Best Town to live in ?

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by bigdog

Boy, did I open a Pandora's box,I just want suggested opinions on towns, I honestly didn't think the responses would go in this direction

Being born and raised in NH and having had the opportunity to live in multiple different towns in the southern half of the state, I can say for certain that Gilford has been our favorite by far! Friendly people, clean, low crime and the ladies at the town hall are the best! We honestly don’t find the taxes to be that bad for what the town has to offer.

Remember the grass isn’t always greener…..well, you know the rest!

Good luck in your search!

Dan

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I can say for certain that Gilford has been our favorite by far! Friendly people, clean, low crime and the ladies at the town hall are the best! We honestly don’t find the taxes to be that bad for what the town has to offer.
Dan

In my opinion Gilford is great. The many options for dining and shopping are close by and having a Lowes 10 minutes away is very helpful. Some days when working on projects around the house I end up at Lowes 2 or 3 times (due to poor planning on my part) That would be a painful drive if it was 45 minutes away.

I second the opinion about the ladies at town hall. The Town Clerk, Danielle LaFond, and the entire staff are helpful and personable every time I have gone in there. They handle every transaction with the attitude that they are there to help you. Not all town halls are like that. It is the same at the Gilford recycle center. A great helpful crew.

[BroadHopper]

The Lakes Region area has taken a real beating property-wise.

My family moved from Gilford to Laconia because of taxes since the state took over evaluation in the 80s, newspaper articles of 'view' tax, etc. abound.

Now Winnisquam is taking a big hit and so is Newfound Lake! The area will soon be taken over by millionaires!

We've been looking at the Rangely Lake area in Maine. It reminds me of what it was like in the Lakes Region back in the 50s, and 60s. I can see why Ralph Bayre moved back home!

If you want tax relief you must get off the lake, unfortunately. While my taxes have taken a beating, the landowners that are not near a body of water are reaping the benefits of low evaluation, yet they are the ones benefiting from year-round town and state services. Just think of those families that rent in multi-family units struck gold!

All the more reason why the property tax system should be replaced. Perhaps a VAT system?

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

The Lakes Region area has taken a real beating property-wise.

My family moved from Gilford to Laconia because of taxes since the state took over evaluation in the 80s, newspaper articles of 'view' tax, etc. abound.

Now Winnisquam is taking a big hit and so is Newfound Lake! The area will soon be taken over by millionaires!

We've been looking at the Rangely Lake area in Maine. It reminds me of what it was like in the Lakes Region back in the 50s, and 60s. I can see why Ralph Bayre moved back home!

If you want tax relief you must get off the lake, unfortunately. While my taxes have taken a beating, the landowners that are not near a body of water are reaping the benefits of low evaluation, yet they are the ones benefiting from year-round town and state services. Just think of those families that rent in multi-family units struck gold!

All the more reason why the property tax system should be replaced. Perhaps a VAT system?

Taxes in Maine are no bargain. On the plus side, if you have waterfront property you can sell for big bucks, buy off the water, and bank some money. People with property off the lake don't have that option.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

We've been looking at the Rangely Lake area in Maine. It reminds me of what it was like in the Lakes Region back in the 50s, and 60s. I can see why Ralph Bayre moved back home!

I guess I don't understand....You want to leave NH because of the taxes and move to a MORE tax burdened state to save money??

Maine is in the top 10 of the most tax burdened states in the entire country at a whopping 12.4%!....and if I am not mistaken their overall property tax alone is higher than NH!!

Sorry, but this makes no sense...

Dan

[Major]

If we had to do it over again, we would have built our home in Gilford or Meredith, not Laconia. At the time (2007/2008), my dad owned a lot in SD/LB, and it made sense. Laconia was different than it is now. That said, we greatly enjoy SD/LB, so that makes it somewhat palatable.

As well documented, Laconia has gone downhill the past 10+ years. Instead of investing in businesses to attract middle class families, Laconia has instead invested in Section 8 housing and rehab centers. Now, downtown Laconia is chock full of homeless tweekers making it unsafe, especially for women. My wife used to go on the WOW trail for walks. She would never consider using it now.

Even SD/LB isn't immune from the crime. We have homeless people walking through the SD/LB property. They follow the railroad tracks, and eventually work their way to the Laconia State School. We had a homeless person attempt to break into our home in October. Thankfully, the doors were locked.

[Slickcraft]

We live in West Alton which is convenient to services in Gilford & Laconia but with lower taxes. Also, a short drive to Fay’s and the Glendale docks.

Alan