New England residents of ME, NH & VT...How do you like it there?

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I was born a raised in Massachutsetts, then spent my whole working career in Connecticut. After retirement, I lived in Central Florida for a number of years and now in Wisconsin for family reasons. I liked New England, but the cost of living and the restricted laws are more than I would stand for. I would never go back. But If I did, it would be New Hampshire. Economically, they have no income tax. Vermont and Maine are beautiful, but spendy as they say here in Wisconsin. I would stay away from the immediate Boston area because all the Bostonians are moving there to escape the MA taxes, and they bring their politics with them. I like the Keene area. Close to winter sports and good fishing. Airgunniing there? Not sure about that. All that said, I hate cold weather and would move back to FL in a heartbeat. Much more freedom and fewer restrictions on a lot of things and very low taxes. In most areas, you can shoot in your back yard. Big cities like Tampa and Miami are getting too crowded for me, however. Tennessee is great too. No income taxes, low property taxes, low real estate prices and lotsa airgun clubs. You kinda get 4 seasons there, but winters are fairly mild. Good luck on your choice. I know we all have different opinions on this and I hope your decision is a good one.
 
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Right now, I am more looking for small game with an air rifle, and I don't mind buying a non-resident tag to expand my options. When I lived in Utah I always had a Utah and Idaho hunting license, because upland game bird hunting in Utah sucks compared to Idaho.

@ctshooter, I just checked. NH does now have income tax, but it is lower than my home state of Idaho. Idaho and Maine are pretty much the same, 0.15 % is a fancy meal out. Also, Maine sounds like Eastern Idaho half the time when it comes to 4 seasons. We say there is winter, 2 months of summer, and then Mother Nature is off her meds. That is why I always tell people to take a winter coat with them if they visit Yellowstone National park in June or September on. Yell, even on the 4th of July it be freezing and you need to light a fire to stay warm outside, and this in the valley floor of Pocatello, not the mountains around it.

Thanks all for the input. I will keep you posted. The interview start this week, and etc. Last week I already had an informal chat with the manager so I knew what I would be getting into if I get the job.



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You are smart to look at the overall tax rate. People will say there is no sales tax in NH, etc. etc. but they have huge property taxes. Municipalities need to pay for things somehow and it is going to come from somewhere. My wife is from NH, we now live in southern Maine and love it. I've lived all over the country including as far as Hawaii and Alaska, down South, etc. I've also seen plenty of foreign countries. We live in the Kennebunk area so close to the ocean but a short drive to the other side of I95 (non ocean side) it gets rural pretty quick with plenty of opportunity to hunt. We enjoy that we have so many different "flavors" of living within our area. I have three older and very, how shall we say, "county" brothers that buy everything from handguns to AR's, I have a couple of shotguns and several air rifles. No issues with gun laws anywhere here that I can tell. Also, as you've observed, people can be friendly to a fault. Best of luck with wherever you land! 

Cliff
 
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@cliff_allen Thank for the information and when I mention NE to some friends in Idaho they say why all those NE liberals. My friends get the view all the east coast is like Boston or NYC. Also, I am single so if I decide to move I move.

Tomorrow the process starts for formal interviews, I have already had one “unofficial” chat with the hiring manager. The hiring manager told me he wants to move quick in the hiring process. Also, I spoke to one of his colleagues who is an old colleague of mine. My colleague is pretty sure that the company would let me start to on boarding in the Netherlands to speed up the handover.

NH does have income tax now, it looks like, but even if they didn’t like mentioned other taxes are high to compensate for no income tax. The old saying is always right, “The get you coming or going!”
 
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@pumacarl, thanks for the information. Yesterday evening local time I got the invite for the formal panel interview. And I am leaning towards NH vs Maine because it is kind of a bit more central. I would start out renting until I get a base then worry about building/buying. If I did though, I might migrate to Maine.
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Good luck. Hope you get what you are looking for. After you settle down, I will check in. I have family in Maine and New Hampshire, if you are located any where near we could meet up and do some shooting. If you need anything check in with me, like I said I have family in both areas. 
 
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I live in VT. As far as gun laws they are the least restrictive of all the New England states. The hunting laws on what you can use to hunt are no semi-automatics with more than 6 rounds in chamber and magizine combined except for 22 rimfire. As far as airguns no restrictions except maybe the airbows. The bow season anyone can use crossbow, compound, long bow and recurve. You have to use a shotgun for turkeys and migratory birds. I guess that means you can use a shotgun propelled by air. Shotguns are defined by having a smooth bore. The hunting seasons for VT are deer, turkey, bear, upland game birds and small game. Moose season is closed now because of all the ticks killing the moose. You can also hunt some fur bearing animals too. There are also some animals that have no closed season like coyote. VT has a rifle, bow and muzzle loader season for deer. The muzzle loader season for deer you have to use only a single barrel single shot muzzle loader with a bore diameter of atleast .44 cal. and bow season a bow with a broadhead with atleast 2 cutting edges and 7/8" in width. Anytime you can use a rifle to hunt you can use a airgun, muzzeloader, bow or shotgun. There are some restrictions on what you can use for ammo on deer and turkeys. There are a bow and shotgun season for turkeys. This is not all the laws for hunting so look up the VT Fish & Wildlife for the laws and seasons. VT has a lot of public hunting land. There is the National Forest which is pretty much the whole 1/3 of VT down the center of the state and there are Wildlife Management Areas too. There is also a lot of water to fish. We have Lake Champlain on the west and the Connecticut River on the east and many lakes, ponds and rivers.

As for living in VT the taxes are not much different than any other state. We have to pay no matter what. The states still gets you! As far a population goes I think New Hampshire has about 50% more people than Vermont. There are places in Vermont where you can get away from people. Pretty much anywhere except the cities. The same with New Hampshire. The northern part of NH has the least people. Maine has the most people along the coast. There are places in VT where you can live that are 3 hours from Boston. Another option if you lived in Vermont would be to fly out of Albany, NY to Boston, MA.

I live just north of Rutland, VT. I have a air compressor to fill up to 4500 psi. I am single so I can get away and hunt, fish and shoot guns of all kinds which I really like to do. 

I have a FX impact, p-rod, pioneer airbow and other various PB guns and a muzzleloader. I have some places to shoot pigeons too. 

Send me a message on here with your phone number if you want to talk sometime. Bill
 
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@25_cal PM sent. Thanks

One thing I have to laugh at is people are telling me how bad the winters can be in New England. Please I grew up in Idaho and went to grad school in Butte, Montana, so I say bring it one and give me the best you got New England.

When I went to grad school in Montana ice formed up on my front porch in November and left in April. That year I think we had a stretch of cold where it didn't get above -15 F (-26 C) and that was the actual temperature, not real feel. The only thing I could see NE has is humidity, but you adapt and over come, aka have a REALLY good quality down jacket.

Winter driving wise, I DO know how to handle almost all road conditions and plan to have a good 4WD / AWD.

I am going to nail this job, so with timing out I should be in New England mid summer after getting settled in IDaho.
 
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Don't discount the effects of humid cold to dry. My brother went snowmobiling in Yellowstone at -35 in the morning and laughed about it compared to a 2 degree morning here (NH). On a Discovery Channel special, after some incident on Mt. Everest, they were asking the team doctor about the conditions (that killed people) and threw in the question about what was the worst weather he had ever seen. He had also been a doctor at some station in the Antarctic.They thought he was going to say Everest, on that expedition; he said, "Mt. Washington NH, by far." I let out quite a big belly laugh watching it because I wasn't expecting him to say that either. It use to be listed as having the worst weather in the world (still could be) because it is one of the only spots that have 3 weather systems intersecting there. The mountain is not that tall, only 6,288' but it is it's location that makes it deadly. Of course, most of the state gets the same weather as the rest of New England but don't think that an Idaho minus 35 is so much colder than 0 here. My boss has a place in Idaho. I love that area, and I don't think NH can hold a candle to it. Much better skiing too.


 
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