10 Things You Thought You'd Always Hate About New Hampshire, But Have Learned To Love
By Michelle|Published November 24, 2021
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Michelle
Author
Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
Whether you grew up in New Hampshire, moved here after years of longing or simply visit every chance you get there are likely a few things that have rubbed you the wrong way over time. For us, the first thing that comes to mind is the cold. But, like all things, we’ve become accustomed to wearing jackets and sweaters sooner than our friends in other states. Here are a few examples of things that have grown on us and we think you might agree!
There was a period of time when the abundance of plaid flannel made us wonder if we'd ever be fashionable. But over time it's been made clear that we were fashionable all along! Today this cold-weather staple can be found all over the country and even on the runways. And, yeah, it's also pretty great at keeping us warm and cozy.
This has been a hard one to accept, but we've made great strides. Back-to-school and holiday shopping can be one of the most challenging experiences here in New Hampshire due to our lack of sales tax. It took us a long time to realize, though, that all these tourists flocking to us for less expensive shopping helps keep some of our favorite spots in business.
Just like it can be hard to manage the throngs of shoppers here in New Hampshire it's always tough when the backroads fill up with cars sporting New York license plates. But, just like with shopping, we now realize just how important these people are to the economy. And, it doesn't hurt our pride to know that people come here because the state is so beautiful.
During the summer roads and restaurants become a whole lot busier around here. It's easy to complain about until you remember that you get to live here all the time!
While perhaps not relevant to everyone, we grew up being dragged out on hiking trips when we weren't always excited to do so. Today, though? We're all about it! Exploring the great outdoors in our very own backyard is pretty special.
When we first started driving the idea of hitting a moose was something that felt like an inevitability based on how often we were warned of the danger. Sure, it's still something to be mindful of but we'll always be proud that we've got 'em!
While we may not have the accent or language that's associated with neighboring Maine, in New Hampshire there's certainly a special way of speaking. For instance, we always cringed when we heard "BAR-lin" instead of "Berlin" or "LEB-nen" instead of Lebabon. But today we occasionally go out of our way to make it clear we're proud of the way we speak.
Mud season means constantly dirty cars and a guarantee that you'll get stuck at some point. While we haven't begun liking mud season any more than we once did, we're now mature enough to realize that this means summer is almost here! And for some of us who have begun working from home, a little mud can't hurt us!
Winter in New Hampshire comes on fast and seems to stick around for a long time. We often find this hard, but then there are moments when we look around and realize that this place is pretty gorgeous in the winter. We'll take it!
What are some of the things in New Hampshire that you’ve grown to love? Is there anything you’ll just never accept as a fact of life here? Let us know in the comments!
