Dependence on Massachusetts Post-Pandemic (Concord, Atkinson: transplants, employment, income)

[AtkinsonDan]

I'd like to hear from my fellow New Hampshire residents on this topic. People in the Massachusetts forum sometimes trot out the belief that southern New Hampshire is significantly dependent on Boston and eastern Massachusetts for its economy. Surely in pre-pandemic times, many people lived in southern New Hampshire towns and commuted into the Boston suburbs or even the city itself. Has the increase in WFH opportunities due to the events surrounding the pandemic changed your dependency on Massachusetts?

For me, 2020 was a life altering year in which my full time employment went remote and free of state income taxes. Then at the very end of 2022, my weekend job changed to New Hampshire as well. 2023 could shape up to be the first year of my life where I do not have to pay any state income taxes at all. For non-work purposes I rarely go into Massachusetts even though I live only four miles north of the NH/MA state line.

Has your life become more or less entangled with Masschusetts after the pandemic? This discussion is free to go well beyond just career and work.

[Brave Stranger]

I am in MA for work several months a year, at least, and own property there, as well as here...so things are the same for me.

[KCZ]

I'm more annoyed by the transplants and tourists from MA and other states.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by KCZ

I'm more annoyed by the transplants and tourists from MA and other states.

That's an entirely different topic.

[KCZ]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

That's an entirely different topic.

Not if I have to deal with extra traffic and a shortage of service providers, not to mention the housing market that's affected everyone here.

[abnfdc]

No change. I only go into MA twice a year to visit my parents.

Nowadays I get annoyed going south of Concord.

[nhboy]

Originally Posted by kcz

i'm more annoyed by the transplants and tourists from ma and other states.

this is the man

[kaszeta]

In general, living mid-state I was never really that entangled with Boston.



In generally, I feel even less so than pre-pandemic, and travel to MA even less frequently.


There's one exception, and that's air travel. MHT was losing a lot of traffic even before the pandemic, and it's pretty much a ghost town now. I'm much more frequently going to Bradley or Boston for travel

[algernonsidney]

I gotta be honest, I try not to go south of the border. There is nothing in Massachussetts worth visiting, every time I accidentally take a right-turn out of Costco I feel gross. It's like some sort of alien and European country, that's how bad it is.

[chris410]

Never was entangled with Massachusetts as my job and my wife's job are based out of NH. However I have noticed a huge uptick in new neighbors from south of the border... hopefully leaving their politics where they came from