More than 1.3 million people call New Hampshire home, and it's not surprising. New Hampshire's traditions, culture, and history date back to the 18th-century. New Hampshire was one of the country's original thirteen colonies. However, Abenaki and Penacook Indian tribes inhabited the region before European settlers arrived. Charming, small towns, and seven distinct tourism regions draw visitors from all over the world to one of the country's smaller states. Tourism areas in New Hampshire include Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee, Great North Woods, Lakes Region, Merrimack Valley, Monadnock Region, Seacoast, and the White Mountains.
New Hampshire is located on the east (Atlantic Ocean) coast of the U.S. New Hampshire is bordered by the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north, the Canadian Province of Quebec. The capital of the state is Concord. Manchester is New Hampshire's largest city and the largest in northern New England. Manchester, the 10th largest city in New England, is consistently named as one of the most affordable and livable cities in the country and is one of the best cities in which to launch a business. Concord, the Merrimack County seat, last recorded a population of more than 42,000.
The diverse geography of New Hampshire ranges from the White Mountains and Mount Washington in the north and central portion of the state, to the Seacoast region on the Atlantic Ocean. New Hampshire has the distinction of having the shortest coastline of any state, with only 18 miles. New Hampshire's climate is warm and humid in the summer, with wet, cold winters. Rainfall is pretty consistent all year. Temperatures along the southeastern coast of the state are usually more moderate than other areas during the winter. Although New England is known for its Nor'easters, most of the storms hit southern New England and move inland. Energy consumption in New Hampshire is among the lowest in the country, and energy use by residents is low due to the comfortable temperatures during the summer months.
Cuisine in New Hampshire is as diverse as its regions, from freshly caught seafood at coastal restaurants, craft beers, cider, and local wines, to maple syrup and melt-in-your-mouth maple sugar candies from gift shops in the mountains, there's something for every taste. There's nothing like a foliage trip through the White Mountains in autumn or to the summit of Mount Washington on the Cog Railway. Productions at summer theater companies and museums and are among the best in the country, and there's an abundance of galleries and art colonies.
With so many great cities and diverse neighborhoods, it's not easy to choose a place to live when you're moving to New Hampshire. To start your search for the best places, these are some of our choices for the best places to live in New Hampshire. To customize your list, you can search within a specific area, by home or apartment costs, population, and the metrics that are important including cost of living, employment, education, amenities, weather, or crime statistics.