Geography and Climate: White Mountains, Lakes, Seacoast

Understanding New Hampshire:

Size and landscape:

• 46th largest state:
  • 9,349 square miles
  • Population: 1.4 million (41st—stagnant 2010-2020 +5% slowest New England)
  • Density: 153 people/square mile (20th—concentrated southern tier Massachusetts border)
• Geography:
  • White Mountains: Northern (Presidential Range—Mount Washington 6,288 feet highest Northeast, Franconia Notch, alpine zone, ski resorts Bretton Woods/Loon/Waterville Valley)
  • Lakes Region: Central (Winnipesaukee largest 72 square miles, Squam "On Golden Pond" filmed, summer tourism)
  • Merrimack Valley: Southern (Manchester/Nashua/Concord capital—I-93 corridor, 60% population, mill cities transformed tech)
  • Seacoast: Portsmouth (18 miles Atlantic shortest coastline—colonial port, Hampton Beach tourism)
  • Connecticut River Valley: Western border Vermont (Hanover Dartmouth College, rural agricultural)
• Highest point: Mount Washington 6,288 feet (deadliest small mountain—231 mph wind 1934 record, 161 deaths since records, hypothermia summer possible, weather station, cog railway tourist)
• Coastline: 18 miles Atlantic (shortest except landlocked—Hampton Beach, Portsmouth harbor, Isles of Shoals offshore)

Regional divide:

Southern Tier (Massachusetts border):

• Population: 900,000 (65% state—Hillsborough/Rockingham counties, Manchester/Nashua/Salem/Derry)
• Economy: Boston commuters (I-93 south—Massachusetts workers live NH, no income tax arbitrage), tech (Oracle Nashua, BAE Systems, Fidelity, defense contractors), healthcare (Catholic Medical Center, Elliot Hospital Manchester)
• Massachusetts refugees: "603 area code" (work Boston Cambridge, live Bedford/Windham/Londonderry—save $10,000+ annually income tax)
• Cost: Median home $430,000 (Salem/Windham border $480,000—commuter premium, Manchester $380,000, Nashua $420,000)
• Politics: Purple battleground (Salem/Bedford Republican, Manchester/Nashua Democratic, swing determines statewide)

Lakes Region/White Mountains (tourism):

• Population: 200,000 (15%—Belknap/Carroll/Grafton counties)
• Economy: Tourism ($2+ billion annually—skiing winter, lakes summer, foliage fall, Mount Washington year-round), second homes (wealthy Boston/NYC—$600,000-2 million lakefront Winnipesaukee), hospitality (resorts, restaurants—seasonal $40,000-50,000 jobs)
• Culture: Small-town Norman Rockwell (Meredith, Wolfeboro "Oldest Summer Resort America" 1763, Center Harbor)
• Cost: Median $380,000 year-round (lakefront $600,000-2 million—second homes 40%+ Lakes Region)

North Country (forgotten):

• Population: 80,000 (6%—Coös County, Canadian border)
• Economy: Logging/paper mills declining (pulp mill Berlin closed 2024—3,000 jobs lost over decades, ATV tourism modest), poverty
• Poverty: 12% (rural—opioid crisis, isolation, limited opportunities, young flee)
• Cost: Median $180,000 (cheapest—but no jobs)

Portsmouth Seacoast:

• Population: 110,000 (8%—Rockingham coastal)
• Economy: Tourism (historic port—Strawbery Banke 1965 outdoor museum, craft breweries Smuttynose/Portsmouth Brewery, restaurants), naval shipyard (Kittery Maine border—submarine overhaul, 7,000 jobs), wealthy commuters
• Culture: Progressive island (Portsmouth 60% Biden—college-educated, artists, gentrified working-class port)
• Cost: Median $650,000 Portsmouth (highest NH—renovated downtown, waterfront premium)

Climate (harsh winters):

Southern NH:

• Summer: 80-85°F (humid July/August—manageable)
• Winter: 20-35°F (snow 60 inches—nor'easters, brutal February)

White Mountains:

• Summer: 70-75°F valleys (Mount Washington 40°F summit—alpine zone, snow possible year-round)
• Winter: 10-25°F valleys (snow 100+ inches ski resorts, -20°F common, Mount Washington -50°F windchill)

Severe weather:

• Nor'easters: Paralyzing (1978 blizzard, 2013 Nemo—feet snow)
• Ice storms: Crippling (1998—three weeks no power, $1+ billion damage NH alone)
• Mount Washington: Deadliest small mountain (hypothermia July possible—weather changes minutes, 161 deaths)

No Income Tax: Massachusetts Refugee Magnet

Understanding NH tax structure:

No income tax (0%):

Constitutional: Interest/dividends only (5%—but wages/salaries exempt, repealed 2027 phased out)

Savings: Massachusetts refugees (9% MA income tax—$100,000 salary saves $9,000 annually, $150,000 saves $13,500, commute I-93 tolerable 60 minutes Manchester, 45 minutes Salem)

"603 area code": Massachusetts workers (live NH, work MA/Boston—arbitrage, reverse commute minimal, NH bedroom community effectively)

No sales tax (0%):

Border advantage: Liquor stores (NH Liquor & Wine Outlet state-run monopoly—I-93/I-95 rest stops, Massachusetts residents flock weekends, cheapest Northeast, $200+ million annual revenue 3% state budget)

Shopping: Tax-free (electronics, furniture, appliances—Mall of New Hampshire Manchester, Rockingham Park Mall Salem border Massachusetts swarms)

What replaces revenue:

Property tax: $6,700 average annually (highest Northeast—1.89% median, $430,000 home = $8,127/year or $677/month, education funding 65% property-dependent)

Business taxes: 7.5% corporate (revenue $800+ million—plus Business Enterprise Tax 0.55% gross receipts, "most business-friendly" ranking)

Rooms/meals tax: 9% (tourism—hotels, restaurants, significant revenue)

Sin taxes: Alcohol monopoly (liquor stores—$200+ million), tobacco

Total tax burden:

6.4% income: Second-lowest nationally (Alaska 4.6% lowest—oil revenue, NH 6.4%, Tennessee 7.6%, versus national 9.9%)

Trade-off: Property tax crushes (town-dependent—Hanover Dartmouth $18,000 per pupil, Berlin $12,000, inequality extreme)

Free State Project (libertarian influx):

20,000+ moved: 2003-present (libertarians "take over" NH—small government philosophy, Free State Project goal 20,000 signers, achieved 2021)

Impact: Legislature (libertarian Republicans—repeal helmet laws, gun restrictions, marijuana decriminalization 2017, lower regulations)

Controversy: Locals resentment ("don't California my New Hampshire"—even though libertarian, cultural clash)

Presidential Primary: First-in-Nation Obsession

Understanding NH primary importance:

First-in-Nation (since 1920):

State law: Mandates first (RSA 653:9—seven days before any similar election, jealously guarded, Iowa caucus allows first but different format)

Tradition: 1920 (first presidential primary—Republicans, Democrats joined, winnowing field historically, momentum)

Campaign culture:

Retail politics: Town halls (candidates 300+ events—diners, VFW halls, living rooms, "seen candidate" badge honor, expectations personal contact)

Media: Outsized coverage (population 1.4 million—but national media descends, Manchester debate central, WMUR-TV ABC affiliate kingmaker)

Momentum: "New Hampshire bounce" (1992 Clinton "Comeback Kid" second place declared win—Tsongas won but Clinton momentum, 2008 Obama expected win but Clinton upset tears worked, 2016 Trump/Sanders victories propelled)

Criticism:

Unrepresentative: 90% white (nationally 60%—NH demographics skew, Iowa also white, South Carolina Nevada added diversity but NH protected first status)

Small: 1.4 million (California 40 million—but personal retail politics valued, "meet candidates" versus TV ads)

Economic impact:

$350 million: Spending election cycle (hotels, restaurants, staff, media—quadrennial windfall, 2024 Biden not on ballot controversy DNC)

Opioid Crisis: Fourth-Worst Nationally

Understanding NH opioid problem:

Statistics (devastating):

Overdose deaths: 34 per 100,000 (fourth-worst nationally—West Virginia 81, Delaware 48, Maryland 41, NH 34 versus 21 national average)

Fentanyl: 90%+ deaths involve (synthetic opioid—Mexican cartels, 2mg lethal, street drugs contaminated unknowingly)

How it started:

OxyContin: 2000s (Purdue Pharma flooded—pill mills Massachusetts spilled north, rural NH despair, Laconia "ground zero" documentary)

Heroin: 2010s (prescription crackdown—switched heroin cheaper, I-93 corridor Massachusetts Lawrence/Lowell distribution north)

Fentanyl: 2015-present (heroin contaminated—deaths spiked, Narcan widespread, stigma persists)

Geographic concentration:

Manchester/Nashua: Urban (mill cities—working-class despair, unemployment, Lawrence MA pipeline drugs)

Rural: Lakes Region/North Country (isolation, hopelessness—logging/mills gone, poverty, generational trauma)

Response:

Harm reduction: Narcan distribution (police/EMTs carry—reversals thousands, safe injection sites debated, needle exchanges)

Treatment: Underfunded (waiting lists months—Medicaid expansion 2014 helped 50,000 covered, Hub & Spoke model Vermont adopted)

Ongoing crisis:

Persistent: Deaths plateau (34 per 100,000 stable 2020-2024—not improving, fentanyl dominance, meth rising)

Cost of Living: Massachusetts Refugee Effect

New Hampshire expenses:

Housing (Massachusetts influx drives):

Southern Tier:

• Median: $430,000 (Salem/Windham border $480,000—MA commuters, Bedford $550,000 wealthy, Derry $400,000)
• Manchester: $380,000 (city proper—lower, suburbs higher)
• Nashua: $420,000 (border MA—commuter premium)

Portsmouth:

• Median: $650,000 (highest NH—gentrified seaport, craft breweries, restaurants, wealthy)

Lakes Region:

• Median: $380,000 year-round (lakefront $600,000-2 million—Boston/NYC second homes 40%+ stock)

North Country:

• Median: $180,000 (cheapest—Berlin/Coös County, poverty, no jobs)

Taxes (property crushes):

• Income tax: 0% wages (saves $5,000-15,000 annually MA refugees—but see property)
• Sales tax: 0% (border shopping advantage)
• Property tax: 1.89% median ($430,000 home = $8,127/year or $677/month—highest Northeast, education funding 65%)

Daily costs:

• Groceries: 5-8% above national (limited competition—Market Basket, Hannaford, rural food deserts)
• Gas: $3.20-3.70/gallon
• Dining: Portsmouth $18-25 lunch, $40-70 dinner (craft beer/farm-to-table premium), Manchester $12-18 lunch

Overall verdict:

• Total: National average (property tax offsets income/sales savings—roughly break-even Massachusetts)
• Winner: High earners (Massachusetts $150,000 salary saves $13,500 income tax—property $8,000 = $5,500 net savings annually)
• Loser: Lower-income (property tax regressive—$50,000 income pays $8,000 = 16% rate, crushing)

Living in New Hampshire: Who Fits?

Who thrives:

Massachusetts refugees:

• High earners: $100,000-200,000+ (income tax savings $9,000-18,000—commute I-93 tolerable, Bedford/Salem/Windham)

Libertarians:

• Free State Project: 20,000+ moved (minimal government, gun rights, personal freedom—Open Carry, helmet laws repealed)

Outdoor enthusiasts:

• White Mountains: Skiing/hiking (Bretton Woods, Loon, Mount Washington—world-class East, Long Trail)

Retirees:

• Low taxes: Social Security untaxed (property tax high but manageable fixed income, Lakes Region)

Small business owners:

• Business-friendly: Low regulations (7.5% corporate tax—"most business-friendly" rankings, minimal red tape)

Who struggles:

Low-income workers:

• Property tax: Regressive ($8,000 annually $50,000 income—16% rate, crushing)

Service workers:

• Affordability: Portsmouth/Lakes Region (wages $40,000-50,000—can't afford $650,000 Portsmouth, $380,000 Lakes)

Opioid victims:

• Crisis: 34 deaths per 100,000 (Manchester/rural—treatment underfunded, stigma, families devastated)

Young families:

• Schools: Inequality extreme (wealthy towns $18,000 per pupil—Hanover, poor $12,000 Berlin, property-dependent funding)

North Country residents:

• Poverty: 12% (logging/mills gone—isolation, young flee, aging crisis severe)

Those needing services:

• Limited government: Libertarian (roads, schools, healthcare—minimal, "Live Free or Die" means self-reliance)

New Hampshire offers tax freedom for specific populations—Massachusetts refugees (no income tax 0% saves $5,000-15,000 annually high earners, no sales tax 0% border liquor stores $200+ million revenue), libertarians (Free State Project 20,000+ moved minimal government, Open Carry guns, helmet laws repealed), outdoor enthusiasts (White Mountains Mount Washington 6,288 feet highest Northeast, Lakes Region Winnipesaukee 72 square miles summer tourism), and small business owners (business-friendly 7.5% corporate tax low regulations). Presidential primary first-in-nation since 1920 retail politics appeal to those accepting brutal property taxes ($6,700 average highest Northeast 1.89% offsets income/sales savings—education funding 65% property-dependent, inequality extreme wealthy $18,000 per pupil versus poor $12,000), libertarian governance (minimal services, "Live Free or Die" self-reliance prioritized safety), opioid epidemic (34 deaths per 100,000 fourth-worst nationally fentanyl crisis Manchester/rural), population stagnation (1.4 million aging 18% over 65, young flee costs Boston), and recognition Massachusetts exodus drives costs (median home $430,000 up from $250,000 2010—gentrification natives priced out, Portsmouth $650,000 service workers impossible). Total tax burden 6.4% second-lowest nationally but property crushes lower-income regressive. For the right person, New Hampshire tax freedom, mountains, small-town charm justify property taxes. For working-class natives, Massachusetts refugees unaffordable gentrification.

New Hampshire works for high-earning Massachusetts refugees/libertarians accepting property tax trade-off understanding tax freedom benefits wealthy disproportionately crushes lower-income residents regressive structure.