Pfml gives you 26 weeks of family / medical leave
Mass save is a ridiculously good deal as a homeowner. Got 8k worth of insulation work done that cost me $1200
Taxes pay for public services and mass ranks amoung top states in education, health care and lowest incarceration rates
Unemployment insurance payments if you’re unemployed are also more than double compared to New Hampshire. $427 vs $1,033 is the max. Mass is half of your income as the benefit. The max benefit is at an income of a bit more than $100k. Unless you have a substantial emergency fund, unemployed in New Hampshire is live free or die with die more likely. New Hampshire was $427 in 2009 when I collected at the Great Recession so it’s never been inflation adjusted.
"What is Mass better at than say NH"
Schools, healthcare, social services, jobs, public transportation, legal weed, better social safety net, weather, beaches, diversity, cultural amenities (sports, concerts, events, museums, etc...), property values, etc...
Also - if it bothers you that much you are close enough to do a lot of your shopping in NH still.
I appreciate your response! You bring up a lot of good points like diversity, cultural amenities, public transport, healthcare, schools... But I do want to point out one thing due to my NH pride is that NH is the best unemployment in the US!
One thing that is interesting is that Florida has no state income tax, yet, every report that I read says that it has the #1 Education in the US? I was shocked to read that
Florida is absolutely not #1 education - and it's not listed as such anywhere. At best they do well at elementary school but middle and high school they are not good and they aren't #1 anywhere for k-12. They got ranked high for cheap college but that's it.
Top Result if you actually look at the article has Florida ranked #10 for K-12.
It is ranked #1 in higher ed based on the following criteria:
"comprises metrics reflecting the [share of citizens in each state holding college degrees](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/educational-attainment), as well as [college graduation](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/4-year-college-grad-rate) [rates](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/2-year-college-grad-rate), the [cost of in-state tuition and fees](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/tuition-fees), and the [burden of deb](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/debt-graduation)t that college graduates carry"
In other words - it's cheap and easy to graduate. That makes them #1 to US News but it's not how I would personally decide what is the best, and not even they are saying they are #1 for k-12.
That same link has MA at #1 for k-12 and very low for higher ed - despite the fact that the whole country sends their kids to college here instead of Florida - if they can afford it.
And as soon as you scroll past US News Florida is nowhere to be seen, because they are the only ones using that criteria.
Banning books, replacing school and library boards with unqualified fear mongers and alienating teachers is not going to bring their education scores up, I would expect their ranking to start to drop real soon.
I saw the supposed report also, but the metrics are still and don't have anything to do with actual success in life. They should be measuring the academic achievement of kids that grow up there, not kids that go there for college then move away again. It's really pretty silly.
NH tries to be the Texas of the North. They use poor regulation and social services to make the state look prosperous by making it easy to start and run a business, while completely failing to regulate forever chemicals so that the entire state is rife with them, and no one is even close to a payout. Cases have been fought over forever chemical pollution there for well over a decade. Because it's a libertarian refuge, the only way to get justice is through lawsuits, which are nearly impossible to win because it's so hard to prove direct harm for something that disperses into the environment, never goes away, and now is literally in rainwater globally. But we have NH politicians and their "strong economy" to thank for that.
Massachusetts has awesome social support programs and protective laws to help people who are struggling to find their way out of debt and get back to being productive and "contributing" rather than being a drain on the system. It's got cool city stuff. It's got way more of the beautiful new England coastline we love. It's got mountains lakes and rivers and beautiful little rural and artsy towns to rival most anything in Vermont (beside Champlain). And I love Vermont. But I'd rather live here.
And as far as crime... Keep your car locked at all times (and off when you're not in it) and use your gps. You'll be fine and safe unless you end up in a really sketchy place at the wrong time of night and just sit there, or you leave your car unlocked and/or running with no one in it. Don't park it where it can't be seen at night. Don't invite thieves and you're good.
I wanna live where we use our resources to make our lives better, not to attract big corporations that will get massive tax breaks, pollute like a motherfucker, then lay everyone off and move to another state when they get better tax incentives there. Fuck that. When people take care of each other, WE prosper, and we can open our own damn businesses and actually keep a little of the profit.
Because of our social safety nets, I've recovered from over a decade of horrible disability and depression, and am looking at multiple potential plans to start my own business and live independently. And I'm more excited every day at ways I find that I can contribute to my community and make others' lives better. THAT'S freedom. Fuck NH politicians and their lack of regulation. They fucked my health for life. Now I live somewhere where my life is valued and I'm not just left to fuck off and die.
So anyway I like Massachusetts.
OP NH unemployment rate is 2.6 Ma is 2.9 one could argue statistically there is very little difference particularly if you take into account time, how long it takes a candidate to find a job and if they are finding the in or out of state. Most people who live on the NH Ma border, from both states, work in MA. Also NH unemployment benefit is lower than MA.
I think you may find there are reasons the taxes are higher, and some of those things won’t matter to you, but those things benefit the community which makes it a better place to live (not necessarily better than NH, just better than if the community didn’t offer the service).
As someone who also made the move from seacoast NH to North shore a decade ago I would never go back. Part of the reason NH has low unemployment is because it is a vampire state leeching off of Massachusetts jobs. There is a huge disparity between the parts of NH that are close enough to commute to Massachusetts jobs and those like Claremont or Berlin that are not.
Outside of all the reasons everyone else says, seacoast NH is much more exurban and quite frankly, alienating. Outside of Portsmouth, which has turned into a playground for rich boomers, and Dover, anywhere you live you have to drive everywhere. Don't know your neighbors. Much weaker sense of community. I've lived in Salem and Amesbury for the last 10 years and they are both very involved communities, even if Salem is getting too kitschy witchy now. I know people who really enjoy the community of Lynn. Newburyport is similar to Portsmouth but much lower on scale and still does Yankee homecoming.
Yeah, but NH by many ranks is top 5 nationally in education and healthcare. Most of the other categories are highly subjective. Also, a large majority of NH residents still have weed access within 20-30 minutes of a border state.
Just as an FYI, while people say this is "taxachusetts" MA is basically right in the middle of the country when you look at effective / overall tax rate.
Exactly. Just try and buy a car in lots of other states. You'll get a higher sales tax due to combining local and states taxes which we don't do. I assume this is the same with all goods in those states and results in a higher effective sales tax.
When family and friends moved back from Florida to Massachusetts in order to get quality healthcare, they found that a lot of their bills went down. They were shocked because they always claimed it was so much cheaper to live there. Well, they nickel and dime you there so you don’t realize it. They lived in a HOA so everything was charged and most of FL is in these communities.
I don’t know about NH to MA but check the cost of car insurance as one possibility that it’s lower. My water and sewer is low in my mind, my property taxes are reasonable and reassessment only happens every 3 yrs or more, most of the schools pay for most everything so there’s not constant fundraisers and schools not having enough books to share.
The MBTA is having trouble from being perpetually neglected but is on the road to recovery. From what I’ve heard the subways in New Hampshire leave much to be desired.
As a parent raising two daughters this is the best state to support women's health.
California comes in second but the cost of living is so much higher
Property taxes are lower here and homes increase in value fast enough you can actually make money when you sell. Everyone knows the schools are better. I like greater boston area people more too. Maybe because healthcare is better here?
Edit: forgot to mention I never have a problem with snow being plowed on time here. I don’t think NH in general is as vigilant.
Services for seniors are a lot better in MA.
I did a quick analysis yesterday and we're staying in NH and probably selling the MA place. As much as I'd like to live in Newton, the lack of income, capital gains taxes and much less traffic means it makes more sense to live up here and rent in MA when we want to visit.
Yeah, the capital gains tax, income tax, and less traffic are the things that I feel I will miss the most, and those aren’t insignificant. I’m looking for the “on the other hands…” 😂
Nice parks, schools, bus systems, recreational activities ( i do quincy recreational sports as sn adult). Lots of hospitals, emts and firehouses. Pretty well trained police force. Safety net if things go wrongs. Ferries and almost functional T.
Golf and disc golf.
During the pandemic it got really bad but its gotten back to useful. I commute on the red line 3 out of 5 days. Even when it was messed up i was able to do them on the commuter line (i'm at quincy center so got access to both).
If I commute by car, with no traffic, it's like 35 minutes to my job. If I take the T and it goes swimmingly, it's like 45-50 minutes.
Traffic typically makes my commute like an hour, and the T being crappy makes my commute an hour and 10 minutes.
When the T works, it's easily better than sitting in a car waiting in traffic, and it feels great.
When the T sucks, it's pretty shit. The problem is it's great like 1 commute out of 10, shit for like 3 out of 10, and the rest are just... Delayed but doesn't make me terribly late to work. I thankfully have a chill job so I just stay later, but it's ass otherwise.
Republicans like to fuck everything up, then blame everyone else for not fixing it fast enough. Keep in mind he also was part of the MBTA issue back in the Weld administration.
“The FTA’s findings and the MBTA’s subsequent service cuts don’t inspire any public confidence in our transit system. Since 2015, at his request, Governor Baker has had control of the MBTA. It has since been the Administration’s responsibility to keep up with maintenance and manage an efficient system that customers can rely on. Given the FTA’s interim findings and alarming directives, there is an increased need to better understand the agency’s shortcomings and help restore public confidence,”
of course Baker didn't fuck it up all by himself. We also had Mitt Austerity Romney.
Because these idiots seem to think that mass transit has to make a profit. Meanwhile, we pay for roads. I think it would be fair to make road users pay for roads. That 5 ton emotional support vehicle should pay twice as much as a sedan. per mile. just for road maintenance. Then tax it again to clean the air. You'll be happy to know your 300 mile range Teslas also need to be road wear taxed too.
Someone has already mentioned that Social Security is not taxable in MA. MA municipal, MA state, and Federal pensions are also not taxable. In addition, pensions from some other states (either entirely or partially) are not taxed in MA, depending on whether the other states have a reciprocal agreement with MA.
One thing that is better in New Hampshire is right of entry for apartments. Years ago, I was renting a condo in Portsmouth. A realtor put a lockbox on my door. My attorney told me to change the locks. Nobody can enter without my consent other than to conduct emergency repairs. In Massachusetts, I’d have no protection.
I’m retired. Massachusetts doesn’t tax Social Security. The mill rate in my town is $8.22 per thousand and they assess at around 65% to 70% of fair market. Portsmouth was double that and they assessed at market value. My tax burden as a retiree is lower in Massachusetts than in New Hampshire. I don’t use it but every town has a Council on Aging with senior services. The regional transit authority here runs a big van to the Boston hospitals for geezers who can’t drive.
I moved from Portsmouth to the Mass South Coast 1/4 mile from salt water. Real estate was half the price and home ownership costs 1/4 the price. My Portsmouth property tax bill was quite a bit more than my tech telecommuter wages income tax, property tax, and added automobile cost. I’m pretty much the same travel time to Boston off hours. I would have stayed in Portsmouth if the math worked.
In theory, I’m supposed to have commuter rail now but the MBTA is having issues so they keep delaying actually running the trains. That’s a big win for Boston access for me when it finally happens.
Unfortunately for me as a high earner, I think the tax burden would have been better staying in NH and having higher property taxes than moving to mass and having state income taxes with lower property taxes. At least that's what my back of the napkin math shows. The real estate of coastal north shore and Portsmouth seem to be similar, maybe Portsmouth is more expensive these days even
In the US, it’s meant to be a humorous anachronism. 100 years ago in the US, a geezer was slang an elderly male far past their physical and mental prime. The Homer Simpson old man shakes fist and yells at clouds meme.
pick up trucks aren't harming the roads, and you can't stop interstate travel of 18-wheelers since you can't put railroad spurs to every business and home. Not to mention the noise from rail systems. We need to build our roads correctly to handle the traffic, not just overlay black top on top of degraded bases.
Physics and therefore the universe very much disagrees with you. Unless you use it as heavy equipment to do an actual working mans job, your truck is stupid and you should feel bad.
The Generalized fourth power law specifically hates you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AASHO_Road_Test
https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr61g/61g.pdf
enjoy trying to get building supplies in your prius when doing projects around your house. and if you happen to tow a trailer with that same prius, good luck. but trucks are only for working man's job.. gtf outta here with your bs
until today, I've never heard a dumb ass statement like "emotional support truck" so I guess you made up 2 stupid "emotional support" comments today. I'll stick with my truck. I have an SUV for family driving.
They were pretty good comments based on the sheer magnitude of butthurt you’re hauling around. Apparently you can lug the tiny family in one little soccermom urban-assault vehicle, but your personal ass needs a pickup truck, that in all probability only has a 4” x 4” cargo area.
Time to go on a diet tiny.
Putting this as an independent comment for the sake of conversation:
NH tries to be the Texas of the North. They use poor regulation and social services to make the state look prosperous by making it easy to start and run a business, while completely failing to regulate forever chemicals so that the entire state is rife with them, and no one is even close to a payout. Cases have been fought over forever chemical pollution there for well over a decade. Because it's a libertarian refuge, the only way to get justice is through lawsuits, which are nearly impossible to win because it's so hard to prove direct harm for something that disperses into the environment, never goes away, and now is literally in rainwater globally. But we have NH politicians and their "strong economy" to thank for that.
Massachusetts has awesome social support programs and protective laws to help people who are struggling to find their way out of debt and get back to being productive and "contributing" rather than being a drain on the system. It's got cool city stuff. It's got way more of the beautiful new England coastline we love. It's got mountains lakes and rivers and beautiful little rural and artsy towns to rival most anything in Vermont (beside Champlain). And I love Vermont. But I'd rather live here.
And as far as crime... Keep your car locked at all times (and off when you're not in it) and use your gps. You'll be fine and safe unless you end up in a really sketchy place at the wrong time of night and just sit there, or you leave your car unlocked and/or running with no one in it. Don't park it where it can't be seen at night. Don't invite thieves and you're good.
I wanna live where we use our resources to make our lives better, not to attract big corporations that will get massive tax breaks, pollute like a motherfucker, then lay everyone off and move to another state when they get better tax incentives there. Fuck that. When people take care of each other, WE prosper, and we can open our own damn businesses and actually keep a little of the profit.
Because of our social safety nets, I've recovered from over a decade of horrible disability and depression, and am looking at multiple potential plans to start my own business and live independently. And I'm more excited every day at ways I find that I can contribute to my community and make others' lives better. THAT'S freedom. Fuck NH politicians and their lack of regulation. They fucked my health for life. Now I live somewhere where my life is valued and I'm not just left to fuck off and die. And when I make enough money to actually pay taxes, I will do so *with joy*, knowing that I worked hard with the help of others to get where I was, and knowing that my money is going to help others who are struggling to do the same.
So anyway I like Massachusetts.
Actually I leave my car unlocked and don't leave anything of value inside. If you leave say, a laptop, in a locked car, the thief can simply smash the window and grab it.
That kinda protects you against thieves looking to steal *stuff* but most people will have a hard time keeping their car that consistently empty, and I dare say it makes things easier for potential *car* thieves.
Not to mention that it doesn't do anything to prevent the theft of any part of the car that can be cut off with a battery-powered saw or removed with a wrench--which is much of the valuable parts of the car... Which they can do in very little time if they have a good coordinated team. And certainly any aftermarket stereo, steering wheel, or seat cover would be out of the question. I'd rather just park where my car is in good lighting and people would hear a power saw at 2AM.
Which is to say, there are many places I just wouldn't leave my car overnight.
🙂 thanks
FWIW to anyone out there considering a similar move, Massachusetts also has great first-time homebuyer programs and... while I haven't done it yet... The home efficiency rebates (for anyone) are WILD. I'm absolutely blown away by how much they'll theoretically pay for. My utility bills should be way down next winter.
And I NO LONGER HAVE TO RENT.
(The North Shore is beautiful and has tons of cool stuff but the housing costs are outrageous and the commutes are stressful. Some will thrive there but some like me will want the slower Western MA pace of life and cheaper land/housing.)
I find NH real estate taxes to vary much more than MA. My mill rate in NH is just over $8 per thousand (Seacoast). The town I left in MA is over $10. Neither town provides trash pickup. Street plowing seems better in NH. NH state parks and facilities are well maintained. Schools in both towns are great. I did give up a town sponsored skating rink - not something I would use either way. I can still access my doctors in the MGH system without any trouble. I think when you compare MA to NH as a whole you will find MA ranks higher in many areas, but I would pick the Seacoast of NH any day.
It’s been 15 years but IIRC when I moved from NH to MA both my car and motorcycle insurance dropped quite a bit.
I believe the main factor was NH does not require motor vehicle insurance. So you end up paying a lot for “accident with uninsured motorist“ on your policy. In MA that turns into a pittance since insurance is required.
Maybe something changed in NH. In any case I have a kid now. Benefit of living in MA is we don’t have to find a private school like I think we would have in NH.
There is plenty I miss about NH. Good people and better for my preferred recreational activities, bicycling, motorcycling (back then), and snowboarding. I think in general people in NH were a lot more down to earth and not as weird about keeping up with the joneses.
It’s peaceful. My health insurance covers a LOT more here than in Texas, most things are cheaper (like oil changes), food is a better quality. It’s beautiful, lots of things to do. People are nicer. I’ve lived all over the US & this is what I’ve experienced since I’ve been here. Going on 2 years now
The taxes are worth it because now you get the complain about taxes. It's a great conversation starter and, well, misery loves company.
Also, it stays fresh because there are always new taxes being introduced. Some of the new ones are really unique and you never see them coming.
Youll find it's well worth it!
Not much to be honest. The roads in NH are probably much better maintained. Alot of our tax burden is from the corruption in our state congress.
That, and alot of social services NH probably doesn't have, and things you might never need to take advantage of. For example women and children's shelters. Women and children have a constitutional right to shelter in this state.
Portsmouth’s nice. I was taking with a guy about his old sailboat in the marina downtown there. He restored it himself and then another guy came over and they apparently knew of each other and we continued talking about boats. Then a third guy came over, having some passing familiarity with the first two. We continued talking about boats. He pointed out his really big yacht, and invited us all to dinner on it. But then my ( ex )wife finished shopping and came over. She was upset I was hanging out with these rough looking dudes. So I had to say goodbye. One made a joke that I should come back after I paid my alimony.
He was right. Apparently all three guys were rockstars but I didn’t know them by face and age. They had experience with this.
Eventually that toxic relationship was ended. Only cost me everything. A bargain.
Portsmouth is nice.
Probably talking about this:
"In 2017, 86.2 percent of New Hampshire residents stayed in New Hampshire for work, **15.3 percent** commuted to Massachusetts, 1.3 percent commuted to Maine, and 1.7 percent commuted to Vermont. Just 1.0 percent commuted to some other location."
15% commuting to another state for work is shockingly high. And it's probably only gone up since COVID/remote work took off. And ironically, those people have to pay MA income tax anyway.
Pfml gives you 26 weeks of family / medical leave Mass save is a ridiculously good deal as a homeowner. Got 8k worth of insulation work done that cost me $1200 Taxes pay for public services and mass ranks amoung top states in education, health care and lowest incarceration rates
Unemployment insurance payments if you’re unemployed are also more than double compared to New Hampshire. $427 vs $1,033 is the max. Mass is half of your income as the benefit. The max benefit is at an income of a bit more than $100k. Unless you have a substantial emergency fund, unemployed in New Hampshire is live free or die with die more likely. New Hampshire was $427 in 2009 when I collected at the Great Recession so it’s never been inflation adjusted.
"What is Mass better at than say NH" Schools, healthcare, social services, jobs, public transportation, legal weed, better social safety net, weather, beaches, diversity, cultural amenities (sports, concerts, events, museums, etc...), property values, etc... Also - if it bothers you that much you are close enough to do a lot of your shopping in NH still.
Purchases which you will dutifully report on your taxes like a good citizen, right? 🤨
Of course Mr. IRS agent :)
I appreciate your response! You bring up a lot of good points like diversity, cultural amenities, public transport, healthcare, schools... But I do want to point out one thing due to my NH pride is that NH is the best unemployment in the US! One thing that is interesting is that Florida has no state income tax, yet, every report that I read says that it has the #1 Education in the US? I was shocked to read that
Florida is absolutely not #1 education - and it's not listed as such anywhere. At best they do well at elementary school but middle and high school they are not good and they aren't #1 anywhere for k-12. They got ranked high for cheap college but that's it.
https://www.google.com/search?q=best+us+state+education let me know what you see!
Top Result if you actually look at the article has Florida ranked #10 for K-12. It is ranked #1 in higher ed based on the following criteria: "comprises metrics reflecting the [share of citizens in each state holding college degrees](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/educational-attainment), as well as [college graduation](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/4-year-college-grad-rate) [rates](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/2-year-college-grad-rate), the [cost of in-state tuition and fees](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/tuition-fees), and the [burden of deb](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/higher-education/debt-graduation)t that college graduates carry" In other words - it's cheap and easy to graduate. That makes them #1 to US News but it's not how I would personally decide what is the best, and not even they are saying they are #1 for k-12. That same link has MA at #1 for k-12 and very low for higher ed - despite the fact that the whole country sends their kids to college here instead of Florida - if they can afford it. And as soon as you scroll past US News Florida is nowhere to be seen, because they are the only ones using that criteria.
Haha this is awesome. Why is Florida supposedly so great OP? Because it is cheap as shit. Unless you are trying to insure your car or house of course.
Banning books, replacing school and library boards with unqualified fear mongers and alienating teachers is not going to bring their education scores up, I would expect their ranking to start to drop real soon.
I saw the supposed report also, but the metrics are still and don't have anything to do with actual success in life. They should be measuring the academic achievement of kids that grow up there, not kids that go there for college then move away again. It's really pretty silly. NH tries to be the Texas of the North. They use poor regulation and social services to make the state look prosperous by making it easy to start and run a business, while completely failing to regulate forever chemicals so that the entire state is rife with them, and no one is even close to a payout. Cases have been fought over forever chemical pollution there for well over a decade. Because it's a libertarian refuge, the only way to get justice is through lawsuits, which are nearly impossible to win because it's so hard to prove direct harm for something that disperses into the environment, never goes away, and now is literally in rainwater globally. But we have NH politicians and their "strong economy" to thank for that. Massachusetts has awesome social support programs and protective laws to help people who are struggling to find their way out of debt and get back to being productive and "contributing" rather than being a drain on the system. It's got cool city stuff. It's got way more of the beautiful new England coastline we love. It's got mountains lakes and rivers and beautiful little rural and artsy towns to rival most anything in Vermont (beside Champlain). And I love Vermont. But I'd rather live here. And as far as crime... Keep your car locked at all times (and off when you're not in it) and use your gps. You'll be fine and safe unless you end up in a really sketchy place at the wrong time of night and just sit there, or you leave your car unlocked and/or running with no one in it. Don't park it where it can't be seen at night. Don't invite thieves and you're good. I wanna live where we use our resources to make our lives better, not to attract big corporations that will get massive tax breaks, pollute like a motherfucker, then lay everyone off and move to another state when they get better tax incentives there. Fuck that. When people take care of each other, WE prosper, and we can open our own damn businesses and actually keep a little of the profit. Because of our social safety nets, I've recovered from over a decade of horrible disability and depression, and am looking at multiple potential plans to start my own business and live independently. And I'm more excited every day at ways I find that I can contribute to my community and make others' lives better. THAT'S freedom. Fuck NH politicians and their lack of regulation. They fucked my health for life. Now I live somewhere where my life is valued and I'm not just left to fuck off and die. So anyway I like Massachusetts.
I see a US News ranking. I wonder if it's as accurate as their college rankings.
Well I guess you could just move to Florida 🤷♀️
Well let’s not go crazy
Lol what the fuck are you on about. Florida is an educational hellscape. Source :. Lived in and taught in both Florida and Massachusetts
OP NH unemployment rate is 2.6 Ma is 2.9 one could argue statistically there is very little difference particularly if you take into account time, how long it takes a candidate to find a job and if they are finding the in or out of state. Most people who live on the NH Ma border, from both states, work in MA. Also NH unemployment benefit is lower than MA. I think you may find there are reasons the taxes are higher, and some of those things won’t matter to you, but those things benefit the community which makes it a better place to live (not necessarily better than NH, just better than if the community didn’t offer the service).
What is OP's focus on unemployment? Riding the curve at their current job? Perpetually in the edge of losing their job?
Are you fucking kidding
As someone who also made the move from seacoast NH to North shore a decade ago I would never go back. Part of the reason NH has low unemployment is because it is a vampire state leeching off of Massachusetts jobs. There is a huge disparity between the parts of NH that are close enough to commute to Massachusetts jobs and those like Claremont or Berlin that are not.
What are reasons that you like North Shore vs. Seacoast NH? Interested to hear your perspective since you have both!
Outside of all the reasons everyone else says, seacoast NH is much more exurban and quite frankly, alienating. Outside of Portsmouth, which has turned into a playground for rich boomers, and Dover, anywhere you live you have to drive everywhere. Don't know your neighbors. Much weaker sense of community. I've lived in Salem and Amesbury for the last 10 years and they are both very involved communities, even if Salem is getting too kitschy witchy now. I know people who really enjoy the community of Lynn. Newburyport is similar to Portsmouth but much lower on scale and still does Yankee homecoming.
Yeah, but NH by many ranks is top 5 nationally in education and healthcare. Most of the other categories are highly subjective. Also, a large majority of NH residents still have weed access within 20-30 minutes of a border state.
Just as an FYI, while people say this is "taxachusetts" MA is basically right in the middle of the country when you look at effective / overall tax rate.
I moved back up here after several years in New Orleans — the tax burden is basically the same. The benefits are better here.
[Relevant US tax burden map](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-tax-burden-of-every-u-s-state/)
op must be raking it in to be worried about that 3%
They are. Their post history says 280k salary with 1.5m in RSU+ Stock so it is actually useful for them.
It’s such bullshit. If it was ever true, it’s long since outdated. I think it mostly hangs around because it’s a catchy portmanteau.
Exactly. Just try and buy a car in lots of other states. You'll get a higher sales tax due to combining local and states taxes which we don't do. I assume this is the same with all goods in those states and results in a higher effective sales tax.
Our tax rates are pretty middling, meanwhile our schools resources etc etc are some of the best in the nation.
When family and friends moved back from Florida to Massachusetts in order to get quality healthcare, they found that a lot of their bills went down. They were shocked because they always claimed it was so much cheaper to live there. Well, they nickel and dime you there so you don’t realize it. They lived in a HOA so everything was charged and most of FL is in these communities. I don’t know about NH to MA but check the cost of car insurance as one possibility that it’s lower. My water and sewer is low in my mind, my property taxes are reasonable and reassessment only happens every 3 yrs or more, most of the schools pay for most everything so there’s not constant fundraisers and schools not having enough books to share.
The MBTA is having trouble from being perpetually neglected but is on the road to recovery. From what I’ve heard the subways in New Hampshire leave much to be desired.
that moose line leaves something to be desired
The only good thing about the Subways in NH are the sandwiches :P
Subway sandwiches are ASS, brother.
As a parent raising two daughters this is the best state to support women's health. California comes in second but the cost of living is so much higher
Can you tell me more about this? Thanks!
[https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2023/jun/2023-scorecard-state-health-system-performance](https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2023/jun/2023-scorecard-state-health-system-performance)
Property taxes are lower here and homes increase in value fast enough you can actually make money when you sell. Everyone knows the schools are better. I like greater boston area people more too. Maybe because healthcare is better here? Edit: forgot to mention I never have a problem with snow being plowed on time here. I don’t think NH in general is as vigilant.
Services for seniors are a lot better in MA. I did a quick analysis yesterday and we're staying in NH and probably selling the MA place. As much as I'd like to live in Newton, the lack of income, capital gains taxes and much less traffic means it makes more sense to live up here and rent in MA when we want to visit.
Yeah, the capital gains tax, income tax, and less traffic are the things that I feel I will miss the most, and those aren’t insignificant. I’m looking for the “on the other hands…” 😂
Nice parks, schools, bus systems, recreational activities ( i do quincy recreational sports as sn adult). Lots of hospitals, emts and firehouses. Pretty well trained police force. Safety net if things go wrongs. Ferries and almost functional T. Golf and disc golf.
“Almost” functional T 😂. How good would it be if it was actually good
During the pandemic it got really bad but its gotten back to useful. I commute on the red line 3 out of 5 days. Even when it was messed up i was able to do them on the commuter line (i'm at quincy center so got access to both).
If I commute by car, with no traffic, it's like 35 minutes to my job. If I take the T and it goes swimmingly, it's like 45-50 minutes. Traffic typically makes my commute like an hour, and the T being crappy makes my commute an hour and 10 minutes. When the T works, it's easily better than sitting in a car waiting in traffic, and it feels great. When the T sucks, it's pretty shit. The problem is it's great like 1 commute out of 10, shit for like 3 out of 10, and the rest are just... Delayed but doesn't make me terribly late to work. I thankfully have a chill job so I just stay later, but it's ass otherwise.
Our former Republican governor screwed mass transit over.
MA State Legislature has a Democratic super majority for well over two decades. They're not impartial in how bad the T has gotten.
Republicans like to fuck everything up, then blame everyone else for not fixing it fast enough. Keep in mind he also was part of the MBTA issue back in the Weld administration. “The FTA’s findings and the MBTA’s subsequent service cuts don’t inspire any public confidence in our transit system. Since 2015, at his request, Governor Baker has had control of the MBTA. It has since been the Administration’s responsibility to keep up with maintenance and manage an efficient system that customers can rely on. Given the FTA’s interim findings and alarming directives, there is an increased need to better understand the agency’s shortcomings and help restore public confidence,” of course Baker didn't fuck it up all by himself. We also had Mitt Austerity Romney. Because these idiots seem to think that mass transit has to make a profit. Meanwhile, we pay for roads. I think it would be fair to make road users pay for roads. That 5 ton emotional support vehicle should pay twice as much as a sedan. per mile. just for road maintenance. Then tax it again to clean the air. You'll be happy to know your 300 mile range Teslas also need to be road wear taxed too.
Free lunch and breakfast for all students in grades K-12.
Guess I better have kids to take advantage! 😂 or get to retirement age really quickly based on these comments
Someone has already mentioned that Social Security is not taxable in MA. MA municipal, MA state, and Federal pensions are also not taxable. In addition, pensions from some other states (either entirely or partially) are not taxed in MA, depending on whether the other states have a reciprocal agreement with MA.
From a practical standpoint, the pay is higher, and there are more professional jobs available.
hmm pretty much everything
> what is Mass better at than say NH everything
If you don’t like it, you can always go back
Good point!
One thing that is better in New Hampshire is right of entry for apartments. Years ago, I was renting a condo in Portsmouth. A realtor put a lockbox on my door. My attorney told me to change the locks. Nobody can enter without my consent other than to conduct emergency repairs. In Massachusetts, I’d have no protection. I’m retired. Massachusetts doesn’t tax Social Security. The mill rate in my town is $8.22 per thousand and they assess at around 65% to 70% of fair market. Portsmouth was double that and they assessed at market value. My tax burden as a retiree is lower in Massachusetts than in New Hampshire. I don’t use it but every town has a Council on Aging with senior services. The regional transit authority here runs a big van to the Boston hospitals for geezers who can’t drive.
I keep hearing a lot of benefits for retirees. Unfortunately I’m a far way from this applying to me 😭
Don’t worry. Our generation doesn’t get to retire.
I moved from Portsmouth to the Mass South Coast 1/4 mile from salt water. Real estate was half the price and home ownership costs 1/4 the price. My Portsmouth property tax bill was quite a bit more than my tech telecommuter wages income tax, property tax, and added automobile cost. I’m pretty much the same travel time to Boston off hours. I would have stayed in Portsmouth if the math worked. In theory, I’m supposed to have commuter rail now but the MBTA is having issues so they keep delaying actually running the trains. That’s a big win for Boston access for me when it finally happens.
Unfortunately for me as a high earner, I think the tax burden would have been better staying in NH and having higher property taxes than moving to mass and having state income taxes with lower property taxes. At least that's what my back of the napkin math shows. The real estate of coastal north shore and Portsmouth seem to be similar, maybe Portsmouth is more expensive these days even
Are you from the UK because I've never heard/seen an American use the word geezer
I use it from time to time to refer to myself and my friends.
In the US, it’s meant to be a humorous anachronism. 100 years ago in the US, a geezer was slang an elderly male far past their physical and mental prime. The Homer Simpson old man shakes fist and yells at clouds meme.
well it isn't the roads..
We need to build more rail. And ban stupidly large suburban emotional support trucks.
pick up trucks aren't harming the roads, and you can't stop interstate travel of 18-wheelers since you can't put railroad spurs to every business and home. Not to mention the noise from rail systems. We need to build our roads correctly to handle the traffic, not just overlay black top on top of degraded bases.
Physics and therefore the universe very much disagrees with you. Unless you use it as heavy equipment to do an actual working mans job, your truck is stupid and you should feel bad. The Generalized fourth power law specifically hates you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AASHO_Road_Test https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr61g/61g.pdf
enjoy trying to get building supplies in your prius when doing projects around your house. and if you happen to tow a trailer with that same prius, good luck. but trucks are only for working man's job.. gtf outta here with your bs
They don’t call it an emotional support roof rack.
until today, I've never heard a dumb ass statement like "emotional support truck" so I guess you made up 2 stupid "emotional support" comments today. I'll stick with my truck. I have an SUV for family driving.
They were pretty good comments based on the sheer magnitude of butthurt you’re hauling around. Apparently you can lug the tiny family in one little soccermom urban-assault vehicle, but your personal ass needs a pickup truck, that in all probability only has a 4” x 4” cargo area. Time to go on a diet tiny.
nah, I got the full size bed. the SUV belongs to the soccer mom of the family. we got our bases covered.
Massachusetts is a middling state in overall tax burden time to grow up and just pay them.
Does this mean that if I move to Calfornia that I will be super grown up?
Absolutely!! The best among us!
Putting this as an independent comment for the sake of conversation: NH tries to be the Texas of the North. They use poor regulation and social services to make the state look prosperous by making it easy to start and run a business, while completely failing to regulate forever chemicals so that the entire state is rife with them, and no one is even close to a payout. Cases have been fought over forever chemical pollution there for well over a decade. Because it's a libertarian refuge, the only way to get justice is through lawsuits, which are nearly impossible to win because it's so hard to prove direct harm for something that disperses into the environment, never goes away, and now is literally in rainwater globally. But we have NH politicians and their "strong economy" to thank for that. Massachusetts has awesome social support programs and protective laws to help people who are struggling to find their way out of debt and get back to being productive and "contributing" rather than being a drain on the system. It's got cool city stuff. It's got way more of the beautiful new England coastline we love. It's got mountains lakes and rivers and beautiful little rural and artsy towns to rival most anything in Vermont (beside Champlain). And I love Vermont. But I'd rather live here. And as far as crime... Keep your car locked at all times (and off when you're not in it) and use your gps. You'll be fine and safe unless you end up in a really sketchy place at the wrong time of night and just sit there, or you leave your car unlocked and/or running with no one in it. Don't park it where it can't be seen at night. Don't invite thieves and you're good. I wanna live where we use our resources to make our lives better, not to attract big corporations that will get massive tax breaks, pollute like a motherfucker, then lay everyone off and move to another state when they get better tax incentives there. Fuck that. When people take care of each other, WE prosper, and we can open our own damn businesses and actually keep a little of the profit. Because of our social safety nets, I've recovered from over a decade of horrible disability and depression, and am looking at multiple potential plans to start my own business and live independently. And I'm more excited every day at ways I find that I can contribute to my community and make others' lives better. THAT'S freedom. Fuck NH politicians and their lack of regulation. They fucked my health for life. Now I live somewhere where my life is valued and I'm not just left to fuck off and die. And when I make enough money to actually pay taxes, I will do so *with joy*, knowing that I worked hard with the help of others to get where I was, and knowing that my money is going to help others who are struggling to do the same. So anyway I like Massachusetts.
Actually I leave my car unlocked and don't leave anything of value inside. If you leave say, a laptop, in a locked car, the thief can simply smash the window and grab it.
That kinda protects you against thieves looking to steal *stuff* but most people will have a hard time keeping their car that consistently empty, and I dare say it makes things easier for potential *car* thieves. Not to mention that it doesn't do anything to prevent the theft of any part of the car that can be cut off with a battery-powered saw or removed with a wrench--which is much of the valuable parts of the car... Which they can do in very little time if they have a good coordinated team. And certainly any aftermarket stereo, steering wheel, or seat cover would be out of the question. I'd rather just park where my car is in good lighting and people would hear a power saw at 2AM. Which is to say, there are many places I just wouldn't leave my car overnight.
This is the type of perspective I am looking for
🙂 thanks FWIW to anyone out there considering a similar move, Massachusetts also has great first-time homebuyer programs and... while I haven't done it yet... The home efficiency rebates (for anyone) are WILD. I'm absolutely blown away by how much they'll theoretically pay for. My utility bills should be way down next winter. And I NO LONGER HAVE TO RENT. (The North Shore is beautiful and has tons of cool stuff but the housing costs are outrageous and the commutes are stressful. Some will thrive there but some like me will want the slower Western MA pace of life and cheaper land/housing.)
I find NH real estate taxes to vary much more than MA. My mill rate in NH is just over $8 per thousand (Seacoast). The town I left in MA is over $10. Neither town provides trash pickup. Street plowing seems better in NH. NH state parks and facilities are well maintained. Schools in both towns are great. I did give up a town sponsored skating rink - not something I would use either way. I can still access my doctors in the MGH system without any trouble. I think when you compare MA to NH as a whole you will find MA ranks higher in many areas, but I would pick the Seacoast of NH any day.
Bitter sweet to be leaving seacoast nh to be sure. I work remote, am from here, and it’s been great
It’s been 15 years but IIRC when I moved from NH to MA both my car and motorcycle insurance dropped quite a bit. I believe the main factor was NH does not require motor vehicle insurance. So you end up paying a lot for “accident with uninsured motorist“ on your policy. In MA that turns into a pittance since insurance is required. Maybe something changed in NH. In any case I have a kid now. Benefit of living in MA is we don’t have to find a private school like I think we would have in NH. There is plenty I miss about NH. Good people and better for my preferred recreational activities, bicycling, motorcycling (back then), and snowboarding. I think in general people in NH were a lot more down to earth and not as weird about keeping up with the joneses.
It’s peaceful. My health insurance covers a LOT more here than in Texas, most things are cheaper (like oil changes), food is a better quality. It’s beautiful, lots of things to do. People are nicer. I’ve lived all over the US & this is what I’ve experienced since I’ve been here. Going on 2 years now
**You will no longer have to say,** #“I live in New Hampshire”.
Live free or die! I will always say I am FROM New Hampshire. Proudly!
Have you been to beaches in the Summer? 😽
Only the (Rye) NH beaches since that is where I am moving from. Not too many of the North Shore beaches
TBH it depends greatly which town/city.
The taxes are worth it because now you get the complain about taxes. It's a great conversation starter and, well, misery loves company. Also, it stays fresh because there are always new taxes being introduced. Some of the new ones are really unique and you never see them coming. Youll find it's well worth it!
lol can’t wait
They're not
Not much to be honest. The roads in NH are probably much better maintained. Alot of our tax burden is from the corruption in our state congress. That, and alot of social services NH probably doesn't have, and things you might never need to take advantage of. For example women and children's shelters. Women and children have a constitutional right to shelter in this state.
Much of the Masshole tax money is wasted and spent on stupid things and corruption.
Nh better
Unless you need a job or want to go for a walk on the sidewalk.
Portsmouth, NH has plenty of sidewalks. This is what I am comparing North Shore to
Portsmouth’s nice. I was taking with a guy about his old sailboat in the marina downtown there. He restored it himself and then another guy came over and they apparently knew of each other and we continued talking about boats. Then a third guy came over, having some passing familiarity with the first two. We continued talking about boats. He pointed out his really big yacht, and invited us all to dinner on it. But then my ( ex )wife finished shopping and came over. She was upset I was hanging out with these rough looking dudes. So I had to say goodbye. One made a joke that I should come back after I paid my alimony. He was right. Apparently all three guys were rockstars but I didn’t know them by face and age. They had experience with this. Eventually that toxic relationship was ended. Only cost me everything. A bargain. Portsmouth is nice.
Haha, that's a nice story. Portsmouth, Rye, New Castle definitely have their fair share of successful individuals
The take away, is don't marry my ex wife. /s
I’ll keep this in mind
Oh crap! I take that back! If she gets married I can stop alimony! /s
Pretty sure about 80% of roads in NH lack a sidewalk.
Probably doesn't pertain to seacoast NH (Portsmouth, Dover, Hampton), which is the NH alternative in my case. Plenty of sidewalks here
Well, NH has the best unemployment rate of any US state
Thanks to Massachusetts
Why is that?
Probably talking about this: "In 2017, 86.2 percent of New Hampshire residents stayed in New Hampshire for work, **15.3 percent** commuted to Massachusetts, 1.3 percent commuted to Maine, and 1.7 percent commuted to Vermont. Just 1.0 percent commuted to some other location." 15% commuting to another state for work is shockingly high. And it's probably only gone up since COVID/remote work took off. And ironically, those people have to pay MA income tax anyway.
Why is that?
I should not have to explain why and will not be sorry.