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Questions about Campton

Started by !ctlurker, July 12, 2009, 11:14 PM NHFT

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!ctlurker

Hello all.

After several years of searching we've finally found a piece of property in Campton that we're seriously considering making an offer on. From what we've read here it seems that several of you are residents and a lot of you are familiar with the area. What do you think of it? If you live here do you like it?

We like what we've seen but haven't spent much time here. Anything we should know/watch out for? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Kat Kanning

Raineyrocks lives there, maybe send her a message?

AntonLee

I went camping there, a wonderful town I would say

Tyler Stearns

I live in Thornton, the next town over.  Campton is a great little town.  Lots of mountains and forest around.  There are fun recreational things to do in Waterville Valley only about 15 minutes drive and it is a similar distance to get to Plymouth with a WalMart and other shopping and entertainment.  Most parts of the town have easy access to I-93, so it is relatively quick to go north into more woods or south into the "big" cities.

Raineyrocks

Quote from: Kat Kanning on July 13, 2009, 09:28 AM NHFT
Raineyrocks lives there, maybe send her a message?


Super Duper idea, thanks Kat! ;D   Jan lives around here too and might offer more information and different perspectives than me too.

It is a nice town like AntonLee wrote but here's some of my pros and cons after living here for 3 years:

Cons:
1. I'm finding it very difficult to be involved in activism.  Sure I can do things like talk to people I meet, whenever I get to see Kat (I hardly make it to any events, not because of Campton but because of family stuff also going on), put newpapers, (sorry Kat I forget the new name of your newspaper), at stores and stuff.   Otherwise I feel stuck, like I'm not doing what I really wanted to when I came up here.  Maybe it's a lack of creativity, procrastination, I'm not sure but I feel stuck in a rut.

2.  I guess I should add that I'm afraid of driving in busy places, night blind too, so that keeps me away from Concord and Manchester even though these are things I'm going to have to get over, except the night blindness.

3.  We had liberty group meetings at our house when we first moved here with the help of everybody that was part of it but it kind of just stopped.  I'm not sure why. 

4.  Our property tax has gone up each year we've lived here.  The taxes were something like $3,600 when we bought the house now they are something like $4,500 a year.   Up goes the mortgage!   You could always rent or look for a smaller house I guess to avoid some of the tax issues but I called the tax collector's office the other week and they said the taxes get raised due to town meeting votes on a percentage level not so much by the value of your property but yes, size does matter of course.  >:D  I joined up to be notified of town meetings via email, I only received one.  I'll take blame for not being more ambitious in seeking out the dates for myself though which I intend to do from now on.

5. Jobs, I really haven't had to look for a job until now and I'm an LNA now and can't find anything in this area but there is a Dunkin Donuts and some little store/gas stations/ restuarants that might be hiring.   My son had a hard time finding a job though but he finally did find a couple of them and was irresponsible with showing up.  ::)

Okay, those are the cons that I can think of for now.

Pros:

1.  It's freaking gorgeous!   If you like to hike the White Mountains are totally awesome.

2.  The people that I've met are really nice.

3.  When my daughter went to Campton Elementary she said most of her teachers weren't over-controlling and would actually let the kids voice their opinions on things.  I can ask her more about that when she's hanging out with me.   The principal is really pretty cool and fair.  I've talked to him about some things that might have been taken as paranoid, like 'what's your policy if there's a terror attack' and stuff like that and he didn't get all weird.  He took me and Rick seriously and answered our questions pretty honestly.

4.  It doesn't seem like the people I've met are nosey but then again we live up a dirt road at the end of it.

5.  Hannafords and Walmart are only 6 miles away if you live by 93.   There are lots of good restaurants and Waterville Valley is about 10 miles away and has fun activities for kids and sometimes stuff for grown ups.

6.  As far as I know, the crime level is really, really low.


Other than that, I guess I would really need to know what info your looking for because I don't know.  :D

!ctlurker

Thanks for the info. We made an offer on the property :o. Now we see if the seller takes our bid.

One of our concerns has been internet access. Both of us have businesses that require it. I did a search and read your posts on the subject, then called the local providers. Fairpoint has DSL in some parts of Campton, Time Warner has high speed cable. Neither have it out where the property is. There is a chance with Time Warner when the town franchise is renegotiated in 2012 or if enough people are willing to pay for wiring. Looks like satellite is our only option. Hughes and Wild Blue both have a packages that should meet our needs. Upload speeds and access policies may mean a change in our internet lifestyle :P.

Raineyrocks brings up the subject of taxes. Here in Stratford, Connecticut we pay $6200 a year for a 2100 sq. ft. house on a 1/3 of an acre of land. This will increase next year due to reevaluation. Add to that a state income tax, a state sales tax of 6% and the highest gasoline tax in the country. Campton and NH in general don't look too bad to us. Of course any tax is a form of slavery but that's another thread ;).

We hope to make some kind of a difference with activism if we end up in Campton and will certainly be in touch with all of you about that.

We'll keep you posted on developments.

KBCraig

Congrats, and good luck!

Satellite internet is generally sucky compared to a fast cable, FIOS or DSL feed, but lots of folks have adapted.

I'm curious: did you change your user name, or has it always been the same? Did you add the "!" after deciding to move?

(For the non-geeky: "!" in *nix-speak, = "not". So, "!ctlurker" means "not a Connecticut lurker".)

cathleeninnh

Connection is a huge issue all around NH. Probably the top issue when we were looking at property around the state. Cell service provider coverage maps are not always correct. We found out and had to change networks.

Satellite internet wouldn't work for my husbands job demands. Cable hadn't been run down our private road and the locals called the service atrocious anyway. Luckily, the phone company in Barnstead, Union Communications, had good dsl available.

It was worth it. We now have a great house in the country where don can work from home 4 days a week.

I used to think Campton was way too far from everyone else I wanted to work with. After several year in the Merrimack valley area, I now think in the sticks is far better. But then I am willing to drive to events, while Rainey is just CHICKEN.  :)

!ctlurker

As of today it looks like there is no deal for the property. Owners don't seem willing to negotiate.

cathleeninhh what is it that your husband does that satellite won't handle? I ask because I'm a contractor doing software development and Laura is an artist. I have occasional need to VPN (remote network connect) to client sites and Laura uploads large files to her clients. We've been led to believe that these needs are on the envelope of satellite performance but still doable.

KBCraig, the username hasn't changed but you're right in the meaning. It actually comes from a meeting at Murphy's Taproom where we talked to some of you back in Nov 2007. I mentioned that I lurked on this forum and was told I didn't have to be so non-interactive! ;) BTW, back in my UNIX days we called the ! 'bang'. (Laura says that I'm a real geek).

Keep you posted on developments.

cathleeninnh

What my husband does is support work that requires quality video streaming sessions in order to screen share with his customers. The dsl has worked out fine.

Cathleen

Raineyrocks

Quote from: Tyler Stearns on July 14, 2009, 02:53 PM NHFT
I live in Thornton, the next town over.  Campton is a great little town.  Lots of mountains and forest around.  There are fun recreational things to do in Waterville Valley only about 15 minutes drive and it is a similar distance to get to Plymouth with a WalMart and other shopping and entertainment.  Most parts of the town have easy access to I-93, so it is relatively quick to go north into more woods or south into the "big" cities.

Ooops!  Sorry Tyler, I didn't see your post above mine before I posted.  :)

Raineyrocks

Quote from: !ctlurker on July 16, 2009, 10:39 PM NHFT
Thanks for the info. We made an offer on the property :o. Now we see if the seller takes our bid.

One of our concerns has been internet access. Both of us have businesses that require it. I did a search and read your posts on the subject, then called the local providers. Fairpoint has DSL in some parts of Campton, Time Warner has high speed cable. Neither have it out where the property is. There is a chance with Time Warner when the town franchise is renegotiated in 2012 or if enough people are willing to pay for wiring. Looks like satellite is our only option. Hughes and Wild Blue both have a packages that should meet our needs. Upload speeds and access policies may mean a change in our internet lifestyle :P.

Raineyrocks brings up the subject of taxes. Here in Stratford, Connecticut we pay $6200 a year for a 2100 sq. ft. house on a 1/3 of an acre of land. This will increase next year due to reevaluation. Add to that a state income tax, a state sales tax of 6% and the highest gasoline tax in the country. Campton and NH in general don't look too bad to us. Of course any tax is a form of slavery but that's another thread ;).

We hope to make some kind of a difference with activism if we end up in Campton and will certainly be in touch with all of you about that.

We'll keep you posted on developments.

Wow, on the taxes and other costs in Stratford, your right NH doesn't seem that bad after reading that!   We're just down to the wire with bills so it's nerve wracking right now until I find a job.  :)

Awesome with the activism, I'm in!  :D   Congrats and good luck with your offer too!

Raineyrocks

Quote from: cathleeninnh on July 17, 2009, 09:54 AM NHFT
Connection is a huge issue all around NH. Probably the top issue when we were looking at property around the state. Cell service provider coverage maps are not always correct. We found out and had to change networks.

Satellite internet wouldn't work for my husbands job demands. Cable hadn't been run down our private road and the locals called the service atrocious anyway. Luckily, the phone company in Barnstead, Union Communications, had good dsl available.

It was worth it. We now have a great house in the country where don can work from home 4 days a week.

I used to think Campton was way too far from everyone else I wanted to work with. After several year in the Merrimack valley area, I now think in the sticks is far better. But then I am willing to drive to events, while Rainey is just CHICKEN.  :)

Yup, I am!  ;D   I must add though, I really, really, am nightblind.  I wonder if that is one word or two, hmmm.  :BangHead:    I have these delusional thoughts though that I am going to be the one that saves the entire world one day!  8)    Nope, I won't get on medication for those thoughts.   ;D

Raineyrocks

Quote from: !ctlurker on July 18, 2009, 06:07 PM NHFT
As of today it looks like there is no deal for the property. Owners don't seem willing to negotiate.

cathleeninhh what is it that your husband does that satellite won't handle? I ask because I'm a contractor doing software development and Laura is an artist. I have occasional need to VPN (remote network connect) to client sites and Laura uploads large files to her clients. We've been led to believe that these needs are on the envelope of satellite performance but still doable.

KBCraig, the username hasn't changed but you're right in the meaning. It actually comes from a meeting at Murphy's Taproom where we talked to some of you back in Nov 2007. I mentioned that I lurked on this forum and was told I didn't have to be so non-interactive! ;) BTW, back in my UNIX days we called the ! 'bang'. (Laura says that I'm a real geek).

Keep you posted on developments.

That sucks, I hope the owners change their minds.  :-\

!ctlurker

Well the bad news came in yesterday, no deal on the property. Sellers must have lot of disposable income to tie up in an empty house.

However, all is not lost. Bound and determined to get the >:D out of CT and fighting a time frame regarding when school starts for our daughters, we're going to give another place we'd passed on a reconsideration. It's not in Campton though.

Hopefully, I'll have to start another tread with queries about that town.

Many thanks for the input.