Some will argue with some of this, (including me) but it is an interesting list. Having moved here many years ago from Mass. I think these are some of the "NH Advantage"
This is not meant to fire up debate. It's just an interesting list.
30 Reasons to Celebrate to living in NH
1) New Hampshire has the second-fastest job growth in the nation.
(U.S. Department of Labor, reported in the Union Leader 7.27.2010)
2) New Hampshire currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation - 5.7%, in August, which is 40 percent below the national average, fourth-lowest in the nation and lowest east of the Mississippi.
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics -
www.bls.gov)
3) NH passed the three-part "New Hampshire Working" plan, which is helping citizens who need jobs find them, helping workers with jobs keep them, and ensuring that Granite Staters are trained for the jobs of the future.
(SB 501 in 2010)
Pro-Business
4) New Hampshire is the 7th most business friendly state in the nation, and the second most business-friendly state east of the Mississippi.
(The Tax Foundation -
www.taxfoundation.org)
5) New Hampshire's 'Green Launching Pad' is helping Granite State businesses create new jobs in clean technologies.
(
www.greenlaunchingpad.org)
6) The "Return to Work" program under New Hampshire Working benefits businesses by allowing people to continue collecting unemployment while receiving up to 24 hours per week of training by a potential employer.
(
www.nh.gov/nhes/nhworking/ReturntoWork.htm)
7) The "Stay at Work: Workshare" program under New Hampshire Working allows businesses to reduce work hours of their employees to avert layoff, while the employee receives partial unemployment compensation.
(SB 501 in 2010 and
www.nh.gov/nhes/nhworking/StayatWork.htm)
8) NH re-instituted the job training fund (suspended since 2003) that allows companies to partner with the state to train new workers or retrain longtime employees.
(SB 97 in 2007 and
www.nhjobtrainingfund.org)
9) Over the last four years, NH has implemented a number of job-creation tax credits to help businesses grow during difficult times.
(Research and Development tax credit - SB 134 in 2007, Coos county tax credit - HB 1644 in 2008,Economic Revitalization Zone tax credit - SB 383 in 2010)
Low Taxes and Low Government Spending
10) New Hampshire has the 2nd lowest per capita taxes in the nation.
(Federation of Tax Administrators -
www.taxadmin.org)
11) New Hampshire has the 5th lowest government state spending in the country.
(Kaiser State Health Facts -
www.statehealthfacts.org)
Quality of Life
12) New Hampshire is the best place in America to raise a family.
(Annie E. Casey Foundation, National KIDS COUNT Program)
13) New Hampshire has the lowest crime rate in the country.
(Federal Bureau of Investigation and CQ Press)
14) New Hampshire has been named the safest state in the nation for the third year in a row.
(Federal Bureau of Investigation and CQ Press
15) New Hampshire has the highest standard of living and the lowest poverty rate in the country.
(U.S. Census Bureau)
16) New Hampshire became one of the first states to legally recognize full marriage equality.
(HB 436 in 2009)
17) NH passed the Granite State's first minimum wage increase in 10 years and a new law was passed to protect workers from being laid off without notice.
(Minimum wage - HB 514 in 2007. W.A.R.N. Act - SB 40 in 2009)
18) NH passed one of the nation's toughest laws to protect children from sexual predators and online abuse.
(SB 495 in 2008)
19) NH strengthened New Hampshire's anti-bullying statute, becoming one of the first states to address the act of cyber-bullying.
(HB 1523 in 2010)
20) In NH, every child in every New Hampshire community can now attend public kindergarten - ending our dubious status as the only state not to offer kindergarten to every child.
(HB 927 in 2007 - kindergarten included in the definition of an "adequate education")
21) NH created an innovative education plan that reduced New Hampshire's high school dropout rate by 30 percent in the past year.
(SB 18 in 2007)
22) In 2009, New Hampshire was one of only four states in the nation that saw fourth and eighth grade math test scores improve.
(National Center for Education Statistics - The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009 -www.nces.ed.gov)
23) The NH legislature has made a commitment to fund services for people on the developmental disabilities wait-list.
(HB 2 in 2007 and HB 2 in 2009)
24) New Hampshire's infrastructure has improved through the capital budget and efficient use of federal highway stimulus funds.
(HB 25 in 2007, HB 25 in 2009,
www.nh.gov/dot/recovery)
25) The housing market - a key indicator of economic growth - is growing faster in New Hampshire than in most other states.
(
www.housingpredictor.com/newhampshire)
Government Efficiency and Transparency
26) New Hampshire became the first state government in the country to get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources, and New Hampshire has developed a plan to reduce energy consumption in state-owned buildings by 25% by year 2025.
(
www.lynch10.com/issues/quality-of-life, SB 73 in 2010 and
www.25x25.org)
27) New Hampshire state government has become more transparent - with monthly state spending reports online for the first time.
(HB 1651 in 2010)
28) New Hampshire is putting more services - such as drivers' license renewals - online.
(
http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/d...lic/index.html)
29) NH has made government more efficient by eliminating outdated boards and commissions.
(HB 1690 in 2010)
30) All three credit-rating agencies have recently reconfirmed New Hampshire's excellent bond rating, citing our "timely" budget management and our "economic strength and resiliency."
(
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fitch-...94538.html?x=0)