Submitted by Aromatic-Common7204 t3_zjsb9f in newhampshire
We are moving next week and I’m very nervous about it, we bought a house so we can be closer to family, but my main concern is that I’ve never lived in a small town I don’t know anyone there my husband’s has friends there, but I’m worry I will have difficulties meeting people on my own, I appreciate any feedback I can get about the area TIA
Within the first week of moving in, go knock on your neighbors door and introduce yourself.
Join a club or group. I just took a quick look and the Library has some like book clubs, cookbook club (this actually sounds fun, cookie swap this week!), genealogy group and others. There are also adult league sports. Basketball, volleyball, curling, soccer and others I'm sure.
Finally you have the old go to a coffee shop and hang out regularly, but you have to actually talk to people.
Some cultural points to consider....life is slower here. People drive slower, the check out lines move slower, and people are generally just not in a hurry. It takes some getting use to but it's nice...I find myself driving under the speed limit now too.
People are not flashy and no one gives a shit about designer clothes, watches etc. The wealthiest guy I know drives an F-250 and wears flannel shirts in business meetings.
I lived in West Village for a number of years. Obviously there are tons of things to do there but I never really met people once I was like 30 and in a serious relationship. Maybe your experience was different but I always found I did things that were enjoyable but was still “alone” surrounded by 10 million people. I now live in CT and find I mean extremely heavily on my partner to spend time with and have met almost nobody. We have 2 kids though and the thought of going out to socialize with people is exhausting after a day of work and kids.
I met most people in town when my kids became school aged. Bus stops, parents of their friends, parents at extracurricular activities, etc.
Makes sense. Sports with kids prob pretty easy way to get to know people
Tokens taproom. Shows at flight coffee. Sonny’s. Fury’s. Portsmouth right around the corner. Portland not far. Boston just an hour away. You’ll be good!
I have one baby and I feel so drained at the end of the day, also my social skills are not the best so this move is giving me a lot of anxiety im trying to stay positive since there not much to do at this point, another thing that makes me super nervous is my accent NYC is such a melting pot is not an issue but im Not sure about NE
Hang in there! Babies are hard but it does get easier I promise! In the mean time try to have the nice little moments with your partner as much as possible. The wonderful thing about leaving the city is the sense of serenity when you move to a place like NH (or in my case CT) and don’t forget you are very close to Portsmouth and lots of entertainment if you have an itch you need to scratch.
Not sure how old your baby is, but the Children's Museum of NH is right in Dover.
I have met moms by walking up to them and commenting on how well our kids play together and we should have a play date.
I think people in New England do the small talk/chit chat thing more than NYCers so once you break the ice, it's easier.
Currently raising 2 small children in Dover. It's a great place to raise a family. We've made friends through our kids schools and extracurricular activities. Good luck to you and welcome to Dover!
Don't tell anyone you're from NYC. Tell them you're from upstate.
l0ngtrail t1_izwa31b wrote
Dover is a good home base. You’re 30 minutes from the Seacoast (Portsmouth and Hampton). You’re an ~hour from the mountains. ~1 hour from Portland and ~1.5 hours from Boston.
Dover itself has a younger culture due to UNH (Durham). This will give you a few bars to choose from. Most people are friendly and you’ll find many from out of state in the same boat as you.
For meeting people… you kinda just have to put yourself out there and initiate it yourself, but don’t be overwhelming as it will turn many people off (stereotypes).