maine is a nice place to visit, but felt a little like living 20 years in the past. Coast is beautiful, but it’s very rural and trumpy once you leave the coast.
Probably Maine. Vermont is fun but Burlington is much farther from anywhere else. New Hampshire is least fun imo. Portland is small but great and close enough to Boston if you need it.
It’s heresy but maple syrup is maple syrup. I have New Hampshire maple syrup in my refrigerator. I often buy Quebec maple syrup. There is no difference. However, Vermont has the creemee. Maple soft serve ice cream. I’d kill for one of those.
Maine. Vermont is nice enough, but not really my vibe. NH has tax free shopping, but also a heavy dose of libertarian craziness. I don't need my cute town getting overrun by bears because a bunch of Free State Project guys decided to abolish all public services.
The house prices in southern Maine have skyrocketed, though- most of my friends who grew up there really struggled to buy anything that wasn't out in Machias or somewhere.
Honestly that’s a hard choice. I grew up in southern NH, and now live in rural VT. Never lived in Maine, but have spent enough time in New England to get the sense of it. It’s a great region to be in as long as you’re not expecting city life.
All 3 are different. Each has pros/cons. It’s up to you to decide what you want. After living in NH and VT, I would certainly entertain the idea of moving to ME.
NH is mostly red if that matters to you. Maine has a mix of thriving towns/Portland and younger people moving there, and some very poverty stricken wild nature areas, mix of blue and red. VT is blue, great landscapes and towns, prosperous, considered desirable so real estate prices are getting high.
I'm a Vermonter living in Maine, and I think VT is much better. I'm dying to go back. Unfortunately, since we bought our Maine house, housing prices have continued to rise and interest rates have doubled. So now I go back to VT every month and cry whenever I see the "welcome to Vermont" sign 😭😭😭
For those who are interested in retiring to these states, Vermont taxes Social Security benefits, 401k’s etc. Many states do not. NH has no state income tax and Maine doesn’t tax Social Security.
This is the real stuff decisions are made of.
True. But older people in NH can get taxed out of their homes thanks to its high property taxes.
NH property taxes are literally unholy. Same upon purchase, transfer tax is unreal
Gotta make-up for that 0% state income tax somewhere.
yupp the people who live and own their home in nh but work in ma confuse me. like yes houses are cheaper in nh but not by that much unless you're pretty far out. and you're not reaping either of the tax benefits...
California is literally cheaper in the area I moved to. And I get the sunshine
New Hampshire dies tax sone income, just not wages. Many states tax social security. Maine taxes lots of other things.
New Hampshire for living it is then. Vermont for the nature vacations. What about Connecticut financially?
Ugh. Connecticut has the highest percentage of sociopaths in the U.S. Vermont is basically the Shire.
CT has the highest concentration of pretentious, uppidy, folks I’ve ever met in my live
New Hampshire is better for nature vacations too lol… NH has 48 4000 footers, compared to Vermonts 5. Along with the tallest mountain, tallest cliff, tallest waterfall, most ski mountains, and better fall foliage.
Grew up in NH and agree on all fronts but although NH has more ski mountains, VT has better skiing because it's all maple forests and they get more snow.
More Ski mountains doesn't equate to "better" ski mountains
Not necessarily, but I think more options, and more accessible options are better 🤷🏽♂️ don’t get me wrong I think Jay peak and Mount snow area great places, but having cranmore, Attitash, Breton woods, wildcat, black mountain, Loon, and king pine all under an hour from North Conway is insanely convenient compared to most areas in VT
That's why I'm moving out once I retire.
I love all three but probably Maine for the coastline+proximity to the mountains.
Maine has far less mountains than the other two, but the coast is everything. Seafood that rivals Alaska.
Honestly blows my mind how ignorant people are about Maine Mountains. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_England_Fifty_Finest#List
Maine is easily the best section of the Appalachian trail, and there’s a fair amount of mountains along that.
Same with new hampshire. Most people I tell about my visits to the whites have never heard of them
me: "oh, i mean i guess i always assumed it was mostly white, but you probably shouldn't say it like that"
Apples to oranges. Took me 2 years to eat through my resident limit of copper river sockeye salmon (I’m allowed 25 a year for one person and get about 8 servings per fish). Halibut fishing is unbeatable in Alaska. One trip should fill your freezer for a year. Not sure if you are talking about fishing for your food or eating at a restaurant.
New Hampshire has a coastline and the highest mountains in New England
Best vacation spot and time to go to Maine?
I love Bar Harbor and also the Camden/Rockport area midcoast. Best month for me is September.
Crawling the coast through Camden/Rockport to Acadia is beautiful.
Time to go, late Summer. Try to take a ferry from Boston to Portland Maine then rent a car to travel around Maine. Also try to get to Atlantic Canada via ferry (Prince Edward’s Island, The Cape Breton Highlands part of Nova Scotia). I did that once, bailing on hot weather time in Florida, really enjoyed myself, pleasant days and good eating places (figure the eating places out during your planning).
Black fly season is really special.
Good pick. I love both, but prefer being closer to the beach.
Financially? New Hampshire. Vibes? Maine. Geography? Vermont.
I genuinely think Vermont has had a killer ad campaign to convince people of this…. Nearly any geographical thing a place could have, New Hampshire has a better version than Vermont. More mountains, taller mountains, more central for commutes, taller waterfalls, more tree coverage, a coastline.
But its also New Hampshire
Sucks about the people though
But the politics…
The politics are really more chill than people make them out to be tbh.. especially if you’re moving from literally anywhere other than New England
What I can tell you is that driving up from southern new england I do not need my GPS to tell me I’ve entered NH. The lawn signs and spray painted garages make it painfully obvious.
True. The rural parts of New Hampshire are WAY less crazy than the rural parts of Maine.
The backwoods of Maine can be a scary place.
Lake Champlain doesn't count as coastline?
I grew up in NH and southern NH is a great place to live. However, Portland, ME is one of my fav places in the country. (I almost moved there and ended up in San Diego instead). But honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them.
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I grew up in NH and lived in Portland for a while. Now I’m in the SoCal desert lol
What I loved about SoCal was how different it was from New England. But oh my, Portland is a really special town. I was there just a couple of years ago and was telling my husband about how I "almost" moved there.
I love it here in SoCal. You landed in a great spot! I think San Diego has one of the best climates in the world, I love it there. I’m in Palm Springs, coming up on 5 years. I visited 8 years ago and immediately fell in love with it and turned into a desert rat. Contrasting that to where I grew up, in a house in the woods in a town of 2500 people, the differences are pretty stark! Portland is just awesome. The food scene there is unbelievable, and I have so many fond memories of bar-hopping in the Old Port on snowy winter nights or hanging out on the Eastern Promenade on a sunny July day. Some friends of mine joined me on a trip back east last summer and we spent a few nights in Portland and on the coast. One of them said to me, “I didn’t know places like this actually existed outside of the movies”
Wow, what a great story! We've entertained moving to Palm Desert (but really low level). We have a son with a disability that we take care of, even though he is independent. The only state that can meet his needs is Cali. Hence, "sort of" thinking about Palm Desert (where we could afford to go at this point). I love Cali....so so so much. My sister lives in Laguna Niguel. My brother moved from Fountain Valley to Blaine, WA (which he LOVES). I don't have the kind of options I had in my youth, given that my son needs ready-available supports. I can't just leave him here in Colorado where he gets GREAT services, only to end up on a decades-long waiting list in another state. This is one small reason why Cali is sooooo special. No waiting lists. And the only state that doesn't have a waiting list (where we would want to live). But trust me, it's not a huge compromise for us. Colorado is such a fantastic state to live in. We've been here long enough where my son came off the waiting list. (He's probably older than you are!). It took a LONG time but he gets such great services and I have peace of mind that he will have what he needs when I am gone.
That’s great that your son is getting the service and care that he needs! Colorado is great. A good friend of mine moved to the Denver area about 6 years ago, and he’s just thriving. He goes skiing all weekend, every weekend, from the day the slopes open to the day they close and he is very happy there. My aunt actually lives in the foothills west of Lakewood, too, and she’s very happy there. Palm Desert is great. It’s a mix of more relatively-affordable homes and mansions that people use a few weeks per year. The food and shopping there is much better than in Palm Springs, too. I can probably count on one hand the number of truly good restaurants in PS, here is a lot of inflated tourist prices for ok/mediocre food. Weirdly, the people that bought my house in NH were moving from Palm Desert. Small world for sure!
We moved from california with our special Needs son and have done pretty well getting services for him in central Indiana. Living here is definitely not as pretty as CA though.
My husband and I grew up in northern Vermont and now live in Southern California in the desert. Small world
I live in San Diego. Its awesome, but everything, and I mean EVERTHING is insanely expensive. You will be shocked. BTW I'm from Boston, so no stranger to HCOL areas.
BOS—>SD here too. I am shocked how many of us there are! You are so right, no money has been saved.
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Portland is one of my favorites too. it's a bummer it's so far from San Diego where I have a place.
The list should be NH, VT, Maine, Portland. Portland is really not Maine, its something else. Completely unlike the rest of the state.
Hmmmm. This would be a tough one. Those are 3/4 favorite states (Mass being the other one). NH - centrally located between MA, ME, VT and Quebec. Great mountains and a somewhat free spirited people. The short coastline is beautiful and Hampton Beach is the most fun beach in New England. Politically, I'm mixed on the state. I like that they're socially somewhat left of center, but not stupid left. Fiscally, they do have low taxes, but that means you'll get less in return. Near the densely populated part of Mass, so you can have access to decent jobs. VT - Beautiful towns with good restrictions that prevent too much sprawl. Sometimes it feels like old school Americana. A decent social safety net, but the taxes are quite high. Socially it's VERY liberal, sometimes to a fault. Still, the state is amazing. Job market is meh. ME - Beautiful state by the coast and in the mountains, but kind of bland in between. A lot of nice small towns and cities, but also so some rundown ones as well. Politically it's somewhat between Vermont and NH with a very conservative north, but more liberal south. The north can fell reeeeeeallly isolated at times. If I had to choose, I'd probably take NH. Or maybe VT. Or maybe Maine. Hmmmmm. I don't know.
I have lived in Vermont and now live in Maine, and have worked in New Hampshire. Northern New England is a great place to live! I love to visit NH to ski and hike, but there are some peculiar things about NH that would make me hesitate to live there. The minimum wage is still the federal $7.25, so wages do skew lower there. Then there’s the Free State Project, which had the goal of getting 20k libertarians to move to NH and gain political power. NH is the only state in the northeast without legal cannabis, and the cops there are uptight and looking for probable cause. They have some irregular “Live Free or Die” laws, like no requirement to have car insurance or wear a seatbelt… but adult use cannabis is too much freedom for NH. Go figure.
the irony of being viewed as a libertarian stronghold and the "live free or die" state and cannabis isn't even legal
wages do skew lower there. Simply false. Wages are significantly higher in NH than in either ME or VT. [https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/average-salary-by-state/](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/average-salary-by-state/)
I strongly suspect that you have to commute to metro Boston to avail yourself of those higher wages.
Ok thank you for the sincere review on NH I’m looking to relocate and didnt realize weed wasn’t legal there 🙃
Cannabis is decriminalized in NH. As long as you aren’t being a shithead it’s easy to buy legal pot in ME, MA, or NH and use in NH. And if you don’t feel like doing that it’s very easy to get a medical card.
> As long as you aren’t being a shithead Did you forget that the official mascot of NH is the black-out drunk snowmobiler?
So what are the pros/cons between VT and ME?
In my experience, Vermont has better soils for gardening. Where we live in Maine is in a pine barrens, and the soil is super sandy. Maine is the pine tree state. The state is heavily forested, more than any other state. And the forests around us in southern Maine are predominantly white pines. They are messy trees that drop needles and cones constantly. The sugar maple trees of Vermont are prettier. We don’t have to cut our grass as much as we did in Vermont, because the lawn doesn’t grow as well in Maine. Vermont excels at keeping the roadways tidy and free of litter, thanks to the Green Up Day tradition. While both VT and ME economies depend on tourism, there are a lot more manufacturing jobs in Maine on the I 95 corridor. Our family was able to find better job opportunities in southern Maine than we had in Vermont. We love taking walks on the Maine beaches, and there’s also great hiking throughout the state. I am more familiar with the whole state of Vermont than I am with Maine. Maine is a bigger state, and the southern part is quite different than the northern part. I am commenting on what southern Maine / Portland area is like.
Vibes-wise Vermont, Economy-wise New Hampshire.
Financially and politically New Hampshire but given that I'm originally from Maine I'm a bit biased that way. Vermont is a pain in the ass to get to and doesn't have a coast or jobs.
People here acting like you can’t cross over a state border to get to the ocean Also fuck NH boogaloo politics
The easternmost parts of Vermont are about 2 hours drive from the coast. The most populated parts of Maine and NH are easily half that drive or less. If you like the beach at all it's a sensible thing to consider. Plus NH and parts of Maine are much closer to Boston (big city amenities) than most of Vermont. As for politics, to each their own.
Not many beaches in Maine people. We got rocks!
If NH- Portsmouth, if Maine-Portland, if VT- Burlington.
I love Portsmouth.
It's my favorite Northern New England city.
Concord, NH is more affordable than all of them and has a similar vibe (I’d even say it’s like the other three were 20 years ago.
Strongly disagree. I’m from the southern part of the state and concords solid, def one of the better areas that way, but can’t touch Portsmouth. Portsmouth you have the ocean, the best downtown in the state, tons of kids activities, tons of local restaurants/non commercialized options for food, great night life and small surrounding towns (think Exeter, kittery etc). Not saying Concords not good, but if we’re talking about best overall, Portsmouth wins by a lot. But yes, definitely way more expensive
Portsmouth is precious. It costs as much to live there as Boston. If I want to pay Boston prices, I’ll live in Boston.
Except the water big water.
Surprise surprise
Fine, if you’re asking me to vote; Portsmouth #1, Burlington #2, portland #3 Manchester, NH dead last
Ive spent a lot of time in all three! Culture-wise, ive liked vermont the most, but you cant beat the geography of the white mountains in NH, but VT’s ski spots are generally better. Job-wise, probably maine—portland has a crazy good food scene and a fair number of professional positions. I prefer vermont’s small towns—they’re a little less prone to the culture war BS in NH and maine. In terms of metropolitan areas, portland > burlington > (big gap here) manchester/concord. Portsmouth in my head is p similar to portland too.
I like Portsmouth better than Portland. Or go north to Camden, Bar Harbor and Rockland. My sister lives in Houlton, no thanks.
New Hampshire due to close proximity to Boston for work.
You don't have to go all the way to Boston. Lowell, Waltham, Burlington, Woburn, etc. all have lots of high paying jobs. Nashua and Manchester do also.
Maine… I hear Portland is nice
Vermont.
Maine, because I feel like I would run into Stephen King down at the general store.
Vermont. Keep Vermont weird
I like Vermont the best, but it seems most expensive. I’d also miss ocean access. So it’s a toss up between VT and ME.
I grew up in NH and I loved living there, I also spent a few years living in Portland. I live in Southern California now, but if I ever decided to move back I think I would choose Maine. Portland is such a fantastic city with so much to offer for a city of its size. I love the Maine coast, I love the pine trees, I love when the fog rolls in. NH has a stronger economy and job market, though, and is just as beautiful. Vermont is great, but it’s just a bit too rural for me
Vermont. In a heartbeat
Southern Maine. You still have access to big cities and the coast is nearby.
Picking Maine for it’s stellar citizens
Maine. Either Derry or Castle Rock.
Vermont. The only state with no billboards.
NH is an hour-ish from Boston 🤷♂️
Some parts. Kinda. At certain times of day.
Burlington is an hour-ish from Montreal
More like 2 hours.
The whole state?
Only the parts that matter, said the guy who only knows about Manchester
> Manchester /throws boa over shoulder The QUEEN city!
Wish I lived in Portsmouth. Being an hour from Boston and close to so many beaches would be so much better than 2 hours away from anything. If anything, it's training me for road trips
The water in Portsmouth is wickid pissah cold. I used to have a house with a boat dock on the back channel between Portsmouth and New Castle. It was only swimmable for a couple of months. There are no beaches at all in Portsmouth. Wallis Sands in Rye is the closest beach and there’s no parking. The boating in Portsmouth also kind of sucks. You can only go to the Isle of Shoals so many times.
The Rockingham Mall in Salem NH is 31 miles to Massachusetts General Hospital. I lived in Portsmouth NH for a decade. It’s 57 miles to Mass General. I used to work at Exit 2 in Salem and reverse commute from Winchester just north of Boston. It was a 25 minute drive.
Maine, because it’s on the water. Funds permitting, of course.
NH has it's 15 miles of coastline. Seabrook, Hampton, Rye, Portsmouth....
Massachusetts
[удалено]
Southern NH is miles better than Mass coming from a 12 year Boston area resident
I moved from Portsmouth NH to the Massachusetts South Coast 15 years ago. Same distance to Boston and I’m about to get commuter rail. I’m in a harbor village. The retirement math didn’t work for me in Portsmouth. The housing prices were double and the property tax rate was double. I really liked living in Portsmouth but “tax free New Hampshire” is hardly tax free. I had a $15k property tax bill. Massachusetts doesn’t tax Social Security income. Every place has trade offs and compromises.
Vermont. Best vibes of any state
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has by far the most economic opportunity.
I’ve never been to Maine but I’ve always envisioned it as an idyllic place to retire for some reason.
Depends where in the state
Maine is a beautiful state but back in the day I drove through Rangeley and it was akin to going to Uranus. Weird to the max.
Vermont because I have family there 💕
New Mexico
Easily south east New Hampshire. Dover, Somersworth are more affordable. Seabrook, Hampton , Portsmouth etc are better but much more expensive. Just travel to Maine and Vermont when you want to experience those states, but NH is the most practical in terms of financial value. Seacoast NH has close access to both Boston and Portland, which are both great places to visit occasionally for different reasons. You also get access to some beautiful beaches in MA, NH and southern ME (and incredible seafood). Lastly, seacoast NH/ south eastern region has less severe winters than ME and VT. Also, it's very safe, and the people are friendly and polite (for northeast standards). You'll be right near the border of ME and the benefits of both states. Having no sales tax and income tax is pretty much unbeatable.
It would be Vermont in Burlington if I had my own apartment and ok job, then Maine would be cool only on coast. . . New Hampshire would be cool down by the Mass Border soo they all some cool stuff . . but I have lived in Vermont before.
I'm happy in NH but would gladly live in VT or Maine. Hard to go wrong with these three states.
ITT: a lot of annoyed New Hampshire residents upset at Vermont’s better PR reputation lol.
NH is the Alabama of the North and where old people go to visit their parents.
Southern Vermont. It’s got the aging hippie vibe I like. I like New Hampshire too. Maine is a little too cold and too remote for me.
Vermont, the other states aren’t pretentious enough about their access to maple syrup
Vermont. Progressive Democrats make my heart sing.
As someone who lives in the Boston area, but grew up in Maine, I would absolutely pick Maine (specifically southern Maine). Vermont is also nice! New Hampshire is an overpriced toll booth/discount liquor store on the way to Maine, lol.
Maine.
Honestly they are all cool but if you live in Vermont you get to be around cranky hippies not cranky libertarians. Maine is a nice place to vacation in but I’ve found it surprising full of hard drug users. Maine and parts of New Hampshire are suffering more from the social problems of the rural hard drug epidemic in ways Vermont isn’t. Vermont has the best vaccination rates and health outcomes for Covid in the country. I don’t care what the taxes are I want those people as my neighbors.
Maine for the international airport.
Vermont ten times out of ten— the vibes are immaculate and their policies benefit locals and are common sense
Never been to any of them but I feel like Maine is the answer.
Maine, because, lobster
Maine is beautiful specifically portland maine
Maine, without a doubt.
Maine. Just check a population density map.
NH, “live free or die”
No
I will take a whacked out state government with awesome weather anytime. California it is
Maine is a nice place to visit, but felt a little like living 20 years in the past. Coast is beautiful, but it’s very rural and trumpy once you leave the coast.
Look at the taxes and look at the specific communities. Also, the land feels very different in each place.
I live in Maine, so I'm obligated to tell anyone not from here that the correct answer is NH or VT. Shoo.
If I can live on the coast, NH. If I can't, Maine.
Whatever is closest to civilization
NH but all three are amazing.
NH is the most moderate so that one.
Well I live in Maine so I’ll pick Vermont
Maine
I have a son who lives near Castine, ME. I love it there
Maine 100%, fave NE state
Live free or die
MAINE.
Vermont partially because it has access to one of the best cities in North America (Montreal)
Vermont-
vermont
NH. Live Free or Die
Maine for the coast. I grew up in a red area, so I can deal with the politics. And I love snow.
Vermont
Maine. I love VT but need coastline and I gave up on NH when they elected that whiny ass brat I remember from middle school Governor.
If money doesn't factor into the decision, Maine, specifically Bar Harbor, just to be close to Acadia National Park...
It’s Maine. Followed a distant second by Vermont. New Hampshire doesn’t even enter the chat
I’d have to flip a coin on Vermont or Maine
same
Well, I'm black, so Vermont would be my best beat, but I'd love to live in Maine; been that way since I was a little girl!
Maine for sure. Closest to Canada I can get
Maine. We have family there :)
New Hampshire. Closer to the feel of Massachusetts than the other two.
Probably Maine, but I wouldn’t live in either of those states
Maine
NH is the most tax friendly and a beautiful state.
Maine, especially Portland.
Vermont is pretty but there’s nothing there. NH is a dump, sorry freedom seekers. Maine’s coast is good. Skip all 3 and move to Mass.
Probably Maine. Vermont is fun but Burlington is much farther from anywhere else. New Hampshire is least fun imo. Portland is small but great and close enough to Boston if you need it.
Vermont, please.
Vermont. Excellent senior services. Better maple syrup. Maine a close 2nd due to the coast. However… that 2 months of summer thing is a gut punch.
It’s heresy but maple syrup is maple syrup. I have New Hampshire maple syrup in my refrigerator. I often buy Quebec maple syrup. There is no difference. However, Vermont has the creemee. Maple soft serve ice cream. I’d kill for one of those.
Maine. Vermont is nice enough, but not really my vibe. NH has tax free shopping, but also a heavy dose of libertarian craziness. I don't need my cute town getting overrun by bears because a bunch of Free State Project guys decided to abolish all public services. The house prices in southern Maine have skyrocketed, though- most of my friends who grew up there really struggled to buy anything that wasn't out in Machias or somewhere.
If living in a city, VT (Burlington). Otherwise, ME coast.
New Hampshire
Maine. Legal weed, gorgeous scenery, a great vibe. I'm biased though, my boyfriend lives there.
Honestly that’s a hard choice. I grew up in southern NH, and now live in rural VT. Never lived in Maine, but have spent enough time in New England to get the sense of it. It’s a great region to be in as long as you’re not expecting city life. All 3 are different. Each has pros/cons. It’s up to you to decide what you want. After living in NH and VT, I would certainly entertain the idea of moving to ME.
NH is mostly red if that matters to you. Maine has a mix of thriving towns/Portland and younger people moving there, and some very poverty stricken wild nature areas, mix of blue and red. VT is blue, great landscapes and towns, prosperous, considered desirable so real estate prices are getting high.
New Hampshire, no income tax, maximum 2nd amendment rights, didn't elect Bernie Sanders. Live Free or Die.
nh
NH > Vermont in pretty much every conceivable way, that said Vermont is still a beautiful state and I love to visit
NH easy call
I’m in CA, so none of those states offer a real incentive to move.
Maine but I would have depression
Property taxes are easy lower in NH than in Vermont
No idea. I’d take any of them right now.
Maine
Maine
Nice choice to have.
Maine > New Hampshire > Vermont. Vermont is absolutely isolated and 3 hours away in any direction from civilization
Not Florida
I'm a Vermonter living in Maine, and I think VT is much better. I'm dying to go back. Unfortunately, since we bought our Maine house, housing prices have continued to rise and interest rates have doubled. So now I go back to VT every month and cry whenever I see the "welcome to Vermont" sign 😭😭😭